New Choral Society Wraps Season

Dr. John T. King has been the Artistic Director and Conductor of The New Choral Society (NCS) of Scarsdale since he founded it in 1994. But nothing seemingly could have surpassed the finale of its 2024-2025 season, Georg Friederich Handel’s Israel in Egypt, on Sunday afternoon, May 4, in those 31 years.

It was brilliant, strenuous, and a “barn burner” in the eyes, ears and minds of several in the sold-out audience in the sanctuary of Hitchcock Presbyterian Church on Greenacres Avenue in Scarsdale. The afternoon raindrops didn’t have a chance at spoiling this wonderful oratorio.

Smiling faces were all around for this particular piece.

For the avid students of choral music and/or those just listening for the simple enjoyment of the most professional music, Handel’s work and King’s interpretation of same on Sunday had everything: six soloists for the first time, three of them for their first appearances ever for NCS, Maestro King, who surprisingly had to carefully study the unfamiliar piece to him before introducing it to his singers and orchestra players, and Una Tone, always the energetic Concertmaster and the Elizabeth J. Broyd Chair (in honor of the founding Executive Director for her 25 years of service) playing Violin 1.

Soprano and Tenor Drew Most Applause

Kathryn Lewek, soprano, and Alex McKissick, tenor, drew the most applause from the concert attendees following the conclusion of the event.

From the Playbill for Sunday’s event, it says, “Kathryn Lewek is a born communicator who has been called ‘utterly enthralling’ by the New York Times.’ Combining charismatic stage presence with a voice of sumptuous range, crystalline purity, and rich emotional power, she headlines productions at the foremost opera houses and festivals worldwide.” American Tenor Alex McKissick “has been engaged by the Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, Irish National Opera, Des Moines Opera, North Carolina Opera, Aspen Music Festival, and a plethora of other musical houses, the Playbill said.
Other soloists for Sunday afternoon included: Ellie Dehn, Soprano; Tamara Mumford, Mezzo-Soprano; Daniel Rich, Baritone, and Michael Adams, Baritone. Dehn, McKissick and Adams were performing for the first time for NCS.

American soprano Ellie Dehn “has been praised by critics as a ‘revelation’ (Chicago Sun Times), acclaimed for her ‘great stage presence and a voice combining metallic clarity and sensual richness’ (Wall Street Journal),” the Playbill said. “American mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford has gained a reputation as an exciting and in-demand singer appearing with many of the finest orchestras and opera houses in the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Mumford has appeared many times with NCS including the 2020 and 2021 Messiahs and the 30th Anniversary Gala, the Playbill said. Mr. Rich “is a recent graduate of The Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program,” the Playbill also said. He has previously appeared with NCS for the performances of Messiah and the 30th Anniversary Gala. Praised by Opera News for “brandishing a beautiful, evenly produced, nicely ripe sound, baritone Michael Adams’ engagements in the 2024-2025 season include his return to the Metropolitan Opera as Scarus in Adams’ Anthony and Cleopatra. Mr. Adams was originally scheduled to make his NCS debut in April of 2020, which was postponed.

Ms. Mumford, Mr. McKissick, Mr. Rich and Mr. Adams appeared on Sunday by permission of the Metropolitan Opera.

All six soloists appeared on stage in different configurations during the singing and playing of the piece.

Learned Seminar Before Concert

To provide an educational introduction prior to the Handel concert on Sunday, on Wednesday evening, April 30, also in the sanctuary at Hitchcock, NCS presented Rabbi Jonathan Blake of Scarsdale’s Westchester Reform Temple, who is known to play his guitar often during services at his temple, and the same Dr. King provided a seminar with a closer look at the libretto source of Handel’s Israel in Egypt.

A good crowd showed up for that presentation, too, including a number of members from Westchester Reform Temple, singing members from NCS and the church’s Chancel Choir. It felt very much like an evening college course, only without college credit or an assignment to write an essay on what everyone heard, at perhaps the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, with most professional and interesting comments coming from the two commentators and selected examples of the actual music from the score.

Beautiful and professional music and a lecture on the subject to boot. Not a bad way to spend your leisure time if you’re a music lover. Thanks to Hitchcock, John King, also Minister of Music at Hitchcock, and his dedicated team.