UPCOMING CONCERTS
Songs of Light and Peace: A Holiday Celebration
On December 7th and 8th, 2024, the Grace Chorale of Brooklyn will be performing: Songs of Light and Peace: A Holiday Celebration.
Saturday, December 7th Performance
Time: 7:00PM
Location: St. Ann's Church, 157 Montague St. (corner Clinton St.) in Brooklyn Heights
Buy tickets for the December 7th performance
Sunday, December 8th Performance
Time: 3:00PM
Location: All Saints' Episcopal Church, 286-288 Seventh Ave. (bet. 6-7 Sts.) in Park Slope
Buy tickets for the December 8th performance
Songs of Light and Peace: A Holiday Celebration brings together a rich tapestry of choral works that celebrate the universal themes of light, hope, and peace during the holiday season. The program will be accompanied by an 18-piece string ensemble and piano.
Program
Hanukkah Cantata by David Ludwig, b.1974
Magnificat by Antonio Vivaldi, 1678-1741
Three Christmas Settings
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree by Elizabeth Poston (Chamber Choir)
Peace on Earth by Errollyn Wallen
Christus Natus Est by Rosephanye Powell
David Ludwig’s Hanukkah Cantata is a compelling and richly textured work that bridges ancient tradition and contemporary music. The cantata integrates traditional Hebrew songs with an English narrative, retelling the story of Hanukkah in eight movements. Ludwig honors the festival’s timeless themes of resilience, community, and renewal, while making the work accessible to all audiences, regardless of familiarity with the Hanukkah tradition. With a blend of recitatives, arias, choral movements, and instrumental dance music, Ludwig preserves the beauty of Jewish folk melodies while capturing the spirit of triumph and hope that defines the Hanukkah story. The cantata concludes with Maoz Tzur, emphasizing the power of community in overcoming loss and rebuilding with love and strength. The program will feature Chad Kranak as tenor soloist.
Vivaldi’s Magnificat in G minor, RV 610 is one of the composer’s most celebrated sacred works, originally written around 1715 for the Ospedale della Pietà, a renowned orphanage for girls in Venice where Vivaldi served as music director. Composed to be performed by the talented young women of the orphanage, Vivaldi’s Magnificat demonstrates his extraordinary ability to blend expressive vocal writing with intricate instrumental accompaniment. He later revised the piece, adding two oboes to create RV 610a, also producing yet another version (RV 611) featuring more solo arias.
Divided into nine movements, each corresponding to a verse of the Latin text from the traditional Magnificat (the Song of Mary), Vivaldi’s Magnificat showcases the composer’s mastery of both vocal and instrumental composition, offering a richly varied, emotional journey through one of the most iconic of biblical texts. This vibrant work remains one of Vivaldi’s most frequently performed sacred compositions.
The Magnificat will feature soloists from the Chorale.
In addition to the abovementioned, the program will feature a performance of Three Christmas Settings, consisting of the latter-day (1967) carol Jesus Christ the Apple Tree by British composer Elizabeth Poston, Peace on Earth by the Belize-born Errolyn Wallen, named by King Charles III the Master of the King’s Music, and the haunting Christus Natus Est by American composer Rosephanye Powell.
Handel’s Messiah with the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra
Date: Sunday, December 22nd, 2024
Time: 4:00PM
Venue: St. Ann’s Church, 157 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights
The Grace Chorale of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra will be collaborating to bring the timeless grandeur of Handel’s Messiah to Brooklyn. Under the baton of Maestro Philip Nuzzo, and featuring the exquisite soprano Evangeline Ng, both ensembles will deliver a powerful performance of Handel’s beloved masterpiece.
Messiah, composed in just 24 days in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, is a true classic oratorio; it premiered in Dublin, Ireland as a charitable performance for prisoners’ debt relief. With lyrics in English that librettist Charles Jennens pulled from the King James Bible, Messiah tells the story of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection. As fitting for the holiday season, the program will include Part 1 of Messiah, which tells the Christmas story. The concert will conclude with the Hallelujah Chorus.
More information about the concert and tickets purchase links can be found here.