The Dessoff Choirs Celebrates the Holiday Season with its Annual Trio of Festive Concerts

Holidays with Dessoff: Messiah Sing
Friday, December 2nd, Union Theological Seminary, Manhattan

Holidays with Dessoff: Welcome Yule | Mother & Child
Friday, December 9th, St. Paul the Apostle, Manhattan

Holidays with Dessoff: Welcome Yule | Mother & Child
Sunday, December 11th, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Brooklyn

Hailed as “one of the great amateur choruses of our time (New York Today) for its “full-bodied sound and suppleness (The New York Times),” The Dessoff Choirs today announced its annual holiday concert series. Now in its 98th year, The Dessoff Choirs continues to shepherd audiences into the holiday spirit with three performances in some of New York City’s most beautiful churches. This season’s offerings include the popular sing-along of Handel’s Messiah followed by a pair of concerts comprising carols and seasonal favorites.

The holiday season kicks off with what has become an annual tradition for singers all across New York City: the annual sing-in of Handel’s Messiah in Harlem’s Union Theological Seminary. The 40+ member The Dessoff Choirs will be joined by audience members of all ages and singing capabilities. “One of the highlights of our season is singing ‘Hallelujah!’ side by side with our neighbors,” says Malcolm J. Merriweather, Dessoff’s ninth Music Director. “It doesn’t get more festive and warmer than that! “The following weekend, Dessoff performs a pair of Welcome Yule! concerts celebrating Mother and Child, the miracle of childbirth, and Mary in her universal aspect as mother of all Prophets, and co-redemptress with Christ. John Tavener’s Mother and Child (2022) will be alongside standard holiday fare and contemporary arrangements of classics including a candlelit rendition of Silent Night.

About The Dessoff Choirs
The Dessoff Choirs, one of the leading choruses in New York City, is an independent chorus with an established reputation for pioneering performances of choral works from the Renaissance era through the 21st century. Since its founding in 1924, Dessoff’s concerts, professional collaborations, community outreach, and educational initiatives are dedicated to stimulating public interest in and appreciation of choral music as an art form that enhances the culture and life of our times.

With repertoire ranging over a wide variety of eras and styles, Dessoff’s musical acumen and flexibility has been recognized with invitations from major orchestras for oratorios and orchestral works. Past performances include Britten’s War Requiem and Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with Lorin Maazel in his final performances as Music Director with the New York Philharmonic.

Over the course of its nearly 100-year history, Dessoff has presented many world premieres, including works by Virgil Thomson, George Perle, Paul Moravec, and Ricky Ian Gordon; the first American performance in nearly 100 years of Montemezzi’s opera La Nave with Teatro Grattacielo; and the American premieres of Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 5 and Sir John Tavener’s all-night vigil, The Veil of the Temple.

Dessoff’s recent discography includes MARGARET BONDS: THE BALLAD OF THE BROWN KING AND SELECTED SONGS, a debut recording of Margaret Bonds’s crowning achievement, which was cited as a “Best Classical Recording of 2019” by WQXR-FM Radio; REFLECTIONS, featuring music by Convery, Corigliano, Moravec, and Rorem; and GLORIES ON GLORIES, a collection of American song featuring composers from Billings to Ives.

The Dessoff Choirs is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and by funds from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Please visit dessoff.org for more information.

Friday, December 2nd, Union Theological Seminary, Manhattan
Friday, December 9th, St. Paul the Apostle, Manhattan
Sunday, December 11th, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Brooklyn
New York, New York 10025
United States