GRAMMY-winning soprano and American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) member Julia Bullock’s El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered flips the script on the traditional Christmas Nativity story. With the groundbreaking music of John Adams, one of America’s most renowned composers, and libretto by Peter Sellers, it’s a bold and modern exploration of birth, resilience, and humanity. Performed by AMOC, the renowned Trinity Choir, AMOC member and bass-baritone Davóne Tines, and a cast of superstars, featuring mezzo-soprano Rachael Wilson, and countertenor Kyle Tingzon, this production embodies the essence of New York City and its people.
Presented for one-night only on December 19th at 7:30pm, 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.
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered will be performed at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street), Manhattan, on Thursday, December 19th at 7:30pm. 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.
The pipe organ has now been restored after more than five years of restoration.