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Press Releases
Voices of Ascension Announces New Concert Added to 2025-2026 Season
Voices of Ascension Announces New Concert Added to 2025-2026 Season
New Season-Opening Concert Added on October 23 Thanks to a Major Gift from The Secular Society
Single Tickets for the 2025-2026 Season On Sale Today
“richly colored, impressive, and beautifully balanced” –Wall Street Journal
“a dynamic concert […] beautifully sung” –I Care If You Listen
September 8, 2025 (New York, NY) — Voices of Ascension has added a sixth concert to its 2025-2026 season, now kicking off its 36th season on Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Ascension. The program includes Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor and J. S. Bach’s Magnificat in D Major, featuring soprano Liv Redpath as soloist along with the Voices of Ascension Chorus and Orchestra with Dennis Keene conducting. The performance is a gift from The Secular Society in memory of Liz Norman, who was Voices’
Executive Director for 14 years, and whose leadership helped shape the organization’s artistic legacy. Single tickets for the 2025-2026 season performances go on sale today.
“This concert is a full-circle moment for Voices of Ascension, The Secular Society, and soprano Liv Redpath,” said Jonathan Bradley, Executive Director of Voices of Ascension. “The idea of having Liv sing Mozart’s Mass in C Minor was first imagined not long after her debut with us in 2017 as a Voices of Promise soloist at our Candlelight Christmas Concerts, and we’re thrilled to finally see that dream come to fruition. After Liz Norman’s recent passing, it feels especially meaningful to bring this long-held vision to life as a tribute to her years of leadership. We’re deeply thankful to Peter Trower and The Secular Society for their vision and partnership in making it happen.”
Voices of Ascension’s 2025-2026 season continues with its annual Candlelight Christmas Concerts in December. Through a blend of contemporary and historical repertoire, Voices of Ascension fills its 36th season with music from the Renaissance to rarely-heard works by Brahms, Kodály, and Duruflé as they continue to celebrate the breadth of classical choral music while fostering the next generation of artists and music-lovers. Additional highlights include a collaboration with Dark Horse Consort in a thrilling intersection of scholarship and expressive brilliance in Monteverdi Vespers of 1610; a guest appearance by Beth Willer—Founder and Artistic Director of Lorelei Ensemble and Director of Choral Studies at the Peabody Institute—as she leads Voices of Ascension in a blend of contemporary and historical repertoire including the world premiere of a new work by Celeste Oram, the NYC premiere of Ellen Reid’s Oscillations: One Hundred Years and Forever, and Sofia Gubaidulina’s masterpiece Canticle of the Sun featuring cellist Tommy Mesa on a program that also features organist Jon Gillock performing Messiaen’s Apparition de l'Eglise éternelle; and a concert that illuminates the depth and beauty of Renaissance choral music in Masters of the Renaissance: The Netherlands School.
Concert Information
Grand Choral Opening: Mozart & Bach
Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Tickets: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35383/production/1246590?performanceId=11671045
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/mozartbach25
Program:
Mozart - Great Mass in C Minor
J.S. Bach - Magnificat in D Major
Artists:
Liv Redpath, soprano
Voices of Ascension Chorus and Orchestra
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
_________________________________
Candlelight Christmas Concerts
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 4:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/candlelight-christmas-concerts-2025
Program:
A vibrant mix of ancient carols, seasonal masterworks, and contemporary reflections on winter and light
Artists:
Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
_________________________________
Brahms, Kodály, & Duruflé
Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/bkd26
Program:
Brahms - Nänie
Kodály - Psalmus Hungaricus
Duruflé - Messe ‘cum Jubilo’
Artists:
Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
_________________________________
Monteverdi Vespers of 1610
Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/monteverdi26
Program:
Monteverdi - Vespers of 1610
Artists:
Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
Dark Horse Consort
_________________________________
Masters of the Renaissance: The Netherlands School
Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/josquin26
Program:
A cappella choral music from the “Golden Age of Choral Music.”
Artists:
Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
_________________________________
Featured Guest Conductor: Beth Willer
Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Ascension | 36 Fifth Avenue at 10th St. | New York, NY 10011
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/willer26
Program:
Celeste Oram - new work (World Premiere)
Ellen Reid - Oscillations: One Hundred Years and Forever (NYC Premiere)
Sofia Gubaidulina - Canticle of the Sun
Messiaen - Apparition de l'Eglise éternelle
Messiaen - Louange à l'éternité de Jésus (arr. Gottwlard)
Artists:
Voices of Ascension
Beth Willer, guest conductor
Tommy Mesa, cello
Jon Gillock, organ
About Liv Redpath
Hailed as possessing “such a radiant voice, effortless even in the highest register with breathtaking coloratura, the likes of which have not been heard for a long time” (Berliner Umschau), Liv Redpath is a leading soprano leggero who is quickly establishing herself in diverse operatic and symphonic repertoire around the world.
In 2023/24, Ms. Redpath debuted at Royal Opera House and Staatsoper Hamburg as Lucia di Lammermoor in productions by Katie Mitchell and Amélie Niermeyer, conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti and Lorenzo Passerini, respectively. She debuted at The Metropolitan Opera as Oscar in David Alden’s Un ballo in maschera, conducted by Carlo Rizzi, returning for Pamina in The Magic Flute. Ms. Redpath reprised Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream for The Atlanta Opera, and spent the summer with Santa Fe Opera as Zerlina in Don Giovanni and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier. She enjoyed concert collaborations with Kirill Petrenko and Berliner Philharmoniker on Schoenberg: Die Jakobsleiter, Harry Bicket and The English Concert on L’incorinazione di Poppea, Bernard Labadie and Orchestra of St. Luke’s on Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Daniel Harding and The Cleveland Orchestra on Mahler’s 4th Symphony, Federico Cortese and Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra on Strauss’ Brentano Lieder, François López-Ferrer and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra on Fauré’s Requiem, as well as concerts at Wigmore Hall and The Church in Sag Harbor.
Ms. Redpath has been engaged by The Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Seattle Symphony, Cincinnati Opera, Aspen Music Festival, Scottish Opera, New York Festival of Song, Wolf Trap Opera, Pacific Symphony, Tesserae Baroque, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and Los Angeles Master Chorale. Conductors with whom she has collaborated include William Christie, James Levine, James Conlon, Emmanuel Villaume, Christophe Rousset, James Gaffigan, and Barbara Hannigan, as well as stage directors Tim Albery, Mark Lamos, James Robinson, Francesca Zambello, Paul Curran, Ed Berkley, John Neumeier, Omer Ben Seadia, Louisa Muller, and Thaddeus Strassberger. Her wide-ranging operatic repertoire includes Le nozze di Figaro, Hänsel und Gretel, Ariadne auf Naxos, Béatrice et Bénédict, Orphée et Eurydice, Dido and Aeneas, Cendrillon, Die Zauberflöte, Lakmé, Les contes d’Hoffmann, Die Fledermaus, Les mamelles de Tirésias, The Golden Cockerel, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Candide, and L’enfant et les sortilèges. Her orchestral and chamber assignments have included Messiah (Handel), Choral Fantasy (Beethoven), Nelson Mass (Haydn), Mass in C major (Beethoven), Songs of Ascent (Kirchner), Requiem (Mozart), La resurrezione (Handel), String Quartet No. 2 (Schoenberg), Philomel (Babbitt), Gloria (Poulenc), and Hodie (Vaughan-Williams).
Ms. Redpath was one of twelve finalists worldwide at the 2019 Operalia competition and sang under the baton of Plácido Domingo in Prague for the final round concert. She received second prize, as well as the special French opera prize and audience favorite, at the 56th Tenor Viñas International Contest at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona and subsequently sang the winners concert held at Teatro Real in Madrid.
A graduate of Harvard University and The Juilliard School, Ms. Redpath is a former Domingo-Colburn-Stein Young Artist with the Los Angeles Opera.
About Voices of Ascension
Voices of Ascension is one of New York City’s premier professional choral ensembles, dedicated to presenting masterworks for chorus and orchestra at the highest artistic level. Founded in 1990 by Artistic Director Dennis Keene, Voices has built an international reputation for its exquisite choral artistry, innovative programming, and commitment to expanding the choral canon.
Performances by the Grammy-nominated ensemble have been praised as “richly colored, impressive, and beautifully balanced” (Wall Street Journal) and “inspired” (The New York Times). The ensemble’s landmark Duruflé Festival, the first-ever complete retrospective of the composer’s works, established Voices as a leader in presenting comprehensive explorations of major choral composers. Since then, Voices of Ascension has continued to champion both historical and contemporary repertoire, with a special commitment to new music, including commissions and premieres—particularly by female composers—in partnership with the Sorel Organization.
Throughout its 35-year history, Voices of Ascension has produced an acclaimed annual concert series, released multiple Grammy-nominated recordings, and engaged in artistic collaborations with the San Francisco Symphony, Mostly Mozart Festival, José Limón Dance, the Mark Morris Dance Group, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and others. The ensemble has also been a longtime partner of The Church of the Ascension, home to the Manton Memorial Organ, the only French-built organ in the United States and a direct link to Voices’ deep engagement with French sacred music traditions.
The organization plays an important role in mentoring emerging artists through its Voices of Promise program, which has supported over 50 young professional vocal soloists, and in creating community connections through Voices of Experience, an initiative bringing choral music to NYC’s senior centers.
About Dennis Keene
Dennis Keene is Artistic Director and Conductor of the Voices of Ascension. Known internationally through his many concerts and recordings with Voices of Ascension as well as his regular guest appearances as conductor and teacher, he is one of the leading choral conductors in the world today.
Recognized early as an exceptional organist, Dennis Keene studied at The Juilliard School, where he earned the BM, MM, and DMA degrees and the coveted Gaston Dethier Organ Prize as a student of Vernon de Tar. Dr. Keene also studied privately in Paris with Marie-Madeleine Duruflé, André Marchal, and André Isoir.
In addition to his work with Voices of Ascension, Dr. Keene continues as Organist and Choirmaster of Church of the Ascension in New York City. He served for many years on the Board of Directors of Chorus America, the national service organization for the choral field, which honored him with the first Louis Botto Award for “innovative action and entrepreneurial zeal in developing a professional ensemble of exceptional artistic quality.” He has also served on the Choral Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts and on the Music Panel of the New York State Council on the Arts.
From 1998 to 2003 Maestro Keene presented a major summer institute for the training of conductors and singers: The Dennis Keene Choral Festival, in Kent, Connecticut. In 1993 he began his recording association with Delos International, with which he has recorded such best-selling CD’s as Beyond Chant, the Duruflé Album, and the Berlioz Te Deum. This series of highly acclaimed recordings with Voices of Ascension has secured international recognition for both conductor and chorus and become the standard for first-ranked ensembles worldwide.
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