Upcoming Events
Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
Jenkins, The Armed Man | Megan Roth, Soloist
A powerful and moving work for chorus, soloists, and orchestra, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace blends texts from the traditional Mass with words from diverse cultures and religions, including the Quran, the Mahabharata, and poetry by Rudyard Kipling. Commissioned by the Royal Armouries to mark the new millennium, the work is both a warning against the horrors of war and a call for global peace. Jenkins’ dramatic and cinematic style makes this a deeply emotional and accessible experience for modern audiences.
Sandra Howard, artistic director
Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
Jenkins, The Armed Man | Megan Roth, Soloist
A powerful and moving work for chorus, soloists, and orchestra, The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace blends texts from the traditional Mass with words from diverse cultures and religions, including the Quran, the Mahabharata, and poetry by Rudyard Kipling. Commissioned by the Royal Armouries to mark the new millennium, the work is both a warning against the horrors of war and a call for global peace. Jenkins’ dramatic and cinematic style makes this a deeply emotional and accessible experience for modern audiences.
Sandra Howard, artistic director
Bach Christmas Oratorio
Bach, Christmas Oratorio | Megan Roth, Soloist
BWV 248 – cantatas 1, 3, 5
The Worcester Chorus & The Winchendon Players
Select Soloists
The Winchendon Players are members of the Winchendon Music Festival, a multi-genre music festival featuring artists from across the globe. The ensemble joins with the Worcester Chorus for a performance of three sections from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio – written for chamber orchestra, chorus, and soloists. The work by J.S. Bach is exuberant and boisterous, and is a joyous continuation of the holiday season.
Chris Shepard, conductor
Bach Christmas Oratorio
Bach, Christmas Oratorio | Megan Roth, Soloist
BWV 248 – cantatas 1, 3, 5
The Worcester Chorus & The Winchendon Players
Select Soloists
The Winchendon Players are members of the Winchendon Music Festival, a multi-genre music festival featuring artists from across the globe. The ensemble joins with the Worcester Chorus for a performance of three sections from Bach’s Christmas Oratorio – written for chamber orchestra, chorus, and soloists. The work by J.S. Bach is exuberant and boisterous, and is a joyous continuation of the holiday season.
Chris Shepard, conductor
Voices of Concinnity Bach’s Birthday Bash 2026
Cantatathon 2026
In Music Worcester’s second annual Cantatathon, Worcester Bach Collective ensembles perform a selection of cantatas at Mechanics Hall.
Voices of Concinnity with Consonare Community Choir performs Bach Cantatas with Music Worcester as part of The Complete Bach Project
Program
Ach Gott, wie manches Herzeleid, BWV 3
Wär Gott nicht mit uns diese Zeit, BWV 14
Christum wir sollen loben schon, BWV 121
Nimm, was dein ist, und gehe hin, BWV 144
Meinen Jesum laß ich nicht, BWV 124
Sarah Kaufold, Artistic Director
Mendelssohn Elijah
Mendelssohn Elijah | Megan Roth, soloist
Manchester Symphony Orchestra & Chorale
Mendelssohn’s Elijah is a dramatic and deeply moving oratorio that brings to life the story of the prophet Elijah through vivid choral writing, expressive arias, and powerful orchestration. Premiered in 1846, this Romantic masterpiece combines the grandeur of Handelian tradition with Mendelssohn’s lyrical sensitivity, portraying moments of divine triumph, human struggle, and spiritual renewal. From the fiery confrontation with the prophets of Baal to Elijah’s ascent to heaven, the work captivates audiences with its emotional depth and breathtaking musical storytelling.
Dr. Carolina Flores, Chorale Artistic Director
Skylark Vocal Ensemble
Clear Voices in the Dark | Professional Ensemble
Skylark’s 6th Annual Memorial Day Concert
This is a FREE concert offered to the community
Matthew Guard, conductor
Skylark Vocal Ensemble
Clear Voices in the Dark Tour | Professional Ensemble
Francis Poulenc’s Figure Humaine is one of the greatest works ever composed for unaccompanied choir – composed in 1943 in occupied France, and based on resistance-inspired poems by Paul Éluard, it is a stunning 8-movement exploration of the grim realities of war, culminating in an optimistic and embattled cry for liberty in the face of oppression. Skylark’s innovative concert program, Clear Voices in the Dark, is a powerful cross-cultural statement about the expressive power of the arts, and specifically the human voice, in times of tragedy. Interspersed between Poulenc’s stirring and complex settings, Skylark offers far simpler (but no less beautiful) musical images from the American Civil War era. Skylark shares some well-known pieces that have remained in the popular consciousness, as well as beautiful war-inspired songs that have long since been forgotten (and only found thanks to the Duke University Historical Archives).
Matthew Guard, conductor
Yale Choral Artists
Siddartha, She, by Christopher Theofanidis
East Coast Premiere of a new concert-length oratorio, Siddartha, by Christopher Theofanidis, in collaboration with the Yale Philharmonia. Co-commissioned with the Aspen Festival.
Yale Choral Artists
Jeffrey Douma, conductor
CONCORA & Baroklyn featuring Simone Dinnerstein
CONCORA & Baroklyn | Megan Roth, soloist
featuring Simone Dinnerstein
Grammy-nominated American pianist Simone Dinnerstein and her chamber ensemble Baroklyn join CONCORA for a performance of works by Baroque master Johann Sebastian Bach. This program will showcase music from Baroklyn’s first professional recording, Complicité, including the choral cantata Es ist das Heil uns kommen her, BWV 9, Chorale-Preludes from Cantatas BWV 99, 22 & 182 and Dinnerstein performing the Keyboard Concerto in E Major, BWV 1053. Dinnerstein will direct from the keyboard, providing a rare opportunity to hear the piano as a continuo instrument, just as composer Felix Mendelssohn did in his own performances of Bach’s choral works. This program is a continuation of CONCORA’s anchor ensemble role with THE COMPLETE BACH, an ambitious project that will present all of the music of Bach for the first time in America over an eleven-year period. This program is proudly presented in partnership with the Garmany Concert Series and Music Worcester.
PROGRAM
Herr Gott, nun schleuss den Himmel auf, BWV 617
Der Leib zwar in der Erden, BWV 161
Keyboard Concerto in E Major, BWV 1060
Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust, BWV 170
Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068
Es ist das Heil uns kommen her, BWV 9
Chorale-Preludes from BWV99, 22 & 182
CONCORA & Baroklyn featuring Simone Dinnerstein
CONCORA & Baroklyn | Megan Roth, soloist
featuring Simone Dinnerstein
Grammy-nominated American pianist Simone Dinnerstein and her chamber ensemble Baroklyn join CONCORA for a performance of works by Baroque master Johann Sebastian Bach. This program will showcase music from Baroklyn’s first professional recording, Complicité, including the choral cantata Es ist das Heil uns kommen her, BWV 9, Chorale-Preludes from Cantatas BWV 99, 22 & 182 and Dinnerstein performing the Keyboard Concerto in E Major, BWV 1053. Dinnerstein will direct from the keyboard, providing a rare opportunity to hear the piano as a continuo instrument, just as composer Felix Mendelssohn did in his own performances of Bach’s choral works. This program is a continuation of CONCORA’s anchor ensemble role with THE COMPLETE BACH, an ambitious project that will present all of the music of Bach for the first time in America over an eleven-year period. This program is proudly presented in partnership with the Garmany Concert Series and Music Worcester.
PROGRAM
Herr Gott, nun schleuss den Himmel auf, BWV 617
Der Leib zwar in der Erden, BWV 161
Keyboard Concerto in E Major, BWV 1060
Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust, BWV 170
Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068
Es ist das Heil uns kommen her, BWV 9
Chorale-Preludes from BWV99, 22 & 182
Spire Chamber Ensemble
Reflections | Professional Ensemble
Collaboration with William Jewell College Choirs
Reflections invites you on a sonic journey pairing radiant Renaissance masterpieces with bold contemporary reimaginings—each setting drawn from the same timeless texts. At the heart of the program lies Thomas Tallis's awe-inspiring Spem in alium, the monumental 40-part motet that continues to captivate audiences nearly five centuries after its creation. Experience the luminous clarity of Renaissance polyphony alongside fresh, striking interpretations by today's composers, including Ken Burton, Roderick Williams, James MacMillan, Caroline Shaw, Frank Ferko, and more. These pairings illuminate how the same words can inspire profoundly different emotional landscapes—offering a musical journey of deep contrast, dialogue, and resonance across the ages.
Spire Chamber Ensemble
Ben Spalding, conductor
Spire Chamber Ensemble
Reflections | Professional Ensemble
Collaboration with William Jewell College Choirs
Reflections invites you on a sonic journey pairing radiant Renaissance masterpieces with bold contemporary reimaginings—each setting drawn from the same timeless texts. At the heart of the program lies Thomas Tallis's awe-inspiring Spem in alium, the monumental 40-part motet that continues to captivate audiences nearly five centuries after its creation. Experience the luminous clarity of Renaissance polyphony alongside fresh, striking interpretations by today's composers, including Ken Burton, Roderick Williams, James MacMillan, Caroline Shaw, Frank Ferko, and more. These pairings illuminate how the same words can inspire profoundly different emotional landscapes—offering a musical journey of deep contrast, dialogue, and resonance across the ages.
Spire Chamber Ensemble
Ben Spalding, conductor
Upper Valley Baroque
Upper Valley Baroque Chorus & Orchestra
Handel’s Complete Messiah| Professional Ensemble
Enjoy this beloved masterwork in its seldom-heard complete form. Handel’s keen sense of theater is on abundant display, with gorgeous arias performed by over a dozen vocal soloists, alternating with virtuosic and dramatic choruses.
Filippo Ciabatti, conductor
Upper Valley Baroque
Upper Valley Baroque Chorus & Orchestra
Handel’s Complete Messiah| Professional Ensemble
Enjoy this beloved masterwork in its seldom-heard complete form. Handel’s keen sense of theater is on abundant display, with gorgeous arias performed by over a dozen vocal soloists, alternating with virtuosic and dramatic choruses.
Filippo Ciabatti, conductor
2025 International Festival of Arts & Ideas
Cancionero de luto (Mourning Songbook) by Armando Bayolo (World Premiere)
Cancionero de Luto is an ecumenical response to death and suffering, seeking to find common ground among different faiths (or lack thereof) as we face this one experience common to all of humanity. Experience the emotional depth and beauty of this work in the stunning acoustics of Sprague Hall—a concert you won’t want to miss!
Yale Choral Artists
The Victory Players
Jeffrey Douma, conductor
Mozart Requiem
Mozart Requiem and Coronation Mass | Megan Roth, Soloist
The Kent Singers
James Knox Sutterfield, conductor
Emily & Edna
Art Songs of Dickinson and Millay: Poetry in Music
An enchanting evening of art songs featuring the timeless poetry of Emily Dickinson and Edna St. Vincent Millay, two iconic voices of New England.
Emily Siar, soprano
Megan Roth, mezzo-soprano
Corey Dalton Hart, tenor
Christina Wright-Ivanova, piano
Handel and Charpentier
Handel, Dixit Dominus & Charpentier, Te Deum| Megan Roth, Soloist
Te Deum references Latin Christian hymns; there are multiple pieces of music each written for celebration. Paired with Handel’s Dixit Dominus – a work that is said to be one of Handel’s finest works.
The Worcester Chorus
Select Soloists
Emily & Edna
Art Songs of Dickinson and Millay: Poetry in Music
An enchanting evening of art songs featuring the timeless poetry of Emily Dickinson and Edna St. Vincent Millay, two iconic voices of New England.
Emily Siar, soprano
Megan Roth, mezzo-soprano
Corey Dalton Hart, tenor
Christina Wright-Ivanova, piano
Rachmaninoff Vespers
Rachmaninoff Vespers
One of our greatest musical joys, our triennial exploration of the greatest masterwork of the a cappella choral repertoire, Rachmaninoff’s monumental ‘All Night Vigil’.
The Skylark Vocal Ensemble
Matthew Guard, conductor
Duruflé Requiem
Mount Holyoke Glee Club and Chorale with Megan Roth, mezzo-soprano, Jermaine Woodard, baritone and Colin Britt, conductor.