2021 GRAMMY® Nominated

Best Choral Performance

“A powerful new work”  –BBC Magazine

sanctuary road
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The Oratorio Society of New York is honored to announce that our 2020 NAXOS recording of Sanctuary Road by composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell has received a 2021 GRAMMY® nomination for Best Choral Performance.

This brilliant and ground-breaking new oratorio, commissioned by OSNY with the generous support of Joanne Spellun, premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2018. It features soloists Laquita Mitchell, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Joshua Blue, Malcolm J. Merriweather, and Dashon Burton, plus the 200-voice Chorus and Orchestra of the Society conducted by Kent Tritle.

Sanctuary Road is inspired by the writings of William Still, conductor for the Underground Railroad, and chronicles the courage and tenacity of slaves escaping to freedom in the mid-1800s through Philadelphia. In a country still grappling with the evil legacy of slavery—brought to a head this summer with the Black Lives Matter movement—we echo Gramophone magazine's sentiments when it said, "The relevance of Sanctuary Road in our present century cannot be overstated." We also know this is one reason for the work's popular success; before the pandemic hit, Sanctuary Road was well on its way to becoming the most produced oratorio in the contemporary repertoire.

We hope that you will join us in celebrating this important new masterpiece.

"A powerful new work" BBC Magazine

"A profound and still timely message." The Classic Review

"A riveting, pulsating wall of sound and stellar soloists.” Broadway World

Sanctuary Road is inspired by the writings of William Still, conductor for the Underground Railroad, and chronicles the courage and tenacity of slaves escaping to freedom in the mid-1800s through Philadelphia.

SOLOISTS

Laquita Mitchell
Raehann Bryce- Davis
Joshua Blue
Malcolm J. Merriweather
Dashon Burton

Oratorio Society of New York
Chorus and Orchestra

Kent Tritle Conductor
Paul Moravec Composer
Mark Campbell Librettist

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MESSIAH 2020

a holiday tradition since 1874
the OSNY chorus and orchestra present the Christmas portion of Messiah

In October 2020, the Soloists, Chorus, and Orchestra of the Society recorded selections from Messiah under the direction of Kent Tritle in a socially distanced environment with masks and COVID tests in upstate NY. Additional members of the Society joined virtually for a triumphant finale singing the Hallelujah chorus.

Soloists

Susanna Phillips, Heather Petrie, Joshua Blue, Sidney Outlaw

“Most important, with Mr. Tritle at the helm, quality and quantity are equal.”

“…a visceral performance”

“The first chorus, climaxing with the phrase ‘Let there be light’ was simply thrilling, with the singers of the Oratorio Society rising over the orchestra in a powerful surge of sound.”

“The star of the show, the Oratorio Society’s chorus, rang out gloriously—pitch-perfect—the singers radiantly persevering the masterpiece that is Handel’s Messiah.”

“It was a pleasure to hear the Oratorio Society’s splendid performance of Mozart’s beguiling arrangement under Mr. Tritle.”

“What mattered most, of course, was the fine music-making.”

“The chorus of nearly 200 voices sounded rich and full-bodied but never forced, and won the biggest, and deserved, ovation.”

“a beautifully blended,
thoroughly unified sound”

“the sheer energy of the society’s sound had an enveloping fervor”

“As I have learned to expect from the acclaimed OSNY, choral blend was outstanding.”