Voices of Ascension Presents Annual Candlelight Christmas Concerts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katlyn Morahan | Morahan Arts and Media
katlyn@morahanartsandmedia.com | 646-378-9386

Voices of Ascension Presents Annual 
Candlelight Christmas Concerts

Treasured Holiday Tradition Returns to the Church of the Ascension 
with Concerts on December 16, 18 & 20 



“richly colored, impressive, and beautifully balanced” –Wall Street Journal

“a dynamic concert […] beautifully sung” –I Care If You Listen

www.voicesofascension.org 

November 11, 2025 (New York, NY) — Voices of Ascension – the New York City-based professional chorus dedicated to sharing the transformative power of choral music through performances, commissions, and community engagement – brings back its Candlelight Christmas Concerts on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. and Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Ascension. After two seasons of sold-out holiday concerts, Voices has scheduled an additional performance on Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 4:30 p.m. A treasured holiday tradition, these family-friendly concerts feature a vibrant mix of ancient carols, seasonal masterworks, and contemporary reflections on winter and light—offering warmth, beauty, and community at year’s end.

Voices of Ascension hosts its annual gala on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at the Museum of the City of New York. This year's gala - Voices' signature event of the season - honors two bold and visionary figures shaping the future of culture: Anthony Roth Costanzo (Countertenor and Producer; General Director and President, Opera Philadelphia; Artistic Director, SongStudio at Carnegie Hall) and Alexandra Munroe (Senior Curator at Large, Global Arts, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation; Chair, Aspen Music Festival and School). A seated dinner is followed by a performance from honoree Anthony Roth Costanzo and a world premiere by Nico Muhly, written in honor of Alexandra Munroe.

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 in February as they continue to celebrate the breadth of classical choral music while fostering the next generation of artists and music-lovers. Additional season highlights include a collaboration with Dark Horse Consort in a thrilling intersection of scholarship and expressive brilliance in Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 in March; a guest appearance by Beth Willer—Founder and Artistic Director of Lorelei Ensemble and Director of Choral Studies at the Peabody Institute—in May as she leads Voices of Ascension in a blend of contemporary and historical repertoire; and a concert that illuminates the depth and beauty of Renaissance choral music in Masters of the Renaissance: The Netherlands School in April.

Program Information
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
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Voices of Ascension Gala
Wednesday, November 19, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
Museum of the City of New York | 1220 5th Ave | New York, NY 10029
Tickets: Starting at $300
Link: https://www.voicesofascension.org/gala 

Program:
Enjoy an exclusive performance from honoree Anthony Roth Costanzo and a world premiere by Nico Muhly, written in honor of Alexandra Munroe

Honorees:
Anthony Roth Costanzo
Alexandra Munroe

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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