The Crossing @ Christmas
Saint Peter's Church619 Lexington Avenue, New York 10022
The Crossing brings its annual Christmas concert to Saint Peter’s Church for its only New York City appearance of the season. Conducted by Donald Nally, the Grammy-winning chamber choir performs David Lang’s the little match girl passion, Jacob Mühlrad’s Anim Zemirot, and a world premiere by Gavin Bryars, setting poems by Fernando Pessoa. The new Bryars work is described as a gift from the composer to the choir, and the program is presented as part of The Jeffrey Dinsmore Memorial Concerts.
Philadelphia-based The Crossing is a professional chamber choir led by Nally and devoted to creating and recording new music that broadens ways of writing, singing, and listening to choral music. Named Musical America’s 2024 Ensemble of the Year, it has won four Grammys, earned the American Composers Forum’s 2017 Champion of New Music honor, and presented nearly 180 commissioned world premieres. Its commission of Ted Hearne’s Sound from The Bench was a 2018 Pulitzer Prize finalist. Recent work has included Julia Wolfe’s Fire in My Mouth with the New York Philharmonic, Tyondai Braxton’s manga-based choral symphony Telekinesis, and Robert Maggio’s theatrical Aniara with the Netherlands’ Klockriketeatern. The New York Times has called the group “America’s most astonishing choir.”
Saint Peter's Church offers a unique setting where jazz music and spiritual history intertwine beneath the streets of Midtown Manhattan. The venue is a 178-seat space located in the church's lower level, featuring a recently restored Strayhorn piano that highlights its deep jazz roots. The room’s acoustics are carefully designed to support a range of performances, from intimate jazz sets to more expansive musical events, with a digital sound system enhancing every note. The audience can expect a focused listening experience in a space that balances reverence and artistic expression, often accompanied by a bar but no full restaurant. Shows are typically ticketed, and the environment encourages attentive appreciation rather than casual conversation, making for an evening where music and history resonate together.