Voices Of Ascension to Present The Music Of Brahms, Kodály & Duruflé

Voices of Ascension will present rarely-heard works from three master composers of the 19th and 20th centuries on Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Ascension.

Scored for orchestra and a unison chorus of 30 baritones, Duruflé's luminous Messe 'cum jubilo' anchors the program. This performance marks only the third time the piece has ever been presented with full orchestra in New York City. Interweaving Gregorian chant with Duruflé's signature harmonic refinement, the Messe also carries deep significance for Voices of Ascension. The ensemble's early Duruflé Festival, the first complete retrospective of the composer's works, helped establish Voices as a leading force in New York's choral landscape and launched its reputation for artistic depth and interpretation. Voices' Artistic Director and Conductor, Dennis Keene, a protégé of both Maurice Duruflé and Marie-Madeleine Duruflé to whom the work is dedicated, brings a rare direct lineage to this music, offering a performance shaped by an intimate understanding of the Duruflé style that is richly textured and emotionally profound.

"What I find most compelling about this program is the way each composer reveals a distinct inner world,” said Keene. “Brahms, Kodály, and Duruflé speak with entirely different musical voices, and our role is to bring those voices to life with clarity and intention. These works are rarely performed, yet each one is a masterpiece in its own right, and placing them together creates an unusually rich musical portrait. Duruflé's writing, in particular, has always spoken to me with a quiet radiance. It invites performers to listen inwardly and shape the music with great care. Returning to his work with Voices of Ascension feels like reconnecting with an old friend, and I am continually inspired by how this ensemble brings such sincerity and depth to his music.”

Featured are Brahms's Nänie, a setting of Friedrich Schiller's meditation on mortality that glows with warm Romantic textures and dignified grace, and Kodály's Psalmus Hungaricus, composed in 1923 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Budapest's unification, that merges Hungarian folk idioms with searing biblical lament. Both works are presented with brand new transcriptions by Keene, specially made for The Manton Memorial Organ – the first French-built organ ever to be installed in New York City, which, following its completion and dedication on May 1, 2011, is now one of the premier organs in the world. With its 6,183 pipes, 95 stops, 111 ranks, 2 consoles, and 7 keyboards, it is the largest French organ built anywhere in almost 50 years.