Voices of Ascension will conclude its current concert season with “Canticle of the Sun” on Thursday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Ascension. The performance marks the official launch of the ensemble’s “Choral Visionaries Initiative,” a new program designed to feature innovative choral leaders as guest artistic directors.
Guest conductor Beth Willer, the founder and artistic director of Lorelei Ensemble and director of choral studies at the Peabody Institute, will lead the professional chorus in a program featuring 20th-century and contemporary works. The repertoire includes the New York City premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina’s “Canticle of the Sun,” featuring soloist Tommy Mesa on cello, and the East Coast premiere of Ellen Reid’s “Oscillations: 100 Years and Forever.”
The concert also features the world premiere of “All My Salt Falls Short” by composer Celeste Oram. Rounding out the program is Olivier Messiaen’s “Apparition de l’Église éternelle,” performed by organist Jon Gillock. Willer noted that the program explores the conversation between earthly experiences and things beyond this earth, featuring composers who were “deeply religious and also deeply progressive.”
The Choral Visionaries Initiative aims to provide a New York City platform for both established and emerging conductors to shape original projects. As part of the program, Voices of Ascension will release professionally filmed concert videos and digital content to document the collaboration. Future participants in the initiative include Kathy Saltzman Romey, scheduled for February 2027.
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