Gregg Smith, the renowned composer and conductor passed away on July 12, 2016. Smith, a winner of three Grammy Awards, directed the Gregg Smith Singers for more than fifty years with international recognition and acclaim. He worked very closely with Igor Stravinsky and is closely associated with recording and performing the music of Heinrich Schütz, Giovanni Gabrieli, and Charles Ives.
Gregg Smith was a prolific composer himself but championed the works of dozens of contemporary composers throughout his career. The memorial service will feature former members of the Gregg Smith Singers, Long Island Symphonic Choral Association (LISCA), and the Choir of Saint Peter’s Church.
Dennis Keene, organist and conductor
Balint Karosi, organist
Thomas Schmidt, conductor and pianist
The 2016–2017 season opens with Mozart’s Requiem at Alice Tully Hall with The Dessoff Orchestra. Entitled “We Remember,” this concert will feature Steven Stucky’s Take Him, Earth, honoring President John F. Kennedy, and the premiere of an orchestrated version of David Hurd’s homage to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., In Honor of Martin.
The Conservatory Singers will present a concert of contrasting repertoire that illustrates love, war, and passing as interpreted through poetry and music. Music by Isaac, Bach, Barber, Bernstein, Pachelbel, and featuring Janequin’s La Guerre.
Lawrence Cummings, piano
Alex Lavoie and Gloria Bangiola, graduate assistants
Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
This transcendent and unique setting of the Finnish Orthodox service was premiered at the Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki in 1971, yet it has never been performed in its complete concert version of both Matins and Vespers in the United States. We are proud to collaborate the with the Erkko Foundation in presenting the U.S. premiere of this stunning work for a cappella choir and soloists in memory of Einojuhani Rautavaara.
Halley Gilbert, soprano
Sara Murphy, mezzo-soprano
Marc Day, tenor
Malcolm Merriweather, baritone
Matt Boehler, bass
Kent Tritle, conductor
The Conservatory Choral Union and Conservatory Singers present Part I of Handel’s oratorio Messiah with orchestra, and soloists from the Conservatory of Music.
The Reading Choral Society presents freedom songs, spirituals and other inspirational songs in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Malcolm J. Merriweather, guest conductor
Our winter concert is a party celebrating French composers in the twentieth century. At “French Fête,” the audience will be transported to France through dramatic yet impressionistic choral works by Jean Langlais, Lili Boulanger, Reynaldo Hahn, Marcel Dupré, and Claude Debussy. Dr. Raymond Nagem, Associate Organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, will accompany the choir from the console of the Wicks organ at St. Jean Baptiste. Stevie Ryan will play solo piano works by Ravel and Debussy.
The Dessoff Choirs Chamber Chorus present Bach’s Jesu Meine Freude, BWV 227, Buxtehude’s Herzlich, lieb hab ich dic o Herr. The choir will be accompanied by a chamber ensemble of instruments. Merriweather will perform Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach with string quartet.
The Dessoff Choirs Chamber Chorus
Malcolm J. Merriweather, baritone and conductor
High School choirs from around New York State join the Choral Studies Department and the Voice Department for a day of choral adjudacation, masterclasses, and performances.
Conservatory Singers, Choral Union
Richard Barret, Voice Department Chair
Malcolm J. Merriweather, Director of Choral Studies
Join the Dessoff Choirs in concert with Fort Tryon as a backdrop. The natural beauty of the park is the perfect backdrop for a concert that features music from around the world. The choir will sing choral music that originates in China, Haiti, and the Middle East.
Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
