December 10, 2023. Photo (detail): King David and His harp, Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris; Jorisvo, iPhoto
Sing a New Song: Psalms Through the Ages
We featured Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms. Other selections included psalm settings by Palestrina, Mendelssohn, Lili Boulanger, and contemporary Dan Forrest—plus our annual holiday sing-along.
Click here to view the concert program.
May 5, 2023. Photo (detail): Two Magnolias: Kathleen R. O’Connell
Song Cycles
We performed three great song cycles: Johannes Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzes, written for chorus and dual pianists; Randall Thompson’s Frostiana, a cycle of seven songs, set to the poetry of Robert Frost; along with Béla Bartók’s Four Slovak Folk Songs.
December 11, 2022. Illustration (detail): Navidad Nuestra by Haig and Regina Shekerjian
Navidad Nuestra • An International Celebration of the Nativity
We performed Argentinian composer Ariel Ramirez’ Navidad Nuestra, a six-movement folk suite for tenor, baritone, chorus, guitar, keyboard, and percussion based on the rhythms and traditions of Hispanic America.
We also showcased carols from around the world, with a touch of Chanukah thrown in — including a special reprise of Tom Lehrer’s “Chanukah in Santa Monica.”
May 6, 2022. PHOTO: SUNFLOWER; JOHAN NILSSON, UNSPLASH
Let All the World in Every Corner Sing
We performed a bouquet of Glass Menagerie favorites. The program celebrated the rebirth of singing in our city and our world with works from the Renaissance to Brahms to Bernstein to Broadway, including a brief homage to Stephen Sondheim.
December 12, 2021. Photo: N.W. Rosenfeld, Southhold Skies, Southold, NY;
The Storm Is Passing Over
We were thrilled to return to perform again on December 12, 2021. The program featured Daniel Pinkham’s Christmas Cantata for chorus, brass, and organ; songs from Zimbabwe and Syria; spirituals to lift the spirits; along with some seasonal favorites.
Guest Conductors: Rima Fand, Joan Litman, and Ethan Wagner
Guest artists: Calliope Brass; Joshua Mauldin, Organ; Nora Balaban, Mbira
December 14, 2019. Unfinished Portrait of Mozart (detail) from 1782. Joseph Lange (1751–1831)
Mainly Mozart . . . with a touch of Haydn
Our December 14, 2019, concert featured Mozart’s Missa Brevis in F, Ave Verum Corpus in D major, and Lacrymosa from his Requiem in D minor. We also presented Haydn’s Te Deum in C major, pairings of the two composers’ settings of Ave Maria, as well as a selection of their opera choruses and drinking songs.
May 5, 2019. photo (detail): Adrien Olichon
The Miracle of the Spring
A celebration of Earth’s precious resource, Water, with The Miracle of the Spring, a suite of five poems by Charles Bennett, scored for chorus and percussion by British composer Bob Chilcott. Additional highlights include Samuel Barber's To Be Sung on the Water, Edward Elgar's The Shower, and favorites such as Deep River, Take Me to the Water, and Shenandoah.
December 15, 2018. Photo: Hungarian Parliament Building (detail), Budapest
Missa Brevis
Featuring Zoltán Kodály's magnificent Missa Brevis for Chorus and Organ, and a banquet of seasonal delights—including works by Benjamin Britten, Randall Thompson, Elliot Z. Levine, and others.
May 6, 2018
PHOTO: A DREAMSCAPE FOR ONCE (DETAIL);
© KERSTIN ENDERLEIN, WWW.KERSTIN-ENDERLEIN.DE
Love, War, and Remembrance
Songs of soldiers gone to war, songs of loved ones longing for their safe return, songs that mourn those lost forever, songs of protest, and songs that cry for peace. Beginning with “L’Homme Armé,” our musical journey moves on to songs from the American Revolutionary and Civil Wars to compositions from World Wars I and II, and culminates in excerpts from Vaughn Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem.
December 9, 2017
Bach to Bach to Bach
Selections from J. S.’s Cantata 140 and Christmas Oratorio, C. P. E.’s Der Kampf der Tugend, and some gems from the irreverent P.D.Q.’s Art of the Ground Round and The Seasonings. Guest artists included soloists Katy Lindhart, soprano; Toby Newman, alto; Joseph Rubinstein, tenor; and Dennis Blackwell, baritone; and Baroque chamber ensemble.
May, 7, 2017
Painting: Arthur Dove, Portrait of Ralph Dusenberry (detail), 1924: Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
One Land, Many Voices!
Generations of people have reached our shores, bringing their music with them. We celebrate the diverse voices that have contributed to the American experience — composers such as Aaron Copland, William Billings, Eric Whitacre, and Ysaye M. Barnwell; traditional songs from Jewish and African-American roots; and American Standards by some of our most famous immigrants.
December 10, 2016
Photo: Frozen Tree (detail): © Jirka Chomát
Dvorák's Mass in D Major
Dvorák's masterpiece as originally scored for chorus, soloists, and organ; plus a selection of joyous music of the season.
May 7, 2016
image: Young Man Among Roses (detail), Nicholas Hilliard (1547-1619), Victoria & Albert Museum, London
The Bard Sings: Shakespeare through the Ages
We celebrated the bard's 400th birthday with an evening of choral music and dramatic readings. In choral settings old and new, we featured works by Thomas Morley, Amy Beach, Ralph Vaughn Williams, George Shearing, and Matthew Harris. We also premiered our latest commission, a setting of Sonnet LXV by New York composer Julie Dolphin. Dramatic readings from Shakespeare’s plays were performed by young artists from LREI.
December 12, 2015
Woodcut print (detail): from The Triumphs of Maximilian, Albrecht Altdorfer (c. 1480 –1538)
Sound the Trumpet!
Music for chorus and brass featuring John Rutter's Gloria and Joseph Haydn's Te Deum.