Buy tickets HERE.

Audience members join the choir for Handel’s vibrant choruses, and Dessoff members perform the arias.

Get ready to sing - either bring your own score or borrow one from us when you arrive!

Buy tickets here.

In her “operatorio” Sojourner, premiered in 1981, Capers encapsulates the dramatic essence of the life of Sojourner Truth, the freed slave, abolitionist, and women’s rights activist, in three episodes: Sojourner’s sale as a nine-year-old at auction; her religious conversion and name change to Sojourner Truth; and her statement of the challenges to be overcome by Blacks and women.

The concert will begin with the "Burial Sentences" by William Croft (as heard at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II) and Henry Purcell's poignant "Thou knowest Lord the secrets of our hearts." The polychoral setting of Psalm 51, or Miserere mei by Gregorio Allegri will follow directly after. The juxtaposition of these Renaissance era religious songs acts as a prelude to the oratorio which at many points illustrates Sojourner's constant and devout faith.

PROGRAM

Sojourner

Burial Sentences

Thou knowest Lord the secrets of our hearts

Psalm 51, Miserere mei

The Dessoff Choirs
Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor

Lucia Bradford

Mezzo-soprano, Lucia Bradford is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. Ms. Bradford has performed a number of operatic roles including Carmen in Bizet’s La Tragedie de Carmen, Zita in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, La Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, The Mother  in Ravel’s L’Enfant des Sortileges, Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen, Mrs. Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff,  The Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Gertrude in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet, Hippolyta in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Miss Todd in Menotti’s Old Maid and the Thief, the Duchess of Plaza Toro in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, Azelia Dessalines in William Grant Still’s opera Troubled Island, Douglas Tappin’s I dream as Grandma, Mary Watkins’ Emmett Till as Mamie Till, Maria in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess and Berta in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia. 

Her concert works include the St Matthew Passion with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and chorus, Mozart's Vesperae solennes de Confessore, Hadyn's Lord Nelson Mass, De Falla’s El amor Brujo,  William Grant Still’s And they lynched him, Nathanial Dett’s The Ordering of Moses, Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, Handel’s Messiah with The National Philharmonic, the Mozart Requiem, Durufle Requiem, Bach’s  B minor Mass and the St John Passion with the Voices of Ascension and Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society of N.Y.

Ms. Bradford has had the privilege of singing at Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center, Merkin Hall and touring in Russia, Budapest, Spain, the Caribbean and throughout the United States. She also enjoys performing a variety of genres including contemporary opera, jazz, gospel and blues. 

Martin Hargrove

Lyric Bass, Martin Hargrove, has performed in Opera, Musical Theater, Recitals and Concerts throughout the US, Europe, Canada and South America.   His concert repertoire includes Handel’s Messiah and Israel in Egypt, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, The Faure Requiem, Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass, Mozart’s Requiem, and Alice Parker’s Sermon on the Mountain.  Martin’s operatic roles include Colline, in La bohème, Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Ramfis in Aida, Sparafucile and Monterone in Rigoletto, Angelotti in Tosca, Jake in Porgy and Bess, Sarastro and the Speaker in Die Zauberflöte, Balthazar in Amal and the Night Visitors, Masetto and Il Comendatore in Don Giovanni, and Cinque M’tume in Robert Zuidam’s Freeze. On the Musical Thater stage, Martin has performed in “Aint’ Mis’Behavin’”, and sang the voice of Audrey 2 in “Little Shop of Horrors”.  He was in the pre-Broadway workshop cast of the Tony award winning Musical “The Colour Purple”, and was featured in the Tony Award winning “Show Boat” by legendary director Hal Prince.  Martin studied music education and voice at Westminster Choir College, and Trenton State College and was an apprentice at Florida Grand Opera, and Minnesota Opera.

Angela L. Owens

Internationally recognized for her “beauty and musicality” (The London Times), as well as her “attractively full-bodied, passionate soprano voice” (Opera News), Angela L. Owens has appeared in opera, theater, concert, television and film across the globe and throughout the U.S. Internationally, Angela’s credits include performances with the Szeged Symphony Orchestra, Deutsches Theater München, Koninklijk Theater Carré, West Australian Opera and Opéra Comique (Paris), as well as The Dallas Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Opera Ebony, Encompass New Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Regional theater credits include Hattie in Kiss Me Kate, Mrs. Brown in Me and My Gal, Flo in Good News (Mac-Haydn Theater), Alice in I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking it on the Road, Susannah in Tintypes, (Martin Theatre), Belladova in Phantom and Josephine Baker in the world premiere of Dodsworth (Casa Mañana Theater).

A frequent collaborator on new works, Angela has premiered pieces at the Composers Now Festival with Tania León, Trilogy: An Opera Company, Atlanta’s Theatrical Outfit, National Sawdust at Rockefeller Center, and the live adaptation of WQXR’s Terrence McKnight's radio documentary, A Beautiful Symphony Of Brotherhood for New Jersey’s UPAC Auditorium. She is also a member of the world-renowned American Spiritual Ensemble (Everett McCorvey), Chorale Le Chateau (Damien Sneed) and the New York Philharmonic Chorus (Malcolm Merriweather).

As a clinician and educator, Angela has presented masterclasses and lecture series for Columbia University, Wagner College, Ithaca College, Spelman College and the Kaufman Center at Hill House among others.

In television, Angela’s credits include Investigation Discovery’s Shadow of Doubt and The Perfect Murder, CBS’s Bull, and Netflix’s Luke Cage. She is also featured on several recordings, including the cast album of Richard Thompson’s The Mask in the Mirror (Parma Records/Naxos), which was awarded Critic’s Choice by Opera News.

Angela is a board member of the North Georgia non-profit, Harris Arts Center, and is the Vice- President of the David I. Martin Music Guild New York chapter of NANM. She currently serves on the theater faculty at the University of Wisconsin (Parkside), Manhattan School of Music, and at Interlochen Center for the Arts. She is an alumna of Brevard College and Florida State University.

Justin E. Bell

Passionate about bringing the human experience to life through music, Tenor Justin E. Bell is an emerging artist on operatic and concert stages. Bell is invigorated by the collaborative process, and 2024 brings a number of exciting projects, notably Handel: Made in America at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Sojourner with The Dessoff Choirs, and in recital at Manhattan School of Music. As a proud member of the Shared Voices Cohort within The Denyce Graves Foundation, Bell will be a featured artist in WQXR Radio’s Young Artist Showcase series and in concert at The Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. In 2023, Justin performed as an Emerging Artist at The Castleton Music Festival and a Studio Artist at Aspen Music Festival and School. He will be graduating from Manhattan School of Music with his Master’s of Music this spring.

Buy tickets HERE.

Audience members join the choir for Handel’s vibrant choruses, and Dessoff members perform the arias.

Get ready to sing - either bring your own score or borrow one from us when you arrive!

Buy tickets here.

The Dessoff Choirs and the Cathedral Choir of Abyssinian Baptist Church join forces to present this performance of Mendelssohn’s enduring masterpiece at Abyssinian’s landmark location in Central Harlem.

PROGRAM

Elijah

Davóne Tines, Elijah
Patrice Eaton, Angel, Queen
Noah Stewart, Obadiah, Ahab
Marsha Thompson, Widow, Angel
Laura Virgina Pernas, Youth

The Dessoff Choirs & Orchestra
Cathedral Choir, The Abyssinian Baptist Church
Nathaniel Gumbs, Organ & Minister of Music and the Arts
Dr. Raschaad Hoggard, Executive Minister
Malcolm J. Merriweather, Conductor

Davóne Tines, heralded as an artist "changing what it means to be a classical singer (The New Yorker) and “[one] of the most powerful voices of our time” (Los Angeles Times), is a pathbreaking artist whose work encompasses a diverse repertoire, ranging from early music to new commissions by leading composers, while exploring the social issues of today.

This season, Tines makes his Metropolitan Opera debut performing in John Adams’ El Niño. He also performs the opera-oratorio with the Houston Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony where he also performs in Kaija Saariaho’s True Fire. As a member of the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*), he tours El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered—an arrangement of the work—to Kansas City, Stanford, New Haven, and New York at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. He performs in Tod Machover’s VALIS at MIT and John Cage’s “middle operas” Europeras 3 & 4 directed by Yuval Sharon with Detroit Opera.

Tines is Musical America’s 2022 Vocalist of the Year. He is Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Artist-in-Residence and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale’s first-ever Creative Partner. He recently served as Artist-in-Residence at Detroit Opera—an appointment that culminated in his performance in the title role of Anthony Davis’ X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X in the spring of 2022. Tines is featured on the world premiere recording of the opera with Odyssey Opera and Boston Modern Orchestra Project, released in October 2023 on BMOP/sound. He is a winner of the 2020 Sphinx Medal of Excellence; the recipient of the 2018 Emerging Artists Award from Lincoln Center; and is a member of Lincoln Center’s Collider, an innovation engine for new voices at the intersection of art, technology, and social justice. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Harvard University, where he also serves as guest lecturer.

Marsha Thompson studied voice at the University of Houston, Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara and AIMZ in Graz, Austria, she has sung the roles of Tosca, Aida, Abigaille, Sieglinde, Violetta, and several other leading ladies. “Her voice in the role of Violetta is a warm agile soprano with a secure technique.” (The New York Times) Abigaille is a difficult role to cast, a big sing with a wide dramatic and vocal range; soprano Marsha Thompson was up to all the challenges the score threw at her. Her high pianissimo singing was exquisite.” (St. Louis Dispatch).

Ms. Thompson had a successful run of TOSCA with Charlottesville Opera this summer, where her performance was characterized as “enchanting, heartbreaking, and Herculean.” (Today y Mañana).

She has performed with New York City Opera, Opera Festival di Roma, Fondazione di Giuseppe Verdi, Union Avenue Opera, New York Grand Opera, and Opera Carolina, Teatro Municipal de São Paulo, and upcoming 2024 Fort Worth opera debut, as well as having won numerous prizes in national competitions with the Metropolitan Opera National Council, Gerda Lissner Foundation, Orlando Opera Competition, Ft. Worth Opera Competition, and many others. You may follow her on IG  @marshathompsonofficial and www.MarshaThompson.com

Tenor Noah Stewart has performed as a guest artist with many of the most distinguished opera companies, in the United States, The United Kingdom & Europe.

His repertoire includes: Cavaradossi, Don Alvaro (Indian Queen), Don José, Faust, Hoffmann, Luigi (Il tabarro), Nadir, Pinkerton, Radames, Rodolfo, Romeo, Samson, Tamino & Tony (West Side Story); and he has been engaged by: Atlanta Opera, the Bolshoi Opera, the Bregenzer Festspiele, English National Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Göteborg Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Nederlandse Reisopera, New Orleans Opera, Opera Holland Park, Opera Perm, the Royal Opera Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Scottish Opera, Teatro Real Madrid, Festival International Clásico de Mérida and the Wexford Festival.

Recent performances include: Returning as guest artist with the RTÉ Orchestra, making his role and company debut as Otello, in Verdi’s Otello with Pacific Northwest Opera, Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca with Portland Opera, returning to Northern Ireland Opera as Alfredo in La Traviata, guest artist with The Oakland Symphony, and making his role debut as Tony in Bernstein’s West Side Story with Opera San José.

Mr. Stewart trained at Julliard and the Academy of Vocal Arts and is an alumnus of the Merola Program at San Francisco Opera. He is a DECCA recording artist and appears on the Sony DVD of The Indian Queen. In 2012, his solo album “Noah”, topped the classical charts for 7 weeks and was nominated for 2 Classical Brit Awards. Off-stage, Noah has been featured on PBS’s Pinkalicious & Peteriffic, as the role of an opera singer.

Patrice Pates Eaton, mezzo soprano is a versatile performer in various musical genres and is a frequent performer of premiere works. Patrice’s career in opera began as a member of the children's chorus of both the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera. Most recently Ms. Eaton has performed with; AOP/NYU Opera Lab, The Long Lake Music Festival, On Site Opera in Gianni Schicchi as Zita, Fort Worth Opera’s Virtual Concert “A Night of Black Excellence” and Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center at the White Light Festival. Ms. Eaton made her Carnegie Hall debut honoring the late Sylvia Olden Lee, followed by her debut with the National Philharmonic performing as a soloist with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and The Morgan State Choir in Wynton Marsalis’ All Rise at The Strathmore.

Ms. Eaton's concert engagements have included performing as soloist with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in the U.S. tour of Wynton Marsalis' Abyssinian Mass (Recorded live under the Blue Engine Records Label), Soloist in Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Tchaikovsky's Ode to Joy with the Lehigh University, and Handel's Messiah with the Abyssinian Baptist Church Orchestra and Choir. She has sung at the Edinburgh International Festival, Athens Epidaurus Festival, and the Vienna Arts Festival. Patrice’s opera engagements include performing with Spoleto Opera, Opera Ebony, American Opera Projects, Hudson Opera Theater, Musica Bella Series, Syracuse Opera, Chelsea Opera, Bronx Opera and Amore Opera.

Patrice received her degrees from the University of Kentucky and The Conservatory at Brooklyn College. As a young artist, she was a member of Bel Canto at Caramoor International Music Festival in 2010 and 2011. She is a proud member of Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity, Advisory Board Member of The Concert Chorale, a Lifetime, National and Regional Board Member of the National Association of Negro Musicians (NANM) and the Artistic Director of Three on 3 Music.

Buy tickets here.

Dessoff’s centennial celebrations kick off with this Centennial Launch Party, including a dazzling performance of beloved works of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Arrive early to enjoy a lively reception with hors d'oeuvres, wine, and a sneak preview into the exciting 100th anniversary season. Then enjoy premium seating for Some Enchanted Evening.

Not able to attend the launch party? Join Dessoff for the main event of the evening!

The Dessoff Chamber Choir and Maestro Merriweather will perform beloved selections from Rodgers & Hammerstein’s iconic American musicals.

Sponsor Songs and/or Singers!

Support Dessoff further by sponsoring a song or a singer from Some Enchanted Evening. Sponsorships are available for $50 each HERE.  The full list of music and singers is HERE. 

PROGRAM

Selected works

The Dessoff Chamber Choir
Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor

Purchase tickets using this link: https://shorturl.at/bcBFU

Committed to expanding the audience for great choral classics, Dessoff is excited to bring a new English translation of Bach’s masterpiece to Mother AME Zion Church in Central Harlem. This new English translation of St. John Passion is by Madeleine Marshall, commissioned by the Bach Society of Houston and their music Director, Rick Erickson. Merriweather sang the role of Jesus and the bass solos in the Bach Society of Houston premiere. By using this new, contemporary English translation, all audience members will be able to have an immediate understanding of the Passion story.

PROGRAM

St. John Passion

Accompanying the Dessoff Choirs will be a period orchestra organized by concertmaster Katie Hyun, and joining as soloists are tenor Noah Stewart as the Evangelist, bass Kenneth Overton as Jesus, Joe Damon Chappel as Pilate, soprano Sonya Headlam, tenor Elliott James-Ginn Encarnación, and mezzo-soprano Melisa Bonetti.

A note to our community regarding COVID-19

We are so excited to be able to welcome our audience back to in-person performances! The safety of our community is our number one priority and we have therefore implemented the following COVID-19 related safety protocols for all 22-23 Dessoff performances:

-Proof of vaccination is required for entry and will be confirmed at the door of the venue upon arrival, so please remember to bring your vaccination card or NY State Excelsior Pass.

-Masks are required for the entire duration of all Dessoff events for all members of the audience. Performers will not be masked. 

There are absolutely NO exceptions to any of these rules. 

Meet the Soloists

Tenor Noah Stewart has performed as a guest artist with many of the most distinguished opera companies, in the United States, The United Kingdom & Europe.

His repertoire includes: Cavaradossi, Don Alvaro (Indian Queen), Don José, Faust, Hoffmann, Luigi (Il tabarro), Nadir, Pinkerton, Radames, Rodolfo, Romeo, Samson, Tamino & Tony (West Side Story); and he has been engaged by: Atlanta Opera, the Bolshoi Opera, the Bregenzer Festspiele, English National Opera, the Glimmerglass Festival, Göteborg Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Nederlandse Reisopera, New Orleans Opera, Opera Holland Park, Opera Perm, the Royal Opera Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, Scottish Opera, Teatro Real Madrid, Festival International Clásico de Mérida and the Wexford Festival.

Recent performances include: Returning as guest artist with the RTÉ Orchestra, making his role and company debut as Otello, in Verdi’s Otello with Pacific Northwest Opera, Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca with Portland Opera, returning to Northern Ireland Opera as Alfredo in La Traviata, guest artist with The Oakland Symphony, and making his role debut as Tony in Bernstein’s West Side Story with Opera San José.

Mr. Stewart trained at Julliard and the Academy of Vocal Arts and is an alumnus of the Merola Program at San Francisco Opera. He is a DECCA recording artist and appears on the Sony DVD of The Indian Queen. In 2012, his solo album “Noah”, topped the classical charts for 7 weeks and was nominated for 2 Classical Brit Awards. Off-stage, Noah has been featured on PBS’s Pinkalicious & Peteriffic, as the role of an opera singer.

Kenneth Overton is lauded for blending his opulent baritone with magnetic, varied portrayals that seemingly “emanate from deep within body and soul.” Kenneth Overton’s symphonious baritone voice has sent him around the globe, making him one of the most sought-after opera singers of his generation. Kenneth is a 2020 GRAMMY AWARD WINNER for Best Choral Performance in the title role of Richard Danielpour’s The Passion of Yeshua with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by JoAnn Falletta.

This season, Overton features largely at the Welsh National Opera, leading their production of Migrations and performing the role of Duncan in The Shoemaker, both being world premieres. Overton goes on to sing Porgy in Porgy and Bess, a co-production by Opera Carolina and North Carolina Opera. Concert engagements will include The Washington Chorus performances of Duruflé’s Requiem as a soloist, and Undine Smith Moore’s Scenes from the Life of a Martyr as the narrator; additionally, Overton will perform a concert staging of Porgy and Bess with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg, Strauss’ Daphne with the American Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s St. John Passion with The Dessoff Choirs, Handel’s Messiah at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel, A Knee on the Neck and Dona Nobis Pacem with the New York Choral Society, the African American Music Festival at Pennsylvania State University, and concerts with the Howland Chamber Music Circle and Spartanburg Philharmonic.

Soprano Sonya Headlam enjoys a multi-faceted career as a vocalist of repertoire ranging from the Baroque period to the 21st century. Recent solo engagements include her Philadelphia Orchestra debut in Handel’s Messiah; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Handel’s Messiah with the North Carolina Symphony; Bach’s B Minor Mass with the Grand Rapids Symphony; a debut with the New World Symphony in Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate, which was included in the South Florida Classical Review’s "Top Ten Performances of 2022;" and her Severance Hall debut singing Mozart and Bologne with Apollo’s Fire.

Dedicated to the performance of contemporary music, Sonya has worked closely with a number of dynamic living composers on projects such as Tyshawn Sorey’s Monochromatic Light (afterlight) directed by Peter Sellars; Julia Wolfe’s Anthracite Fields, presented at Carnegie Hall; and Wolfe’s Steel Hammer, which was recorded for Cal Performances at Home during the pandemic, presented at Carnegie Hall, and at the MASS MOCA Loud Festival 2022.

An avid recitalist, Sonya is committed to performing music that has been overlooked in the traditional art song recital, including folk and popular styles and music by historically marginalized composers. She most recently collaborated with pianist Melinda Lee Masur and others on the music of Fanny Mendelssohn for the closing concert of the 2022 Chelsea Music Festival, and performed and lectured on the music of the 18th-century abolitionist writer and composer Ignatius Sancho with the Raritan Players in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Upcoming performances for 2023/24 include return appearances with Apollo’s Fire and TENET Vocal Artists, and debuts with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and Washington Bach Consort, among others.

Sonya completed her doctorate of musical arts degree at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University in 2021, where she has also held a visiting scholar appointment and has been a part-time lecturer in the music department.

Dominican-American Mezzo-Soprano, Melisa Bonetti, is a versatile singer whose experience encompasses a mix of new works, as well as traditional operas and concert works. Some of Melisa’s most exciting projects this season include mezzo soloist at Carnegie Hall for the Bach’s Magnificat and Christmas Oratorio with the Cecilia Chorus of NY, soloist at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center and the Kimmel Center with the Philadelphia Orchestra in a concert of Ancient Tang Poems with the I Sing International Festival, the premiere of A Marvelous Order by Judd Greenstein and Tracy K. Smith, and leads in ongoing workshops of three new LatinX operas, On the Road to Arivaca by latin jazz composer Rosino Serrano, La Alcaldesa by Laura Jobin-Acosta, and Paraíso by Sokio, an experimental opera. This summer Melisa will premiere Paraíso at the National Sawdust. Melisa’s upcoming 2023-2024 season includes productions with Opera San Jose as Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette, and Maddalena in Rigoletto. She will also perform as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana with the Helena Symphony. Melisa is committed to the importance of equality and diversity within the artistic world, which she feels can strongly be served through connecting with the youth. She has dived into work as an educator in various musical outreach and community programs throughout the NYC area including with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, the Brooklyn School of Music, and the Bronx School of Music.

Melisa has been hailed by Opera today as “a warm, supple mezzo that struck all the right impressions” and as “commanding a wonderful presence in the lower middle voice but also easily soaring heavenward with a well-schooled top.” Previous seasons included Zerlina in Don Giovanni, Eva in An American Dream, Johanna in Breaking, and Autumn in Service Provider, all with Virginia Opera. Melisa revisited the role of Tyler in Three Way with Shreveport Opera which she premiered with Nashville Opera and American Opera Projects, the latter being at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and sung in the Grammy nominated original cast recording. Melisa's recent engagements prove her versatility including Anita in Bernstein's West Side Story with the Brott Music Festival in Ontario, a rock opera premiere; The Bradbury Tattoos with Concert: Nova, Marta in Tchaikovsky's Iolanta with Queen City Opera, and an arias concert tour in Bologna, Italy after being invited back from completing the International Voice Masterclass Ebe Stignani program.

Michigan native Elliott James-Ginn Encarnación is a composer and conductor of choral and operatic repertoire. As a self-taught tenor, he has appeared as a soloist with The San Francisco Symphony, The California Bach Society, The Long Island Symphony Choral Association, and CappellaSF. He can be heard frequently in choral contexts with the premiere choral ensembles in New York and the Bay Area, and has recorded under the Delos and Decca labels. He served as Artistic Director for the Opera Theater Unlimited, Prodigal Opera Theatre, and Composer in Residence for the International Orange Chorale in San Francisco.

Bass-baritone Joe Damon Chappel is a native of Nashville and a graduate of the Eastman School of Music, where he was a William Warfield Scholar. He has been a longtime member of the Early and liturgical music communities of NYC and has performed regularly with the Bard Music Festival, NY Collegium, Early Music New York, Vox Vocal Ensemble, Musica Sacra and was a founding member of the Grammy-nominated Tiffany Consort, now known as Tenet. He has performed internationally, including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and as a member of the internationally acclaimed 2012-2016 world tour of Einstein on the Beach with creators Philip Glass, Robert Wilson, and Lucinda Childs. Recent credits include Fafner (Das Rheingold) and Sprecher (Magic Flute) with the Miami Music Festival, Fifth Jew (Salome) with Tulsa Opera, Officer (Flight) with Opera Omaha. Most recent projects include Seneca (Poppea) and Sorcerer/Sorceress (Dido and Aeneas) with Brooklyn College Opera Theater and the title character of Mendelssohn’s St. Paul with the orchestra and choir at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. A passionate believer in social justice and art as activism, Joe was recently involved as co-creator/co-director of the Open Gates Project, a concert series of Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS) created in the early days of the pandemic, dedicated to championing underrepresented artists and bringing Early music to underserved communities.

Purchase tickets HERE!

Dessoff’s Chamber Choir celebrates the legacy of Stephen Sondheim with solos, duets, and hits from West Side Story, Follies, A Little Night Music, Assassins, and Into the Woods.

A note to our community regarding COVID-19

We are so excited to be able to welcome our audience back to in-person performances! The safety of our community is our number one priority and we have therefore implemented the following COVID-19 related safety protocols for all 22-23 Dessoff performances:

-Proof of vaccination is required for entry and will be confirmed at the door of the venue upon arrival, so please remember to bring your vaccination card or NY State Excelsior Pass.

-Masks are required for the entire duration of all Dessoff events for all members of the audience. Performers will not be masked. 

There are absolutely NO exceptions to any of these rules. 

Purchase tickets HERE!

The Dessoff Choirs ushers in the winter solstice with a concert of seasonal repertoire and contemporary arrangements of carols. Mother and Child celebrates the miracle of childbirth. It also celebrates Mary in her universal aspect as mother of all Prophets, and co-redemptress with Christ. Welcome Yule is the perfect way to shepherd you into the holiday spirit.

A note to our community regarding COVID-19

We are so excited to be able to welcome our audience back to in-person performances! The safety of our community is our number one priority and we have therefore implemented the following COVID-19 related safety protocols for all 22-23 Dessoff performances:

-Proof of vaccination is required for entry and will be confirmed at the door of the venue upon arrival, so please remember to bring your vaccination card or NY State Excelsior Pass.

-Masks are required for the entire duration of all Dessoff events for all members of the audience. Performers will not be masked. 

There are absolutely NO exceptions to any of these rules. 

Purchase tickets HERE!

The Dessoff Choirs ushers in the winter solstice with a concert of seasonal repertoire and contemporary arrangements of carols. Mother and Child celebrates the miracle of childbirth. It also celebrates Mary in her universal aspect as mother of all Prophets, and co-redemptress with Christ. Welcome Yule is the perfect way to shepherd you into the holiday spirit.

A note to our community regarding COVID-19

We are so excited to be able to welcome our audience back to in-person performances! The safety of our community is our number one priority and we have therefore implemented the following COVID-19 related safety protocols for all 22-23 Dessoff performances:

-Proof of vaccination is required for entry and will be confirmed at the door of the venue upon arrival, so please remember to bring your vaccination card or NY State Excelsior Pass.

-Masks are required for the entire duration of all Dessoff events for all members of the audience. Performers will not be masked. 

There are absolutely NO exceptions to any of these rules. 

Purchase tickets HERE!

Dessoff will hold its annual Messiah Sing, offering you the opportunity to join with the choir to sing Handel’s Messiah choruses with solos sung by Dessoff members.

Get ready to sing - either bring your own score or borrow one from us when you arrive!

A note to our community regarding COVID-19

We are so excited to be able to welcome our audience back to in-person performances! The safety of our community is our number one priority and we have therefore implemented the following COVID-19 related safety protocols for all 22-23 Dessoff performances:

-Proof of vaccination is required for entry and will be confirmed at the door of the venue upon arrival, so please remember to bring your vaccination card or NY State Excelsior Pass.

-Masks are required for the entire duration of all Dessoff events for all members of the audience. Performers will not be masked. 

There are absolutely NO exceptions to any of these rules. 

Purchase tickets HERE!

Through Duruflé’s exquisite Requiem complemented by madrigals and motets by Vicente Lusitano, Dessoff explores the music of the first published Black composer and the last impressionist composer.

Dessoff Dialogue - Bringing Vicente Lusitano to Life

Meet the artists:

Mezzo-soprano, Lucia Bradford is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y. Ms. Bradford has performed a number of operatic roles including Carmen in Bizet’s La Tragedie de Carmen, Zita in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, La Principessa in Puccini’s Suor Angelica, The Mother in Ravel’s L’Enfant des Sortileges, Mercedes in Bizet’s Carmen, Mrs. Quickly in Verdi’s Falstaff, The Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Gertrude in Gounod's Romeo and Juliet, Hippolyta in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Miss Todd in Menotti’s Old Maid and the Thief, the Duchess of Plaza Toro in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers, Azelia Dessalines in William Grant Still’s opera Troubled Island, Douglas Tappin’s I dream as Grandma, Mary Watkins’ Emmett Till as Mamie Till and Maria in Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess

Her concert works include Mozart's Vesperae solennes de Confessore, Hadyn's Lord Nelson Mass, De Falla’s El amor Brujo, William Grant Still’s And they lynched him, Nathanial Dett’s The Ordering of Moses, Julia Perry’s Stabat Mater, Handel’s Messiah and the Mozart Requiem, Durufle Requiem, Bach B minor Mass with the Voices of Ascension, Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” at Carnegie Hall with the Oratorio Society of N.Y.,

Ms. Bradford has had the privilege of singing at Carnegie Hall, the Kimmel Center, Merkin Hall and touring in Russia, Budapest, Spain, the Caribbean and throughout the United States. She also enjoys performing a variety of genres including contemporary opera, jazz, gospel and blues.

Upcoming events include Handel’s Messiah with National Symphony, Porgy and Bess at Opera Carolina and North Carolina Opera, St John’s Passion, Durufle Requiem and Bach’s B minor Mass at Carnegie Hall

David Enlow is a “commanding” organist (The New Yorker), teacher, and conductor based in New York, who is active in North America and Europe. David was also hailed for his “immense virtuosity” by the Stuttgarter Zeitung and “performances full of color, passion, invention, and power” (The American Record Guide).

David was appointed Music Director of Park Avenue Synagogue in 2020, where he directs a rich tradition of Jewish liturgical music, and he continues at the Church of the Resurrection on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, where he arrived in 2001. The church program includes directing performances of over fifty different settings of the mass each year, sung by the church’s professional choir, with special emphasis on the works of Mozart, Haydn and their contemporaries, offered with chamber orchestra.

His solo recordings on the Pro Organo label include Pater Seraphicus, the complete major organ works of César Franck; Piano à l’Orgue, an album of piano transcriptions; and Bach on Park Avenue, recorded on the Mander organ at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in New York. David’s latest recording is an educational collaboration with Maestro Classics, ‘Bach and the Pipe Organ’, with materials for ages five and up. As a concerto soloist, David has appeared with orchestras in works of Poulenc, Haydn, Handel, Respighi, Bach, and Saint-Saens.

David has taught church music, improvisation, and organ repertoire classes for local, regional, and national events of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), the Royal Canadian College of Organists, and at the Juilliard School, from which he received two degrees. David also received the Fellowship diploma, with both prizes for highest marks, from the AGO; this resulted in his joining the committee on professional certification, which sets the standards for national organist examinations and grades them. David then served two terms as Dean of the New York City Chapter AGO.

In national organ performance competitions, he received the first prizes of the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival (USA) and the Arthur Poister Competition, and has recently served as a judge for several others including the Schweitzer festival and the AGO’s national improvisation competition. David studied the organ with Paul Jacobs, John Weaver, and John Tuttle, and improvisation with Gerre Hancock.

David serves as Assistant Conductor and repetiteur to the Clarion Choir and has appeared in most all of New York’s major concert halls as an accompanist at the piano with choruses, solo singers, and in performances of chamber music. In early music, David is also organist of the Clarion Music Society, and appears with various groups at the organ, harpsichord, and fortepiano.

Thapelo Masita uses his artistic voice to amplify and uplift the arts in his country, South Africa. Thapelo was recently invited to play Dvorak Concerto with the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra and performed in recital at the Morgan Library and The Met Cloisters featuring a program of Bach Cello Suite No. 1 in conversation with Negro spirituals, South African hymns and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson's "Lamentations" suite as part of the MetLiveArts series. Thapelo is an active freelance musician in New York City and is a frequent guest musician with the Orchestra of St. Luke's, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Harlem Chamber Players. These relationships have led to collaborations with artists such as Augustin Hadelich, Solange Knowles, Anna Clyne, Pulitzer Prize winners Tania León and Caroline Shaw. Masita is a graduate of The Juilliard School, Eastman School of Music, and is pursuing his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree at CUNY Graduate Center where he works with Julia Lichten.

A note to our community regarding COVID-19

We are so excited to be able to welcome our audience back to in-person performances! The safety of our community is our number one priority and we have therefore implemented the following COVID-19 related safety protocols for all 22-23 Dessoff performances:

-Proof of vaccination is required for entry and will be confirmed at the door of the venue upon arrival, so please remember to bring your vaccination card or NY State Excelsior Pass.

-Masks are required for the entire duration of all Dessoff events for all members of the audience. Performers will not be masked. 

There are absolutely NO exceptions to any of these rules. 

Join Dessoff on stage during the 2022-2023 Season!

Audition with Malcolm J. Merriweather, Dessoff’s music director over Zoom from the comfort of your home!

Audition Date:
Thursday September 1, 6-8pm

A Zoom link will be provided once you've scheduled your audition. When you write to us, let us know your name and voice part. A prepared piece is not necessary. The audition consists of the following:

• Vocalises

• Pitch memory exercise

• Sight reading

• Text recitation (French, German, Latin)

To schedule an audition, contact auditions@dessoff.org.

2022-2023 Season Highlights include:

• Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem, complemented by madrigals and motets by Vicente Lusitano. Explore the music of the first published Black composer and the last impressionist composer with Dessoff.

• Sondheim Revue, honoring the legacy of Stephen Sondheim and his various works.

• Bach’s St. John Passion, a lightly staged production of Bach’s St. John Passion sung in English.

The Dessoff Choirs is one of New York City’s leading choruses, and is known for pioneering performances of choral works from the pre-Baroque era through the 21st century. Rehearsals are Monday evenings, 7-10 PM on the Upper West Side.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DESSOFF IN THE VIDEO BELOW!

This event has been postponed. Please check back for updates.

Members of The Dessoff Choirs come down off the risers to entertain you with an evening of their favorite songs to benefit the chorus. Light refreshments will be provided.

Tickets

• $25 advanced sale tickets

• $30 door sale tickets

• Seating is first-come, first-served.

• Masks and proof of vaccination required for entry; masks must be worn at all times while on premises.

Sponsor a song!

Sponsor your favorite Dessoff Choirs member to further support this event for $50 or more. Your name will be included in our program.

We're looking forward seeing you!

Performers to be announced soon!

Purchase tickets HERE!

Dessoff continues its mission to perform rarely heard choral masterpieces with the world premiere of Margaret Bonds’ Credo. Portions of the work were performed in 1972 just four weeks after the composer’s untimely death. In the mid-1960s, Bonds focused her attention on the writings of W.E.B. Du Bois, another leader dedicated to African-American causes. Du Bois’ essay Credo (1913) so inspired Bonds that she immediately set out to compose the work. The seven movement piece was dedicated to the memories of poet Langston Hughes and singer-actress Abbie Mitchell. The text promotes unity and social equality and Bonds expertly portrays the sentiment with rich harmonies and exciting motifs.  Dessoff is proud to finally share the orchestral version with the world.

Simon Bore the Cross, an Easter cantata, is another rarely performed work of Bonds and Langston Hughes. Like Ballad of the Brown King, the Christmas cantata, the protagonist is a black man, whose life was a role model for helping lift the lives of others. By performing and recording both these overlooked works, we will shine a light on Bonds' neglected but significant contribution to the American music canon. 

PROGRAM:

I BELIEVE: CREDO (New York premiere) - Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
Simon Bore the Cross - Margaret Bonds

A note to our community regarding COVID-19

We are so excited to be able to welcome our audience back to in-person performances! The safety of our community is our number one priority and we have therefore implemented the following COVID-19 related safety protocols for all 21-22 Dessoff performances:

-Proof of vaccination is required for entry and will be confirmed at the door of the venue upon arrival, so please remember to bring your vaccination card or NY State Excelsior Pass.

-Temperatures will be checked for each audience member at the entry of the venue. Any audience member with a temperature higher than 100.1 will not be admitted.

-Masks are required for the entire duration of all Dessoff events for all members of the audience. Performers will not be masked. 

-There will be no day-of in-person ticket sales. All tickets need to be purchased online, in advance of performance. Tickets will be available for purchase online until one hour before curtain.

There are absolutely NO exceptions to any of these rules. 

Purchase tickets HERE!

The FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Orchestra World Tour, presented by AWR Music Productions, is an electrifying new concert based entirely on the groundbreaking game from SQUARE ENIX. Experience all new symphonic arrangements based on composer Nobuo Uematsu’s beloved FINAL FANTASY VII music, and the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE theme song "Hollow."

This brand new music is performed by an orchestra and chorus of over 100 musicians, led by GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor Arnie Roth, with stunning, high-definition video scenes from the new game created exclusively for this concert by SQUARE ENIX. Immerse yourself in the world of one of the most visionary games of all time with this sensational multimedia concert experience!

AWR Music Productions, LLC, and Square Enix Co., Ltd. All associated trademarks are owned by and used under license from SQUARE ENIX Co., Ltd. © 1997, 2020, SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. CHARACTER DESIGN: TETSUYA NOMURA/ROBERTO FERRARI. LOGO ILLUSTRATION: ©1997 YOSHITAKA AMANO.

Purchase tickets HERE!

The FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Orchestra World Tour, presented by AWR Music Productions, is an electrifying new concert based entirely on the groundbreaking game from SQUARE ENIX. Experience all new symphonic arrangements based on composer Nobuo Uematsu’s beloved FINAL FANTASY VII music, and the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE theme song "Hollow."

This brand new music is performed by an orchestra and chorus of over 100 musicians, led by GRAMMY® Award-winning conductor Arnie Roth, with stunning, high-definition video scenes from the new game created exclusively for this concert by SQUARE ENIX. Immerse yourself in the world of one of the most visionary games of all time with this sensational multimedia concert experience!

AWR Music Productions, LLC, and Square Enix Co., Ltd. All associated trademarks are owned by and used under license from SQUARE ENIX Co., Ltd. © 1997, 2020, SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. CHARACTER DESIGN: TETSUYA NOMURA/ROBERTO FERRARI. LOGO ILLUSTRATION: ©1997 YOSHITAKA AMANO.

Purchase tickets HERE!

The Dessoff Choirs and Orchestra ushers in the winter solstice with Margaret Bonds’ Christmas cantata, The Ballad of the Brown King, along with shimmering choral works by Mary Lou Williams featuring Black Christ of the Andes as the centerpiece. In these works, we witness the bittersweet intersection of music, poetry, religion, and the Civil Rights movement in America.

The Ballad of the Brown King was written in 1954/1960 with a libretto by Bonds’ long time collaborator, Langston Hughes. The cantata focuses on the journey of the Three Kings through the lens of Balthazar, the Black king. Dedicated to Martin Luther King, Jr. the piece is characterized by call-and-response textures, jazz harmonies, gospel vocalizations, calypso rhythms, and syncopated gestures. In using these styles Bonds affirms Black identity and its place in classical music during a very tumultuous time in United States history.

Similarly, Mary Lou Williams wrote Black Christ of the Andes inspired by the Second Vatican Council and the Civil Rights movement. A devout Catholic, Williams often infused her music with themes of social justice and served as an activist from the stage and podium. The Dessoff Choirs is joined by internationally recognized soloists Laquita Mitchell, Noah Stewart, and Lucia Bradford with Malcolm J. Merriweather at the podium.

PROGRAM:

The Ballad of the Brown King (1954, 1960, 2018) - Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)

Credo - Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981)
Lazarus - Mary Lou Williams
Noah Stewart, tenor
Our Father - Mary Lou Williams
Laquita Mitchell, soprano
Act of Contrition - Mary Lou Williams
Lucia Bradford, mezzo soprano
St. Martin de Porres  “Black Christ of the Andes” (1962) - Mary Lou Williams
I have a dream - Mary Lou Williams

ALSO FEATURING:

Ashley Jackson, harp
Nathaniel Gumbs, organ
Steven Ryan, piano

Purchase tickets HERE!

Dessoff will hold its annual Messiah Sing, offering you the opportunity to join with the choir to sing Handel’s Messiah choruses with solos sung by Dessoff members. Special interlude performance of St. Martin de Porres  “Black Christ of the Andes” by Mary Lou Williams will also be featured.

A note to our community regarding COVID-19

We are so excited to be able to welcome our audience back to in-person performances! The safety of our community is our number one priority and we have therefore implemented the following COVID-19 related safety protocols for all 21-22 Dessoff performances:

-Proof of vaccination is required for entry and will be confirmed at the door of the venue upon arrival, so please remember to bring your vaccination card or NY State Excelsior Pass.

-Temperatures will be checked for each audience member at the entry of the venue. Any audience member with a temperature higher than 100.1 will not be admitted.

-Masks are required for the entire duration of all Dessoff events for all members of the audience. Performers will not be masked. 

-There will be no day-of in-person ticket sales. All tickets need to be purchased online, in advance of performance. Tickets will be available for purchase online until one hour before curtain.

There are absolutely NO exceptions to any of these rules. 

Purchase tickets HERE!

The Dessoff Choirs is proud to present the New York premiere of Craig Hella Johnson’s three-part fusion oratorio, Considering Matthew Shepard. Grappling with the brutal 1998 murder of a young gay man who has become an American icon and a symbol for hope and empowerment, this moving work weaves together musical styles that include country and western, gospel, and chant with lyrics taken from Matt Shepard’s personal journal, writings from his parents, newspaper reports, and poetic texts.

Joined by the Dessoff Orchestra, guest soloists, and the Brooklyn College Conservatory Singers, Dessoff will give a lightly staged performance under the baton of Music Director Malcolm J. Merriweather and co-directed by WQXR’s Elliott Forrest (Peabody-winning broadcaster, producer, and director) and Rod Caspers.

This performance is dedicated to the memory of longtime Dessoff member Erika “E” Rohrbach.

PROGRAM:

Considering Matthew Shepard (2016) (New York Premiere) - Craig Hella Johnson (b. 1962)

SOLOISTS:

Matthew Cahill as Matthew Shepard
Tami Petty, soprano
Markel Reed, baritone

A note to our community regarding COVID-19

We are so excited to be able to welcome our audience back to in-person performances! The safety of our community is our number one priority and we have therefore implemented the following COVID-19 related safety protocols for all 21-22 Dessoff performances:

-Proof of vaccination is required for entry and will be confirmed at the door of the venue upon arrival, so please remember to bring your vaccination card or NY State Excelsior Pass.

-Temperatures will be checked for each audience member at the entry of the venue. Any audience member with a temperature higher than 100.1 will not be admitted.

-Masks are required for the entire duration of all Dessoff events for all members of the audience. Performers will not be masked. 

-There will be no day-of in-person ticket sales. All tickets need to be purchased online, in advance of performance. Tickets will be available for purchase online until one hour before curtain.

There are absolutely NO exceptions to any of these rules. 

Please join us for this pre-concert webinar in our Dessoff Dialogues series in advance of our November 6th performance of Considering Matthew Shepard with host Malcolm J. Merriweather and guests Elliott Forrest, Rod Caspers and Cathy Renna.

While attendance is FREE you must register for this event. Register HERE!

PROGRAM AVAILABLE SOON!

Since the onset of the global pandemic, The Dessoff Choirs has demonstrated commitment to the choral arts by rehearsing virtually and offering a series of Dessoff Dialogues. Join us for the final event of our 2020-2021 season to celebrate the resilience of our membership! Dessoff members, along with our amazing accompanist, Steven Ryan, will premiere video recordings of favorite repertoire, and we’ll share member profiles to illustrate our singers’ multiple talents. We will also announce exciting plans for our 2021-2022 season!

PROGRAM:

You’ll Never Walk Alone - arr. Mark Hayes
The Negro Speaks of Rivers - Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
Dona nobis pacem from the Mass in B minor - J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Oseh Shalom - arr. Elaine Ginsburg
Herzlich lieb hab ich dich, o Herr - Dietrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)
Dies Irae from Requiem - W.A. Mozart (1756-1791)

While attendance is FREE you must register for this event. Register HERE!

PROGRAM AVAILABLE HERE!

This online Dessoff Dialogue explores the rich history of The Dessoff Choirs, a cultural institution in New York City for 96 years. Our conversation will be centered around the contributions to the choral arts from Margarete Dessoff, founder and music director of The Dessoff Choirs from 1924 to 1936 through the leadership of Malcolm J. Merriweather. We are delighted to have Sabine Fröhlich, author of Margarete Dessoff (1874-1944), Choral Conductor of a Modern Age, to share her expertise on Dessoff's founder. Excerpts from The Dessoff Choirs’ extensive discography will be played alongside virtual choir videos performed by current members.

PROGRAM:

Israel in Egypt, HWV 54: VII. “He Gave Them Hailstones for Rain” from Symphony of the Air (1959)  –  G.F. Handel (1685-1759): 

The Last Words of David from Glories on Glories (2009) – Randall Thompson (1899-1984) 

Lord, how long wilt Thou be angry from Baroque Choral Music (1950) – Henry Purcell (1659-1695)

Sicut Cervus, The Dessoff Choirs virtual recording (2021) – Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c. 1525-1594)

While attendance is FREE you must register for this event. Register HERE!

DOWNLOAD PROGRAM HERE!

The Dessoff Choirs ushers in the winter solstice with excerpts from Margaret Bonds’s The Ballad of the Brown King, a holiday cantata focusing on Balthazar of the Three Kings, and seasonal repertoire including your favorite carols. Music Director, Malcolm J. Merriweather, will be joined by soprano, Laquita Mitchell, where they will talk about their favorite carols and talk about making the world premiere recording of The Ballad of the Brown King. Plus, they will take requests from you for your favorite carols! The carol sing will conclude with Silent Night by candlelight and a newly recorded virtual “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah. Welcome Yule is the perfect way to shepherd in the holiday spirit.

PROGRAM:

Excerpts from The Ballad of the Brown King - Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
Carol: O come all ye faithful - John Francis Wade (1711-1786), Arr. David Willcocks (b. 1919-2015)
Carol: O Holy Night - Adolphe-Charles Adams (1803–1847)
Carol: Silent night - Franz Gruber (1787-1863)
Hallelujah from Messiah - George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

While attendance is FREE you must register for this event. Register HERE!

PROGRAM AVAILABLE HERE!

DESSOFF HOLIDAY COCKTAIL GUIDE AVAILABLE HERE!