Following last season’s sold-out concert “Bach at St. Bart’s,” the ASO returns to the venue where its founder, world-renowned conductor Leopold Stokowski, began his U.S. music career. The acclaimed Bard Festival Chorale joins the orchestra for this performance of two rarely performed scores.

Peter Cornelius, known primarily for his comic opera Der Barber von Bagdad, devoted his early career almost entirely to sacred and chamber music writing. His 1849 setting of the Stabat Mater—performed here in its U.S. premiere—is a score of stunning originality: its bold harmonic language, unusual formal design, and dramatic flair make the work a standout in the composer’s oeuvre.

Luigi Cherubini, long associated with opera, was lauded for works like his famous opera Medea, which Maria Callas widely recorded and performed at La Scala, worldwide, and on the silver screen to electric acclaim. In addition to dramatic stage works, and like Cornelius, Cherubini left behind an impressive sacred music catalogue, including his Requiem in C Minor. Written in 1816 to commemorate the twenty-fourth anniversary of the execution of King Louis XVI, Cherubini’s first of two requiem settings blends a dark, somber tone, with astonishing orchestral effects, tender moments of reflective beauty, and profound expressivity. Since its creation, the score—one of striking freshness and innovation—has been regarded highly by some of classical music’s most influential figures, from legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini, to Schumann, Beethoven, and Brahms.

Presented in collaboration with the Mid-Manhattan Performing Arts Foundation.

Tickets will go on-sale to the general public on September 8, 2025.

The ASO’s Vanguard Series is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.