2025-2026 Season
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.
Subscriptions are on sale today!
6 concerts for $500 (Premium) or $225 (Side Seat), a 25% discount on the full season
3 concerts for $275 (Premium) or $175 (Side Seat), a 20% discount fit for your calendar!
Tickets for Grand Choral Opening: Mozart & Bach available now
Remainder of single tickets go on sale September 8, 2025. Join our mailing list and get notified
October: Mozart & Bach
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December: Candlelight Christmas
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February: Brahms, Kodály, Duruflé
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March: Monteverdi Vespers
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April: Josquin, Sweelinck, Lassus
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May: Featured Guest Conductor Beth Willer
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October: Mozart & Bach 〰️ December: Candlelight Christmas 〰️ February: Brahms, Kodály, Duruflé 〰️ March: Monteverdi Vespers 〰️ April: Josquin, Sweelinck, Lassus 〰️ May: Featured Guest Conductor Beth Willer 〰️
Grand Choral Opening:
Mozart & bach
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Church of the Ascension
Voices of Ascension opens its 36th season with a concert of soaring virtuosity and spiritual grandeur. Soprano Liv Redpath joins the Voices of Ascension Chorus and Orchestra under the direction of Artistic Director Dennis Keene for a transcendent pairing of choral masterworks:
Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor and J. S. Bach’s Magnificat in D Major.
Filled with drama, beauty, and exquisite music, this concert launches the season with a powerful celebration of choral artistry, all within the luminous Church of the Ascension.
Candlelight Christmas Concerts
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 20, 2025 at 4:30 pm
Church of the Ascension
SOLOISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED
Now in its 36th year, Voices of Ascension’s Candlelight Christmas Concerts remain a treasured holiday tradition for New York audiences. Set in the candlelit sanctuary of the Church of the Ascension, these 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.
BRAHMS, KODÁLY, DURUFLÉ
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 7:30 pm
Church of the Ascension
SOLOISTS TO BE ANNOUNCED
Johannes Brahms Nänie
Zoltan Kodály Psalmus Hungaricus
Maurice Duruflé Messe ‘cum jubilo’
Monteverdi vespers of 1610
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 7:30 pm
Church of the Ascension
The towering masterpiece of the Early Baroque, with many soloists, double chorus, Early Music strings, recorders, cornetti, sackbuts, theorbos, harpsichord and organ. Truly one of the pillars of Western Music. We are privileged to collaborate with Dark Horse Consort for this memorable occasion – the finest interpreters of this repertoire to be found in the Western Hemisphere.
This is certain to be a memorable occasion!
MASTERS OF THE RENAISSANCE:
THE NETHERLANDS SCHOOL
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director and Conductor
Thursday, April 23, 2026, 7:30 pm
Church of the Ascension
Arguably the richest repertoire of a cappella choral music from the “Golden Age of Choral Music.” This program features one great work after another from more than two centuries of history, starting with the absolute summit of Early Renaissance masters, Josquin des Prez, and going all the way to the High Renaissance works of Orlande de Lassus. Also featured are seldom heard, but exceptionally poetic and colorful motets of Dutch composer, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck.
Canticle of the Sun:
BETH WILLER
Beth Willer, Featured Guest Conductor
Thursday, May 21, 2026 at 7:30 PM
Church of the Ascension
Beth Willer is the Founder and Artistic Director of the celebrated Lorelei Ensemble—hailed as one of the premier vocal ensembles in the United States—and a fearless advocate for music that bridges tradition and innovation. Renowned for her compelling interpretations and visionary programming, Willer also shapes the future of choral music as Director of Choral Studies at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.
Olivier Messiaen, arr. Clytus Gottwald Louange a l'Eternite de Jesus
Sofia Gubaidulina Canticle of the Sun (New York City Premiere)
Ellen Reid Oscillations: 100 Years and Forever (East Coast Premiere)
Celeste Oram World Premiere (title TBA)