Downtown Voices; NOVUS NY; Stephen Sands, conductor Free At their final concert of the season, Downtown Voices and NOVUS NY perform two folklore-inspired works written in 1937: Orff’s epic Carmina Burana and Bartok’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. Carmina Burana is based on 24 poems from the medieval collection of the same title, with themes that follow the fickleness of fortune and joy as spring returns. Inspired by Hungarian folksong rhythms, Bartok’s sonata has become a mainstay of piano and percussion repertoire.

Conductor and Artistic Director - The Lake Club in Far Hills, NJ Appalachian Spring may be the most instantly recognizable work in all American music.  Aaron Copland composed it in 1943-44 in response to a commission from Martha Graham and Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge for “a ballet on an American theme”.  It was an instant success when Martha Graham and her troupe first danced it at the Library of Congress in October 1944.  The following year, the conductor Artur Rodzinski asked Copland to rearrange the score as an orchestral suite, and Copland did this in the spring of 1945 while staying at a cottage on the Claremont estate on Bernardsville Mountain.  The original 13-instrument ballet score now became a full orchestral score, somewhat shorter than the ballet, and that is how it will be heard when Music in the Somerset Hills brings it home to the Somerset Hills on Saturday, June 22.  This concert, which will also feature works by Leonard Bernstein and Samuel Barber (Copland’s longtime friends and companions at Claremont), is dedicated to a singular moment when the originality and creativity of American music reached what many might say was its zenith …... on Bernardsville Mountain in the spring of 1945.

Tenor and soloist in the professional chorale. Performances from July 13-27. Performance schedule is on the website: https://bachfestival.org/calendar/

From the Top presents the amazing performances and captivating personalities of extraordinary young classical musicians from across the country. The 90-minute show, recorded for future broadcast, features virtuosic performances and entertaining interviews with young soloists and/or ensembles. Young performers share their passion for classical music, and speak about their non-musical lives. Broadcast on more than 220 stations nationwide to an audience of more than half a million listeners, From the Top is considered the most popular weekly one-hour music program on public radio. A celebration of great music and great kids, From the Top appeals to diverse audiences, but is especially recommended for ages 7 and up. “An entertaining, accessible and often inspirational mix of outstanding musical performances, informal interviews, skits and games, the show is a celebration of extraordinary musicians who happen to be teenagers leading fairly normal lives.”  The Boston Globe “From the Top gives young musicians the stage but lets them act their age.  It’s serious music but classically kids.” The New York Times “From the Top gives promising teenagers the chance to show their musical chops while demonstrating that they’re funny and cool.” The Washington Post

Downtown Voices; The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; NOVUS NY; Stephen Sands and Melissa Attebury, conductors Francis Poulenc – Figure Humaine Arvo Pärt – Passio This concert features iconic works of two of the most compelling and influential composers of the 20th century: Arvo Pärt and Francis Poulenc. The monumental work Passio by Arvo Pärt is a meditative setting of texts from the Passion according to St. John and is considered as the apotheosis of his writing. Poulenc’s masterpiece Figure Humaine, written in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1943 to poems of Paul Éluard, is perhaps the ultimate Poulenc musical statement. Dedicated to Pablo Picasso, in what is known as Poulenc’s most challenging choral work, the piece embodies great suffering and oppression, juxtaposed with the hope for freedom from tyranny.

Messiah for Music in the Somerset Hills Everyone knows that George Frideric Handel wrote the music for Messiah, but not many people know who wrote the libretto. Charles Jennens was the author – a wealthy patron of Handel’s, whose financial support had played a part in the staging of almost every Handel opera and oratorio since 1725. Now, in 1741, Jennens sent him what appeared to be (and what, indeed, was) a “ready-made” libretto for a new oratorio – “a meditation of our Lord as Messiah in Christian thought and belief.” So perfect was the libretto that Handel composed his score without making any significant change in the words. First heard in Dublin in 1742, it was repeated a year later in London (the occasion when King George II is believed to have stood during the Hallelujah Chorus – a custom still preserved at MISH performances). On December 6 (at Drew University Concert Hall) and December 7 (at Presbyterian Church in Morristown) Stephen Sands conducts the Somerset Hills Chorus and the Drew University Choir, with professional soloists.

Everyone knows that George Frideric Handel wrote the music for Messiah, but not many people know who wrote the libretto. Charles Jennens was the author – a wealthy patron of Handel’s, whose financial support had played a part in the staging of almost every Handel opera and oratorio since 1725. Now, in 1741, Jennens sent him what appeared to be (and what, indeed, was) a “ready-made” libretto for a new oratorio – “a meditation of our Lord as Messiah in Christian thought and belief.” So perfect was the libretto that Handel composed his score without making any significant change in the words. First heard in Dublin in 1742, it was repeated a year later in London (the occasion when King George II is believed to have stood during the Hallelujah Chorus – a custom still preserved at MISH performances). On December 6 (at Drew University Concert Hall) and December 7 (at Presbyterian Church in Morristown) Stephen Sands conducts the Somerset Hills Chorus and the Drew University Choir, with professional soloists. Messiah for Music in the Somerset Hills

Downtown Voices; St. Paul’s Chapel Choir; Trinity Youth Chorus; Stephen Sands and Melissa Attebury, conductors A cherished holiday tradition for congregations around the world, the service of Lessons and Carols tells the Christmas story through readings and musical illuminations.

For the sixth year in a row, legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli will take the stage at Madison Square Garden. The two back-to-back performances will take place on Wednesday, December 18 and Thursday, December 19, 2019. As one of the most recognizable and romantic voices in the world, Andrea Bocelli has been thrilling audiences for over 20 years, and has sold 90 million records worldwide. In 2016, he was nominated for three Latin Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and received a 2017 Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for “Cinema.” Bocelli will perform his unmatched repertoire of soaring arias, famed love songs, and music from his newest release, and Billboard chart-topping record, ‘Si’.” This year, Bocelli’s tour and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation are proud to partner with PLUS1, an innovative platform that aims to drive social change and catalyze cultural momentum toward equity, dignity, and access for all. For every ticket sold, $1 will go to support the “Voices of Haiti” Project, giving children from the most vulnerable areas of Port Au Prince the chance to escape violence and poverty and express their true potential.

For the sixth year in a row, legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli will take the stage at Madison Square Garden. The two back-to-back performances will take place on Wednesday, December 18 and Thursday, December 19, 2019. As one of the most recognizable and romantic voices in the world, Andrea Bocelli has been thrilling audiences for over 20 years, and has sold 90 million records worldwide. In 2016, he was nominated for three Latin Grammy Awards including Album of the Year and received a 2017 Grammy Award nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for “Cinema.” Bocelli will perform his unmatched repertoire of soaring arias, famed love songs, and music from his newest release, and Billboard chart-topping record, ‘Si’.” This year, Bocelli’s tour and the Andrea Bocelli Foundation are proud to partner with PLUS1, an innovative platform that aims to drive social change and catalyze cultural momentum toward equity, dignity, and access for all. For every ticket sold, $1 will go to support the “Voices of Haiti” Project, giving children from the most vulnerable areas of Port Au Prince the chance to escape violence and poverty and express their true potential.