Dear Kent,

If it’s 7:30, it must be Messiah!

On December 14, 2024, Kent has reason to be in three places almost at once! First and foremost, at 4 PM he will be on the podium at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine leading “The Joy of Christmas” along with Bryan Zaros – the annual Christmas concert including carols sung by all. Then, he heads to Lincoln Center – where singers of Musica Sacra join the Juilliard Orchestra led by Gemma New for Holst’s The Planets at a 7 PM concert at Alice Tully Hall, and the chorus is featured in the New York Philharmonic’s final of four performances of Handel’s Messiah, led by Ton Koopman, at David Geffen Hall at 7:30 – for which Kent is also onstage as the Philharmonic’s organist!

Musica Sacra joining the Philharmonic for its Messiah presented an opportunity for the chorus to offer something different this year, as well as expand the holiday music choices in NYC! “Classics for Christmas: Mozart, Bach & Beethoven,” on December 18 at Carnegie Hall, is a festive program with two renowned guest artists: Mozart’s ebullient motet Exsultate, jubilate with soprano Susanna Phillips as soloist; Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy for solo piano, chorus, and orchestra with soloist Simone Dinnerstein; selections from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, and Christmas motets by Biebl, Poulenc, James Bassi, and Morten Lauridsen (all program details below).

Of course, Kent leads the Oratorio Society of New York in its grand annual performance of Messiah at Carnegie Hall on December 23, this year joined by the splendid soloist quartet of Nola Richardson, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Joshua Blue, and Joseph Parrish.

And this year’s “New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace” at St. John the Divine on December 31 features Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, no less, with another grand-slam roster of soloists: Kathryn Lewek, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Paul Appleby, and William Guanbo Su.

The Cathedral looks forward to welcoming the community to its Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services – all of which will also be livestreamed! Kent and his dream team at the Cathedral lead the Cathedral choirs: Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols at 4 PM, Festal Eucharist at 10:30 PM, and Christmas Day Holy Eucharist at 10:30 AM. Details are in the links below.

And please consider a year-end gift to Musica Sacra, the Cathedral’s Friends of Music, and the Oratorio Society of New York. Kent can only bridge the gap between performance expenses and ticket income with your support. Thank you for including Kent’s mission in your annual giving as we near the end of the calendar year!

Happy, healthy, and peaceful holidays to all!