Herbert Martin

​​​​​​​The New York Choral Society, a pioneering symphonic chorus that explores unique collaboration and dynamic repertory, is proud to present the highly anticipated New York premiere of Adolphus Hailstork's A Knee on the Neck  June 13, 2023 at Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall.

The New York Choral Society, New York’s pioneering symphonic chorus that explores unique collaboration and dynamic repertory, announced their 2022-2023 season, bookended by historically significant events, and featuring New York premieres, and hybrid programming.

Hailstork and Martin’s requiem is a grand, troubling, rich, and worthy work for an America still struggling to rise from its sometimes sordid history and violent predilections toward its lofty goals and promise.

The National Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorale, in partnership with The Washington Chorus, will present America’s Requiem – A Knee on The Neck. The long-awaited season program features the world premiere of Adolphus Hailstork and Herbert Martin’s A Knee on The Neck alongside Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem.

TWC will present or collaborate on three world premieres in the 2021-2022 season; Adolphus Hailstork's “A Knee on the Neck, a Requiem cantata for George Floyd,” written in response to the death of George Floyd, Damien Geter's “Symphony no. 1: The Justice Symphony” commemorating anthems from the Civil Rights era, and Roshanne Etezady's “Become The Sky” with texts by the 13th-Century Persian poet Rumi in a prologue for chorus, orchestral brass, and percussion.

Herbert Martin, born in Stamford in 1926, passed away peacefully at The Actor's Home in NJ, on September 27.

While THE YEARLING was short-lived on Broadway, Barbra Streisand turned in classic performances of three of the score's songs.

Cabaret performers thinking about launching duo shows could certainly take a lesson in chemistry from watching and listening to singer Karen Oberlin and guitarist Sean Harkness in their current show, A Wish, which is based on their superb recently released CD of the same title, launched with two shows at Kitano on February 1 (to celebrate the CD release), and has taken up a once a month residency until late August at the Metropolitan Room (the next show is on June 25 at 9:30 pm). While theirs is not a romantic off-stage chemistry (both are happily quite happily married, thank you), on stage and in the recording studio Oberlin and Harkness have concocted a delicious musical interaction that conjures up romance to the nth degree.