Opening night features three 19th-century masterpieces inspired by the Bible. Deeply personal works by Brahms, Dvořák, and Wolf explore themes ranging from the tenderness of Love to the agony of Sin and the miracle of Redemption.

Available October 2024.

Words from a thousand years ago spoke deeply to the contemporary American composers on this program, which features Samuel Barber’s classic setting of marginalia, a world premiere by David Ludwig, and works by Libby Larsen and Gilda Lyons that highlight the long-overlooked female perspective.

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The revolutionary works of the Seconda Pratica led to a new wave of musical expression during the Renaissance. At the forefront of this radical re-imagining of poetry and music were the madrigals of Carlo Gesualdo and Claudio Monteverdi. Hundreds of years later, the haunting poetry of 16th-centur...

John Dowland represented the pinnacle of the troubadour tradition with his endlessly inspired Lute Songs, filled with longing and sadness. Henry Purcell was the greatest British composer of the Baroque and a profound influence on Benjamin Britten, who lovingly arranged many of his best songs.

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The lieder of Mozart and Haydn represent the charming innocence of Viennese Classicism. Beethoven’s revolutionary innovations in song changed forever what was possible with poetry and music.

Available February 2025

Schubert’s first great songs were settings of the poet, novelist, and thinker Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. 75 years later, Hugo Wolf culminated the 19th-century lieder tradition with his own towering Goethe settings.

Available March 2025

Juhi Bansal’s monumental Loss, Love, and Exile shines a light on the experiences of Women in modern-day Afghanistan. Herschel Garfein’s new song cycle fuses the words of Rae Armantrout with his Rock-influenced sensibilities. Finally, contrasting works by Evan Fein, Tom Cipullo, Will Liverman, and...

Cecilia Livingston’s new cycle explores the trauma of War and the power of Love. Also featured on this program: a celebration of the recent flourishing of songs by Black composers and encore performances of BASS commissions by Eve Beglarian and Scott Wheeler.

Available April 2025

The New Voices finale explores a brave new world of sonic possibilities in song. A world premiere by Tonia Ko examines the immigrant experiences, while bold works by some of today’s most innovative composers chart a new frontier for music and words.

Available June 2025