The Oratorio Society of New York Reveals 2026–27 Season
Season highlights include performances of Fauré Requiem paired with Jasmine Barnes’s Portraits, Handel’s Messiah, and the Bach Mass in B minor.
The Oratorio Society of New York has revealed its 2026–27 concert season — its 153rd season, making it one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the country. Season highlights include performances of Fauré Requiem paired with Jasmine Barnes’s Portraits, Handel’s Messiah, and the Bach Mass in B minor. All performances will be led by Maestro Kent Tritle, accompanied by the Orchestra of the Society, and will take place in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall unless otherwise indicated. Subscriptions are available now, starting at $105.
The season opens on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 8:00 pm with Fauré’s Requiem anchoring a program that also includes Beethoven’s Elegischer Gesang, Brahms’ Vier Gesänge for women's chorus, horns, and harp, and Jasmine Barnes’ Portraits: Douglass and Tubman, a choral-orchestral song cycle setting the words of Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. Soloists are soprano Zen Wu, making her Carnegie Hall debut, and baritone Jesse Blumberg.
The Oratorio Society of New York will present its annual performance of Handel’s Messiah, now in its 152nd consecutive year. A holiday tradition since 1874, this year’s performance on Monday, December 21, 2026 at 7:00 pm includes soloists Jennifer Zetlan, soprano, Daniel Moody, countertenor, Brian Giebler, tenor, and Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone, making his Carnegie Hall debut.
A special post-Evensong event: excerpts from Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, performed in the stunning sanctuary of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Sunday, February 7, 2027 at 5:00 pm under the direction of OSNY Associate Conductor, David Rosenmeyer. This 30-minute concert is free of charge and offers a rare opportunity to hear this 200-voice choir sing a cappella.
This year marks the 50th Anniversary of OSNY's Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition – the longest-running and most prestigious competition devoted to oratorio singing in the U.S. The Finals Concert on Saturday, April 10, 2027 at 1:30 pm at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall showcases this season’s prize winners, offering audiences an early encounter with the next generation of great choral voices. The competition's distinguished alumni speak for themselves: recent past winners appearing with OSNY this season include countertenor Daniel Moody and tenor Brian Giebler (Messiah), and soprano Elisse Albian and tenor Maximillian Jansen (Bach B minor Mass).
The season concludes on Monday, May 3, 2027 at 7:00 pm with one of the most magnificent works in all of Western music, Bach’s Mass in B minor. Soloists are soprano Elisse Albian, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford, tenor Maximillian Jansen, and bass-baritone Kevin Deas.
Fauré Requiem / Beethoven Elegischer Gesang / Brahms Vier Gesänge / Jasmine Barnes Portraits: Douglass and Tubman
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 8:00 pm
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
Zen Wu, soprano
Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Kent Tritle, conductor
Orchestra of the Society
Handel Messiah
Monday, December 21, 2026 at 7:00 pm
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
Jennifer Zetlan, soprano
Daniel Moody, countertenor
Brian Giebler, tenor
Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone
Kent Tritle, conductor
Orchestra of the Society
Rachmaninoff Excerpts from All-Night Vigil (Vespers)
Sunday, February 7, 2027 at 5:00 pm
Cathedral of St. John the Divine
David Rosenmeyer, conductor
This concert is free of charge
Lyndon Woodside Oratorio Solo Competition Finals – 50th Anniversary Concert
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Saturday, April 10, 2027 at 1:30 pm
Bach Mass in B Minor
Monday, May 3, 2027 at 7:00 pm
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall
Elisse Albian, soprano
Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano
Maximillian Jansen, tenor
Kevin Deas, bass-baritone
Kent Tritle, conductor
Orchestra of the Society
