Dis/Inform
May
17
3:30 PM15:30

Dis/Inform

PROTESTRA is partnering with director Jennifer Williams to bring her latest devised opera, Dis/Inform, to life at OPERA America on May 17, 2024. The performance will be an immersive experience with visual art installations by Jungah Han.

Dis/Inform is a devised opera about the global disinformation crisis told through an intimate, human perspective. Devised music is a collaborative compositional process in which an ensemble of devising artists generates a performance through structured improvisation. A devised opera has a plot line, dramatic arc, and characters, which are generated collaboratively within a determined structure. This structured improvisation adds to the repertoire in a sustainable way because it is not fully improvised; the central story and musical structure remain the same; so, the premiere of Dis/Inform will differ from future performances in collaboration with each partner, but Dis/Inform retains its central story and musical structure.

Dis/Inform is about a fictional character who is inspired by real-life, anonymized testimonies of individuals in rural America who have been drawn into the alternate realities of disinformation. The story traces how they became alienated from their trusted outlets, the fear and isolation that drove them to alternative spheres, and how disinformation reshaped unexpected dimensions of their life.

Jennifer Williams is a hybrid artist. She tells stories by blending music and theater with diverse artistic forms, including immersive performance, site-specific installation art, digital media, interactive technologies, and devised performance. Her devised opera Grounds won grants from Brooklyn Arts Council and New York State Council on the Arts. The Foundation for Contemporary Arts awarded Williams an e-grant in 2020. Her professional affiliations include the Nederlandse Reisopera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, San Francisco Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Beth Morrison Projects, and Center for Contemporary Opera. The U.S. Department of State recently appointed her an Arts Envoy. In 2022, Harvard University invited her to teach a workshop on her creative practice. A Fulbright scholar, Williams holds a Ph.D. in performing and media arts from Cornell University and an A.B. in interdisciplinary studies in humanities from the University of Chicago.

The development of Dis/Inform received funding from OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Women Composers: Discovery Grants program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

Dis/Inform Devising Artists
Jennifer Williams, director

Jungah Han, visual artist

Erin Schwab, soprano

Shanyse Strickland, horn

Kayla Williams, viola

Anthime Miller, cello

Morgan Parker, percussion

Space is limited - if you RSVP and find out you can no longer attend the performance, please notify team@protestra.org as soon as possible so that we can open up more seating.

Click here to learn more about the United Vision Project, a nonprofit organization which inspired the the development of Dis/Inform.

The live performance will be recorded and made available for viewing at a later date.

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Scott Ordway's "The End of Rain" in its New York Premiere
Apr
25
8:00 PM20:00

Scott Ordway's "The End of Rain" in its New York Premiere

Join us for the New York premiere of Scott Ordway’s critically acclaimed The End of Rain. A deeply personal response to the California wildfires of the last five years, Ordway’s symphony takes us on a multimedia journey, blending photography and video with choral music, and a text crowdsourced from the people closest to the heart of this environmental maelstrom. With its ultimate message of hope and renewal, it is the vibrant centerpiece of this Earth Month concert which also includes Alberto Grau’s rhythmic, boisterous Kasar mie la gaji (“The Earth is Tired”) and John Luther Adams’s hushed and haunting “Night Peace.”

“Things will grow back”!

Program
John Luther Adams (b. 1953), “Night Peace”
   Erin Schwab, Soprano
Alberto Grau (b. 1937), Kasar mie la gaji (“The Earth is Tired”)
Scott Ordway (b. 1984), “The End of Rain”
   Sonja Tengblad, Soprano
   Sylvia Leith, Mezzo-soprano
   Harrison Hintzche, Baritone

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NUMBER OUR DAYS: A PHOTOGRAPHIC ORATORIO
Apr
12
to Apr 14

NUMBER OUR DAYS: A PHOTOGRAPHIC ORATORIO

  • Perelman Performing Arts Center (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Each day for 18 years, Jamie Livingston documented his life by taking a single Polaroid—until his death at age 41. Then his “Photo of the Day” went online, creating an immediate global sensation years before Instagram launched. With music for chorus, orchestra, and soloists by Grammy nominee Luna Pearl Woolf (Fire & Flood) and a non-fiction libretto by acclaimed filmmaker David Van Taylor (Good Ol’ Charles Schulz), this multi-media oratorio explores our era’s strange alchemy of technology, memory, and community.

A PAC NYC commission.

Polaroid photos by Jamie Livingston.

Music by Luna Pearl Woolf
Concept and Libretto by David Van Taylor
Based on Jamie Livingston’s “Photo Of the Day”
Conducted by Kamna Gupta
Directed by Ty Defoe
Co-Produced with Trinity Church Wall Street

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An Afternoon at the Opera
Mar
10
4:00 PM16:00

An Afternoon at the Opera

Ars Musica Chorale proudly presents An Afternoon at the Opera, featuring some of America’s finest operatic soloists. This concert will include opera choruses and arias from across the centuries by composers such as Puccini, Verdi, Gershwin, and Beethoven. Accompaniment will be provided by pianist Diana Hughes and string quartet. Opera and choral lovers alike will find this concert full of drama, laughs, and beautiful singing.

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Mozart Requiem
Feb
22
3:00 PM15:00

Mozart Requiem

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s final composition, Requiem, was finished after his death by his student Franz Xaver Süssmayr. According to his wife, Constanze Mozart, the ailing composer had come to believe he was writing the piece, initially commissioned by a German count, to be played at his own funeral — and indeed some sections were. Requiem was later performed at the funerals and commemorative services of Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn, and Frédéric Chopin. 

Centuries later in 1960, “scraps of paper” containing Mozart’s unrealized ideas were discovered, prompting new versions of the Requiem.

Join us for Robert Levin's scholarly completion of this celebrated and emotionally stirring choral masterpiece, featuring Downtown Voices with The Choir of Trinity Wall Street.

Downtown Voices with The Choir of Trinity Wall Street featuring Sonya Headlam, soprano; Pamela Terry, alto; Timothy Hodges, tenor; Neil Netherly, bass; NOVUS NY; Stephen Sands, conductor

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Downtown Voices at Carnegie Hall
Feb
18
2:00 PM14:00

Downtown Voices at Carnegie Hall

DCINY celebrates the American tradition of country-style Bluegrass music with an electrifying blend of gospel and folk in Carol Barnett’s The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass, led by DCINY Guest Conductor Tucker Biddlecombe. Along with the Distinguished Concerts Singers International, New York City’s very own Downtown Voices will be featured amongst the choir, with a special solo act including pieces by Rachmaninoff, Schönberg, and Sheehan, directed by Stephen Sands.

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Holiday Concert
Dec
17
3:00 PM15:00

Holiday Concert

Join all of Trinity's vocal ensembles on December 17, at 3pm, in Trinity Church for a holiday extravaganza full of Christmas carols and other festive songs, featuring The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Trinity Youth Chorus, St. Paul’s Chapel Choir, Downtown Voices, NOVUS NY Brass, and the Choirs from the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC). Free.

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An Ars Musica Holiday!
Dec
16
7:30 PM19:30

An Ars Musica Holiday!

This annual Ars Musica Chorale tradition features beautiful choral music and seasonal readings, with organ, brass, and percussion accompaniment, to create a spectacular musical experience that is a perfect way to celebrate the holidays. This year’s program will feature music by composers such as Sally Beamish, John Rutter, and Dan Forrest.

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Unconventional Wisdom
Dec
7
7:00 PM19:00

Unconventional Wisdom

On December 7, at 7pm, Trinity and TENET Vocal Artists present Unconventional Wisdom in St. Paul's Chapel. This concert celebrates music from 17th century Italian nuns and features women from Downtown Voices with Elena Williamson, conductor, and Jolle Greenleaf, artistic director. Ticketed.

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World Premiere of Benedict Sheehan's Akathist
Nov
11
6:00 PM18:00

World Premiere of Benedict Sheehan's Akathist

On November 11, at 6pm, in Trinity Church, experience the world premiere of Benedict Sheehan’s oratorio, Akathist, an epic meditation on choosing gratitude, in collaboration with Artefact Ensemble. Featuring The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Artefact Ensemble; NOVUS NY; Downtown Voices; Trinity Youth Chorus; and Elaine Kelly, conductor. Free.

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World Premiere of Benedict Sheehan's Akathist
Nov
10
7:30 PM19:30

World Premiere of Benedict Sheehan's Akathist

On November 10, at 7:30pm, in Trinity Church, experience the world premiere of Benedict Sheehan’s oratorio, Akathist, an epic meditation on choosing gratitude, in collaboration with Artefact Ensemble. Featuring The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Artefact Ensemble; NOVUS NY; Downtown Voices; Trinity Youth Chorus; and Elaine Kelly, conductor. Free.

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American Mosaic
Nov
5
4:00 PM16:00

American Mosaic

Ars Musica Chorale presents American Mosaic, a concert of choral music by American composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. The centerpiece of this program is Randall Thompson’s Frostiana, a collection of seven pieces that set the poetry of American poet, Robert Frost. Also featured in this program are choral classics such as Samuel Barber’s Sure on this Shining Night, William Dawson’s Ev’ry Time I Feel the Spirit, and Richard Smallwood’s Total Praise. In addition, some newer arrangements of folk songs such as Half Acre, Look Up, Look Down, and I Got a Hog and a Pig give new life to the American choral music tradition.

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New Jersey Symphony: Steven Mackey & Mozart
Apr
23
3:00 PM15:00

New Jersey Symphony: Steven Mackey & Mozart

Steven Mackey RIOT (World Premiere, New Jersey Symphony Co-Commission)

Fittingly, the New Jersey Symphony has tapped leading New Jersey composer and frequent Symphony collaborator Steven Mackey to celebrate the centennial with a new commission featuring original texts by former US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith.

Bruckner Te Deum

The glorious Te Deum was a high point for composer Anton Bruckner, who called this joyful choral work “the pride of my life.”

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New Jersey Symphony: Steven Mackey & Mozart
Apr
22
8:00 PM20:00

New Jersey Symphony: Steven Mackey & Mozart

Steven Mackey RIOT (World Premiere, New Jersey Symphony Co-Commission)

Fittingly, the New Jersey Symphony has tapped leading New Jersey composer and frequent Symphony collaborator Steven Mackey to celebrate the centennial with a new commission featuring original texts by former US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith.

Bruckner Te Deum

The glorious Te Deum was a high point for composer Anton Bruckner, who called this joyful choral work “the pride of my life.”

View Event →
New Jersey Symphony: Steven Mackey & Mozart
Apr
21
8:00 PM20:00

New Jersey Symphony: Steven Mackey & Mozart

Steven Mackey RIOT (World Premiere, New Jersey Symphony Co-Commission)

Fittingly, the New Jersey Symphony has tapped leading New Jersey composer and frequent Symphony collaborator Steven Mackey to celebrate the centennial with a new commission featuring original texts by former US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith.

Bruckner Te Deum

The glorious Te Deum was a high point for composer Anton Bruckner, who called this joyful choral work “the pride of my life.”

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Dec
14
7:30 PM19:30

Andrea Bocelli in Concert

Globally-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will return to The Garden with special guests Matteo and Virginia Bocelli on December 14.

Andrea Bocelli In Concert will feature performances from Bocelli’s uplifting album Believe, a poignant and personal collection of songs celebrating the power of music to soothe the soul, as well as a selection of arias, and his beloved crossover hits, famed love songs, and music in honor of the Holiday Season.

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Dec
11
3:00 PM15:00

Holiday Favorites

Trinity Church • In-person and online
Free; reservations not required

Popular choruses from Handel’s Messiah will be presented alongside Christmas carols and other holiday favorites in a special concert, featuring all of Trinity’s ensembles.

Trinity Youth Chorus; Downtown Voices; The Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Trinity Baroque Orchestra; NOVUS NY; Avi Stein, conductor

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Dec
4
8:00 PM20:00

Special Compline by Candlelight: Lessons and Carols

St. Paul’s Chapel • In-person
Free; reservations not required

A cherished holiday tradition, the service of Lessons and Carols tells the Christmas story through readings and musical illuminations and will be conducted by Stephen Sands, Thomas McCargar, and Melissa Attebury.

Downtown Voices; St. Paul’s Chapel Choir; Trinity Youth Chorus

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Masterworks at St. Paul’s
May
15
5:00 PM17:00

Masterworks at St. Paul’s

Erin Schwab will be singing with the St. Paul’s Choir in their annual spring concert featuring Felix Mendelssohn’s thrilling Symphony No. 2 “Lobgesang”, Op. 52. The “song of praise” was originally penned for the 400th anniversary of the invention of the printing press. The music and text are uplifting throughout and speak extensively of coming out of darkness and into light.

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Fauré Requiem - Sacred Music from Fauré, Boulanger and Briggs
May
7
8:00 PM20:00

Fauré Requiem - Sacred Music from Fauré, Boulanger and Briggs

Enjoy the stirring sounds of Spring in the strikingly beautiful Church of St. Francis Xavier, featuring the sublime Requiem by Gabriel Fauré, Lili Boulanger’s hypnotic “Vielle priere bouddhique,” one of the great choral works of the early 20th century, and her joyous “Psalm 24,” along with the surprisingly lush harmonies of the “Kyrie” and “Agnus Dei” from David Briggs’s stunning Messe pour Notre-Dame

Erin Schwab will be performing with the choir for the Boulanger and the Briggs, and singing the soprano solo in the Fauré Requiem.

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Arthur Honegger’s "King David"
Apr
23
7:30 PM19:30

Arthur Honegger’s "King David"

Rutgers University Kirkpatrick Choir presents Arthur Honegger’s King David, in the original 1921 orchestration.

Erin Schwab will be singing several solo excerpts;

No. 7 - Psalm: O had I wings like a dove

No. 15 - Song of the Daughters of Israel

No. 22 - The Song of Ephaim

Public $15 // Rutgers Alumni/Employees & Seniors $10 // Students $5

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HELIX!
Feb
12
7:30 PM19:30

HELIX!

Featuring compositions by modern composers and world premieres of new works by Rutgers faculty and student composers.

Erin Schwab, soprano, will be performing “Handshake: a Scherzo” by Melissa Dunphy, and will reprise the role of Bessie in a duet excerpt from Angelique Mouyis’s opera, “BESSIE: The Blue-Eyed Xhosa.” Listen to the recording from 2020 below:

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