Love's Pure Light - Christmas Concert - Dec 10

“Part of the essence of Christmas in New York” – The New York Times

Choir and Orchestra of St. Ignatius Loyola
Parish Community Choir and Children’s Choirs
K. Scott Warren, Robert Reuter, Michael Sheetz and Maureen Haley, conductors
Daniel Beckwith, organ

Warmth and joy abound in our beloved annual Christmas concerts, where audience and choirs together join in singing popular carols. Featuring J.S. Bach’s enduring cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, this afternoon resounds with sing-along renditions of “Hallelujah” from Handel’s Messiah and Joy to the World!

If all seats sell out completely, a limited number of standing room tickets will be released. 

The waiting list for standing room and ticket upgrades will be open as of 2:15 PM in person inside the main doors of the church. There is no advance access to either waiting list.

Please note that standing room tickets will only be made available if and when all seats completely sell out. 

All performance dates, artists and programs subject to change. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.

ARTISTS

Daniel Beckwith is Principal Organist at St. Ignatius Loyola and Assistant Organist at Temple Emanu-El, both in New York City. Former church positions include the posts of Assistant Organist at several New York City Landmark houses of worship: The Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, St. Bartholomew’s Church, and The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. Mr. Beckwith has conducted in many of the major opera houses throughout North America and Europe. With a repertoire that spans the 17th through the 20th centuries, he has been hailed as one of the most exciting conductors of his generation. Mr. Beckwith’s Metropolitan Opera debut was with Don Giovanni in 1995.  On the strength of these performances, he was engaged for several important debuts conducting the works of Handel, both nationally (Serse, Seattle Opera) and internationally (Rinaldo, Grand Theâtre du Genève; Theodora, Glyndebourne Festival). His return engagement to the Metropolitan, as well as his San Francisco Opera and Portland Opera debuts was with Don Giovanni; Le Nozze di Figaro for the companies of Vancouver, Baltimore, Edmonton and Arizona. Daniel Beckwith’s Australian opera debut in 1998 was with a personal favorite, La Clemenza di Tito. Mr. Beckwith’s return engagement to the Seattle Opera and his debut with the Washington Opera was with Die Zauberflöte. His love of, and affinity for, the baroque, early classical, and the bel canto repertory has given him the opportunity to perform many of the cornerstone operas of these varying periods: Gluck’s Orphée et Euridice, Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto, Lucia di Lammermoor, Il Barbiere di Siviglia,La Cenerentola, L’Elisir d’Amore, L’Italiana in Algeri, and the U.S. Premiere of Handel’s Oreste. The vehicle of his April 2000 New York City Opera debut was a new production of Rameau’s Platée with the Mark Morris Dance Group. Other operas in Mr. Beckwith’s increasingly diverse repertory include Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria, The Rape of Lucretia, Alcina, Giulio Cesare,The Crucible, Roméo et Juliette, Susannah, Don Pasquale, Carmen, Mozart’s Il Re Pastore, Turandot, Falstaff, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Così fan tutte, Madama Butterfly, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, La Bohème and Ariadne auf Naxos. A frequent partner with soprano Renée Fleming, they have performed in concert at Carnegie Hall, Spain’s Santander Festival and television appearances on Good Morning America, The View and Martha Stewart Living.

Hailed by the New York Times as “a finely polished, stylistically nimble ensemble,” the Choir of St. Ignatius Loyola is comprised of New York’s finest professional choral singers. The Choir’s “tremendous expressive and dynamic range” and “remarkable vocal discipline and finesse” (the New York Times) is featured in the Sacred Music in a Sacred Space concert series, now in its 27th season. Each member is a soloist in his or her own right in a variety of genres including early music, opera, oratorio and contemporary repertoire. The core group of 20 members sings a demanding schedule of weekly parish worship services in a wide range of repertoire, with particular emphasis on new works, the sacred Renaissance repertoire, and Gregorian chant. The Choir may be heard on recordings for the MSR Classics and AMDG labels. In March 2006, the Choir was invited as the headline chorus at the Southwestern American Choral Directors Association convention in St. Louis, Missourri. In April 2009, the Choir performed in the opening festival of radio station WNYC’s new Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, on a concert bill with René Pape, John Zorn, Ute Lemper, and Nico Muhly. The Orchestra of St. Ignatius Loyola, lauded by the New York Times for their “lean, taut and fiery playing,” participates in the Sacred Music in a Sacred Space concert series and enhances a number of parish worship services throughout the year. Members are drawn from among New York City’s most talented and stylistically versatile freelance musicians and have often been heard in the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the orchestras of the New York City Opera and New York City Ballet, and various period-instrument orchestras.

GENERAL CONCERT AND TICKET INFORMATION

• DOORS OPEN at 2:15 PM for a 3 PM concert start time.


• LATE SEATING is at the discretion of the House Management. Latecomers may be asked to remain in the back of the church until there is a break in the program, so as not to disturb the performance or other audience members.


• WILL CALL is available when the doors open at 2:15 PM inside the main doors of the church.


• CHILDREN seated on an adult's lap do not need a ticket. Children seated in a chair or pew need a ticket. 


• We no longer offer tickets for sale or any ticket pickup at the Parish House Reception desk.


• Audio and/or video recording and flash photography are not permitted during performances.

ACCESSIBILITY

• The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola is wheelchair/walker accessible via the ramp entrance on 84th Street (between Park and Madison Avenues).


• The restrooms are NOT easily accessible by wheelchair. The most easily accessible restrooms are in the Parish House (980 Park Avenue). There are two steps down from the street level into the Parish House and there is a restroom on that ground floor.


• For reserved seating concerts, there is available seating for wheelchairs and companions. Please look for the Wheelchair and Wheelchair Companion tickets when purchasing. For general seating concerts, follow the directions of the ushers. Please call ahead (212-288-2520) to discuss any special seating requirements.

PARKING

• Street parking can be difficult to find, but there are a number of parking garages nearby. There are garages on 83rd Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues) and 84th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues), as well as near the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

RESTAURANTS

• There are a number of fine and casual eating establishments located nearby on Madison Avenue (one block west of the church), Lexington Avenue (one block east of the church), Third Avenue (two blocks east of the church) and Second Avenue (three blocks east of the church).

 DIRECTIONS

• The Church of St. Ignatius Loyola is easily reached via the 4, 5, and 6 subway lines (86th Street station), or buses on Madison, Lexington and Fifth Avenues, and on 86th Street.