New York Choral Society Presents "The Love Between Us": Reena Esmail Conducts Her Own Protest and Prayer at NYU Skirball

In a year marked by renewed political polarization and rising threats to inclusion, the New York Choral Society  closes its season with a concert that responds with intention, power, and hope.

On Saturday, May 10, 2025, at NYU Skirball, the chorus presents This Love Between Us—a moving musical journey that pairs J.S. Bach's radiant Magnificat with Reena Esmail's transcendent This Love Between Us: Prayers for Unity.

The performance marks the finale of the 2024–2025 season, She Sings: A Season of Extraordinary Women, a year-long celebration of women's voices in choral music. Indian American Composer Reena Esmail, a bold and visionary voice in contemporary classical music, created This Love Between Us in the wake of the 2016 U.S. election as a response to the deepening fractures in American society. Now, in the early months of a second Trump administration, marked by even more extreme policies and intensified attacks on inclusion and pluralism, her work feels urgently prescient. Weaving together sacred texts and prayers from seven faith traditions—Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Islam—Esmail's composition is both a protest and a prayer, with a powerful call for compassion, empathy, and human connection in a time of escalating division.

By contrast, Bach's Magnificat bursts with joy and devotion in the Christian tradition, expressing exultation and spiritual awe through vibrant counterpoint, soaring melodies, and radiant harmonies. Together, the two works create a rich dialogue between past and present, offering a canonical Baroque masterpiece and a bold 21st-century statement on unity across cultures and beliefs.

“Reena's piece is not just beautiful, it's urgent,” says Music Director David Hayes. “In a climate where polarization has permeated into every realm of our public life, This Love Between Us dares to imagine a different world. It reminds us that even across vastly different traditions, we are bound by a shared longing for love, peace, and compassion.”

Performing alongside the New York Choral Society are the acclaimed Ensemble LPR and guest artists from Brooklyn Raga Massive, including Neel Murgai (sitar) and Tripp Dudley (tabla). Vocal soloists include Liz Lang (soprano), Lucia Bradford (mezzo-soprano), Michael Kuhn(tenor), and Kenneth Overton (baritone). Bridging creation and performance, Reena Esmail will join the stage to conduct the Indian instrumentalists, bringing her own music to life in direct collaboration with Music Director David Hayes.

 “We chose to close our season with This Love Between Us and Bach's Magnificat because they reflect exactly what this moment demands: courage, inclusivity, vision, and joy,” says Ellen PutneyMoore, Executive Director. “Reena Esmail's work honors tradition while pushing it forward, inviting us to listen to one another in a deeper, more human way. Bach's Magnificat bursts with exuberance and celebration, reminding us of the power of music to uplift and inspire. That's what this season and this organization stand for.”

PERFORMANCE DETAILS

This Love Between Us will be performed on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 7:30pm at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets start at $40 and are available at https://nychoral.org/event/bach-esmail/.

A free pre-concert talk with composer Reena Esmail will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 PM for all ticket holders.