Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Choral Ensemble Musica Sacra to Kick Off 2023-2024 Concert Season With SURROUND

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine's 2023-2024 season of Great Music in a Great Space  concerts starts off with an extraordinary evening of a capella music with SurRound, a performance featuring choral ensemble Musica Sacra under the baton of Director of Cathedral Music Kent Tritle, on Tuesday, October 17 at 7:30 pm, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street).

This first concert of the new season makes full use of the Cathedral's magnificent Gothic space and acoustic properties. Audience members will be surrounded by a kaleidoscope of sound as singers move through the candlelit spaces surrounding the Cathedral's Great Choir. The program ranges from works by Whitacre and Tavener to Pärt, Byrd, Florence Price, and a world premiere by Daniel Ficcarri—a full exploration of the choral repertoire sung by the voices of the Musica Sacra choir.

Tickets are $35-$75, $20 for students with valid ID. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the link below. For details and information on all the Cathedral's programs and services, visit stjohndivine.org.

PROGRAM

Musica Sacra

Kent Tritle, conductor

DANIEL FICARRI “Blessed Are the Pure in Heart” (WORLD PREMIERE)

WILLIAM BYRD “Christie, qui lux es”

ANTONIO LOTTI “Crucifixus”

PABLO CASALS “O Vos Omnes”

Florence Price “Resignation”

JOHN TAVENER “Funeral Ikos”

Benjamin Britten “Hymn to the Virgin”

CARLOTTA FERRARI “Songs for Hildegard”

David Lang “make peace”

Eric Whitacre “Nox Aurumque”

ROBERT A. Harris “How can I keep from singing? “

Trad. American folk song, arr. Erb “Shenandoah”

Gregorian chant

About Musica Sacra

Since its founding in 1964 by conductor Richard Westenburg, the mission of Musica Sacra has been to create definitive, professional, choral performances of the highest caliber for the widest possible audience. It supports its mission by presenting concerts, recording, commissioning and performing new choral works, collaborating with other top tier performing arts organizations, and educating audiences, students, and the general public in the appreciation and history of choral music.

The story of Musica Sacra, the longest continuously performing professional chorus in New York City, is the story of a dazzling past, a thriving present, and a vibrant future.  It's a tale of six decades of brilliance, every performance filled with new discoveries; profound statements made simply and elegantly. Whether a performance of the great choral masters of the past or the contemporary repertoire of today, Musica Sacra stands alone in its ability to positively change one's perception of choral singing forever.

About Kent Tritle

Kent Tritle is one of America's leading choral conductors. In addition to being Director of Cathedral Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, he is also Music Director of Musica Sacra and Music Director of the Oratorio Society of New York.

In addition, he is a member of the graduate faculty of The Juilliard School. An acclaimed organ virtuoso, Kent is also the organist of the New York Philharmonic.

Called “the brightest star in New York's choral music world” by The New York Times, Kent Tritle founded the Sacred Music in a Sacred Space concert series at New York's Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, and led it to great acclaim from 1989 to 2011.  From 1996 to 2004, he was Music Director of New York's The Dessoff Choirs. Kent Tritle has made more than 20 recordings on the Telarc, Naxos, AMDG, Epiphany, Gothic, VAI and MSR Classics labels.  kenttritle.com

About Great Music in a Great Space

Revived in 2011, Great Music in a Great Space reprises the legendary concert series first held at the Cathedral in the 1980s. Great Music in a Great Space presents choral, orchestral, and instrumental music, in the magnificent, deeply spiritual setting of the world's largest Gothic cathedral. The beloved holiday traditions of the Christmas Concert and New Year's Eve Concert for Peace are an integral part of our concert series. Joined by Rose of the Compass, Musica Sacra, and the Oratorio Society of New York, the Cathedral Choirs, Orchestra, and a remarkable artistic team of organists and soloists bring the beloved space of the Cathedral to life with this transcendent music.

About the Cathedral

Over one hundred years ago, the trustees of the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine conceived its mission to be a house of prayer for all people, an instrument of church unity, and a center of intellectual light and leading in the spirit of Jesus Christ.

Today, as the mother church of the Episcopal Diocese of New York and the seat of its bishop, the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine serves the many diverse people of our diocese, city, nation and world through the worship of God; pastoral, educational and community outreach activities; cultural and civic events; international ecumenical initiatives; and the preservation of the great architectural and historic site that is its legacy.

 

Photo by Jennifer Taylor