Nico Muhly News

With evergreen beauty, thrilling choruses and heavenly melodies, Pacific Symphony's 'Handel's Glorious Messiah' is as fresh and energizing to the senses as a brand new Christmas tree-the perfect way to start the holiday season! Rejoice in the uplifting 'Hallelujah' chorus and thundering timpani as English guest conductor Christopher Seaman conducts from the harpsichord, leading the orchestra and esteemed vocal soloists Caitlin Lynch, soprano; Barbara Rearick, mezzo-soprano; Daniel Shirley, tenor; and Michael Dean, bass-baritone. Pacific Chorale takes the stage, prepared by Robert Istad, assistant conductor and chorus master, and John Alexander, artistic director. Handel's glowing holiday masterpiece summons bliss within the soul, emphasizing harmony and kindness. One of several holiday concerts offered by the Symphony, 'Messiah' takes place Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

Orange County, Calif.—Nov. 22, 2013—With evergreen beauty, thrilling choruses and heavenly melodies, Pacific Symphony's “Handel's Glorious Messiah” is as fresh and energizing to the senses as a brand new Christmas tree—the perfect way to start the holiday season! Rejoice in the uplifting “Hallelujah” chorus and thundering timpani as English guest conductor Christopher Seaman conducts from the harpsichord, leading the orchestra and esteemed vocal soloists Caitlin Lynch, soprano; Barbara Rearick, mezzo-soprano; Daniel Shirley, tenor; and Michael Dean, bass-baritone. Pacific Chorale takes the stage, prepared by Robert Istad, assistant conductor and chorus master, and John Alexander, artistic director. Handel's glowing holiday masterpiece summons bliss within the soul, emphasizing harmony and kindness. One of several holiday concerts offered by the Symphony, “Messiah” takes place Sunday, Dec. 15, at 3 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa. Tickets are $25-$185; for more information or to purchase tickets call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.

In the New York Philharmonic's concerts this week celebrating the centennial of English composer, conductor, and pianist Benjamin Britten, conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert, tenors Dominic Armstrong, Anthony Dean Griffey, and Michael Slattery will replace Paul Appleby, who has withdrawn due to illness. On November 21-22, 2013, Michael Slattery will make his Philharmonic debut in Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, and tenor Dominic Armstrong will make his Philharmonic debut in Britten's Spring Symphony. The concert on November 23 will feature tenor Anthony Dean Griffey in both works, and he will sing the Serenade on November 26 on a program that also includes Mozart's Symphonies Nos. 39 and 41, Jupiter.

To commemorate the centennial of the opera's 1913 U.S. premiere at the Met, Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier returns for a series of performances conducted by Edward Gardner and featuring a cast of international singers making company debuts and role debuts. Viennese soprano Martina Serafin sings her first Met performances of one of her signature roles, the Marschallin. Alice Coote, who currently stars as Detective Anne Strawson in the North American premiere of Nico Muhly's Two Boys, sings the trouser role of the Marschallin's young lover, Octavian, while Mojca Erdmann makes her company role debut as Sophie, the innocent young woman who comes between the two. Peter Rose reprises his acclaimed interpretation of the Marschallin's oafish cousin, Baron Ochs; Hans-Joachim Ketelsen sings Sophie's protective father, Faninal; and Eric Cutler returns to the role of the Italian Singer. On December 3, German mezzo-soprano Daniela Sindram will make her Met debut as Octavian, a role she will also sing on December 7 and 10. On December 13, French mezzo-soprano Géraldine Chauvet will sing her first company performance of Octavian. At the December 3 performance, two graduates of the Met's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program will sing principal roles: Erin Morley as Sophie and Mario Chang as the Italian Singer.

21c Liederabend, op. 3, Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) and VisionIntoArt (VIA)'s festival of contemporary art song, brings two distinct programs to BAM as part of the 31st Next Wave Festival tonight and Saturday, November 22 and 23, at 7:30 PM? at BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY).

Gotham Chamber Opera presents Marc-Antoine Charpentier's La descente d'Orphée aux enfers, a co-production with Trinity Church, from January 1- January 5, 2014 at St. Paul's Chapel, Broadway and Fulton, NYC. Performances: Wednesday, January 1 and Friday, January 3 at 7pm; Sunday, January 5 at 5pm. Tickets are $15-$125 and are available atwww.ticketcentral.com or (212) 279-4200. For more information visitwww.gothamchamberopera.org.

New York Live Arts will present The Barnard Project, now in its ninth year, today, November 21 - 23 at 7:30pm and November 23 at 2:00pm. This year's performance will showcase works by 2013-14 Barnard Project artists Boyzie Cekwana, Lance Gries, Annie-B Parson and Donna Uchizono.

Music Director Alan Gilbert will lead the New York Philharmonic in a celebration of the centennial of English composer, conductor, and pianist Benjamin Britten. The program will include Britten's Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings, featuring tenor Paul Appleby and Philharmonic Principal Horn Philip Myers, and Britten's Spring Symphony, with soprano Kate Royal (in her Philharmonic debut), mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke (Philharmonic subscription debut), tenor Paul Appleby, New York Choral Artists directed by Joseph Flummerfelt, and Brooklyn Youth Chorus directed by Dianne Berkun-Menaker. The concerts, which include a performance on the composer's 100th birthday, November 22, will take place tonight, November 21, 2013, at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, November 22 at 8:00 p.m.; and Saturday, November 23 at 8:00 p.m.

In today's New York Times 'In Performance' video, Zachary Quinto, in his role of Tom Wingfield, an aspiring writer and warehouse worker and the play's narrator in the current Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams's "The Glass Menagerie," talks about watching couples at a dance hall located across from his home.

Hofesh is a seriously cool guy. Normally I subscribe to the Oscar Wilde School of art criticism, but in this special case, the person behind the art is worth a mention. In a world that is often both glamorously and infamously depicted with power and fame hungry choreographers/directors lording over desperate dancers reduced to human body-things, Hofesh's warm presence is calming in its quiet power, exacting in its purpose without a totalitarian bent. Granted, I've only danced with him for a total of perhaps 6 hours over the course of 4 years, but I stand by the assessment. Hofesh Shecter is really, really cool.

On Saturday, December 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Zankel Hall, celebrated conductor David Robertson, music director of the St. Louis Symphony, leads Ensemble ACJW in a performance of Luciano Berio's Folk Songs featuring guest soprano Dawn Upshaw, who last performed the piece at Carnegie Hall in March 2004. ACJW's inventive program also includes Steve Reich's City Life, the composer's homage to his hometown of New York City, and Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta.

November 12, 2013 – East Providence, RI ? December 7 marks the cultural high point of Rhode Island's holiday season, when the RHODE ISLAND PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA joins forces with THE PROVIDENCE SINGERS, CHRISTINE NOEL, artistic director, in their seventh annual performance of George Frideric Handel's MESSIAH. Soloists include soprano MARTHA GUTH, mezzo-soprano ABIGAIL FISCHER, tenor CHRISTOPHER HUTCHINSON, and bass-baritone MATTHEW BURNS . The Philharmonic's Resident Conductor FRANCISCO NOYAconducts. The perennial favorite holiday concert features a family-friendly start time of 7:00pm on Saturday December 7 at The Vets in Providence. WPRO News Talk 630 is the media sponsor. Tickets (starting at $15) are available at www.riphil.org/tickets and the RIPO box office at 401.248.7000.

Judith Clurman conducts The Composer Speaks: Reason To Be Thankful at the DiMenns Space for Classical Music, 450. 37th St (between 9th and 10th Avenues), New York City, at 8:00 PM on Tuesday, December 10, 2013. This event is being performed under the auspices of The Composer Speaks series, which is sponsored by Clurman's Essential Voices USA. The Composer Speaks workshops involve a presentation of musical selections followed by a discussion between the composers, librettists, conductor Judith Clurman, and audience members about musical choices and compositional techniques.

New York, NY — Sony Classical will release pianist Simone Dinnerstein's next album, a recording of J.S. Bach's Inventions and Sinfonias, in the US on January 14, 2014. The recording was made at the Academy of Arts and Letters in New York by Grammy-winning producer Adam Abeshouse. Bach's Inventions and Sinfonias, originally written in 1723 as musical guide for keyboard players, remain a core part of the piano repertoire for students, amateurs, and professional musicians alike and have been lifelong companions for Dinnerstein.

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein will perform as part of Spark: Painting and Provocation, a Met Museum Presents conversation at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in The Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium (1000 Fifth Avenue) tonight, November 12 at 6pm. This ticketed talk explores the work of the artist Balthus, and in addition to Dinnerstein will feature Sabine Rewald, Jaques and Natasha Gelman Curator of Modern Art, MMA; Deborah Tolman, psychologist and author; and Dar Williams, singer/songwriter. It will be hosted by Julie Burstein, author and Peabody Award-winning creator of public radio's Studio 360. The program is in conjunction with the exhibition Balthus: Cats and Girls-Paintings and Provocations, on view fromSeptember 25, 2013 through January 12, 2014.

New York Live Arts will present The Barnard Project, now in its ninth year, November 21 - 23 at 7:30pm and November 23 at 2:00pm. This year's performance will showcase works by 2013-14 Barnard Project artists Boyzie Cekwana, Lance Gries, Annie-B Parson and Donna Uchizono.

Symphony Space, in collaboration with Hermitage Artist Retreat, presents the world premiere of The Day Before, a one-time-only multimedia event, tonight, November 8 at 7:30 pm in the Leonard Nimoy Thalia.

On last night's LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON on NBC, Zachary Quinto talked about making his Broadway debut in 'The Glass Menagerie.' 'That was like the biggest dream that I had growing up,' shared the actor of starring on The Great White Way.