Written to mark the turn of the millennium, Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 5 manifests Gustav Mahler’s opinion that “The symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything.” Glass draws from diverse spiritual wellsprings, including the Bible, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Koran, Hindu scriptures, and West African traditions, to create an epic narrative. The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Downtown Voices, and NOVUS NY will combine their full forces to perform this all-embracing masterpiece, conducted by Julian Wachner. Preparing Downtown Voices and Singing Tenor

Artistic Director and conductor Three hundred years ago this summer, King George I of England (and, you may recall, the American Colonies) commissioned Handel to write and perform “music suitable for a concert on the River Thames”. This was the genesis of the three suites we know as “Handel’s Water Music”. The Daily Courant reported that the King and his party (mostly aristocratic ladies of impeccable breeding and doubtful morals) boarded the royal barge at Whitehall Palace about 8 PM on July 17 and were taken upriver to Chelsea. The tide was rising, so the current was strong enough to enable the barge to dispense with its oarsmen. A rather less splendid barge containing Handel and his 50 musicians kept pace alongside, enabling the King to enjoy the world première performance of Handel’s work – in fact, he insisted on hearing the suites three times that evening on the journey to and from Chelsea. As a tercentenary tribute to Mr. Handel and his Water Music, Music in the Somerset Hills is proud to present an outdoor, on the water performance of this work at the Lake Club in Far Hills on Saturday, June 24 at 8:30 PM. On a platform […]

Carmel Bach Festival Chorale Tenor - Part of the 80th anniversary season of the Carmel Bach Festival.  See the festival website for specific performance dates and times. BachFestival.org

The Great Beyond Sure to be memorable, this program features transcendent and profound choral and instrumental music that speaks to eternity, transfiguration, and consolation, culminating in Gabriel Fauré’s ravishing Requiem for chamber orchestra, organ, harp, and solo violin. The exceptional chamber choir Antioch will astonish you with its “clarity of tone and intonation so pure that you could hear the buzz of overtones” (New York Times). Program: Fauré: Requiem Bach, List, Messiaen, Eric Whitacre: Short instrumental and choral selections on the theme of eternity

Go/Hear - England! The second “Go / Hear” program takes us to England, with wide-ranging music by Tallis, Purcell, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Thomas Adès, and – of course – The Beatles. In between musical selections spanning six centuries, see the sights of England past and present, along with visual projections of paintings by Turner, Blake, and Whistler. Artistic Directors Aaron Wunsch and Julia Bruskin and the pitch-perfect choir Antioch perform, among others. Program: Elgar: Violin Sonata Vaughan Williams: Three English Fol Songs Tallis: Loquebantur variis English Renaissance Madrigals Britten: Phantasy Quartet for oboe and strings Adès: Cardiac Arrest Mealor: Ubi caritas for the Royal Wedding The Beatles: song arrangements

Concerts as part of the Utrecht Early Music Festival in Utrecht, Netherlands. More info TBA

Music in the Somerset Hills annual gala.  An evening of food, wine and dancing with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Details TBA

“Out of the depths I cry to you!” For nearly 3,000 years, humans have reached out to the divine through the Psalms, the Hebrew Bible’s book of hymns revealing the gratitude, fear, and longing of the human heart. In this unprecedented choral project, four world-renowned choirs traverse 1,000 years of music over the course of 12 thematic concerts featuring all 150 psalms by 150 different composers from Bach and Handel to today’s leading artists, including new commissions by Nico Muhly and David Lang, among others.   All concerts are approximately one hour long and will be preceded by a brief introduction.  

“Out of the depths I cry to you!” For nearly 3,000 years, humans have reached out to the divine through the Psalms, the Hebrew Bible’s book of hymns revealing the gratitude, fear, and longing of the human heart. In this unprecedented choral project, four world-renowned choirs traverse 1,000 years of music over the course of 12 thematic concerts featuring all 150 psalms by 150 different composers from Bach and Handel to today’s leading artists, including new commissions by Nico Muhly and David Lang, among others. All concerts are approximately one hour long and will be preceded by a brief introduction.  

“Out of the depths I cry to you!” For nearly 3,000 years, humans have reached out to the divine through the Psalms, the Hebrew Bible’s book of hymns revealing the gratitude, fear, and longing of the human heart. In this unprecedented choral project, four world-renowned choirs traverse 1,000 years of music over the course of 12 thematic concerts featuring all 150 psalms by 150 different composers from Bach and Handel to today’s leading artists, including new commissions by Nico Muhly and David Lang, among others. All concerts are approximately one hour long and will be preceded by a brief introduction.