Mozart, Mendelssohn, Handel, Bach Set for Oratorio Society of New York's 2013-14 Season

The Oratorio Society of New York will perform defining symphonic choral masterworks of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn, both as part of its annual 2013-14 series at Carnegie Hall under the leadership of music director Kent Tritle, and in a guest appearance with Sir Roger Norrington and the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall. Mr. Tritle leads the 200-voice chorus, New York's standard for grand choral performance, in its 141st season and his ninth season as music director.

OSNY 2013-14 Carnegie Hall SEASON: The OSNY's series opens Monday, November 4, with Mr. Tritle conducting Mozart's poignant and powerful Requiem, in the original Süssmayr edition, and Mendelssohn's exuberant Die erste Walpurgisnacht. The secular cantata, a setting of a poem by Goethe, is Mendelssohn's third-largest symphonic choral work, following Elijah and Paulus, both of which have been performed since 2010 by the OSNY.

On the eve of Christmas Eve, the OSNY will take New York's holiday musical season to a culmination with its 204th performance of Handel's Messiah on Monday, December 23. Mr. Tritle will bring the OSNY's Carnegie Hall series to a close with a single performance of Bach's epic St. Matthew Passion on Tuesday, May 20. Among the soloists will be tenor Nicholas Phan as the Evangelist, and mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer. In the course of the 2013-14 season, Mr. Tritle will conduct all three of Bach's great choral masterworks: the St. Matthew Passion with the OSNY, the St. John Passion at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine; and the Mass in B Minor at the Manhattan School of Music.

MISSA SOLEMNIS AND OTHER 2013-14 EVENTS: In addition to its own annual Carnegie Hall series, on Thursday, March 6, the OSNY will be the guest chorus for a performance of Beethoven's profound Missa Solemnis, to be conducted by Sir Roger Norrington with the Orchestra of St. Luke's. This concert is part of the orchestra's subscription series presented by Carnegie Hall and is part of an international celebration of Sir Roger's 80th birthday in 2014.

The Missa Solemnis concert is one of several major events in addition to the OSNY's own Carnegie Hall series. On Wednesday, November 20, it will participate in "Most Elevating of Voices," a concert celebrating the musical legacy of Andrew Carnegie and his support of organ and choral music. The event will be led by Mr. Tritle as part of his "Great Music in a Great Space" series at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and features choruses from three of his affiliated organizations: the Cathedral Choirs of St. John the Divine, the Manhattan School of Music Chamber Choir, and the OSNY.

In March 2014, the OSNY will hold its 38th annual Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition, the only competition to focus exclusively on oratorio singing. The competition begins in late March and draws more than 100 applicants from around the world. Finals will be held onSaturday, April 5 in Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall.

TICKETS:

- OSNY Carnegie Hall season: 3-concert subscriptions for the Mozart/Mendelssohn, Handel and Bach concert series are $243-$68; 2-concert subscriptions are $162-$45. Subscriptions are available at www.oratoriosocietyofny.org.

- The Mozart/Mendelssohn, Handel, Beethoven and Bach concerts will take place on the Perelman Stage of Stern Auditorium, Carnegie Hall. Single tickets $90-$25 may be purchased six weeks prior to each concert at Carnegie Hall box office or through CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800. They are also available at www.oratoriosocietyofny.org.

- Missa Solemnis: Tickets are available through carnegiehall.com or through CarnegieCharge.

- Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition Finals: Tickets are $20 general admission and may be purchased through Carnegie Hall.

- "Most Elevating of Voices": Tickets will be available at www.stjohndivine.org.

ABOUT THE ORATORIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK: The Oratorio Society of New York, the second oldest cultural organization in New York City, has been part the city's musical life since 1873. The Society's 200 members come from all walks of life to volunteer their time for the joy of making music together.

ABOUT KENT TRITLE: The OSNY's Music Director since the 2003-04 season, Kent Tritle is also in his seventh season as Music Director of the professional chorus Musica Sacra, and he is in his third year as Director of Cathedral Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. He founded Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, the acclaimed concert series at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in New York City.

In addition, Mr. Tritle is Director of Choral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music and is a member of the graduate faculty of The Juilliard School. An acclaimed organ virtuoso, he is the organist of the New York Philharmonic and the American Symphony Orchestra. He is also -the host of "The Choral Mix with Kent Tritle," a program on WQXR and www.wqxr.org, which explores the choral scene in New York and beyond.

2013-14 Concert Season

ORATORIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK

141st Season

Kent Tritle, Music Director

Monday, November 4, 2012, at 8:00 pm

MOZART: Requiem

MENDELSSOHN: Die erste Walpurgisnacht

Oratorio Society of New York

Kent Tritle, conductor

Jennifer Zetlan, soprano

Jennifer Feinstein, mezzo

Aaron Blake, tenor

Sidney Outlaw, baritone

Soloman Howard, bass

The Orchestra of the Society

Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

Monday, December 23, 2013 at 8:00 pm

HANDEL: MESSIAH

Oratorio Society of New York

Kent Tritle, conductor

Kathryn Lewek, soprano

Rebecca Ringle, mezzo-soprano

Nicholas Phan, tenor

Dashon Burton, bass-baritone

The Orchestra of the Society

Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

Tuesday, May 20, 2013 at 8:00 pm

BACH: St. Matthew PASSION

Oratorio Society of New York

Kent Tritle, conductor

Nicholas Phan, Evangelist

Kevin Deas, Christus

Leslie Fagan, soprano

Susanne Mentzer, mezzo-soprano

Matthew Plenk, tenor

Kelly Markgraf, baritone

The Orchestra of the Society

Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

Tickets: 3-Concert Subscriptions: $243-$68

2-Concert Subscriptions: $162-$45

Single Tickets: $90-$25

www.oratoriosocietyofny.org

Other 2013-14 OSNY events:

Cathedral of St. John the Divine "Great Music in a Great Space" Presents:

Wednesday, November 20, 2013, 7:30 pm

"Most Elevating of Voices"-Honoring the Musical Legacy of Andrew Carnegie

Cathedral of St. John the Divine

Kent Tritle, conductor and organist

Cathedral Choirs of St. John the Divine

Manhattan School of Music Chamber Choir

Oratorio Society of New York

Carnegie Hall Presents:

Thursday, March 6, 2013, 8 pm

BEETHOVEN: Missa Solemnis

Orchestra of St. Luke's

Sir Roger Norrington, conductor

Susan Grifton, soprano

Julie Bowline, mezzo-soprano

Michael Shade, tenor

Nathan Berg, bass-baritone

Oratorio Society of New York

Kent Tritle, music director

Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall

Saturday, April 5, 2013 at 1:30 pm

37th LYNDON WOODSIDE ORATORIO-SOLO COMPETITION FINALS

Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall