HUDSON BAROQUE - calendar

A Voice from Heaven
curated by Raha Mirzadegan, founder & Andrew Leslie Cooper, conductor

Friday, August 22, 2025 at 7:00pm
The Caboose
60 S Front Street
Hudson, NY

Free admission

Reserve your seat here:
https://www.universe.com/events/a-voice-from-heaven-tickets-2HP6S4

Throughout centuries of musical evolution, one voice has endured with remarkable clarity and constancy: the voice of plainchant. Sometimes called Gregorian chant, these ancient melodies—sung in unison and free of harmony or accompaniment—have shaped the foundation of Western music, both sacred and secular. The transcendent power of chant can soothe, charm, or haunt as it transports its listeners away through time. This program from Hudson Baroque draws its inspiration from that voice: not only in the sounds of chant itself, but by celebrating its soul as it resonates through music spanning over 400 years. In the richly woven textures, luminous harmonies, and expressive silences of these choral works, we hear the echo of that visceral, prayerful song—a voice from heaven.

The program opens with three miniature masterpieces from England’s rich choral tradition: Taverner’s Audivi vocem de caelo, Purcell’s Thou knowest, Lord, and Byrd’s exuberant Sing joyfully unto God. These works, though distinct in energy and style, each invite us to a divine meditation where we find awe, joy, and rest. The melodic serenity and harmonic clarity of these pieces offer us a momentary portal to the post-Reformation world, where sacred music served as both devotion and proclamation.

From there, we journey into the 20th century with Maurice Duruflé’s Quatre Motets sur des thèmes grégoriens, shimmering and heartwarming settings of ancient Latin hymns and prayers. Duruflé directly quotes the chant melodies, but clothes them in rich, impressionistic harmonies. Choral musicians and listeners the world over cherish these pieces for their coexistent traits of oldness and newness. Despite being the youngest works in this program, the Quatre Motets live comfortably alongside Renaissance treasures, and they feel, in many ways, as ancient as the original chants themselves.

The program continues with more voices of the English Renaissance. Byrd’s Bow thine ear, O Lord is a somber and imploring cry for mercy, while Tallis’s beloved If ye love me remains one of the most elegant spiritual expressions ever penned. Two more works by Tallis—the dramatic Loquebantur variis linguis and the mystifying Videte miraculum—showcase his singular ability to integrate chant-like lines into dense yet effortless choral textures.

The concert concludes with Herbert Howells’ Requiem, a work of quiet, personal depth. Though it does not quote chant explicitly, the piece breathes its rhythms and contours. The Requiem alternates between sorrowful laments and serene meditations, employing tranquil solos, sentimental homophony, and complex, rhapsodic polyphony. Withheld from publication until the winter of Howells’ life, his motivation for composing a Requiem remains a mystery. This enigmatic, captivating work now stands as one of the most beloved and affecting works of modern choral music.

This program offers more than a concert—it invites a deep listening. In these works, drawn from across the centuries but united by a shared spirit, listeners will encounter music that speaks from the soul and to the soul. Performed by some of the finest choral artists in the country, A Voice from Heaven promises an experience of extraordinary beauty and quiet expression—one that lingers in the heart long after the final chord.

Handel: Messiah

Owen Burdick, guest conductor

March 15, 2025, Community Sing-Along, 7:00 at Christ the King in Stone Ridge, New York

March 16, 2025, 4:00 at Christ the King in Stone Ridge, New York

Messiah is a masterpiece worth hearing—and a story worth retelling—every year.

It has been performed by choirs of twelve, and by choirs of hundreds—even thousands—if you count the ever-popular Messiah sing-alongs performed by the public each Christmas. Yet, perhaps no other work has had as many unfounded myths and musical traditions associated with it.

For example, Messiah was never originally a “Christmas” piece at all and was not even considered “church music.” The 36 performances conducted or supervised by Handel all took place in March, April, or May (during Lent or Easter)—and never in a church! And yet, Messiah has become a beloved (and some might argue, a de rigueur fixture) of the Christmas Season!

Very few perform Messiah on period instruments with such small forces as we propose—as Handel intended it to be performed and heard. The usual holiday performances are behemoth affairs involving huge choruses and orchestras or, typically, they’re sing-a-longs. While fun for the audience, these performances have little or nothing to do with the masterpiece which Handel composed. They convey nothing of the intricacy and subtlety behind Handel’s chef d’oeuvre—nor can they possibly impart and communicate its considerable spiritual power.

Messiah is a work with which Hudson Baroque’s beloved guest conductor, Owen Burdick, has had a long association and familiarity, having conducted the oratorio from memory over forty times during his seventeen-year tenure as Organist and Director of Music at Trinity Church, Wall Street.

In December of 2005, Bernard Holland of The New York Times wrote, “My deepest respect goes to Dr. Burdick, both for the carefully prepared agreements on phrasing and dynamics and for the utter sincerity with which they were realized…all the Messiah outings to come in the next two weeks will have to work hard to match this one.”

Steve Smith of The New York Times has described Trinity Church’s annual performance of Messiah under Owen Burdick’s direction as “the best in New York,” and “the one to watch!” Time Out New York said it’s “by far the finest performance in this city.”

Dr. Burdick’s study of Charles Jennens’ libretto leads him to the conclusion that Messiah was intended to be performed very much like an opera, with arias and choruses divided and grouped into “scenes” and “acts.” Performed in this way, Messiah takes only two hours and 15 minutes—with a single 15-minute intermission, for a total time of only two hours and 30 minutes!

Performances involving hundreds of singers and instrumentalists can’t possibly attain the excitement, speed, and precision of Hudson Baroque’s smaller professional forces. Sunday's performance promises to be an event where world-class performances become the stuff of legend in a future Stone Ridge, NY.

Due to popular demand, there will be a communal sing-along of Messiah with a professional quartet and smaller orchestra on Saturday, March 15th, at 7 o'clock! Bring your score, and bring your friends!

Admission is free, but tickets are required and available on a first-come basis, so please reserve your seat today.

Click here to reserve.

Hosanna!

January 5, 2025, 12:30 at Christ the King in Stone Ridge, New York

Join us for a festive afternoon concert, featuring award-winning Italian violinist Simone Pirri, alongside students and alumni of The Juilliard School, and soprano Raha Mirzadegan. Hudson Baroque will perform exquisite seasonal baroque music, including Christmas Cantatas and Concerti by Scarlatti, Corelli, Bach, and more, as well as a sneak peak of our upcoming performance of Handel’s Messiah, scheduled to be performed as it was intended—during Lent. This family-friendly program will be a lovely way to spend the first Sunday of the new year.

To conclude the concert, everyone is invited to join the ensemble in the singing of select choruses from Messiah.

Please reach out via email at hudsonbaroque@gmail.com if you have any questions!

In order to make this concert financially accessible to all, we are pleased to be able to offer donation-based ticketing.

Admission is free, but tickets are required and available on a first-come basis, so please reserve your seat today.

Proceeds will go towards:

providing fair wages for our musicians, in accordance with approved union rates
reimbursement for travel expenses for our visiting artists
a donation to our host venue, CTK
the budget for our upcoming Lenten Messiah

Help us reach our fundraising goal of $20,000 for a Lenten Messiah this coming spring.