Dessoff Choirs: Mendelssohn's 'Elijah'
$35-$45 ($25 senior/student)
- Davóne Tines, bass-baritone (Elijah)
- Malcolm J. Merriweather, conductor
Dessoff joins forces with the Cathedral Choir of Abyssinian Baptist Church in a performance of Mendelssohn's enduring masterpiece Elijah at Abyssinian's landmark location in Central Harlem.
About The Dessoff Choirs
The Dessoff Choirs, under the baton of Malcolm J. Merriweather, music director, is one of the leading choruses in New York City, 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 mission is to enrich the lives of its audiences and members by giving voice to new or rarely heard, forgotten music and composers; and to bring great choral works to New York audiences in new ways.
Dessoff is celebrating its Centennial over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons with programs that reflect music from our rich history as well as move us forward into the next 100 years with new collaborations and commissions.
https://www.dessoff.org/About Cathedral Choir of Abyssinian Baptist Church
The Cathedral Choir, an integral part of Abyssinian's life since the church's founding in 1808, is comprised of mixed voices. Its repertoire encompasses a wide range of sacred music including oratorios, cantatas, anthems, Negro spirituals, hymns, gospel music, and other sacred selections. The Cathedral Choir ministers in song at the 9am and 11:30am Worship Services on Sundays as scheduled by the Director, on Christmas, Easter, and for special occasions and events in the life of Abyssinian.
https://abyssinian.org/ministry/music-fine-arts/cathedral-choir/About Davóne Tines, bass-baritone (Elijah)
Heralded as “[one] of the most powerful voices of our time” by the Los Angeles Times, the “immensely gifted American bass-baritone Davóne Tines has won acclaim, and advanced the field of classical music” (The New York Times) as a path-breaking artist whose work not only encompasses a diverse repertoire but also explores the social issues of today. As a Black, gay, classically trained performer at the intersection of many histories, cultures, and aesthetics, he is engaged in work that blends opera, art song, contemporary classical music, spirituals, gospel, and songs of protest, as a means to tell a deeply personal story of perseverance that connects to all of humanity.
Mr. Tines was recently named Musical America’s 2022 Vocalist of the Year. He is artist-in-residence at Michigan Opera Theatre—an appointment that culminates in his performance in the title role of Anthony Davis’ X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X in the spring of 2022—and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale’s first-ever Creative Partner. His ongoing projects include Recital No. 1: MASS, a program exploring the Mass woven through Western European, African-American, and 21st-century traditions, with performances this season at the Ravinia Festival, in Washington, DC, and at the Barbican in London. He also performs Concerto No. 1: SERMON—a program he conceived for voice and orchestra that weaves arias by John Adams, Anthony Davis, Igee Dieudonné and Mr. Tines himself, with texts by James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Maya Angelou—with the Philadelphia Orchestra and BBC Symphony.
Mr. Tines is a member of American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) and co-creator of The Black Clown, a music theater experience commissioned and premiered by The American Repertory Theater and presented at Lincoln Center. He has premiered works by today’s leading composers, including John Adams, Terence Blanchard, and Matthew Aucoin, and his concert appearances include performances of works ranging from Beethoven’s Ninth with the San Francisco Symphony to Kaija Saariaho’s True Fire with the Orchestre national de France.
Davóne Tines is a winner of the 2020 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, recognizing extraordinary classical musicians of color, and the recipient of the 2018 Emerging Artists Award from Lincoln Center. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Harvard University, where he also serves as guest lecturer.
https://alsoanoperasinger.org/