2023-24 Season
Bach’s Motets
The Washington Bach Consort
Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 4:00PM
National Presbyterian Church
Washington, DC
Audiences love to hear any one of Bach’s iconic motets in a live performance, but to hear all of them in one evening is a revelation. Bach’s vocal-ensemble writing is legendary among singers, artfully bringing to life the rhetorical substance of his musical and theological convictions. A valuable part of Bach’s oeuvre, the motets together capture the full range of connection between text, music, and faith.
Brahms & Greer - Liebeslieder
The Polyphonists
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 8:00PM - private event
Thursday, November 16, 2023 at 6:30PM
DACOR-Bacon House
3101 Wisconsin Ave NW
Washington, DC 20016
Tickets available for purchase at venue for $30
Friday, November 17, 2023 at 7:00PM
Grace Episcopal Church
1607 Grace Church Rd
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Purchase tickets here!
This performance features the Polyphonists along with pianists Edward Rothmel and Jonathan King in a performance of Brahms’ complete Liebeslieder-Walzer (Op. 52) and Neue Liebeslieder (Op. 65). The Brahms will be paired with contemporary composer John Greer’s Liebesleid-Lieder (“Love-Sorrow Songs”), a complementary song cycle for quartet, brilliantly setting Dorothy Parker’s charming, irreverant, and hilarious English-language poetry.
This event is open to the public, tickets are required.
Rossini - Ermione - Pilade
Washington Concert Opera
Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 6:00PM
Lisner Auditorium
730 21st Street NW
Washington, DC, 20052
On many levels, being able to present Rossini’s Ermione, set against the backdrop of the Trojan War, is something of a miracle as it disappeared from the public eye after only seven performances in 1819, not to be unearthed again until over 100 years after Rossini’s death. Despite its relatively short performance history and initial reputation as a failure, the opera is positively overflowing with vocal pyrotechnics, and the historical record is clear on the fact that the composer himself continued to hold a great deal of affection for it well into his later life. As a recovered gem, Ermione continues to shine brightly, and Washington Concert Opera is honored to play an important role in its continued, modern reevaluation.
Featuring star soprano Angela Meade, who has sung the title role to great acclaim in Italy and Spain, as well as a WCO favorite, the internationally acclaimed Rossini tenor, Lawrence Brownlee, in an exciting role debut. They will be joined by outstanding Rossini interpreters, tenor David Portillo and mezzo-soprano Ginger Costa-Jackson, for an evening of spectacular and virtuosic singing.
Britten - Saint Nicolas - tenor soloist
Sunday, December 3, 2023 at 4:00PM
Emmanuel Episcopal Church
1212 Cathedral St, Baltimore, MD 21201
In this grand cantata by Benjamin Britten, the tales of St. Nicolas are vividly portrayed in poetry and music — and, for this special performance, The Emmanuel Choir is joined by members of the Peabody Children’s Chorus and Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestra, together with tenor Matthew Hill singing the title role.
The Polyphonists - Chromatic Christmas
Friday, December 29, 2023 7:30 PM
Church of the Ascension & Saint Agnes
1217 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC, 20005
This meditative program is constructed around the astonishing, nearly other-worldly “Prophetiae Sibyllarum” of Renaissance composer Orlande de Lassus. Its twelve inventive movements will be interspersed with beloved seasonal works by Howells, Poulenc, Warlock, and more. Don't miss out on this rarely-performed early music gem by Orlande de Lassus, sung in a perfectly suited acoustical space.
For those not unable to attend in-person, we are pleased to partner with Blue House Productions to offer a high-quality concert livestream! Enjoy this music wherever your holiday travels may take you. Tickets are required for both livestream and in-person experiences.
Cipullo - Glory Denied - Younger Thompson
Annapolis Opera
Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 3 PM
Sunday, January 28, 2024 at 3 PM
Maryland Hall
801 Chase Street, Annapolis, MD
Based on the book by Tom Philpott, Glory Denied is the story of Colonel Jim Thompson, who recalls episodes of his nine-year ordeal which include escape attempts, torture, and the overwhelming loneliness of years in solitary confinement. In the years after his return to the U.S., Jim struggles with adapting to his new life and the painful memories that come with it
Rossini - Petite messe solennelle - tenor soloist
The Washington Master Chorale
Sunday, March 3, 2024 at 5:00PM
National Presbyterian Church
4101 Nebraska Ave NW
Washington, DC
The Washington Master Chorale presents highlights from Rossini’s Petite messe solennelle, in its original salon form. In addition, WMC will present excerpts from Brahms’ Liebeslieder Waltzer, Op. 52, and Lori Latiman’s witty and eloquent vocal cycle, Are Women People?, on texts from the American suffragist movement.
Bach - St Matthew Passion - Tenor soloist
The Washington National Cathedral Orchestra and Choir
Sunday, March 24, 2024 at 4:00PM
Washington National Cathedral
3101 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington DC 20016
Regarded as one of Bach’s masterpieces, the St. Matthew Passion tells the story of the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. Performed on Palm Sunday, a day where the Christian faith marks the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and his journey to the cross. With acclaimed tenor Rufus Muller in the role of the Evangelist alongside the Cathedral Choir and Baroque orchestra, we invite you into the sacred space of the Cathedral for a musical and spiritual experience unlike any other.
Hensel & Bach - tenor soloist
The Polyphonists & Georgetown Chorale
Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 5:00 PM
National United Methodist Church
3401 Nebraska Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20016
The Polyphonists sing as soloists in a collaboration with the Georgetown Chorale. This concert features Fanny Hensel’s rarely-performed choral-orchestral masterpiece - Oratorium nach Bildern der Bibel, performed alongside a perennial favorite by J.S. Bach - Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (BWV 147). Heather Adelsberger conducts.
