WAR & REQUIEM to Launch Voices Of Ascension 2026-2027 Season

Voices of Ascension will kick off its 2026–2027 season with Grand Choral Opening: War & Requiem on Thursday, October 29, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Ascension.

War & Requiem pairs musical grandeur with profound human depth. Composed amid the threat of Napoleon's advancing armies, Haydn's Mass in Time of War transforms the Mass into both a plea for mercy and a rallying cry for courage in the face of uncertainty. Nearly a century later, Fauré's Requiem offers a striking counterpoint. Where earlier Requiems summon fear and judgment, Fauré turns toward grace, tenderness, and light. Together, these works open the season with a meditation on conflict, consolation, and the search for meaning in challenging times.

Voices welcomes sopranos Meredith Wohlgemuth and Sarah Frei, mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford, tenor Matthew Swensen, and baritone Joseph Parrish as guest soloists for this performance.

Through a blend of contemporary and historical repertoire, the 2026-27 season, The Radiant Depths, spans the Renaissance to newly commissioned works and rarely heard masterworks, reflecting both the breadth of the tradition and the depth of expression that defines it as Voices traces a season-long journey through enduring questions about mortality, transcendence, and our relationship to one another. Many of these works emerged during periods of uncertainty and upheaval, asking questions that continue to feel deeply familiar: where we find meaning, how communities endure, and what sustains us through challenging times.