Voices of Ascension Performs Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 on March 5

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

Voices of Ascension Performs
Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 on March 5 at 
Church of the Ascension

Voices of Ascension joins forces with Dark Horse Consort for
Large-Scale Performance in a Thrilling Intersection of Scholarship
and Expressive Brilliance for this Pillar of Early Baroque Music

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

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

www.voicesofascension.org 

February 5, 2026 (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, collaborates with Dark Horse Consort to perform Monteverdi Vespers of 1610 on Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at The Church of the Ascension in Greenwich Village.

“Our performance of Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 captures what Voices of Ascension does best: combining rigorous scholarship with awe-inspiring depth, performed at a monumental scale,” said Voices of Ascension’s Executive Director Jonathan Bradley. “Since the release of Beyond Chant more than 30 years ago, Dennis Keene and Voices have earned international recognition for their interpretations of Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, and this concert is a direct expression of that legacy. Presenting Monteverdi’s Vespers in all its grandeur with integrity and musical depth remains central to our artistic identity.”

With a fleet of soloists, double chorus, Early Music strings, recorders, cornetti, sackbuts, theorbos, harpsichord, and organ, Dark Horse Consort and Voices of Ascension join forces in a thrilling intersection of scholarship and expressive brilliance for this pillar of Early Baroque music. Vespers of 1610 is rarely performed at such a large scale—featuring multiple choirs, a full roster of period instruments, and soloists—especially in a sacred acoustic like the Church of the Ascension.

For their next concert, Voices of Ascension builds on their acclaimed recordings, such as Beyond Chant: Mysteries of the Renaissance, continuing to illuminate the depth and beauty of
Renaissance choral music with Masters of the Renaissance: The Netherlands School on Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at Church of the Ascension. With works spanning more than two centuries of history, starting with the Early Renaissance master, Josquin des Prez, and going all the way to the High Renaissance works of Orlande de Lassus, this concert reaffirms the ensemble's dedication to bringing historical masterpieces to contemporary audiences with authenticity and passion. Also featured are seldom heard, but exceptionally poetic and colorful motets of Dutch composer Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. 

Program Information:
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
Dark Horse Consort

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.

About Dark Horse Consort
The early music ensemble Dark Horse Consort is dedicated to unearthing the majestic late Renaissance and early Baroque repertoire for brass instruments. Inspired by the bronze horse statues in Venice’s famed St. Mark’s Basilica, the ensemble brings to new life the glorious sounds of composers such as Giovanni Gabrieli, Claudio Monteverdi, and Heinrich Schütz. Dark Horse often expands to include vocalists and strings to recreate the rapturous kaleidoscope that was the sound of the early 17th-century ensemble.

Dark Horse Consort has been featured on the San Francisco Early Music Series, the Boston Early Music Festival, the Renaissance and Baroque Society (Pittsburgh), and The Academy of Early Music (Ann Arbor), and numerous venues throughout North America, including collaborations with vocal and instrumental groups such as The Toronto Consort, Blue Heron (Boston), The Rose Ensemble (Minneapolis), Piffaro (Philadelphia), TENET (NYC), Spire (Kansas City), Catacoustic Consort (Cincinnati), Bach Society Houston, Bach Collegium San Diego, Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity Lutheran (NYC), Seicento Baroque (Boulder), and the Clarion Music Society (NYC). Upcoming performances include Monteverdi’s 1610 Vespers with TENET and the Green Mountain Project in Venice, Italy, and a featured concert on the Chamber Music Northwest series in Portland, Oregon.

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