Voices of Ascension has added a sixth concert to its 2025-2026 season, now kicking off its 36th season on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Ascension.The program includes Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor and J. S. Bach’s Magnificat in D Major, featuring soprano Liv Redpath as soloist along with the Voices of Ascension Chorus and Orchestra with Dennis Keene conducting. The performance is a gift from The Secular Society in memory of Liz Norman, who was Voices’ Executive Director for 14 years, and whose leadership helped shape the organization’s artistic legacy. Single tickets for the 2025-2026 season performances are on sale now.
“This concert is a full-circle moment for Voices of Ascension, The Secular Society, and soprano Liv Redpath,” said Jonathan Bradley, Executive Director of Voices of Ascension. “The idea of having Liv sing Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor was first imagined not long after her debut with us in 2017 as a Voices of Promise soloist at our Candlelight Christmas Concerts, and we’re thrilled to finally see that dream come to fruition. After Liz Norman’s recent passing, it feels especially meaningful to bring this long-held vision to life as a tribute to her years of leadership. We’re deeply thankful to Peter Trower and The Secular Society for their vision and partnership in making it happen.”
Voices of Ascension’s 2025-2026 season continues with its annual Candlelight Christmas Concerts in December. Through a blend of contemporary and historical repertoire, Voices of Ascension fills its 36th season with music from the Renaissance to rarely-heard works by Brahms, Kodály, and Duruflé as they continue to celebrate the breadth of classical choral music while fostering the next generation of artists and music-lovers. Additional highlights include a collaboration with Dark Horse Consort in a thrilling intersection of scholarship and expressive brilliance in Monteverdi Vespers of 1610; a guest appearance by Beth Willer—Founder and Artistic Director of Lorelei Ensemble and Director of Choral Studies at the Peabody Institute—as she leads Voices of Ascension in a blend of contemporary and historical repertoire including the world premiere of a new work by Celeste Oram, the NYC premiere of Ellen Reid’s Oscillations: One Hundred Years and Forever, and Sofia Gubaidulina’s masterpiece Canticle of the Sun featuring cellist Tommy Mesa on a program that also features organist Jon Gillock performing Messiaen’s Apparition de l’Eglise éternelle; and a concert that illuminates the depth and beauty of Renaissance choral music in Masters of the Renaissance: The Netherlands School.
Concert Information
Grand Choral Opening: Mozart & Bach
Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35383/production/1246590?performanceId=11671045
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/mozartbach25
Program:
Mozart – Great Mass in C Minor
J. S. Bach – Magnificat in D Major
Artists:
Liv Redpath, soprano
Voices of Ascension Chorus and Orchestra
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
_________________________________
Candlelight Christmas Concerts
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 4:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/candlelight-christmas-concerts-2025
Program:
A vibrant mix of ancient carols, seasonal masterworks, and contemporary reflections on winter and light
Artists:
Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
_________________________________
Brahms, Kodály, & Duruflé
Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/bkd26
Program:
Brahms – Nänie
Kodály – Psalmus Hungaricus
Duruflé – Messe ‘cum Jubilo’
Artists:
Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
_________________________________
Monteverdi Vespers of 1610
Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/monteverdi26
Program:
Monteverdi – Vespers of 1610
Artists:
Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
Dark Horse Consort
_________________________________
Masters of the Renaissance: The Netherlands School
Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/josquin26
Program:
A cappella choral music from the “Golden Age of Choral Music.”
Artists:
Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
_________________________________
Featured Guest Conductor: Beth Willer
Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/willer26
Program:
Celeste Oram – new work (World Premiere)
Ellen Reid – Oscillations: One Hundred Years and Forever (NYC Premiere)
Sofia Gubaidulina – Canticle of the Sun
Messiaen – Apparition de l’Eglise éternelle
Messiaen – Louange à l’éternité de Jésus (arr. Gottwlard)
Artists:
Voices of Ascension
Beth Willer, guest conductor
Tommy Mesa, cello
Jon Gillock, organ
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