Musica Viva NY Reveals 2026-27 Season Lineup

Musica Viva NY has announced its 49th season spanning September 2026 through May 2027. Featuring a world premiere by Richard Einhorn, daring works by contemporary composers such as Gilda Lyons, and choral masterpieces by Arvo Pärt, Eric Whitacre, and more, New York's leading chamber choir presents four concerts at All Souls NYC on the Upper East Side. At the helm of Musica Viva NY is the intrepid Artistic Director-Conductor Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez. 

“Our goal this season is to create a dialogue between the past, present, and future,” Sensenig stated. “With each upcoming concert, Artistic Director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez's programming skill is on full display as he pairs repertoire from across eras to draw audiences into a richly unified narrative experience. I'm particularly looking forward to the world premiere of Richard Einhorn's The Radiant, a Musica Viva NY commission which pairs taiko drumming ensemble with choir.”

Musica Viva NY is a non-profit arts organization that was established nearly 50 years ago. Its mission is to bring world-class music to a wide community through an annual concert series, an active community engagement program, and an ambitious artistic vision. Under the baton of Artistic Director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez since 2015, Musica Viva NY strives to offer joy, solace and renewal in a complex world by presenting new compositions and classic masterworks in transformative interpretations that ennoble the human spirit.

Season Lineup:

RISING STARS: Musica Viva NY Presents Opera's Next Generation

Sunday, September 27, 2026

Musica Viva NY presents the young artists of two of the world's great opera houses for an extraordinary evening of emerging talent. Bringing together artists from the Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and Teatro Real's Crescendo Program, this unique collaboration offers a glimpse of opera's future through its most promising voices. Continuing Musica Viva NY's tradition of introducing audiences to exceptional artists on the cusp of international careers, this electrifying evening offers a rare chance to experience extraordinary talent up close.

LUMINOSITY

Sunday, December 6, 2026

An exploration of light in its many forms, this program features the world premiere of The Radiant, the newest Musica Viva NY commission from Richard Einhorn. Einhorn daringly combines choir with the athleticism and brilliance of a Japanese taiko drum ensemble. Hear James Whitbourn's Luminosity alongside choral masterworks by James MacMillan, Eric Whitacre and Arvo Pärt as choir, organ, viola soloist, trombones, tanpura and taiko drums are woven together into a program of shimmering color and radiant power.

James MacMillan — The Strathclyde Motets: O Radiant Dawn
Eric Whitacre — Lux Aurumque
Arvo Pärt — Annum per Annum
James Whitbourn — Luminosity
Arvo Pärt — Spiegel im Spiegel
Morten Lauridsen — O Nata Lux
Taiko Drummers
Richard Einhorn — The Radiant (World Premiere)

THE SACRED VEIL

Sunday, March 7, 2027

This contemplative program invites the listener into the potent liminal space where the veil between worlds grows thin. Songs of Lament and Praise for solo soprano by longtime Musica Viva NY collaborator Gilda Lyons reflects on motherhood and loss, while works by John Tavener and John Williams offer meditations on the soul's journey. At the center of the evening is Eric Whitacre's monumental The Sacred Veil, which merges choir, cello and piano with the sacred fragility of human life from first breath to final farewell.

Gilda Lyons — Songs of Lament and Praise
John Williams — Main Theme from Schindler's List
John Tavener — Threnos
John Tavener — Song for Athene
Eric Whitacre — The Sacred Veil

THE RIVER OF LIFE

Sunday, May 16, 2027

George Crumb's The River of Life transforms familiar American hymns into a mesmerizing landscape of sound, featuring vocal soloists propelled by an astonishing array of more than 100 percussion instruments. The journey culminates in Carl Orff's bold and exhilarating Catulli Carmina, a rarely heard masterpiece for choir, four pianos and percussion that is every bit as thrilling as its more famous companion, Carmina Burana.