Oratorio Society Of New York Announces 2022-23 Season With Performances At Carnegie Hall

The Oratorio Society of New York, led by Music Director Kent Tritle, today announces its 2022-23 season with three concerts in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall. The 22-23 season includes a newly commissioned world premiere; the 148th year of its performances of Handel's Messiah, a venerable New York holiday tradition; and Bach's Mass in B Minor, a standout in Baroque choral works.

The season kicks off on November 15, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. with the world premiere of A Nation of Others by Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell, the Pulitzer Prize-winning team that created OSNY's enormously successful Sanctuary Road. In a moving and dynamic score, A Nation of Others explores the individual and collective experiences of immigrants-many of whom were also refugees-as they arrive at Ellis Island on a single day in 1921. While the work examines the struggles immigrants can face, it also celebrates the fusion of diverse cultures that give our country its identity.

Rounding out the program is Robert Paterson's Whitman's America, a presentation of six poems from Whitman's final version of Leaves of Grass. The selected poems demonstrate the intimate directness, colorful descriptions, and sense of optimism found in many of Whitman's works. Paterson views each movement as a vision that Whitman may have imagined as he was nearing death and highlights various themes present in Whitman's poetry. With instrumentation designed to be identical to Brahms' Requiem, Whitman's America praises nature and the role humans play in it as both individuals and Americans.

Featured soloists joining OSNY for this performance include sopranos Susanna Phillips and Maeve Höglund, mezzo-soprano Raehann Bryce-Davis, tenor Martin Bakari, baritone Steven Eddy, and bass-baritone Joseph Beutel, together with the Orchestra of the Society, led by Music Director Kent Tritle.

Continuing the season, Oratorio Society of New York presents its 148th performance of Handel's Messiah on December 19, 2022 at 8:00 p.m. A holiday staple since 1874, this year's performance, led by Maestro Tritle at the podium, includes soloists soprano Maria Brea, contralto Heather Petrie, tenor Joshua Blue, and baritone Jesse Blumberg, together with the Orchestra of the Society.

The season concludes with J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor on May 8, 2023 at 8:00 p.m. Bach's remarkable and singular setting of the complete text of the mass encompasses the range of human experience, from joy to sorrow and solemnity to praise. Composed over a 25-year period, the work is divided into four sections, beginning with the Kyrie and Gloria. Written in 1733, the work is divided into five sections and is noted for its perfection of symmetry and form. Maestro Tritle leads the Orchestra of the Society and chorus, alongside soloists soprano Emily Donato, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford, tenor Brian Giebler, and baritone Sidney Outlaw. OSNY's extensive history with the piece includes a 15-year stint of successive performances between 1925 to 1941.

"I am so delighted to be directing the world premiere of A Nation of Others," said Music Director Kent Tritle upon the announcement of the 2022-23 season. "The Oratorio Society of New York has increasingly taken on new music, and this promises to be a landmark in our history of doing so. The dramatic trajectory created by Mark Campbell and Paul Moravec promises to propel this message of 'what makes America great' to greater appreciation and understanding. The work portrays the stories of unsung heroes- real people who risked their lives to come to America with hopes and aspirations. Handel's Messiah and Bach's Mass in B Minor round out our season. These two Baroque masterworks plumb the resources of this chorus; we delight in showing our constituents that yes, a large and Romantic chorus can indeed scale the heights of these monuments, eliciting transparency, litheness, and deep emotional connection from beginning to end."

OSNY's 2022-23 season also includes the 46th annual Lyndon Woodside Oratorio-Solo Competition on April 15, 2023 at 1:30 p.m. in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall. The annual competition features eight young singers performing major oratorio arias with piano accompaniment. OSNY Music Director Kent Tritle and a panel of distinguished judges choose winners and award cash prizes. Winners have performed with OSNY and other organizations at Carnegie Hall and other major NYC locations. Founded in 1977, the competition is the only major vocal competition dedicated to oratorio singing with the goal of nurturing the careers of aspiring oratorio soloists and their commitment to the oratorio repertoire.

Subscriptions for all three concerts in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage are available at a 15% discount through September 23 by visiting osny.org. Tickets are also available via carnegiehall.org, CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, or at the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th and Seventh.