Stephanie Susberich's The Lily of Quito Receives New York Premiere

NEW YORK, October 17, 2026 — The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola will present the New York premiere of The Lily of Quito, a contemporary sacred cantata by composer-soprano Dr. Stephanie Susberich, on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 7:30 PM, at 980 Park Avenue in Manhattan.

Susberich will perform the title role under the direction of Music Director Scott Warren, joined by acclaimed pianist Kathleen Supové, the Park Avenue Consort, and the Choir of St. Ignatius Loyola.

A Seventeenth-Century Mystic in Contemporary Music

The approximately 40-minute cantata draws upon the life and surviving words of St. Mariana de Jesús de Paredes (1618–1645), the Ecuadorian mystic and ascetic known as the “Lily of Quito.”

The bilingual Spanish-English libretto is substantially derived from Mariana's documented words and historical sources. Rather than imposing a contemporary interpretation upon the saint, Susberich sought to preserve Mariana's distinctive spiritual voice, allowing her documented language and convictions to shape the work.

Both Susberich and Mariana belong to the Third Order Franciscan tradition, a shared spiritual inheritance that has informed the composer's approach to her subject.

An Expanded New York Premiere

Originally composed as Susberich's doctoral dissertation at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, where she received her Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition in 2025, The Lily of Quito has been expanded specifically for the architectural and musical resources of St. Ignatius Loyola.

The newly composed grand finale brings together solo soprano, chamber ensemble, percussion, the church's N. P. Mander pipe organ, and a 25-voice double choir.

For most of the cantata, Mariana's story unfolds through a solitary soprano voice. Only following her earthly death does the choir enter, transforming the musical landscape into an expansive representation of transcendence.

A Musical Dialogue with Joaquín Rodrigo

The premiere also establishes a direct artistic connection with Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo, whose unfinished oratorio La Azucena de Quito concerns the same historical figure.

Susberich's cantata incorporates a recurring musical motive from Rodrigo's Despedida de Azucena, which she will also perform during the concert. Her score is held in the Joaquín Rodrigo Musical Archives in Madrid, under the Victoria and Joaquín Rodrigo Foundation, alongside Rodrigo's own work concerning the saint.

The evening's program also features Rodrigo's Tiento antiguo for solo guitar and Ave Maria, together with Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla's Missa Ego flos campi, placing Susberich's contemporary composition in dialogue with several centuries of sacred musical expression.

About the Composer

Dr. Stephanie Susberich is a New York-based composer and classical soprano whose work explores historical voice, memory, spirituality, and the transformation of surviving language into contemporary musical experience.

Her recent album, Songs of Juana Borrero, was released by Composers Concordance Records in March 2026 and featured in a sold-out presentation by the Cuban Cultural Center of New York as part of Carnegie Hall's United in Sound: America at 250 festival.

Concert Information

The Lily of Quito: New York Premiere
Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at 7:30 PM
Church of St. Ignatius Loyola
980 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10028

A Meet the Composer talk will take place at 6:30 PM in Wallace Hall, with a reception following the concert.

Tickets and additional information:
https://ignatius.nyc/music/concerts/choir-ignatius-2026/

Concerts at St. Ignatius is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Press Inquiries
Dr. Stephanie Susberich
stephanie@stephaniesusberich.com
www.stephaniesusberich.com