Conductor Kent Tritle to Lead Mozart Requiem, Bach Mass in B Minor and More Next Season
Musica Sacra and the Oratorio Society of New York will also perform works by Thea Musgrave, Jasmine Barnes, and Britten.
Kent Tritle's 2026-27 concert season is highlighted by performances of major works with his three esteemed choruses: Mozart's Requiem with the Cathedral Choirs of St. John the Divine, Bach's Mass in B Minor with the Oratorio Society of New York, and Thea Musgrave's The Voices of Our Ancestors with Musica Sacra.
In addition, Kent leads “SurRound: The Earth Remembers,” the latest iteration of Musica Sacra's immersive concert format, under the spectacular Gaia art installation at St. John the Divine, and Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, the focus of that group's annual holiday concert; and Jasmine Barnes's Portraits: Douglass & Tubman, Fauré's Requiem, and Handel's Messiah with the Oratorio Society of New York in its Carnegie Hall programs.
Kent also prepares Musica Sacra for its latest collaborations with other top-tier organizations: Carnegie Hall's presentation of Götterdämmerung, part of Wagner's Ring Cycle in Concert, conducted by Gianandreda Noseda with the Orchestra of the Zurich Opera; the New York Philharmonic's presentation of Amadeus in Concert live score performance, conducted by David Newman; and the New York City Ballet's signature production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.
Kent performs a series of organ recitals in September, including his annual program at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
One of America's leading choral conductors as well as an acclaimed organ virtuoso, Kent Tritle is Director of Cathedral Music and Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine; Music Director of both Musica Sacra, New York's elite professional chorus, and Oratorio Society of New York, the acclaimed avocational ensemble; and organist of the New York Philharmonic.
MUSICA SACRA
“SurRound: The Earth Remembers” – Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
This 2026 installment of Musica Sacra's immersive SurRound events takes place in the gothic nave of the Cathedral, with singers in motion throughout the placement of the audience under Gaia, a massive orb 23 feet in diameter depicting the Earth using NASA imagery, revolving and illuminated from within. A touring artwork by U.K. artist Luke Jerram, Gaia is on display at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine from September 18 to October 9, part of the Cathedral's commitment to St. Francis and his devotion to the earth.
The program focus on the natural world features music by Renaissance composers Jean Mouton and Juan Pérez Bocanegra and by modern composers including Meredith Monk, Robert Paterson, Einojuhani Rautavaara, Caroline Shaw, and Christine Whitten Thomas, to words ranging from poems by Rainer Maria Rilke to texts from the Quechuan and Navajo traditions – the complete program follows below.
“Classics for Christmas: A Ceremony of Carols” – Thursday, December 17, 2026, at Carnegie Hall
Musica Sacra's annual holiday concert at Carnegie Hall this year is highlighted by Benjamin Britten's eternal Christmas classic A Ceremony of Carols for chorus and harp, with guest harpist Mariko Anraku. The evening also features music for chorus and orchestra both classic (Sleigh Ride by Leopold Mozart, The King Shall Rejoice by Handel) and modern (works by Reena Esmail, Morton Lauridsen, and Wayne Oquin) – the complete program follows below. Maximillian Morel, Principal Trumpet of American Ballet Theater, and David Pushkoff, Principal Trumpet of New York City Ballet, are featured in the orchestra.
The Voices of Our Ancestors – Tuesday, April 20, 2027, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
The Voices of Our Ancestors is a 2014 work for narrator, chorus, brass, and organ by Thea Musgrave that sets the creation hymn from the Rigveda, an ancient Sanskrit verse dating in its written form from 1500-1200 B.C., and eleven other poems translated into English from almost as many languages. The Scottish-born Musgrave, who has lived in the U.S. since 1972, celebrates her centenary in 2028.
Poet and author David Mills will narrate the work, and his poetry will be featured in the course of the program. Mills's first book, Boneyarn, about New York's African Burial Ground, won the 2022 North American Poetry Award from the Poetry Society of Virginia.
The program begins with selections of medieval polyphony and works by Josquin des Prez and Adrian Willaert from the Medici Codex of 1518. (Within view of the audience is a tapestry created with artwork commissioned by Pope Leo X, who commissioned the Medici Codex as a wedding gift to his nephew.)
ORATORIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK
Fauré, Beethoven, Brahms & Barnes – Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at Carnegie Hall
Gabriel Fauré's luminous and tender Requiem, an anchor of the choral repertoire, centers a program also featuring Beethoven's Elegischer Gesang for chorus and string orchestra, Brahms's Vier Gesänge for women's chorus, horns, and harp, and Jasmine Barnes's Portraits: Douglass and Tubman, a stirring choral-orchestral song cycle setting the words of two towering abolitionists. Zen Wu, soprano, and Jesse Blumberg, baritone, are soloists in the Fauré, and Richard Deane, Associate Principal Horn of the New York Philharmonic, joins for the Brahms and Fauré.
Handel's Messiah – Monday, December 21, 2026, at Carnegie Hall
The OSNY's 152nd annual performance of Messiah features the soloists Jennifer Zetlan, soprano; Daniel Moody, countertenor; Brian Giebler, tenor; and Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone.
Bach's Mass in B Minor – Monday, May 3, 2026, at Carnegie Hall
This pillar of the Western canon closes the OSNY season, in a performance featuring soloists Elisse Albian, soprano; Lucia Bradford, mezzo-soprano; Maximillian Jansen, tenor; and Kevin Deas, bass-baritone.
CATHEDRAL OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE
“Joy of Christmas: Gloria in Excelsis!” – Friday and Saturday, December 11 & 12, 2026, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Vivaldi's Gloria for chorus and orchestra, a holiday favorite, and Handel's Organ Concerto in F Major, Op. 4, No. 4, with Daniel Ficarri as soloist, are the highlights of the Cathedral's annual Christmas concert with the combined Cathedral Choirs, which also features selections by Franz Biebl, Reena Esmail, and Ondi Yohan Tambunan, and carols sung by all.
New Year's Eve Concert for Peace – Thursday, December 31, 2026, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Founded by Leonard Bernstein in 1984, the New Year's Eve Concert for Peace ends one year and welcomes the new with music and a spirit of hope. Returning this year are Cathedral favorites Jason Robert Brown and Paul Winter, joining Cathedral artist-in-residence David Briggs along with the Cathedral Choir, in a program including Mozart's Serenade in D Major and choral selections by Rich Campbell, Arvo Pärt, Caroline Shaw, and Joel Thompson. Longtime host Harry Smith presides.
Mozart Requiem & Pergolesi Stabat Mater – Saturday, March 13, 2027, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Kent leads the Cathedral Choir and Chorale (professional and volunteer ensembles) in Mozart's immortal Requiem on a program also including the Stabat Mater of Pergolesi, which features the Cathedral Choristers (children's group), conducted by Cathedral Associate Director of Music Bryan Zaros. The program's soloists are Susanna Phillips, soprano; Mary Beth Nelson Zaros, mezzo-soprano; Joshua Blue, tenor; and William Guanbo Su, bass.
ORGAN SEASON
Kent's annual organ recital at St. John the Divine will be on the Cathedral's digital organ as the Great Organ undergoes repair; it is a program of works by Rachel Laurin, Jeanne Demessieux, and César Franck on September 20. He also returns to perform on the organ of the Smithfield Church in Amenia, New York, on September 19, and is presented in recital by the University of Illinois at Carbondale on September 25 (full programs follow below).
As the organist of the New York Philharmonic, Kent will join the orchestra for performances of Handel's Messiah, Janáček's Taras Bulba, Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra, Bernstein's Mass, and Amadeus in Concert.