Boston Choral Festival:
To the Hands

Friday, October 17, 2025 | 7:30 PM
Old South Church, Boston

The Program

Caroline Shaw: To the Hands
Noah Horn, Music Director

Join us at Old South Church for an unforgettable evening concert featuring Caroline Shaw’s To the Hands, a bold and moving reflection on shelter, empathy, and the human condition. Also on the program is Shawn Kirchner’s uplifting Unclouded Day, with additional repertoire still to be announced.

This special Boston Choral Festival performance will include students from high school choirs, who will spend the day in immersive workshops before joining Cantata Singers on stage.

Together, these young voices and seasoned professionals will bring Shaw’s powerful work to life—blending contemporary expression with timeless questions of compassion and community.

Don’t miss this evocative evening of music, collaboration, and shared purpose at the heart of Boston’s cultural scene.

What’s Interesting About This Concert

  • A Contemporary Masterwork: Caroline Shaw, the youngest-ever recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, wrote To the Hands in response to themes of displacement, refuge, and human connection. Drawing on a 17th-century cantata by Buxtehude, Shaw reframes early sacred music through a modern, emotionally resonant lens. It’s music that feels urgent, questioning, and deeply human.

  • Text That Speaks Today: Shaw interweaves Latin texts with contemporary language, including lines like “how do you belong to a place?” and statistics on global displacement. The result is a striking juxtaposition—ancient and modern, sacred and social—that asks us to reflect on our own role in the world.

  • Voices of the Future: This performance includes high school choirs, joining the professional Cantata Singers after a day of collaborative workshops. The inclusion of these young voices adds another layer of meaning to the piece’s themes of community, empathy, and shared humanity.

From the Classroom to the Stage — See the Journey

Take a glimpse into last year’s Boston Choral Festival — a powerful day of music, learning, and connection. This highlight reel captures moments from the 2024 Festival, from students arriving to the final ovation. You’ll want to be part of what’s coming next.

  • Approximately 75 minutes. There will be no intermission.

  • 645 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116

  • We recommend SpotHero to help you locate and reserve parking near the venue with ease.

  • Copley MBTA stop on the Green Line

    Back Bay MBTA stop on the Orange line

  • Wear what makes you feel comfortable!

  • Wheelchair accessible