David Briggs News

New Jersey Repertory Company presents a week long extravaganza of the arts, October 1- October 8, inaugurating its new West End Arts Center at 132 West End Avenue.

Neil Young will open his archive and release Hitchhiker, an unreleased new studio album. The release date is August 4, 2017 on Reprise Records - it will be available on vinyl, CD and digitally. The 10-track acoustic solo album was recorded in Malibu, CA at Indigo Studio in 1976.

???????As the summer ends and the fall 2017 concert season comes into view, Kent Tritle will be found playing an organ recital at Himmerod Abbey, a Cistercian monastery in Grosslittgen, Germany. From there, it is off and running - the 2017-18 season for "New York's foremost choral conductor" (The New Yorker) is highlighted by the world premieres of two works with the Oratorio Society of New York, Sanctuary Road, an oratorio about the Underground Railroad by Paul Moravec, libretto by Mark Campbell, commissioned by the OSNY, and Behzad Ranjbaran's We Are One; concerts with the Cathedral Choir of St. John the Divine including a program celebrating the immigrant history of New York in collaboration with early/world music group Rose of the Compass that includes the world premiere of a commissioned work by Robert Sirota, and a program of Kodaly, Stravinsky, and Part's Miserere; programs of repertoire ranging from Gregorian chant to Morton Lauridsen with Musica Sacra; and Bach's St. John Passion with ensembles and soloists from the Manhattan School of Music.

Neil Young will release his long out of print Decade anthology on June 23, on Reprise Records. Originally released in 1977 on a triple vinyl set and compiled by Young, Tim Mulligan and David Briggs, Decade has long been considered the definitive 35-song collection of material

What is the importance of classical music in today's world? This is a concern of Kent Nagano's, in his 12th year at the helm of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. And that question is at the source of the programming offered by the OSM for its 2017-2018 season, with the 375th anniversary of the city of Montréal well under way. Each week, Maison symphonique will resound to the sound of the Orchestra, with over 100 concerts being presented there.

Award-winning young international concert organist and composer Chelsea Chen will perform a diverse, centuries-spanning program that includes her signature composition, 'Taiwanese Suite,' and the Chicago debut of her 'Chorale-Prelude on 'Bethold' at a free concert presented by the Chicago chapter of the American Guild of Organists at 7:30 p.m. today, February 10, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 675 East Algonquin Road, Des Plaines, Ill.

Award-winning young international concert organist and composer Chelsea Chen will perform a diverse, centuries-spanning program that includes her signature composition, 'Taiwanese Suite,' and the Chicago debut of her 'Chorale-Prelude on 'Bethold' at a free concert presented by the Chicago chapter of the American Guild of Organists at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, February 10, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 675 East Algonquin Road, Des Plaines, Ill.

To launch his 2016-17 season, Kent Tritle made his conducting debut in Asia with a program of Beethoven and Bellini at South Korea's Great Mountains Music Festival and School in August, and in November led the New York premiere at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine of the recently deceased Einojuhani Rautavaara's Vigilia. Opera News, praising Tritle's “profoundly musical direction,” said, “Truly, this was a choral concert for the ages. … For those of us who love choral music, and for those of us who particularly love choral music connected to the Eastern Orthodox tradition, this concert was possibly the finest event of the 2016-17 season.”

'PREformances with Allison Charney" December 5th Concert to feature violinist Laura Goldberg, composer Moshe Knoll, soprano, Indira Mahajan, mezzo-soprano Sara Murphy and Russian-born American pianist Julia Zilberquit.

Graceland's® new, world-class, 450-room resort, The Guest House at Graceland, welcomed its first guests today when Priscilla Presley joined Graceland executives to cut the "blue suede ribbon" to signify the official opening for the $92 million luxury property.  Among the first guests to check in were Elvis Presley's family members, friends and musicians, along with Elvis fans and Graceland visitors from around the world. 

?The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in collaboration with the Manhattan School of Music and Oratorio Society of New York, presents the world premiere of a transcription for organ, vocal soloists, and choruses, of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, on Thursday, April 7th, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street), Manhattan. This event follows the two performances of the symphony in its original orchestration at the Cathedral on February 24th and 25th.

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in collaboration with the Manhattan School of Music and Oratorio Society of New York, presents two unprecedented Great Music in a Great Space performances of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 8, featuring more than 450 musicians, on Wednesday, February 24th and Thursday February 25th, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street), Manhattan.

With construction of The Guest House at Graceland in full swing just steps away from Elvis Presley's iconic Graceland mansion in Memphis, reservations are now being accepted for the new 450-room, full-service, world-class resort hotel f

With construction of The Guest House at Graceland in full swing just steps away from Elvis Presley's iconic Graceland mansion in Memphis, reservations are now being accepted for the new 450-room, full-service, world-class resort hotel for late October through December 2016, starting with the historic, four-day, star-studded Grand Opening Celebration to be held October 27-30, 2016. Reservations can be made by calling Graceland Reservations at 800-238-2000 or 901-332-3322 or visiting Graceland.com/GuestHouse.

The Oratorio Society of New York opens its 2015-16 season and Carnegie Hall subscription series on Monday, November 2, 2015, with a work that has become closely identified with its music director.  Kent Tritle led the U.S. premiere of Juraj Filas' Requiem, Oratio Spei (Prayer of Hope), at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in 2011 (with a choir of 60 singers), and he conducted the work's debut recording, a project of the New York-based Harmony Foundation, in Prague with the Prague Symphony and Kuhn Mixed Choir in 2013.  On November 2, he leads the Oratorio Society in a performance of the work with soloists Susanna Phillips, soprano; Matthew Plenk, tenor; and John Moore, baritone.

The Oratorio Society of New York (OSNY), New York's standard for grand choral performance, will mark its 2015/16 season with performances of two major symphonic choral works written within the past 20 years. Leading OSNY in its 143rd season will be Kent Tritle, in his 11th year as music director.

Elvis Presley's Graceland has announced an exciting lineup of events for Elvis Week 2015 at Graceland in Memphis, Tenn. Held August 8-16, Elvis Week is an annual gathering of friends and fans from around the world celebrating the life and legacy of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. It has become a global pop-culture phenomenon and an annual pilgrimage for tens of thousands of music lovers from around the world.

Salt & Straw is helping folks woe the object of their affection this Valentine's Day with the old standby of chocolate, in an unexpected form- a warming collection of five chocolate themed ice creams showcasing surprising ingredients. They have partnered with small, artisanal chocolatiers Sahagun Chocolates, Xocolatl de David, Missionary Chocolates, Alma Chocolate and Woodblock Chocolate, to show off each of their unique chocolate making styles, techniques and ingredients through scoops of ice cream. A step beyond sending the traditional box of chocolates, send the ones you love a variety of Portland's small-batch chocolatiers through a five pack of ice creams. Gift pack of flavors will be available for nationwide shipping through http://www.saltandstraw.com and at Portland area scoop shops beginning Feb. 1.

The 92nd season of the New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts (YPCs) will be launched tonight, October 12, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. Philharmonic Assistant Conductor Case Scaglione will lead selections from all four movements of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. This is the first program in this season's series, Points of Entry, in which each concert explores facets of music and the orchestra itself through a single, influential score. The performance will feature the Manhattan School of Music Symphonic Chorus, Kent Tritle, director.

The 92nd season of the New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts (YPCs) will be launched on Saturday, October 12, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. Philharmonic Assistant Conductor Case Scaglione will lead selections from all four movements of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. This is the first program in this season's series, Points of Entry, in which each concert explores facets of music and the orchestra itself through a single, influential score. The performance will feature the Manhattan School of Music Symphonic Chorus, Kent Tritle, director.