The Cathedral of St. John the Divine Opens 2020-2021 Season With Performance by David Briggs

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine opens its 2020-2021 season of Great Music in a Great Space with a performance by organist and Artist in Residence David Briggs, who will present two world premieres of music by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Briggs' new organ transcriptions of The Lark Ascending and the ravishingly beautiful Fifth Symphony will be streamed from the Cathedral's YouTube page on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 7 pm. The 7 pm performance is ticketed and will be streamed via the Cathedral's website. There will be a free virtual pre-concert interview on Facebook at 6 pm, as part of the Cathedral's weekly Tuesdays at 6 organ recital series.

Over the course of the coronavirus pandemic, the Cathedral has presented informal weekly organ recitals each Tuesday at 6 pm, primarily recorded in the musicians' homes and offering a variety of shorter organ works. Briggs' October 13 performance, while continuing to utilize remote streaming technology, will be the first of the season to return to the Great Music in a Great Space format, with a program delving deeper into Vaughan Williams' symphonic masterpieces.

Recently described in an opinion piece in the NY Times as "one of the world's greatest contemporary organists," Briggs is renowned for his orchestral transcriptions. He will be joined for The Lark Ascending by New York violinist Cyrus Beroukhim.

Tickets for the 7 pm concert are $10 and can be purchased by visiting this page. the day of the concert, ticket holders will be emailed a private link to access the 7 pm performance via the Cathedral's website. The concert will go live at 7 pm and will be available for the next 48 hours. The 6 pm pre-concert lecture is free and no ticket is required. To access the pre-concert lecture, please visit the Great Music in a Great Space Facebook page at 6 pm. For questions about ticketing, please email reservations@stjohndivine.org. For questions regarding music, please email music@stjohndivine.org.

Performers

David Briggs, organ

Cyrus Beroukhim, violin

Program

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

The Lark Ascending

Symphony No. 5 in D Major

About the Artists

David Briggs is an internationally renowned organist whose performances are acclaimed for their musicality, virtuosity, and ability to excite and engage audiences of all ages. Consistently ranked as one of the finest organists of his generation, David's extensive repertoire spans five centuries. He has also become one of the foremost organ transcribers of symphonic works, thereby giving listeners the opportunity to experience the organ in a new way. He has transcribed orchestral compositions by Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Bruckner, Ravel, and Bach, as well as Mahler's Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth symphonies.

Described as "an intrepid improviser" by Michael Barone, host of American Public Media's Pipedreams, David performs more than 50 concerts a year at international venues, teaches performance at Cambridge University, frequently serves on international organ competition juries, and gives master classes at colleges and conservatories across the U.S. and Europe.

David is also a prolific composer whose works range from full scale oratorios to works for solo instruments. He has recorded two DVDs and 37 CDs, many of which include his own compositions and transcriptions. David is currently Artist in Residence at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. For more information, please visit david-briggs.org.

Cyrus Beroukhim was appointed as concertmaster of the American Symphony Orchestra in 2019 and has appeared as guest concertmaster with the American Ballet Theatre, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Gotham Chamber Opera. He is also a member of the New York City Ballet Orchestra, where he has served as both principal second violin and principal viola and has been featured as soloist in the productions of Stravinsky Violin Concerto and Concerto Barocco. His performances of Bach and Vivaldi Concerti with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields were heralded as "flawless and sensitive" by the Zeitung im Espace Mittelland (Switzerland) and his live recording of Saint-Saëns Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso earned him the distinction of "crème de la crème" on National Public Radio's Performance Today. As a founding member of the Zukofsky Quartet, he presented the Milton Babbitt Quartet Cycle numerous times around the country. He joined the faculty of NYU as Music Associate Professor of String Studies in 2013 and also teaches at Columbia University.

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. Concerts take place in many locations: the vast space of the Crossing, the more intimate setting of the Great Choir, and the exquisite Chapels of the Tongues. The beloved holiday traditions of the Christmas Concert and New Year's Eve Concert for Peace are an integral part of our concert series.