The Dessoff Choirs Announces Holiday Line Up

Hailed as "one of the great amateur choruses of our time (New York Today) for its "full-bodied sound and suppleness (The New York Times)," The Dessoff Choirs celebrates the holidays as part of its 92nd season. This year, it presents a trio of concerts featuring seasonal repertoire and contemporary arrangements of carols, including Handel's Messiah, the quintessential classical music highpoint of the Christmas season; Bach's Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230, Gregg Smith's Twelve Days of Christmas; and Robert Parsons's Ave Maria, to name a few. (Program details are below.)

"The Dessoff Choirs is thrilled to continue its custom of performing in some of the city's most beautiful churches during the holidays," says Malcolm J. Merriweather, Dessoff's ninth Music Director, who also serves as Union Theological Seminary's 2016-17 Artist in Residence. "Our singers always look forward to this festive time of year."

The Welcome Yule concerts invite the community to come together and celebrate the holidays as Dessoff welcomes audience members of all ages to join in the singing of carols and enjoy the music of Bach, Tavener, Lauridsen and Howells. "Attending a holiday church concert is part of the essence of Christmas in New York City. We invite everyone to help lift our voices in holiday cheer."

The Messiah Sing is a beloved seasonal event and the start of a new tradition for Dessoff. It marks the ensemble's debut at the James Memorial Chapel at the Union Theological Seminary. All singers and non-singers alike are invited to join with the choir on the work's many choruses while Dessoff singers will have the opportunity to perform the solo arias.

About The Dessoff Choirs

The Dessoff Choirs, one of the leading choruses in New York City, is an independent chorus with an established reputation for pioneering performances of choral works from the Renaissance era through the 21st century. Since its founding in 1924, Dessoff's mission is to enrich the lives of its audiences and members through the performance of choral music. Its concerts, professional collaborations, community outreach, and educational initiatives are dedicated to stimulating public interest in and appreciation of choral music as an art form that enhances the culture and life of our times.

With repertoire ranging over a wide variety of eras and styles, Dessoff's musical acumen and flexibility has been recognized with invitations from major orchestras for oratorios and orchestral works. Past performances include Britten's "War Requiem" and Mahler's "Symphony No. 8" with Lorin Maazel in his final performances as Music Director with the New York Philharmonic. Over the course of its 92-year history, Dessoff has presented numerous world premieres, including pieces by Virgil Thomson, George Perle, Paul Moravec, and Ricky Ian Gordon, as well as the first American performance in nearly 100 years of Montemezzi's opera "La Nave" with Teatro Grattacielo; and the American premieres of Philip Glass's "Symphony No. 5," and Sir John Tavener's over seven-hour work "The Veil of the Temple." Dessoff's recent discography includes REFLECTIONS, featuring music by Convery, Corigliano, Moravec, and Rorem, and GLORIES ON GLORIES, a collection of American song featuring composers ranging from Billings to Ives. Please visit dessoff.org for more information.

About Malcolm J. Merriweather

Malcolm J. Merriweather, newly appointed as the ninth Music Director and conductor of the Dessoff Choirs, is presenting his first season with The Dessoff Choirs beginning in September 2016. Conductor, baritone, and educator, he is also the current Director of Choirs at Brooklyn College of The City University of New York, Artist in Residence at Union Theological Seminary, and the Music Director of the "Voices of Haiti," a 60-member children's choir in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, funded by the Andrea Bocelli Foundation. Merriweather was previously Associate Choirmaster at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine under Kent Tritle.

Recent conducting highlights for Merriweather have included Orff's Carmina Burana with the choirs and orchestra of the Brooklyn College Conservatory; Handel's Messiah with the Harvard Club Festival Choir; and the OH, FREEDOM concert with the West Village Chorale and Orchestra, where he previously served as Artistic Director. A protégé of Kent Tritle, Merriweather holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Conducting from the Manhattan School of Music, and Master of Music degrees in Choral Conducting and in Vocal Performance from the Eastman School of Music, as well as his Bachelor of Music degree in Music Education from Syracuse University. His professional affiliations include membership in Pi Kappa Lambda, the American Choral Directors Association, the Association for Anglican Musicians, and Chorus America.

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Program Details

WELCOME YULE

Tickets: General $25-35. Seniors/Students $15.

Program:

J. S. Bach: Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230

Robert Parsons: Ave Maria

Morten Lauridsen: O magnum mysterium

Harold Darke: In the bleak midwinter

Herbert Howells: Here is the little door

John Tavener: God is with us

Gregg Smith: Twelve Days of Christmas

George F. Handel: Hallelujah from Messiah

MESSIAH SING

When/Where: Saturday, December 17, 2016, at James Memorial Chapel, Union Theological Seminary, 3041 Broadway (at 121st Street), New York City, Train: 1 to 116th Street/Columbia University

Tickets: General $15. Seniors/Students $10.

Program: George F. Handel: Messiah

Scores will be available at the door or bring your own.

Tickets: All concert tickets may be purchased at dessoff.org or at the door.