The Esoterics presents a concert celebrating Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday. One performance only!

“This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” – Leonard Bernstein, 1982

On August 25, 1918, Jennie and Samuel Bernstein, immigrants to the US from Tsarist Russia, welcomed a son, Louis, who would grow up to become a celebrated American conductor, composer, pianist, and educator. Louis was named by his grandmother, but was always known as Leonard, or Lenny, and changed his name legally at the age of 15.

In a half-century of accomplishments (and a turbulent personal life), Bernstein referred to himself simply as a musician. This is an understated description of a man whose broad achievements are unique in musical history. Bernstein was a brilliant conductor, a fine concert pianist, a pioneering educator, and a humanitarian, as well as a prolific composer. His compositions varied from Broadway classics, to ballet, opera, orchestral and chamber music, and even a film score.

And of course he composed choral pieces, many of which are among his greatest and most moving works. To celebrate the life and work of this remarkable American composer on the evening of his 100th birthday, The Esoterics will be joined by St. James Cathedral organist Joseph Adam, harpist John Carrington, and percussionist Matthew Kocmieroski, to present all of Bernstein’s sacred choral works in English, Latin, French, and Hebrew, including ‘Chichester Psalms’, choruses from ‘The lark,’ ‘Missa brevis’, selections from his ‘Mass’ and ‘Kaddish’, ‘Hashkiveinu’, ‘Simchu na’, and ‘Yigdal’.

Please join us for this unique opportunity to hear all of Bernstein’s sacred choral works.

Purchase passes in advance at http://www.theesoterics.org/concerts/season-2018/bernstein

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