Charis Repertoire
Although Charis performs repertoire from Renaissance to Contemporary, the group concentrates on settings of fine poetry by contemporary American composers. Charis has performed (and recorded) a number of works by such composers, including James Bassi, Franz Biebl, Julie Dolphin, William Hawley, Judith Zaimont, Nancy Wertsch, Elliot Z. Levine, and James Harold Carr.
In addition to various benefits and special appearances, Charis typically prepares three annual programs, in early December, March and May, each with several performances. Some of the group's previous concert programs are summarized below:
Twenty-First Season
Spring 2014: Psalms and Songs
Otto Nicolai, Randall Thompson, Robert Schumann, Percy Grainger and others.
Winter 2014: Cantatas: Bach and Buxtehude
Cantatas by Bach and Buxtehude, a Bach Mass in G Major, and Mozart's Venite Populi.
Fall 2013: Christmas by Candlelight
Featuring works of Guerrero and Britten, plus our annual carols by candlelight and sing-along.
Twentieth Season
Spring 2013
Winter 2013
Fall 2012
Nineteenth Season
Spring 2012: What a Wonderful World: Motet, Madrigals and More A program of rarely-heard nineteenth-century motets and madrigals by Mendelssohn, Cornelius, Feliciano, de Pearsall, and Sullivan (of Gilbert & Sullivan), plus a medley of favorites from Richard Rodgers' Oklahoma.
Winter 2012: A Royal Affair: Henry Purcell's Ceremonial Music for Queen Mary Accompanied by brass ensemble, this concert also featured additional vocal works from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries.
Fall 2011: A Candlelight Christmas Concert Celebratory works from around the world for choir, organ, piano and harp, including songs by Britten, Pahcelbel, Howells and the American premier of works by Michael Waldenby.
Eighteenth Season
Spring 2011: Musical Masters Featuring works by Mozart and Bernstein, as well as George Gershwin's medley from "Porgy and Bess." Also on the program are motets by contemporary Polish composer Pawel Lukaszewski and folk songs from Ireland and Nova Scotia.
Spring 2011: Music at Winter's End An international program of songs and motets, including Mozart's Regina Coeli and works by Scarlatti, Bartok and Mascagni.
Fall 2010: A Christmas Candlelight Concert Celebratory songs from around the world, featuring works by Saint-Saëns, John Tavener, Soler and carols arranged by Willcocks, Handel and Vaughan Williams. Additional seasonal favorites for the audience sing along.
Seventeenth Season
Spring 2010: Romance and Rhythm A varied program of European romantic choral music including works by Fauré, Rheinberger and Schumann as well as a lively selection of South African traditional folk music accompanied by a percussion ensemble playing authentic instruments.
Spring 2010: Beautiful Dreamers A musical potpourri featuring a varied selection of works including music by the illustrious Bach family, Henry Purcell, Adrian Batten as well as Madrigals by Robert Convery and songs by Stephen Foster.
Fall 2009: A Christmas Candlelight Concert Celebratory songs from around the world, featuring works by Mendelssohn, Holst, Saint-Saens and Handel.
Also: Christmas motets by French composer Pierre Villette, carols from Scandinavia and seasonal favorites for the audience sing along.
Sixteenth Season
Spring 2009: Mary the MuseBernstein, Conte, Grieg, Poulenc, Rachmaninov, Rutter, Schubert, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and more, plus: World Premier and U.S. Premier performances.
Fall 2008: Carols & Lullabies Benjamin Britten, Conrad Susa, plus Rutter, Howells, Willcocks, Darke, Mathias and more.
Fifteenth Season
Spring 2008: Love's Language: The Song of Songs Featuring works by di Lasso, Monteverdi, Billings and more.
Fall 2007: A Candlelight Christmas Concert with orchestra Vivaldi Gloria & Carols of the Season with orchestra.
Fourteenth Season
Spring 2007: The Earth is Our Mother Featuring works by Dave Brubeck's (choir and jazz ensemble), David Hamilton, David Griffiths, Ronald Perrera, Elgar, Finney, Paulus and Britten.
Fall 2006: A Global Village Christmas Celebratory and serene Christmas songs and carols from around the world, featuring works by Britten, Holst, Lauridsen, Arvo Part and including a set of American Christmas spirituals as well as a sampling of other Christmas songs spanning the globe from Africa to Latvia.
Thirteenth Season
Spring 2006: Animal Passion Featuring Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb as well as works by Janequin, Gibbons, Taverner, Hindemith, Stanford and more.
Fall 2005: O Lovely Light This Program features a selection of traditional English Carols including "Lo How a Rose 'er Blooming" and "The Coventry Carol" (Lullay thou Little Tiny Child) as well as Charpentier "Messe de Minuit pour Noel", Victoria "O Magnum Mysterium", Bach "O Jesulein Suss, O Jesulein Mild", "In Dulci Jubilo" and other works by Handl, Purcell, Praetorius, Sweelinck and Weelkes performed with Baroque instrumental ensemble including recorders, lute and strings.
Twelvth Season
Spring 2005: Intimations of Spring - Special Guest Conductor: Johannes Somary of AmorArtis Josquin's Missa Ave Maris Stella, Palestrina's Lamentations of Jeremiah, Madrigals by Weelkes, Monteverdi, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Vaughan Williams, Elgar.
Fall 2004: Rejoicing the Heart - A Concert of Modern Sacred Works Ernest Bloch's Avodath Hakodesh, Ralph Vaughn Willams' Mass in G Minor, 4 Songs by Samuel Barber.
Eleventh Season (Tenth Anniversary Season!)
Spring 2004: Make Our Garden Grow Aaron Copland's In the Beginning, Randall Thompson's The Peacable Kingdom, an arrangement of Bernstein's Make our Garden Grow (from Candide), music by Jerome Kern (I'm Old Fashioned, The Song is You, All the Things You Are), Stephen Sondhiem (Sunday - from Sunday in the Park with George), and more.
Fall 2003: My Soul Doth Magnify Magnificats by Bach, Purcell and Finzi; Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate; Billings Anthem for Thanksgiving, and cuts from our 2003 CD, Hoping It Might Be So: Christmastide.
Tenth Season
Spring 2003: We Sing of Love: Choral Treasures from the Renaissance and Romantic Eras Including works by Monteverdi, Gibbons, Brahms, and Elgar.
Fall 2002: A Concert of Rememberance and Renewal Bloch's Sacred Service, Benjamin Britten's Abraham and Isaac (Canticle II), and newly commissioned works by James Bassi, Julie Dolphin and Susanne Peck.
Ninth Season
Spring 2002: Jazzy Roots from Paris to Broadway Works by Poulenc, Debussy, Ravel, Jerome Kern, Gershwin, Cole Porter and others.
Fall 2001: Handel's Messiah Performed at Tarrytown Music Hall with guest singers and full baroque orchestra.
Eighth Season
Spring 2001: Marvelous Madrigals: the creme of Italian, English, and French Renaissance madrigal literatureWorks by Wilbye, Morley, Montiverde, Orlando di Lasso, Purcell and others.
December 2000: Rutter Gloria Charis performs, with brass, percussion and organ accompaniment John Rutter's Gloria, along with Chrismas music featuring new settings of traditional carols by American composers, including James Bassi, Elliot Z. Levine, Johannes Somary, and Nancy Wertsch.
Seventh Season
Spring, 2000 Choir From Heaven: Baroque Brilliance Charis performed J.S. Bach's Jesus, meine Freude and Scarlatti's St. Cecelia Mass of 1720 with some of New York's finest period instrumentalists.
Fall, 1999: Goin' HomeThe music of Americans willing to face pain, instability, and death in exchange for entrance to the New World and, ultimately, to the Kingdom of God. This concert featured a panorama of American music, from hymns of Colonial New England to twentieth-century poetry. Early American selections included sacred songs by Billings, Wood and Jenks. Folk and popular songs performed included arrangements of Shenandoah, Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye and the world premiere of three works by New York composer (and, now, Charis member) Julie Dolphin.
December, 1999: Winter Solstice Benefit Charis & Friends: A Benefit for the Nature Conservancy.
Sixth Season
Spring, 1999 Dido & Aeneas Charis Chamber voices presented a semi-staged performance of Purcell's miniature opera Dido and Aeneas. The work was performed with period instruments and featured Charis director Susanne Peck in the title role. The program was completed by a performance of Monteverdi's haunting Lamento d'Arianna , performed along with his celebrated Madrigals from Book IV.
Fall, 1998: December JoyThis holiday concert by Charis Chamber voices featured choral songs and motets from the Middle Ages to the present by Poulenc, Howells, Rutter, Holst, Sametz, and Durufle.
December, 1998: Winter Solstice Benefit Charis & Friends: A Benefit for the Nature Conservancy.
Fifth Season
Spring, 1998: A Rich Array:Post-Romantic English and American Choral Works In celebration of Spring, Westchester's Charis Chamber Voices presents songs of nature and love by post-romantic composers such as Elgar, Britten, Barber, Vaughan Williams, and Musgrave. The music's rich sonorities and lush melodies beautifully illustrate the expressive pastoral and love poetry of Shakespeare, Herrick, Crabbe, Clare, Stephens, and Wyatt. Susanne Peck, director of Charis, said: "This music flirts with ambiguity. The delayed cadences and resolutions keep us on the threshold of tension and release."
Fall, 1997: Two Choirs from Heaven: Baroque Choral Masterpieces Charis Chamber Voices joined with New York City's Cerddorian Vocal Ensemble to perform Baroque works for two choirs, continuo organ, cello, and theorbo. Beginning with Venetian works by Gabrielli, the concert program traces the evolution of German Baroque music through its acclaimed masters: Schütz, Schein, and Bach. In addition to our normal Westchester venues, a special performance at Church of the Ascension in New York City.
Fourth Season
Spring, 1997: Birds and Beasts: Animal Themes in Choral Literature The feathered and furry kingdom has inspired great range of sentiment in the human heart. Here is a collection of songs and choral settings by some of the finest composers for voice -- Francis Poulenc, Samuel Barber, Johannes Brahms, Orlando Gibbons -- in praise and awe of animals.
Fall, 1996: Serenity's Hour: New Choral Arrangements of Seasonal Poetry Extraordinary new Christmas holiday settings of high-quality poetry by the likes of e.e. cummings and Thomas Hardy are being created in Minnesota, Iowa, California, Spain, and Norway for chamber choirs. New York City composer Elliot Z. Levine provides exceptional Chanukah music, and one never tires of Benjamin Britten's medieval carol settings for harp and choir. The harp, as well as a guitar, are featured in three other works for this program's seasonal allure.
Third Season
Spring, 1996: Sweet May: Songs from the Twelfth to the Twentieth Century Composed by Women This program featuree choral music by women composers, starting with the twelfth-century genius Hildegard von Bingen. Women from Baroque Italy under the auspices of church, court, and renowned parentage contrast with Amy Beach, one of America's -- in fact, the world's -- first women to strike out onto the professional stage on the merits of talent and accomplishment alone. The majority of women composing today in America are educators, several of whom are here represented in amusing, lyrical, and very finely crafted choral works.
Fall, 1995: I Love My Love: A Concert of Songs About Folk Life Themes of country life and love abound in Brahms' Neue Liebeslieder Walzer, a moderately difficult second-foreign-language project, here undertaken alongside settings of English and American folksongs, with one challenging Spanish hot pepper by Aaron Copeland.
Second Season
Spring, 1995: Italian Spring: A Madrigal Concert Without question, the mother tongue of vocal technique and literature is Italian. As a first foreign-language project, this program presents Italian madrigals from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, as well a set of contemporary madrigals from 1986 by Italian-American composer William Hawley.
Fall, 1994: Heart's Turning: A Harvest Concert of American Music In keeping with the turn of season, this program honors the festival of Thanksgiving with an overview of American compositions: sacred settings from colonial days and from nineteenth-century New England's quintessentially American Charles Ives, traditional folksong arrangements, spirituals, Randall Thompson's 1959 settings of Robert Frost poetry and, finally, works of current-day New York City composer Elliot Z. Levine.
First Season
Spring, 1994: The Birth of Charis: A Concert Celebration of SpringI n celebration of seasonal renewal and the emergence of our new arts organization, this program presents a collection of British and American madrigals and choral songs about spring. For the occasion, an a cappella composition, Spring Cycle: Vernal Incantations, was commissioned from poet Lynette Peck and composer James Carr.
In addition to various benefits and special appearances, Charis typically prepares three annual programs, in early December, March and May, each with several performances. Some of the group's previous concert programs are summarized below:
Twenty-First Season
Spring 2014: Psalms and Songs
Otto Nicolai, Randall Thompson, Robert Schumann, Percy Grainger and others.
Winter 2014: Cantatas: Bach and Buxtehude
Cantatas by Bach and Buxtehude, a Bach Mass in G Major, and Mozart's Venite Populi.
Fall 2013: Christmas by Candlelight
Featuring works of Guerrero and Britten, plus our annual carols by candlelight and sing-along.
Twentieth Season
Spring 2013
Winter 2013
Fall 2012
Nineteenth Season
Spring 2012: What a Wonderful World: Motet, Madrigals and More A program of rarely-heard nineteenth-century motets and madrigals by Mendelssohn, Cornelius, Feliciano, de Pearsall, and Sullivan (of Gilbert & Sullivan), plus a medley of favorites from Richard Rodgers' Oklahoma.
Winter 2012: A Royal Affair: Henry Purcell's Ceremonial Music for Queen Mary Accompanied by brass ensemble, this concert also featured additional vocal works from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries.
Fall 2011: A Candlelight Christmas Concert Celebratory works from around the world for choir, organ, piano and harp, including songs by Britten, Pahcelbel, Howells and the American premier of works by Michael Waldenby.
Eighteenth Season
Spring 2011: Musical Masters Featuring works by Mozart and Bernstein, as well as George Gershwin's medley from "Porgy and Bess." Also on the program are motets by contemporary Polish composer Pawel Lukaszewski and folk songs from Ireland and Nova Scotia.
Spring 2011: Music at Winter's End An international program of songs and motets, including Mozart's Regina Coeli and works by Scarlatti, Bartok and Mascagni.
Fall 2010: A Christmas Candlelight Concert Celebratory songs from around the world, featuring works by Saint-Saëns, John Tavener, Soler and carols arranged by Willcocks, Handel and Vaughan Williams. Additional seasonal favorites for the audience sing along.
Seventeenth Season
Spring 2010: Romance and Rhythm A varied program of European romantic choral music including works by Fauré, Rheinberger and Schumann as well as a lively selection of South African traditional folk music accompanied by a percussion ensemble playing authentic instruments.
Spring 2010: Beautiful Dreamers A musical potpourri featuring a varied selection of works including music by the illustrious Bach family, Henry Purcell, Adrian Batten as well as Madrigals by Robert Convery and songs by Stephen Foster.
Fall 2009: A Christmas Candlelight Concert Celebratory songs from around the world, featuring works by Mendelssohn, Holst, Saint-Saens and Handel.
Also: Christmas motets by French composer Pierre Villette, carols from Scandinavia and seasonal favorites for the audience sing along.
Sixteenth Season
Spring 2009: Mary the MuseBernstein, Conte, Grieg, Poulenc, Rachmaninov, Rutter, Schubert, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky and more, plus: World Premier and U.S. Premier performances.
Fall 2008: Carols & Lullabies Benjamin Britten, Conrad Susa, plus Rutter, Howells, Willcocks, Darke, Mathias and more.
Fifteenth Season
Spring 2008: Love's Language: The Song of Songs Featuring works by di Lasso, Monteverdi, Billings and more.
Fall 2007: A Candlelight Christmas Concert with orchestra Vivaldi Gloria & Carols of the Season with orchestra.
Fourteenth Season
Spring 2007: The Earth is Our Mother Featuring works by Dave Brubeck's (choir and jazz ensemble), David Hamilton, David Griffiths, Ronald Perrera, Elgar, Finney, Paulus and Britten.
Fall 2006: A Global Village Christmas Celebratory and serene Christmas songs and carols from around the world, featuring works by Britten, Holst, Lauridsen, Arvo Part and including a set of American Christmas spirituals as well as a sampling of other Christmas songs spanning the globe from Africa to Latvia.
Thirteenth Season
Spring 2006: Animal Passion Featuring Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb as well as works by Janequin, Gibbons, Taverner, Hindemith, Stanford and more.
Fall 2005: O Lovely Light This Program features a selection of traditional English Carols including "Lo How a Rose 'er Blooming" and "The Coventry Carol" (Lullay thou Little Tiny Child) as well as Charpentier "Messe de Minuit pour Noel", Victoria "O Magnum Mysterium", Bach "O Jesulein Suss, O Jesulein Mild", "In Dulci Jubilo" and other works by Handl, Purcell, Praetorius, Sweelinck and Weelkes performed with Baroque instrumental ensemble including recorders, lute and strings.
Twelvth Season
Spring 2005: Intimations of Spring - Special Guest Conductor: Johannes Somary of AmorArtis Josquin's Missa Ave Maris Stella, Palestrina's Lamentations of Jeremiah, Madrigals by Weelkes, Monteverdi, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Vaughan Williams, Elgar.
Fall 2004: Rejoicing the Heart - A Concert of Modern Sacred Works Ernest Bloch's Avodath Hakodesh, Ralph Vaughn Willams' Mass in G Minor, 4 Songs by Samuel Barber.
Eleventh Season (Tenth Anniversary Season!)
Spring 2004: Make Our Garden Grow Aaron Copland's In the Beginning, Randall Thompson's The Peacable Kingdom, an arrangement of Bernstein's Make our Garden Grow (from Candide), music by Jerome Kern (I'm Old Fashioned, The Song is You, All the Things You Are), Stephen Sondhiem (Sunday - from Sunday in the Park with George), and more.
Fall 2003: My Soul Doth Magnify Magnificats by Bach, Purcell and Finzi; Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate; Billings Anthem for Thanksgiving, and cuts from our 2003 CD, Hoping It Might Be So: Christmastide.
Tenth Season
Spring 2003: We Sing of Love: Choral Treasures from the Renaissance and Romantic Eras Including works by Monteverdi, Gibbons, Brahms, and Elgar.
Fall 2002: A Concert of Rememberance and Renewal Bloch's Sacred Service, Benjamin Britten's Abraham and Isaac (Canticle II), and newly commissioned works by James Bassi, Julie Dolphin and Susanne Peck.
Ninth Season
Spring 2002: Jazzy Roots from Paris to Broadway Works by Poulenc, Debussy, Ravel, Jerome Kern, Gershwin, Cole Porter and others.
Fall 2001: Handel's Messiah Performed at Tarrytown Music Hall with guest singers and full baroque orchestra.
Eighth Season
Spring 2001: Marvelous Madrigals: the creme of Italian, English, and French Renaissance madrigal literatureWorks by Wilbye, Morley, Montiverde, Orlando di Lasso, Purcell and others.
December 2000: Rutter Gloria Charis performs, with brass, percussion and organ accompaniment John Rutter's Gloria, along with Chrismas music featuring new settings of traditional carols by American composers, including James Bassi, Elliot Z. Levine, Johannes Somary, and Nancy Wertsch.
Seventh Season
Spring, 2000 Choir From Heaven: Baroque Brilliance Charis performed J.S. Bach's Jesus, meine Freude and Scarlatti's St. Cecelia Mass of 1720 with some of New York's finest period instrumentalists.
Fall, 1999: Goin' HomeThe music of Americans willing to face pain, instability, and death in exchange for entrance to the New World and, ultimately, to the Kingdom of God. This concert featured a panorama of American music, from hymns of Colonial New England to twentieth-century poetry. Early American selections included sacred songs by Billings, Wood and Jenks. Folk and popular songs performed included arrangements of Shenandoah, Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye and the world premiere of three works by New York composer (and, now, Charis member) Julie Dolphin.
December, 1999: Winter Solstice Benefit Charis & Friends: A Benefit for the Nature Conservancy.
Sixth Season
Spring, 1999 Dido & Aeneas Charis Chamber voices presented a semi-staged performance of Purcell's miniature opera Dido and Aeneas. The work was performed with period instruments and featured Charis director Susanne Peck in the title role. The program was completed by a performance of Monteverdi's haunting Lamento d'Arianna , performed along with his celebrated Madrigals from Book IV.
Fall, 1998: December JoyThis holiday concert by Charis Chamber voices featured choral songs and motets from the Middle Ages to the present by Poulenc, Howells, Rutter, Holst, Sametz, and Durufle.
December, 1998: Winter Solstice Benefit Charis & Friends: A Benefit for the Nature Conservancy.
Fifth Season
Spring, 1998: A Rich Array:Post-Romantic English and American Choral Works In celebration of Spring, Westchester's Charis Chamber Voices presents songs of nature and love by post-romantic composers such as Elgar, Britten, Barber, Vaughan Williams, and Musgrave. The music's rich sonorities and lush melodies beautifully illustrate the expressive pastoral and love poetry of Shakespeare, Herrick, Crabbe, Clare, Stephens, and Wyatt. Susanne Peck, director of Charis, said: "This music flirts with ambiguity. The delayed cadences and resolutions keep us on the threshold of tension and release."
Fall, 1997: Two Choirs from Heaven: Baroque Choral Masterpieces Charis Chamber Voices joined with New York City's Cerddorian Vocal Ensemble to perform Baroque works for two choirs, continuo organ, cello, and theorbo. Beginning with Venetian works by Gabrielli, the concert program traces the evolution of German Baroque music through its acclaimed masters: Schütz, Schein, and Bach. In addition to our normal Westchester venues, a special performance at Church of the Ascension in New York City.
Fourth Season
Spring, 1997: Birds and Beasts: Animal Themes in Choral Literature The feathered and furry kingdom has inspired great range of sentiment in the human heart. Here is a collection of songs and choral settings by some of the finest composers for voice -- Francis Poulenc, Samuel Barber, Johannes Brahms, Orlando Gibbons -- in praise and awe of animals.
Fall, 1996: Serenity's Hour: New Choral Arrangements of Seasonal Poetry Extraordinary new Christmas holiday settings of high-quality poetry by the likes of e.e. cummings and Thomas Hardy are being created in Minnesota, Iowa, California, Spain, and Norway for chamber choirs. New York City composer Elliot Z. Levine provides exceptional Chanukah music, and one never tires of Benjamin Britten's medieval carol settings for harp and choir. The harp, as well as a guitar, are featured in three other works for this program's seasonal allure.
Third Season
Spring, 1996: Sweet May: Songs from the Twelfth to the Twentieth Century Composed by Women This program featuree choral music by women composers, starting with the twelfth-century genius Hildegard von Bingen. Women from Baroque Italy under the auspices of church, court, and renowned parentage contrast with Amy Beach, one of America's -- in fact, the world's -- first women to strike out onto the professional stage on the merits of talent and accomplishment alone. The majority of women composing today in America are educators, several of whom are here represented in amusing, lyrical, and very finely crafted choral works.
Fall, 1995: I Love My Love: A Concert of Songs About Folk Life Themes of country life and love abound in Brahms' Neue Liebeslieder Walzer, a moderately difficult second-foreign-language project, here undertaken alongside settings of English and American folksongs, with one challenging Spanish hot pepper by Aaron Copeland.
Second Season
Spring, 1995: Italian Spring: A Madrigal Concert Without question, the mother tongue of vocal technique and literature is Italian. As a first foreign-language project, this program presents Italian madrigals from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, as well a set of contemporary madrigals from 1986 by Italian-American composer William Hawley.
Fall, 1994: Heart's Turning: A Harvest Concert of American Music In keeping with the turn of season, this program honors the festival of Thanksgiving with an overview of American compositions: sacred settings from colonial days and from nineteenth-century New England's quintessentially American Charles Ives, traditional folksong arrangements, spirituals, Randall Thompson's 1959 settings of Robert Frost poetry and, finally, works of current-day New York City composer Elliot Z. Levine.
First Season
Spring, 1994: The Birth of Charis: A Concert Celebration of SpringI n celebration of seasonal renewal and the emergence of our new arts organization, this program presents a collection of British and American madrigals and choral songs about spring. For the occasion, an a cappella composition, Spring Cycle: Vernal Incantations, was commissioned from poet Lynette Peck and composer James Carr.