What creates identity? What inspires belonging? In this program, The Thirteen explores themes of identity and kinship through compositions by American composers from the end of the second World War through today. In so doing, we hope to suggest the beginnings of an inclusive, diverse, and ever-expanding New American Songbook.

 We begin with Aaron Copland’s In the Beginning, a seminal work by the composer most commonly credited with establishing an ‘American’ sound. But in this towering and difficult-to-classify work, Copland turns to origins and beginnings. Next we perform Ted Hearne’s Privilege (2009), a collection of five short pieces that address socio-economic inequality and conclude with a tribute to the power of music to fight oppression. The program culminates in the premiere of a new work by Indian American composer Juhi Bansal. Hailed as a “composer to watch” by The Washington Post and “radiant and transcendent” by New Classic LA, Bansal explores the themes of cultural and musical diversity and the environment in her works.

This program is made possible by generous gifts from Anonymous. The commissioning of the World Premiere by Juhi Bansal is made possible by a gift to The Thirteen’s Building for Tomorrow fund by J. Penny Clark.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

What creates identity? What inspires belonging? In this program, The Thirteen explores themes of identity and kinship through compositions by American composers from the end of the second World War through today. In so doing, we hope to suggest the beginnings of an inclusive, diverse, and ever-expanding New American Songbook.

 We begin with Aaron Copland’s In the Beginning, a seminal work by the composer most commonly credited with establishing an ‘American’ sound. But in this towering and difficult-to-classify work, Copland turns to origins and beginnings. Next we perform Ted Hearne’s Privilege (2009), a collection of five short pieces that address socio-economic inequality and conclude with a tribute to the power of music to fight oppression. The program culminates in the premiere of a new work by Indian American composer Juhi Bansal. Hailed as a “composer to watch” by The Washington Post and “radiant and transcendent” by New Classic LA, Bansal explores the themes of cultural and musical diversity and the environment in her works.

This program is made possible by generous gifts from Anonymous. The commissioning of the World Premiere by Juhi Bansal is made possible by a gift to The Thirteen’s Building for Tomorrow fund by J. Penny Clark.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

What creates identity? What inspires belonging? In this program, The Thirteen explores themes of identity and kinship through compositions by American composers from the end of the second World War through today. In so doing, we hope to suggest the beginnings of an inclusive, diverse, and ever-expanding New American Songbook.

 We begin with Aaron Copland’s In the Beginning, a seminal work by the composer most commonly credited with establishing an ‘American’ sound. But in this towering and difficult-to-classify work, Copland turns to origins and beginnings. Next we perform Ted Hearne’s Privilege (2009), a collection of five short pieces that address socio-economic inequality and conclude with a tribute to the power of music to fight oppression. The program culminates in the premiere of a new work by Indian American composer Juhi Bansal. Hailed as a “composer to watch” by The Washington Post and “radiant and transcendent” by New Classic LA, Bansal explores the themes of cultural and musical diversity and the environment in her works.

This program is made possible by generous gifts from Anonymous. The commissioning of the World Premiere by Juhi Bansal is made possible by a gift to The Thirteen’s Building for Tomorrow fund by J. Penny Clark.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

Before Bach wrote his end-of-life B Minor Mass, he summoned his youthful vigor to compose four exquisite masses in Latin. While Bach’s cantatas were often performed only once and were the result of quick compositional work, his Masses represent his finest music that he would have returned to frequently. They exhibit all of the mastery of the late B Minor Mass in the form of smaller and digestible delights, written by a composer at a highpoint of his career. The Thirteen performs two of his most exciting early masses, paired with some of his finest instrumental writing.

 A choir of twelve soloists joins violinist and concertmaster Adriane Post and an orchestra of period instrumentalists, featuring The Thirteen’s “outstanding” natural horn and “charming” oboes (Washington Classical Review).

This program is made possible by generous gifts from Charles Cerf & Cindy Dunbar and Sherman & Maureen Katz.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

Before Bach wrote his end-of-life B Minor Mass, he summoned his youthful vigor to compose four exquisite masses in Latin. While Bach’s cantatas were often performed only once and were the result of quick compositional work, his Masses represent his finest music that he would have returned to frequently. They exhibit all of the mastery of the late B Minor Mass in the form of smaller and digestible delights, written by a composer at a highpoint of his career. The Thirteen performs two of his most exciting early masses, paired with some of his finest instrumental writing.

 A choir of twelve soloists joins violinist and concertmaster Adriane Post and an orchestra of period instrumentalists, featuring The Thirteen’s “outstanding” natural horn and “charming” oboes (Washington Classical Review).

This program is made possible by generous gifts from Charles Cerf & Cindy Dunbar and Sherman & Maureen Katz.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

Before Bach wrote his end-of-life B Minor Mass, he summoned his youthful vigor to compose four exquisite masses in Latin. While Bach’s cantatas were often performed only once and were the result of quick compositional work, his Masses represent his finest music that he would have returned to frequently. They exhibit all of the mastery of the late B Minor Mass in the form of smaller and digestible delights, written by a composer at a highpoint of his career. The Thirteen performs two of his most exciting early masses, paired with some of his finest instrumental writing.

 A choir of twelve soloists joins violinist and concertmaster Adriane Post and an orchestra of period instrumentalists, featuring The Thirteen’s “outstanding” natural horn and “charming” oboes (Washington Classical Review).

This program is made possible by generous gifts from Charles Cerf & Cindy Dunbar and Sherman & Maureen Katz.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

David Lang | the little match girl passion | Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music

Gabriel Jackson | To the Field of Stars | Washington, D.C. Premiere

The Thirteen returns to the mystical Camino de Santiago de Compostela – Camino of St. James of the Field of Stars – with two works that explore transfiguration: David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning the little match girl passion and Gabriel Jackson’s 2011 To the Field of Stars.

 Described as “poignant” and “consoling” (The New York Times), the little match girl passion is a moving setting of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, set through the filter of a Bach Passion, elevating the protagonist’s suffering, death, and transfiguration in song.

 Written for choir, cello, and percussion, To the Field of Stars is a cosmic journey of self-discovery, setting a wide range of texts, from the 12th century Codex Calixtinus to the poetry of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Gentle yet triumphant, imaginative yet familiar, To the Field of Stars, explores our deepest questions and the divide between the earthly and divine.

 Paired with projected images of the “Field of Stars” by Italian Projection Designer Camilla Tassi, The Thirteen’s performances promise to be replete with beauty and wonder.

This program is made possible by a generous gift from Clinton & Missy Kelly.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

David Lang | the little match girl passion | Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music

Gabriel Jackson | To the Field of Stars | Washington, D.C. Premiere

The Thirteen returns to the mystical Camino de Santiago de Compostela – Camino of St. James of the Field of Stars – with two works that explore transfiguration: David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning the little match girl passion and Gabriel Jackson’s 2011 To the Field of Stars.

 Described as “poignant” and “consoling” (The New York Times), the little match girl passion is a moving setting of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, set through the filter of a Bach Passion, elevating the protagonist’s suffering, death, and transfiguration in song.

 Written for choir, cello, and percussion, To the Field of Stars is a cosmic journey of self-discovery, setting a wide range of texts, from the 12th century Codex Calixtinus to the poetry of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Gentle yet triumphant, imaginative yet familiar, To the Field of Stars, explores our deepest questions and the divide between the earthly and divine.

 Paired with projected images of the “Field of Stars” by Italian Projection Designer Camilla Tassi, The Thirteen’s performances promise to be replete with beauty and wonder.

This program is made possible by a generous gift from Clinton & Missy Kelly.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

David Lang | the little match girl passion | Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Music

Gabriel Jackson | To the Field of Stars | Washington, D.C. Premiere

The Thirteen returns to the mystical Camino de Santiago de Compostela – Camino of St. James of the Field of Stars – with two works that explore transfiguration: David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning the little match girl passion and Gabriel Jackson’s 2011 To the Field of Stars.

 Described as “poignant” and “consoling” (The New York Times), the little match girl passion is a moving setting of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale, set through the filter of a Bach Passion, elevating the protagonist’s suffering, death, and transfiguration in song.

 Written for choir, cello, and percussion, To the Field of Stars is a cosmic journey of self-discovery, setting a wide range of texts, from the 12th century Codex Calixtinus to the poetry of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. Gentle yet triumphant, imaginative yet familiar, To the Field of Stars, explores our deepest questions and the divide between the earthly and divine.

 Paired with projected images of the “Field of Stars” by Italian Projection Designer Camilla Tassi, The Thirteen’s performances promise to be replete with beauty and wonder.

This program is made possible by a generous gift from Clinton & Missy Kelly.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

Due to its ubiquity, Handel’s Messiah is a piece that we all think we know. And yet, at each return, the work still surprises through the overwhelming power and beautify of its music and the Christmas story.

The Thirteen performs all three parts of Messiah –including the iconic “Hallelujah Chorus” – telling the greatest story ever told in song. Featuring our orchestra of the nation’s finest period instrumentalists and our exquisite choir, whose members —center-stage soloists all—will sing Messiah’s iconic solos and duets, “this music, can seem to stop time when performed like this” (Washington Classical Review).

This program is made possible by generous gifts from Sara Fein and Walter Hill & Cheryl Naulty.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

Due to its ubiquity, Handel’s Messiah is a piece that we all think we know. And yet, at each return, the work still surprises through the overwhelming power and beautify of its music and the Christmas story.

The Thirteen performs all three parts of Messiah –including the iconic “Hallelujah Chorus” – telling the greatest story ever told in song. Featuring our orchestra of the nation’s finest period instrumentalists and our exquisite choir, whose members —center-stage soloists all—will sing Messiah’s iconic solos and duets, “this music, can seem to stop time when performed like this” (Washington Classical Review).

This program is made possible by generous gifts from Sara Fein and Walter Hill & Cheryl Naulty.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

Bach’s appointment in 1723 as Thomaskantor in Leipzig heralded a period of intense creative energy for the composer. Over the next four years, Bach would use his considerable talents to write works for choir that reach levels of virtuosity, expression, and jubilation unmatched by any other composer of the German Baroque. The Motets, as a collection, are the lodestar of Baroque choral polyphony and were likely performed repeatedly until Bach’s death in 1750. Approachable and deeply moving, the Motets are among the few Bach works that did not fall out of fashion after the composer’s death. In a tour-de-force performance, The Thirteen’s musicians, “exquisite in every way” (Gramophone) perform all of Bach’s motets in concert.

This program is made possible by a generous gift from J. Penny Clark.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

This performance is co-presented with Dumbarton Concerts.

Bach’s appointment in 1723 as Thomaskantor in Leipzig heralded a period of intense creative energy for the composer. Over the next four years, Bach would use his considerable talents to write works for choir that reach levels of virtuosity, expression, and jubilation unmatched by any other composer of the German Baroque. The Motets, as a collection, are the lodestar of Baroque choral polyphony and were likely performed repeatedly until Bach’s death in 1750. Approachable and deeply moving, the Motets are among the few Bach works that did not fall out of fashion after the composer’s death. In a tour-de-force performance, The Thirteen’s musicians, “exquisite in every way” (Gramophone) perform all of Bach’s motets in concert.

This program is made possible by a generous gift from J. Penny Clark.

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.

Bach’s appointment in 1723 as Thomaskantor in Leipzig heralded a period of intense creative energy for the composer. Over the next four years, Bach would use his considerable talents to write works for choir that reach levels of virtuosity, expression, and jubilation unmatched by any other composer of the German Baroque. The Motets, as a collection, are the lodestar of Baroque choral polyphony and were likely performed repeatedly until Bach’s death in 1750. Approachable and deeply moving, the Motets are among the few Bach works that did not fall out of fashion after the composer’s death. In a tour-de-force performance, The Thirteen’s musicians, “exquisite in every way” (Gramophone) perform all of Bach’s motets in concert.

This program is made possibly by a generous gift by J. Penny Clark

INDIVIDUAL TICKETS
(on sale 09/01/2024)

Preferred Seating: $65 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
General Admission: $45 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Student Tickets with Current Student ID: $15 ($10 more if purchased at the door)
Non-resident virtual-only ticket: $40

All in-person tickets include access to the virtual performance On Demand.