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About ORATORIO SOCIETY OF NEW YORK

Location:

450 Lexington Avenue, #90, NEW YORK, NY 10163, US

Mission Statement

OSNY brings together a diverse community of avocational singers who share a passion for choral music. Our mission is to contribute to the cultural fabric of New York City through public performance of both classic and contemporary choral works at the highest musical standards. We are committed to the musical development of members, audiences and artists.

Description

The Oratorio Society of New York is one of the oldest musical organizations in the United States and has become New York City’s standard for grand choral performance. Founded in 1873 by Leopold Damrosch, the Society has played an integral role in the musical life of the city. In its early years, the Society established a fund to finance the building of a new concert hall, a cause taken up in earnest by the Society’s fifth president, Andrew Carnegie. In 1891, and under the direction of Pyotr Tchaikovsky, the Society helped inaugurate this new Music Hall, which would be renamed Carnegie Hall several years later.

The Society continues to perform several times each season at Carnegie Hall. Its annual performances of Handel’s Messiah, a New York holiday tradition unbroken since 1874, have become a favorite with New York audiences. Our December 2024 performance will mark our milestone 150th consecutive holiday Messiah. The Society is also committed to commissioning and championing new works, including most recently three pieces by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec and Grammy Award-winning librettist Mark Campbell: Sanctuary Road which was nominated for a 2021 Grammy Award, A Nation of Others, which saw its premiere in November 2022, and All Shall Rise, focusing on voting rights in the U.S., to be premiered in May 2025.