Greetings!

A year ago we couldn’t come together to hear a performance of holiday music – and now, we can. Hallelujah!

Hear Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols and Vivaldi’s Gloria in the Cathedral Christmas Concert at St. John the Divine (Dec. 10 & 11), Handel’s Messiah once again at Carnegie Hall – Part I and highlights from Parts II & III – with the Oratorio Society of New York (Dec. 20) and Musica Sacra (Dec. 21), and the Cathedral’s New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace (Dec. 31). And it will be Kent at the organ with the New York Philharmonic for their four performances of Messiah at the Riverside Church (Dec. 14-18).

Speaking of which, in September Kent performed his first organ recital at St. John the Divine in two years – music by George Crumb, J. S. Bach, César Franck, and Maurice Duruflé – and you can watch the entire performance here [LINK].

The Cathedral looks forward to welcoming the community back to in-person services this Christmas season! Information, including details of Christmas Eve services at 4 PM and 10:30 PM, can be found here [LINK].

We all found new ways to communicate and make music over these past 20 months, but resources in our music world were stretched very thin. As we celebrate the return of live music this holiday season, please consider a gift to Musica Sacra and the Oratorio Society of New York. With your help, they can continue to Sing Joyfully throughout the year!

Happy, healthy, and peaceful holidays to all!
Friday, December 10, 2021, 7 PM
Saturday, December 11, 2021, 7 PM
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
CATHEDRAL CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Cathedral Choirs and Orchestra
Kent Tritle, conductor
Bryan Zaros, conductor
Halley Gilbert, soprano
Katie Geissinger, mezzo-soprano

BENJAMIN BRITTEN A Ceremony of Carols
ANTONIO VIVALDI Gloria
Christmas carols

These performances of Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols are underwritten by Dr. Gwen Zornberg in honor of the life of Judge Deborah A. Batts.
December 14, 15, 17, 18, 2021
Riverside Church
NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC | tickets
Jeannette Sorel, conductor

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Messiah
(Kent Tritle is the organist of the New York Philharmonic)
Monday, December 20, 2021, 8 PM
Carnegie Hall | tickets
ORATORIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK
Kent Tritle, conductor
Leslie Fagan, soprano
Heather Petrie, contralto
Joshua Blue, tenor
Sidney Outlaw, baritone
Orchestra of the Society

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Messiah Part I (complete) with highlights from Parts II & III
Tuesday, December 21, 2021, 7:30 PM
Carnegie Hall
MUSICA SACRA | tickets
Musica Sacra Chorus and Orchestra
Kent Tritle, conductor
Brittany Renee, soprano
Heather Petrie, contralto
John Riesen, tenor
Enrico Lagasca, bass-baritone

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Messiah Part I (complete) with highlights from Parts II & III
Friday, December 31, 2021, 7 PM
Cathedral of St. John the Divine | tickets
NEW YEAR’S EVE CONCERT FOR PEACE
Kent Tritle, Bryan Zaros, and Jie Yi, conductors
Harry Smith, commentator
Jamet Pittman, soprano
Cathedral Choir and Orchestra

MARC-ANTOINE CHARPENTIER Te Deum (excerpts)

The program also includes Joel Thompson’s “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed,” "Glory" by Common and John Legend featured in the motion picture Selma, David Hurd’s “When Night Fell,” works from Asian composers including Chen Yi, “Dona Nobis Pacem” from J. S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor, and “This Little Light of Mine.” 
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. An acclaimed organ virtuoso, he is also the organist of the New York Philharmonic. kenttritle.com

Photo: Jennifer Taylor