The must-hear event of the season! At long last, Cantata Singers pairs its extraordinary musical forces with Verdi’s spectacular Requiem Mass – a beloved masterpiece that expresses the essence of humanity through the trial of death and the hope for peace and consolation. In the grandest operatic fashion, Verdi’s tour de force of dramatic solo and choral writing, overwhelming orchestral colors, and vivid engagement with the text will grip you from beginning to end. Acclaimed soloists Barbara Quintiliani, Janna Baty, Yeghishe Manucharyan, and Robert Honeysucker bring their exquisite voices to this unforgettable Cantata Singers & Ensemble production.

Program Notes

Hold on to your invitation! Stravinsky’s raucous, radiant wedding cantata teeters on the edge of jazz and swings between the pull of tradition and the brazen seduction of the avant-garde. Les noces embraces the cherished customs and complexities of this age-old ritual that is at once emotional and intellectual, silly and profound. The surreal also weaves through Poulenc’s Un soir de neige, his piercingly beautiful a cappella setting of four wintry poems by Paul Eluard. The sonically shattering Sur incises by the ever stunning Pierre Boulez takes its three pianos, three harps, and three keyboard percussion and sets them spinning, leaving them ringing wildly in the ear and imagination.

Program Notes

What a thrill – and a privilege – it is to be present at the birth of a new work. The Cantata Singers has commissioned John Harbison, one of the world’s most distinguished composers and one of our closest musical friends, to compose music in honor of David Rockefeller, Jr., long-time passionate member of the Cantata Singers family. The world premiere of the Harbison commission continues to affirm our undying dedication to presenting music of our time. But Mary Stood bears a message of faith, hope and charity, and finds its spiritual partners in two of Bach’s most brilliant and beloved motets.

Program notes
Program notes: John Harbison

Let the feast begin! From Jephtha to The Rake’s Progress and Bach Passions, the Cantata Singers have proven time and again that they can serve up more than just a stellar musical performance. Their unique talent for unleashing the music’s exhilarating drama turns every concert into much more than just a concert. And when Handel’s Belshazzar is the main course, the heart-pumping excitement is sure to lift you from your seat. Babylonians riot, Persian soldiers and ill-fated revelers battle, and the hand begins writing on the wall: there are timeless political and moral dilemmas to be faced. With an intensity and fervor of the most compelling theatrical drama, Belshazzar captivates, devastates and resonates as few works of art can.

Program notes
Synopsis of Belshazzar
Belshazzar Text

All Main Series concerts take place at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough St., Boston.

© Ghetto Museum, Terezín.  Reprinted with permission. Sunday, April 23 at 3 pm Monday, April 24 at 7:30 pm Brundibár: A Children's Opera by Hans Krása Lynn Torgove, Stage Director Featuring members of PALS Children’s Chorus Johanna Hill-Simpson, Music Director Schedule some quality time with the children in your life. This moving, bittersweet children’s opera tells of two children whose efforts to raise money to buy milk for their sick mother are thwarted by Brundibár, an evil organ-grinder. With the help of some friendly animals, the children outwit their nemesis in this uplifting tale of heroism and triumph over evil. Written in 1938 by Czech composer Hans Krása, Brundibár became known as an emblem of courage, justice, and symbolic victory over brutal Nazi oppression for the inhabitants of the concentration camp Terezín, where the composer was imprisoned in 1942. More information about this concert. Directions to the Leventhal-Sidman JCC

December concert in the Tapestry Room of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 280 The Fenway, Boston.

Brundibár performances at the Media Arts Center at Roxbury Community College, 1234 Columbus Avenue, Roxbury; and the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center Theatre, 333 Nahanton Street, Newton Center

Programs and dates subject to change.