50th Anniversary Concert

It’s our 50th anniversary! Celebrate with a return to the place where it all began, The Church of St. Luke in the Fields. In 1974, a group of virtuoso chamber musicians began a concert series at the progressive Greenwich Village church, eventually leading to today’s OSL. For this special performance, we focus on works from that very first season. Bach’s Cantata No. 51 Jauchzet gott in allen landen (Exult in God in every land) features Amanda Forsythe in the virtuosic demands of this cantata for solo soprano and trumpet plus chamber ensemble, a unique grouping in the composer’s oeuvre. Gramophone has deemed her performance of the cantata as state-of- the-art, with “fearlessly agile coloratura.” Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat Major, Op. 20, a charming divertimento for clarinet, bassoon, and horn with strings, was immensely popular in the composer’s lifetime, and has remained so ever afterward, making it a fitting offering from our first season. Hum along to the instantly recognizable menuetto theme of the third movement.

Musicians of the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s play side-by-side with OSL members as we celebrate our first 50 years and look toward the future. 

The 50th Anniversary Concert is underwritten by a generous gift from Emme and Jonathan Deland.