New York City Master Chorale Announces 20th Anniversary Season
The 2025–2026 season will highlight collaborations, legacy works, and bold new visions for choral music.
By: A.A. Cristi Aug. 25, 2025
The New York City Master Chorale (NYCMC) has announced its 20th Anniversary Season, themed Music Across Time, running through 2025–2026. Founded in 2005 and led by Artistic Director David J. Recca since 2021, the Chorale will mark this milestone year with performances that honor its history while embracing innovation, collaboration, and accessibility.
NYCMC has distinguished itself as both an artistic home for excellence and a committed community organization, reflecting the diversity of New York City while making choral music available to all audiences.
Season Concerts
Immortal Bach – November 16, 2025
In collaboration with the Academy of Sacred Drama (A.D. Jeremy Rhizor), this program will explore some of Bach’s most distinctive works, including Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit (BWV 106) and Komm, Jesu, komm (BWV 229), alongside a contemporary adaptation. The performance will be anchored by the Mass in G Major (BWV 236).
Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil – March 7, 2026
A special anniversary performance revisiting one of the Chorale’s most beloved works. With guest artists joining, this program reflects on 20 years of legacy and artistry.
HALO Quartet Collaboration – May 2026
A season finale partnership with the acclaimed HALO Quartet, the first African-American quartet to compete on the international barbershop stage. The program will feature arrangements of civil-rights era songs, texts, and poems, along with new works that celebrate community, justice, and shared music-making.
Leadership Reflections
“As we celebrate the New York City Master Chorale’s 20th season, we are both honoring our past as well as embracing the future,” said Sara Yood, Chair of the Board of Trustees. “By bringing together the Chorale’s historical repertoire, previous and new collaborators, alumni, and more, we are quite literally putting our values on stage.”
“This set of ambitious, exciting, and musically varied programs spans time and space, including four centuries and our organization’s 20-year history,” added Artistic Director David J. Recca. “Audiences will join us in discovering where our musical history and innovations will take us next.”
Auditions
To launch its anniversary season, NYCMC will hold auditions on Wednesday, August 27 and in early September by appointment. Singers of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Full details are available at nycmasterchorale.org/auditions.
Ticket Information
Tickets for all anniversary season performances will go on sale one month prior to each concert at nycmasterchorale.org. Group rates and community discounts will be available through cultural partners.
About the New York City Master Chorale
The mission of the New York City Master Chorale is to connect people through choral music by presenting concerts of the highest caliber, inspired by the distinct energy, diversity, and talent of New York City. The Chorale champions artistic collaboration, inclusive membership, and innovative programming, featuring both historical repertoire and newly commissioned works, while bringing music into the community through outreach and education initiatives.
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