Greetings! 

 

It's the Kent Tritle newsletter holiday edition: concerts, a new recording, and a look ahead to summer choral workshops! 


Before the holidays get underway, Kent's Great Music in a Great Space series at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine celebrates the musical legacy of Andrew Carnegie on November 20 with true Kent Tritle synergy, combining voices of three of his organizations - the Cathedral Choirs, the Oratorio Society of New York, and the Manhattan School of Music Chamber Choir - for a program of choral and organ music. Then, Yuletide festivities begin, with three performances of Messiah at Carnegie Hall - with Musica Sacra and Oratorio Society of New York - and Christmas and New Year's concerts at St. John the Divine. See the calendar below to learn more and buy tickets!

This past summer, Kent conducted the recording of Juraj Filas's Requiem, Oratio Spei - a work dedicated to the victims of 9/11 whose New York premiere performance he led at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in 2011 - in Prague with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, soprano Ana María Martínez, tenor Matthew Plenk, baritone Filip Bandzak, and the Kühn Choir. That recording has just been made available by CDBaby - click here to buy and download.

Summer festival season seems far away, but plans are being set for 2014 summer choral workshops. Kent will participate in the Berkshire Choral Festival, leading Elgar's Dreams of Gerontius July 27-August 3, and he will lead the inaugural Manhattan School of Music Summer Choral Festival June 23-28, focusing on Haydn's Lord Nelson Mass. Information and applications are available now on the Berkshire and Manhattan Summer Voice Festival websites.

And, don't forget that if you are in Morningside Heights on a Sunday afternoon, you're welcome to join Kent and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine community for Evensong - candlelight and beautiful choral music every Sunday at 4:00 PM with the Cathedral Choirs. Visit the Cathedral website for details.

For continual updates and news, "like" Kent on Facebook and follow him on Twitter!

Happy, happy holidays, and all good wishes for a joyous New Year.    

Great Music in a Great Space at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
CATHEDRAL CHOIRS OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
ORATORIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK
MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC CHAMBER CHOIR
Kent Tritle, conductor


"Most Elevating of Voices"
The Musical Legacy of Andrew Carnegie: A Transatlantic Celebration
MENDELSSOHN "Thanks be to God" from Elijah
HANDEL "Worthy is the Lamb" from Messiah
Works by Herbert Howells and Edgar Leslie Bainton
Tudor anthems by William Byrd, Peter Phillips, Thomas Tallis, and Thomas Weelkes
Organ music of J.S. Bach and Mendelssohn performed by Raymond Nagem and Kent Tritle

 

This performance will be available for on-demand listening at www.wqxr.org soon after the concert date, and it will be broadcast in part on the December 1 edition of "The Choral Mix with Kent Tritle," which airs at 7 AM on Classical 105.9 FM, WQXR, and at 6 PM on Classical New England 99.5 FM, WCRB in Boston.

 

Thursday, December 12, 8 PM
Carnegie Hall
MUSICA SACRA
Kent Tritle, conductor
Leslie Fagan, soprano
Ian Howell, countertenor
Colin Balzer, tenor
Sidney Outlaw, baritone

HANDEL Messiah 

details | tickets  

Saturday, December 14, 7 PM
Great Music in a Great Space at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
CATHEDRAL CHOIRS AND ORCHESTRA OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
Kent Tritle, conductor
Nacole Palmer, soprano (Angel)
Katie Geissinger, mezzo-soprano (Mary)
Marc Day, tenor (Joseph)

"Cathedral Christmas Concert"
RESPIGHI Laud to the Nativity
Renaissance motets and Christmas carols

details | tickets 

Sunday, December 15, 8 PM
Carnegie Hall
MUSICA SACRA
Kent Tritle, conductor
Leslie Fagan, soprano
Ian Howell, countertenor
Colin Balzer, tenor
Sidney Outlaw, baritone

HANDEL Messiah

 

details | tickets   

 

Monday, December 23, 8 PM 

Carnegie Hall
ORATORIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK
Kent Tritle, conductor
Kathryn Lewek, soprano
Rebecca Ringle, mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Dashon Burton, bass-baritone

HANDEL Messiah

 

details | tickets   

 

Tuesday, December 31, 7 PM
Great Music in a Great Space at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
CATHEDRAL CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
Kent Tritle, conductor
Jamet Pittman, soprano
John Michael Moore, baritone
Raymond Nagem, organ
Guest artist: Judy Collins
Host: Harry Smith

"New Year's Eve Concert for Peace"
HANDEL Organ Concerto in F Major, Op. 4, No. 4
MOZART Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter"
Traditional spirituals arranged by Moses Hogan
HAYDN Creation (excerpts) 


details | tickets 

 
About Kent Tritle
  
Kent Tritle is one of America's leading choral conductors. Called "the brightest star in New York's choral music world" by The New York Times, he is Director of Cathedral Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City; Music Director of the Oratorio Society of New York, the acclaimed 200-voice volunteer chorus; and Music Director of Musica Sacra, the longest continuously performing professional chorus in New York City. In addition, Kent is Director of Choral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music and is a member of the graduate faculty of The Juilliard School. He is the host of the weekly radio show "The Choral Mix with Kent Tritle," a weekly hour-long radio program on New York's Classical 105.9 WQXR and www.wqxr.org. An acclaimed organ virtuoso, he is also the organist of the New York Philharmonic.

 

For more information, visit www.kenttritle.com.