The upcoming season of Artistic Director Ted Sperling's MasterVoices, celebrating the power of the human voice to unite, inspire, and connect, will include the New York premiere of a multi-media version of Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt, a new adaptation of the Kurt Weill-Ira Gershwin-Moss Hart musical Lady in the Dark (starring the previously reported Tony winner Victoria Clark), and Night Songs and Love Waltzes—an evening of songs and piano works.
Israel in Egypt, which will be presented November 28 at Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, will feature soloists who are current students or alumni from the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts, including sopranos Mikaela Bennett and Jessica Niles, countertenor John Holiday, baritone Gregory Feldmann, bass-baritone Erik Van Heyningen, and rising tenor Andrew Stenson. The program will also feature the New York Baroque period instrument ensemble and Syrian Armenian visual artist Kevork Mourad.
Night Songs, which will be seen March 1, 2019, at Alice Tully Hall, will feature songs by Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn, Clara and Robert Schumann, Franz Schubert, and Johannes Brahms, as well as a song cycle by Ricky Ian Gordon set to a poem by Langston Hughes and "Waltzes Suite" from Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music in a new arrangement by Sperling. Soloists include soprano Nicole Cabell, alto/mezzo Kate Aldrich, baritone Nmon Ford, and duo pianists Anderson & Roe.
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The new adaptation of Lady in the Dark, starring Clark, will be performed April 25 and 26 as part of New York City Center's 75th anniversary season. It will be directed and conducted by Sperling, choreographed by Doug Varone.
Sperling said in a statement, "This season our commitment to the art of musical storytelling is in full swing with works that illuminate the human condition across cultures, continents, and centuries. From the re-imagining of a biblical tale to the revival of a lost tradition and the remounting of a spectacular cult classic, our 130-voice chorus and world class soloists will be bringing to life the power of the human imagination at its most dynamic and most immediate. In collaboration with composers, librettists, visual artists, fashion designers and choreographers, we aim to create a new culture around choral concerts that remains true to the art form while opening the door to new audiences."
For more information, visit MasterVoices.org.
