MUSICA VIVA NY to Present Young Stars of Met Opera and Teatro Real
Conductor Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez leads the program at All Souls NYC in Manhattan.
Musica Viva NY, New York City's premier chamber choir, opens its 2026–27 season on Sunday, September 27, with an extraordinary celebration of opera's next generation.
Under the direction of Artistic Director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, the concert brings together 10 exceptional young performers from two of the world's most prestigious opera training programs—Madrid's Teatro Real Crescendo and The Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program—for an evening of beloved operatic masterpieces at All Souls NYC in Manhattan. Continuing Musica Viva NY's tradition of introducing audiences to exceptional artists on the cusp of international careers, this electrifying evening offers a rare chance to experience extraordinary talent up close joined by Musica Viva NY soloists led by conductor Hernandez-Valdez.
Musica Viva NY has served as an important launching pad for young artists, with alumni and collaborators including Renée Fleming, Shabnam Abedi, the Aeolus Quartet, and numerous rising performers who have gone on to distinguished international careers. The concert continues Musica Viva NY's nearly 50-year tradition of championing emerging artists while expanding its international partnerships. Following the acclaimed American debut of Teatro Real's Crescendo artists in 2025 and Musica Viva NY's European debut performance in Spain in spring 2026, this year's concert marks the next chapter in the organization's growing cultural exchange between Spain and the United States. For the first time, singers from Teatro Real and The Metropolitan Opera's renowned Lindemann Young Artist Development Program will share the stage performing solos, duets, and ensemble pieces, celebrating opera's rich traditions while showcasing the extraordinary talent shaping its future.
“As Musica Viva NY deepens its partnerships with leading cultural institutions, we are building bridges between Spain and the United States, creating new opportunities for artists and enriching the experience of opera audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Opera has always transcended borders, and this landmark partnership celebrates its global spirit while helping shape the future of opera and choral music for generations to come.” - Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, Conductor/Artistic Director of Musica Viva NY
“The Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program is honored to join Musica Viva NY and the Teatro Real in this special collaboration, bringing together exceptional young singers who represent the future of opera.
Together with artists from Teatro Real's Crescendo program and Musica Viva NY, our Lindemann singers and pianists will share opera's most beloved arias, duets, and ensembles in an evening that celebrates artistic exchange, discovery, and the promise of emerging talent. We are excited to connect with the audience that Musica Viva NY has cultivated through their dynamic programming and exceptional artistry.
In a world often divided by distance and difference, music offers a common language that reaches beyond borders, carrying artists and audiences toward one another in harmony, hope, and shared humanity. We are proud to be part of this initiative with these shared goals towards a more collaborative and inspired future.” - Melissa Wegner, Executive Director, Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and Laffont Competition, The Metropolitan Opera
About Madrid's Teatro Real
Madrid's Teatro Real is considered the leading institution for the performing arts in Spain, the foremost national opera house and one of the most important Spanish cultural institutions. Crescendo is a program promoted by the Friends of the Teatro Real Foundation that promotes, encourages, and supports the artistic and professional development of promising opera stars from the very beginning of their careers.
To date, more than 117 young artists of 20 nationalities have participated in this program, which celebrated its 6th edition in 2026. For three months a year, it complements the academic training acquired by young singers, pianists, and assistant stage managers, all under the age of 35, by offering workshops, master classes, and various cross-curricular activities to help them embark on a highly demanding career, with public exposure and competition. But, without a doubt, the most important aspect of Crescendo is the creation of real job opportunities for young participants to launch their professional careers.
About The Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artists
The Metropolitan Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program was created in 1980 to identify and develop extraordinarily talented young operatic artists. The program has trained generations of celebrated opera singers, coaches, and pianists, who perform in and prepare productions at the Met and opera houses around the world. Throughout their instruction, Lindemann Artists draw upon the vast pool of world–renowned talent available at the Met, including current and former artists, internationally recognized coaches, and master teachers. They also have the opportunity to participate in Met productions, in which many singers perform supporting roles and pianists serve as assistant conductors, and perform in an annual concert of staged opera scenes, a recital series held at Merkin Hall, and the Met Orchestra Workshop with Maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
In recognition and gratitude for their leadership and generous support, the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program is named after Dr. Frayda B. Lindemann and the late Mr. George Lindemann.
About Musica Viva NY
Musica Viva NY is a non-profit arts organization that was established nearly 50 years ago. Its mission is to bring world-class music to a wide community through an annual concert series, an active community engagement program, and an ambitious artistic vision. Under the baton of Artistic Director Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez since 2015, Musica Viva NY strives to offer joy, solace and renewal in a complex world by presenting new compositions and classic masterworks in transformative interpretations that ennoble the human spirit.
Musica Viva NY's superb chamber choir and world class collaborating instrumentalists make their concert home in Manhattan's historic All Souls Church. It regularly combines its presentation of the classical repertoire with less widely known works, as part of its commitment to perform the works of living American composers, women composers and composers of color, including works that address social, racial or environmental issues.
Composers whose works have been featured in recent Musica Viva NY performances include Florence Price, Alexandra T Bryant, Steve Reich, Frank Ticheli, Missy Mazzoli, Alice Walker, Joel Thompson and Jesse Montgomery.
Musica Viva NY has commissioned and premiered numerous works by contemporary composers including Bora Yoon, Seymour Bernstein, Elena Ruehr, Joseph Turrin, Bruce Saylor, Jean-Louis Petit, Eugenio Toussaint, Gilda Lyons, Richard Einhorn, Trent Johnson and Trevor Weston.
Beyond high-quality concert performances, Musica Viva NY also serves the communities of New York City through a growing variety of rich community engagement programs. Currently, Musica Viva NY partners with New York city public schools, extracurricular youth ensembles, New York Public Library branches and the All Souls' Monday Night Hospitality dinner program, offering free performances, artist clinics, interactive workshops, and more. Musica Viva NY has nurtured young artists throughout its half century of existence. Great musicians who have been Musica Viva NY singers and soloists include the Metropolitan Opera star Renée Fleming, and Broadway's Aladdin, Michael Maliakel.
Its discography's latest addition Crimson Roses: Contemporary American Choral Music (Naxos) features a crowning performance by mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. An indispensable recording of contemporary American choral music by Joseph Turrin, Richard Einhorn, and Gilda Lyons, Crimson Roses is hailed for its “warmth, vitality and cohesion (Gramophone),” and “superbly articulated, tonally rich and keenly balanced exceptional performances (Fanfare).”
The organization was founded as an annual concert series in 1977 by Walter Klauss, who directed the group for 38 years, and adopted the name “Musica Viva” in 1985. Under Walter Klauss' baton the choir toured in Paris (2004), Germany and Czechoslovakia (2006) and Italy (2012). In 2026 it will tour in Spain under the auspices of Teatro Real of Madrid.
