As part of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine’s traditional holiday programming, the American Modern Opera Company will once again perform El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered with music by John Adams, musical arrangements by Christian Reif, libretto compilation by Peter Sellars, and concept by AMOC* member Julia Bullock. This is an eclectic retelling of the Nativity story celebrating Latin American poets and the voices of women. The reimagined piece will return for a one-night-only engagement, December 19 at 7:30pm at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered will be conducted by Christian Reif, who created the new arrangement and premiered the initial, distilled arrangement as part of Julia Bullock’s residency at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where The New York Times called it “intimate, affecting and quietly rich with activism.”
“When devising this distilled rendering of El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered, it was always with the hopeful intention to bring this music and poetry to as many people as possible. What a gorgeous opportunity to share the magnificence and magic of El Niño with more communities and individuals,” said Bullock. “El Nino is one of my favorite pieces of music. It’s one of John Adams and Peter Sellars’ greatest collaborations.”
“The Cathedral has always seen art as human participation in the creative action of God. Our great building itself is a sign of how much we value the human search for beauty. John Adams’ El Niño is a contemporary example of art meeting faith. Art does not have to have a religious theme to be a window into God’s creative life, but it is a happy coincidence when the two so beautifully meet. We are thrilled that El Niño is a part of The Cathedral’s Christmas celebration and a part of how people across the city mark the feast,” said The Very Reverend Patrick Malloy, PhD, Dean of The Cathedral.
Performers include Julia Bullock, soprano; Rachael Wilson, mezzo soprano; Kyle Tingzon, countertenor; Davóne Tines, bass-baritone; The Choir of Trinity of Wall Street; and Christian Reif, conductor. For a complete list of performers, please visit stjohndivine.org.
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered will be performed on Thursday, December 19th at 7:30pm at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street), Manhattan. Tickets range from $5 – $150 with the suggested price being $35. Please help make this performance affordable to more people by choosing the price that you are able to pay. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit stjohndivine.org.
