OSL to Perform Two Free 9/11 Commemoration Concerts, 9/10 & 9/11

To commemorate the 10th Anniversary of September 11, 2001, Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) will take part in two free performances presented by The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. at 5 pm on September 10 and 11 in Nelson A. Rockefeller Park. This special presentation will feature performances by OSL with Paul Taylor Dance Company; the Limón Dance Company with Voices of Ascension; and additional artists to be announced. The program also will include a new work created by Jessica Lang. The event was made possible with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, Con Edison and the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.

Limón Dance Company and Voices of Ascension will perform José Limón's 1958 Missa Brevis, which features music by Zoltán Kodály composed at the end of World War II during the siege of Budapest. Limón's stirring choreography depicts an indomitable humanity rising up after near destruction. The work, a memento to cities destroyed during World War II and to those unconquerable qualities that permit hope to survive, perfectly reflects the spirit of this commemorative event.

OSL and The Paul Taylor Dance Company will present Brandenburgs, Paul Taylor's 1988 uplifting masterwork set to Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 3 and 6. The work displays Taylor's special affinity for the music of Bach-also seen in such works as Esplanade, Musical Offering and Promethean Fire.

Now in its 37th year, Orchestra of St. Luke's (OSL) is one of America's foremost and most versatile ensembles. Dedicated to engaging audiences throughout New York City and beyond, OSL performs approximately 70 orchestral, chamber, and educational concerts each year-including an annual chamber music series at The Morgan Library & Museum and Brooklyn Museum, an orchestra series at Carnegie Hall and summer concerts as Orchestra-in-Residence at the Caramoor International Music Festival. The Orchestra collaborates regularly with the world's great artists, such as Renée Fleming, Yo-Yo Ma, Jessye Norman, Anna Netrebko, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mark Morris Dance Group, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Elton John and many more. In March 2011, OSL opened The DiMenna Center for Classical Music-its first permanent home, and New York City's first rehearsal and recording facility dedicated to classical music. Committed to community-building, OSL produces free concerts in each of the five boroughs, and has engaged more than one million children in its arts education programs. OSL's stellar 70+ discography includes four acclaimed releases on its own label, St. Luke's Collection, and four Grammy Award-winning recordings. For Orchestra of St. Luke's calendar of events, tickets and more information, visit OSLmusic.org.