There is still plenty of choral grandeur in store this spring before the season ends!  After two triumphant performances of Mahler's massive Symphony No. 8 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in February, Kent returns to the work on Thursday, April 7, with the world premiere of a new transcription of the symphony for organ, vocal soloists, and choruses by the noted virtuoso David Briggs, who will himself play the Cathedral's magnificent Great Organ. Reprising their performances in the work will be eight soloists and choral forces from the Manhattan School of Music, Oratorio Society of New York, and St. John the Divine, numbering 350 singers (see listing below).

For the Monday, May 9 finale of the 143^rd season of the Oratorio Society of New York, Kent leads Haydn's towering Lord Nelson Mass paired with the New York premiere of Marjorie Merryman's Jonah, a 1995 oratorio based on the biblical story that the Washington Post called "an artistic treasure." The soloists are Rachel Rosales, soprano; Rachel Calloway, mezzo-soprano; John Matthew Myers, tenor; and Philip Cutlip, baritone. 

• On Thursday, May 5, Carnegie Hall's 125^th Anniversary Gala features a raft of superstars including Ren�e Fleming, Marilyn Horne, Jessye Norman, Yo-Yo Ma, Lang Lang, Itzhak Perlman - and the Oratorio Society of New York, an institution that played a vital role in Carnegie Hall's inception. The program, with the Orchestra of St. Luke's led by Pablo Heras-Casado, is still under wraps, but it will be memorable!
   
• David Robertson conducts the New York Philharmonic in four performances of Holst's The Planets featuring the Women of the Oratorio Society of New York, May 26-28.
   
• Musica Sacra is featured in the New York City Ballet's annual performances of the Balanchine classic A Midsummer Night's Dream, singing the choral interludes in the Mendelssohn score, May 24-29.