Greetings! 

Two of J. S. Bach's masterpieces highlight Kent's spring months: on April 8 he leads the Cathedral Choirs and Orchestra of St. John the Divine in the season-culminating concert of the Great Music in a Great Space series: Bach's St. John Passion featuring soloists including Lawrence Jones (Evangelist), Neil Netherly (Christus), Amy Justman, Kirsten Sollek, John Tiranno, and Peter Stewart. And the Oratorio Society of New York's season finale is a presentation of the St. Matthew Passion on May 20 - Kent leads the OSNY and soloists Nicholas Phan (Evangelist), Kevin Deas (Christus), Leslie Fagan, Susanne Mentzer, Matthew Plenk, and Kelly Markgraf.

Also in the lead-up to Holy Week, Kent conducts Honegger's King David with the "crackling" (The New York Times) Manhattan School of Music Symphonic Chorus and Chamber Choir on April 4. And, between the Passions, he performs an organ recital at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 9 - a return trip for a performance that got canceled last May when the organ blower conked out at concert time!

Of Kent's first recording with Musica Sacra, Messages to Myself, a compilation of nine new works, Kent says, "Most of the composers on this recording are people I have known well-for as little as two years, or as long as 25!"

The disc recently received praise from American Record Guide: "This is a fascinating survey of a cappella music written by living composers over the past 25 years...there's not a single work in this mixed sacred-secular program that lacks a high level of musical craftsmanship, imaginative treatment of texts, or strong listener appeal...This is a sweetly sonorous and technically refined chamber ensemble of just under 30 voices, and Tritle has surely drawn some of New York's finest vocalists to its ranks."  Click here to order this CD and others on Kent's website. 

Reminder: Kent leads Musica Sacra's season finale on March 31 at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, a program featuring Meredith Monk and the New York premiere of Jocelyn Hagen's amass. (To receive a $10 discount on tickets of $25 or more, use the promo code PC2014 when ordering on the Musica Sacra website.)

Watch a video of the entire November 20, 2013, Great Music in a Great Space concert, "Most Elevating of Voices," celebrating Andrew Carnegie and his support of organ and choral music. It features the Cathedral Choirs of St. John the Divine with the Oratorio Society of New York and the Manhattan School of Music Chamber Choir; Kent Tritle, conductor.

Happy Easter and Happy Spring!

Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center 

MUSICA SACRA
Kent Tritle, conductor
Meredith Monk, vocalist
Katie Geissinger, vocalist
Jennifer Zetlan, soprano
John Matthew Myers, tenor
Mischa Bouvier, baritone
Arthur Fiacco, Jr., cello

JOCELYN HAGEN  amass (New York premiere)
MEREDITH MONK  ATLAS, Part III: Invisible Light (excerpts)
   "Other Worlds Revealed"
   "Explorers' Junctures"
   "Return to the Earth"
MEREDITH MONK  "Hocket"
MEREDITH MONK  Nightfall

Friday, April 4, 7:30 PM
Borden Auditorium, Manhattan School of Music

MANHATTAN SCHOOL OF MUSIC SYMPHONIC CHORUS AND CHAMBER CHOIR
Kent Tritle, conductor (Honegger)
Ronald Oliver, conductor (Stravinsky)

HONEGGER  King David
STRAVINSKY  Mass

Tuesday, April 8, 7:30 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
Lawrence Jones, tenor (Evangelist)
Neil Netherly, bass-baritone (Christus)
Amy Justman, soprano
Kirsten Sollek, contralto
John Tiranno, tenor
Peter Stewart, baritone

BACH  St. John Passion

Friday, May 9, 5:30 PM
Cambridge, MA 

Works by Bach, Buxtehude, Mendelssohn, and Pinkham

Tuesday, May 20, 8 PM
Carnegie Hall 

Kent Tritle, conductor
Nicholas Phan, tenor (Evangelist)
Kevin Deas, bass-baritone (Jesus)
Leslie Fagan, soprano
Susanne Mentzer, mezzo-soprano
Mathew Plenk, tenor
Kelly Markgraf, baritone

BACH  St. Matthew Passion 

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