Trinity Church Wall Street Announces 2023-2024 Music SeasonPosted Aug 21, 2023 |
Performances and panels will explore social, political, and environmental challenges ranging from incarceration to activism to climate disaster
World Premieres include works by Benedict Sheehan, Luna Pearl Woolf,
Reena Esmail, and others
Trinity will launch a collaboration with new Perelman Performing Arts Center, alongside continuing collaborations with TENET Vocal Artists,
JAZZ HOUSE KiDS, and Beth Morrison Projects
Acclaimed Messiah with The Choir of Trinity Wall Street returns for three nights,
December 13-15
NEW YORK, NY, August 21, 2023 – Trinity Church Wall Street today announced its 2023-2024 music season, offering an expansive programming vision that grapples with some of today’s most pressing social, political, and environmental issues that align with Trinity’s mission and ministry. The season contains world premiere performances of works by Benedict Sheehan, Luna Pearl Woolf, Reena Esmail, and more and leading ensembles including The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, NOVUS NY, TENET, American Modern Opera Company, and more. Trinity will also start a new collaboration with The Perelman Performing Arts Center, while continuing its long-standing relationship with the PROTOTYPE Festival and Beth Morrison Projects. Additionally, the beloved free midday music series Concerts at One will return, with world-class performances of jazz, organ, and the music of Bach.
“Trinity is committed to presenting works that both tend to our inner life and expand the way we perceive the world,” said the Rev. Michael Bird, Trinity’s Vicar. “Music is a powerful catalyst. We hope New Yorkers and visitors alike will experience healing, joy, inspiration, and growth at our concerts, while exploring the intersecting concerns of prison reform, the climate crisis, and immigration.”
Quartet for the End of Time, written by French composer Oliver Messiaen while he was interned as a German prisoner of war in 1940, rests at the heart of three concerts that will consider these issues— to be held on October 15, November 16, and December 3. Titled Renewal, the concerts will be presented by NOVUS NY, Trinity’s new music orchestra.
The October 15 program will include works and world premieres by current and formerly incarcerated composers from Sing Sing Correctional Facility. At a pre-concert panel, directly impacted individuals and experts on criminal justice reform will discuss closing the jails on Rikers Island, hosted by Trinity’s Faith Formation and Education team and Prison Ministry committee. On November 15, as part of the Trinity Talks series, Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Powers will discuss his book The Overstory with Trinity’s Rector, the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, and November 16, Powers returns to narrate the concert with excerpts from his book Orfeo, as NOVUS NY presents Messiaen’s full Quartet for the End of Time.
The third Renewal concert, with Sandbox Percussion and NOVUS NY on December 3, features Viet Cuong’s Re(new)aland pieces inspired by Powers’ powerful novel on activism, resistance, and the natural world— The Overstory. The performance will include Jessica Meyer’s A Passage Between Earth and Sky and the collaborative eco-cantata by four composers and five authors, A Forest Unfolding. Trinity’s Environmental Justice committee will provide education and advocacy about the climate crisis alongside this performance.
The always-anticipated return of Handel’s Messiah welcomes guest conductor Ryan Brandau to lead performances on December 13-15. Trinity’s Messiah performance is a cherished holiday tradition that has captivated New York audiences since it was first presented by the church in 1770. Deemed by The New York Times as “transcendent and awe-inspiring,” Trinity’s unique Messiah is performed in a sacred space, on period instruments, with soloists from The Choir of Trinity Wall Street. Tickets are now available at trinitywallstreet.org/messiah.
Handel’s dramatic choral work, Dixit Dominus, will also be presented on October 29 by Trinity’s early music experts: The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra, under the direction of Avi Stein.
On September 19-23, Trinity’s newest neighbor, The Perelman Performing Arts Center, opens its doors for the first time with Refuge: A Concert Series to Welcome the World. Co-curated by Trinity’s Melissa Baker, Director of Artistic Planning, and Melissa Attebury, Director of Music Education, this global music concert series features over 30 internationally acclaimed artists, including Angelique Kidjo, Mwenso and the Shakes, José Feliciano, Common, and many others. The series also includes performances by The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Youth Chorus. The talented teens of the Trinity Youth Chorus will also present works by composers in their teenage years in the October 20 concert Teen Spirit at St. Paul’s Chapel.
On December 7, Trinity will collaborate with the renowned early music ensemble TENET Vocal Artists and artistic director Jolle Greenleaf. The program, Unconventional Wisdom, celebrates music from 17th century Italian convents. TENET will present works by extraordinary nuns: Chiara Maria Cozzolani, Lucrezia Orsina Vizzana, Vittoria Aleotti, and Catarina Assandra, and will feature women from Downtown Voices, Trinity’s semi-professional choir.
From October 2 to November 8, Trinity continues its century-old tradition of providing free midday music with Concerts at One. This season will feature Jazz at One on Mondays, Pipes at One on Tuesdays, and Bach at One on Wednesdays. Jazz at One is presented in collaboration with JAZZ HOUSE KiDS and will showcase brilliant alumni such as American Pianist Award finalists Caelan Cardello and Esteban Castro, and winner Isaiah J. Thompson. Pipes at One features acclaimed organists such as Ethan Haman on Halloween and Michael King in a jazz organ concert. Bach at One will showcase favorites alongside hidden gems, performed by The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra.
Concerts featuring Jazz Icons, offered in collaboration with JAZZ HOUSE KiDS, will bookend Concerts at One on October. 8 and December 10 with Tom Harrell Quartet and Ron Carter Trio. Carter is one of the most prolific and influential bassists in jazz with more than 2,500 albums to his name.
On November 10-11, Trinity will present the world premiere of Benedict Sheehan’s oratorio, Akathist, an epic meditation on choosing gratitude, in collaboration with Artefact Ensemble. This groundbreaking work draws from medieval chant, Anglo-American hymnody, minimalism, gospel, and jazz, offering a unique perspective on sacred music. “Akathist stands as a radically constructive response to injustice and evil— inviting us to meet our world’s brokenness with gratitude, and thereby to transform it, and ourselves, into something indescribably beautiful,” says Sheehan.
Trinity kicks off its concert season on September 17 with the Chapel of All Saints Organ Inauguration, celebrating the completion of its new organ with works by Monteverdi, Bach, Corradini, Rosenmüller, and Gabrieli. This unique new instrument, built by Richards, Fowkes & Co., features a rarely heard tuning system of pure harmonies, creating an authentic sound-world of western music’s earliest repertoire.
In January 2024, Trinity continues its long-term relationship with the PROTOTYPE Festival and producer Beth Morrison Projects with Mary Kouyoumdjian’s Adoration: the story of an orphaned high school student, his family, and his teacher, who come face to face with the intertwined power of fiction, racism, and the internet. The Choir of Trinity Wall Street will also be featured on Huang Ruo’s Angel Island, a co-presentation with BAM’s Next Wave Festival. Inspired by Chinese poems carved on the walls of the Angel Island detention center in San Francisco, this is the story of immigration, discrimination, and confinement, woven into a haunting oratorio. Tickets: prototypefestival.org
For the past decade, Beth Morrison Projects, PROTOTYPE, and Trinity have changed the landscape of opera theater by collaborating to develop provocative new works, two of which have been recognized with the Pulitzer Prize for music.
“We are thrilled to present such a varied and exciting music season,” said Melissa Baker, Director of Artistic Planning at Trinity. “Trinity’s community of artists remains dedicated to presenting socially engaged art that has an impact beyond the walls of our church. Our free, celebrated musical experiences show how music can inspire, heal, and unite us all.”
Contact Tiani Jones (917) 710-3289, tjones@trinitywallstreet.org
About Music at Trinity Church Wall Street:
Trinity Church Wall Street’s groundbreaking music program – “the top of musical life in New York” (The New York Times) – has changed the landscape of performing arts in New York City, re-envisioning the impact arts organizations can have, with its peerless ensembles, uniquely broad range of expertise from early to new music performance, long tradition of championing underrepresented composers, and extensive and growing discography.
About Trinity Church Wall Street:
Trinity Church Wall Street is a vibrant and growing Episcopal parish of more than 1,600 members. Over the past 325 years, Trinity has been guided by its mission to share God’s love for all people. Trinity’s programs seek to offer shared encounters with the holy, to cultivate compassion, to deepen knowledge and spiritual practices, to work for justice rooted in essential human dignity, to provide places of solace and healing, and to inspire a desire in all people to be conscientious contributors to the life of New York City and the world. More than 20 worship services are offered every week online and at historic Trinity Church and St. Paul’s Chapel, the cornerstones of the parish’s community life, worship, and mission.
2023-2024 Trinity Music Season:
All performances are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.
September 10, 1pm at Liberty Park, 1:45pm in St. Paul’s Chapel*
Reconciliation: A Journey of Transformation
Ernesto Estrella For Those Arriving to New York. A 9/11 Immersive Soundwalk
*1pm program begins at the Terrace at Liberty Park. The program at St. Paul’s Chapel begins at 1:45pm.
Trinity Movement Choir, featuring The Choir of Trinity Wall Street
September 17, 2pm and 3pm in the Chapel of All Saints in Trinity Church
Chapel of All Saints Organ Inauguration
Giovanni Gabrieli In ecclesiis
Anonymous, 17th century Spanish Tiento Lleno in the second tone
Massimiliano Neri Sonata No. 11
Johann Kaspar Kerll Passacaglia in D Minor
Nicolò Corradini Suonata à 2 in risposta
Michelangelo Rossi Sonata No. 7
Claudio Monteverdi Beatus vir
Members of The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Avi Stein and Alcée Chriss, organ
September 18, 6pm and 7pm in the Chapel of All Saints in Trinity Church
Chapel of All Saints Organ Inauguration
Johann Sebastian Bach Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4
Johann Rosenmüller Sonata No. 11
Members of The Choir of Trinity Wall Street and Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Avi Stein and Alcée Chriss, organ
September 20, 7pm at the Perelman Performing Arts Center Lobby Stage
Refuge: A Concert Series to Welcome the World
Co-curated by Melissa Baker and Melissa Attebury
“Faith as Refuge”
Maurice Durufle Ubi Caritas
Charles Villiers Stanford Beati quorum via
Stephen Paulus Pilgrim’s Hymn
Kerensa Briggs Media vita
Thomas Dorsey Precious Lord
Undine Moore We Shall Walk Through the Valley in Peace
Kim André Arnesen Even When He Is Silent
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Melissa Attebury, conductor
Ticketed: pacnyc.org/whats-on/refuge-faith/
September 23, 7pm at the Perelman Performing Arts Center Lobby Stage
Refuge: A Concert Series to Welcome the World
Co-curated by Melissa Baker and Melissa Attebury
“Memory as Refuge”
Spiritual Down to the River to Pray
Ysaye Barnwell Wanting Memories
Stephen Paulus The Road Home
Trinity Youth Chorus; Melissa Attebury, director
Ticketed: pacnyc.org/whats-on/refuge-memory/
September 24, 8pm in Trinity Church
Special Compline: Downtown Voices
Arnold Schoenberg Friede auf Erden, Op. 13
Downtown Voices; Stephen Sands, conductor
Sundays, 8pm at Compline by Candlelight in St. Paul’s Chapel
Tuesdays, 1pm at Pipes at One in St. Paul’s Chapel
Ligeti Centennial
Trinity celebrates György Ligeti’s Centennial threading works throughout the fall season of Compline by Candlelight and Pipes at One from October 1 to December 10.
Concerts at One (October 2 – November 8)
Jazz at One on Mondays
Pipes at One on Tuesdays
Bach at One on Wednesdays
October 2, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Jazz at One
Isaiah J. Thompson Quartet
October 3, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Pipes at One
Raymond Nagem
October 4, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Bach at One
Gelobet sei der Herr, mein Gott, BWV 129
Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Avi Stein, conductor
October 8, 3pm in Trinity Church
Jazz Icons
Tom Harrell Quartet
October 9, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Jazz at One
Linda May Han Oh
October 10, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Pipes at One
Michael King, jazz organist
October 11, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Bach at One
Nach dir, Herr, verlanget mich, BWV 150
O heilges Geist- und Wasserbad, BWV 165
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Avi Stein, conductor
October 15, 3pm in Trinity Church*
NOVUS NY Renewal: Mending a Broken System
Paul Cortez Orchid Blossoms and Dawn of the Luminescent Crown
Xiaobao He Suite
Joseph Wilson Selections from 9131: A Sing Sing Opera
Brad Balliett Night Minuet
Oliver Messiaen Louange a l’eternite de Jesus from Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time)
NOVUS NY, featuring composers from Sing Sing Correctional Facility
*A pre-concert panel discussion on closing the jails on Rikers Island will take place at 1pm.
October 16, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Jazz at One
Caelan Cardello
October 17, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Pipes at One
Margaret Harper
October 18, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Bach at One
Gleichwie der Regen und Schnee vom Himmel fällt, BWV 18
Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Avi Stein, conductor
October 20, 5pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Teen Spirit
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Veni Sancte Spiritu, K. 47 and Spatzenmesse K.220
Gabriel Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11
Felix Mendelssohn Jauchzet Gott, alle Lande, MWV B9 (Psalm 66)
Franz Schubert Mass No. 2 in G Major, D 167
Trinity Youth Chorus; NOVUS NY; Melissa Attebury, director
October 22, 2pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Sunday Afternoon Music
Presented by Trinity Congregational Arts Allegro
Works by Cécile Chaminade, Pauline Viardot, Margaret Bonds, and more
Vianca Alejandra, soprano; Patrice P. Eaton, mezzo soprano; Courtney Conkling, flute; Violetta Zabbi, piano
October 23, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Jazz at One
Shabnam Abedi and Joe Block
October 24, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Pipes at One
Zoe Lei
October 25, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Bach at One
Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4
Jesu, meine Freude, BWV 227
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Avi Stein, conductor
October 29, 3pm in Trinity Church
Dixit Dominus
George Frideric Handel Dixit Dominus, HWV 232
Nisi Dominus, HWV 238
Concerto Grosso in D Minor Op 6 No 10, HWV 328
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Avi Stein, conductor
October 30, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Jazz at One
Esteban Castro Trio
October 31, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Pipes at One: Halloween Performance
Ethan Haman
November 1, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Bach at One
Ich liebe den Höchsten von ganzem Gemüte, BWV 174
Falsche Welt, dir trau ich nicht, BWV 52
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Avi Stein, conductor
November 6, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Jazz at One
Johnathan Blake
November 7, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Pipes at One
Theodore Cheng
November 8, 1pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Bach at One
Wer sich selbst erhöhet, BWV 47
Lobet den Herrn, BWV 230
Du wahrer Gott, BWV 23
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Christine Brandes, guest conductor
November 10, 7:30pm and November 11, 6pm in Trinity Church
World Premiere of Benedict Sheehan Akathist
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Artefact Ensemble; NOVUS NY; Downtown Voices; Trinity Youth Chorus; Elaine Kelly, conductor
November 16, 6:30pm in Trinity Church*
NOVUS NY Renewal: Transcendence
Olivier Messiaen Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time)
Richard Powers narration based on Orfeo
NOVUS NY; Richard Powers, narrator
*A Trinity Talk with Richard Powers and the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson will take place on November 15.
December 3, 4pm in Trinity Church*
NOVUS NY Renewal: The Sound of a New World
Viet Cuong Re(new)al
Works inspired by Richard Powers’ The Overstory:
Jessica Meyer A Passage Between Earth and Sky
A Forest Unfolding (music by Eric Moe, David Kirkland Garner, Stephen Jaffe, and Melinda Wagner)
NOVUS NY, featuring Sandbox Percussion
*Advocacy and education about the climate crisis will take place alongside this performance.
December 7, 7pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Unconventional Wisdom
TENET Vocal Artists; Downtown Voices women with Elena Williamson, conductor; Jolle Greenleaf, artistic director
Ticketed: tenet.nyc/unconventional-wisdom
December 10, 3pm in Trinity Church
Jazz Icons
Ron Carter Trio, featuring Russell Malone and Donald Vega
December 13-15, 7pm in Trinity Church
George Frideric Handel Messiah, HWV 56
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Ryan Brandau, guest conductor
Ticketed: trinitywallstreet.org/messiah
December 17, 3pm in Trinity Church
Holiday Concert
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Youth Chorus; St. Paul’s Chapel Choir; Downtown Voices; The Choirs from BMCC; NOVUS NY Brass
December 17, 8pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Special Compline by Candlelight
Works by Piers Connor Kennedy, Judith Weir, Jonathan Woody, Herbert Howells, Jan Sandström, Hannah Kendall
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; curated and led by Timothy Parsons
December 21 at St. John the Divine
John Adams El Niño
American Modern Opera Company
Julia Bullock, soprano; Rachel Wilson, mezzo-soprano: Davone Tines, baritone; Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor; The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Christian Reif, conductor
Tickets will go on sale soon.
December 22, 6pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Benjamin Britten A Ceremony of Carols
Trinity Youth Chorus; Melissa Attebury, director
January 12, 13, 18, 19, 20 at 8:00pm and 14 at 5:00pm at The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture
PROTOTYPE Festival
Mary Kouyoumdjian Adoration
Libretto by Royce Vavrek
Directed by Laine Rettmer
Music Direction by Alan Pierson
Commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects and Trinity Church Wall Street with lead commissioner Justus Schlichting
Tickets go on sale in November: prototypefestival.org/shows/adoration
January 11-13, 7:30pm at the BAM Harvey Theater
PROTOTYPE Festival and BAM Next Wave Festival
Huang Ruo Angel Island
Directed by Matthew Ozawa
Film by Bill Morrison
Produced in association with Trinity Church Wall Street
Commissioned by Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions / Del Sol Quartet with a completion commission by Singapore International Festival of Art
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Huang Ruo, composer and music director
Ticketed: bam.org/angel-island
February 25, 3pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Downtown Voices Concert
Zachary Wadsworth Spire and Shadow
Downtown Voices; NOVUS NY; Stephen Sands, conductor
Concerts at One (February 26-March 20 and April 8-May 1)
Jazz at One on Mondays
Pipes at One on Tuesdays
Bach at One on Wednesdays
March 10, 5pm in Trinity Church
Trinity Youth Chorus Concert
Kim Andre Arnesen Tuvayhun
Trinity Youth Chorus; The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; NOVUS NY; Melissa Attebury, director
March 21, 6pm and 7pm in the Chapel of All Saints in Trinity Church
Domenico Scarlatti Stabat Mater
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street
March 24, 8pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
Special Compline by Candlelight: Downtown Voices
Downtown Voices; Stephen Sands, conductor
April 8-14 at Perelman Performing Arts Center
World Premiere of Luna Pearl Woolf Number Our Days
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Downtown Voices; Trinity Youth Chorus; NOVUS NY; Kamna Gupta, conductor; featuring John Holiday*, countertenor
*John Holiday appears courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera.
April 20, 8pm in St. Paul’s Chapel
The Power of Mythology
World premiere work by Reena Esmail, co-commissioned by TENET Vocal Artists and NOVUS NY
Poetry and musical arrangement by Larry Rosenwald and Shira Kammen
Projections by Camilla Tassi
TENET Vocal Artists; NOVUS NY; Jolle Greenleaf, artistic director
Ticketed: tenet.nyc/power-of-mythology
May 2, 7pm in Trinity Church
Monteverdi Vespers
The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Baroque Orchestra; Avi Stein, conductor
May 12, 3pm in Trinity Church
NOVUS NY: 20th Century Romantics
Anton Webern Langsamer Satz
Igor Stravinsky Three Pieces for String Quartet, K019
George Enescu Octet in C Major, Op. 7
NOVUS NY
May 19, 3pm in Trinity Church
Simple Gifts
Trinity Youth Chorus; Melissa Attebury, director
June 2, 3pm in Trinity Church
Season Finale: Out of the Depths
Lili Boulanger Psalm 130
Kaija Saariaho Oltra Mar
Eriks Ešenvald Psalm 130
Downtown Voices; The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; NOVUS NY
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