TENET Vocal Artists Presents 2022-23 Season Opening Concert 'Motets Of J.S. Bach' Next Month

The innovative and acclaimed early music ensemble TENET Vocal Artists, led by Artistic Director Jolle Greenleaf, launches its 2022-2023 season with Motets of J.S. Bach on Sunday, September 18, 2022 at 4:00pm at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (3 West 65th Street).

TENET's celebratory performance of J.S. Bach's beloved, triumphant motets will feature one voice on a part with strings and winds doubling the voices. These works for choir and continuo were likely written for special occasions, such as weddings, feasts, and funerals, and remain challenging pieces to sing due to the many key changes and length of time the choir is engaged. Motets to be presented include Singet dem Herrn; Komm, Jesu, komm; Jesu, meine Freude; O Jesu Christ, meins Lebens Licht; and Der Geist hilft. Rounding out the program are selections from Georg Philipp Telemann's Ouverture Suite in G minor.

The concert is led from the chamber organ by Music Director Jeffrey Grossman, and features ensemble members sopranos Jolle Greenleaf and Molly Quinn, countertenors Clifton Massey and Timothy Parsons, tenors James Reese and Aaron Sheehan, and basses Charles Wesley Evans and Jonathan Woody. Musicians include violinists Nicholas di Eugenio and Beth Wenstrom, violist Jessica Troy, cellist Ana Kim, oboists David Dickey, Priscilla Herreid, and Margaret Owens, bassoonist Stephanie Corwin, and bassist Nathaniel Chase.

This performance will be filmed and available to view as a virtual concert from September 22, 2022 to December 22, 2022.

Music Director Jeff Grossman says, "I've been looking forward to this program! J.S. Bach's Motets are the perfect distillation of his musical style - specifically, his love for intricate counterpoint and German sacred text, in concentrated form. To perform these pieces with the virtuoso singers of TENET is a pleasure. Their special mix of beautiful solo vocalism with balanced ensemble singing fits this music like a glove. We're also joined by period instrumentalists who will selectively double the vocal lines, which it seems was Bach's intention for performance."

Artistic Director Jolle Greenleaf shares, "Performing J.S. Bach's Motets one voice to a part is significant for us. In fact, a performance of the motets was how the ensemble initially came together, and revisiting them every few years is always a joy. The spectrum of musical colors is greatly enhanced with instruments doubling the vocal parts, making for a fantastic overall listening experience."

TENET's 2022-23 season additionally includes: Polifonía de las Américas on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 7:00pm at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church; Sound the Trumpet on Saturday, November 19, 2022 at 7:00pm at St. Luke in the Fields; Orlando de Lassus' Lagrime di San Pietro on Saturday, February 25, 2023 at 7:00pm at St. Jean Baptiste Church; Bach's Magnificat and Easter Oratorio on Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 7:30pm at the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer; and Rejoice, Rejoice! on Saturday, May 20, 2023 at 7:00pm at St. Ignatius of Antioch.