Audiences love to hear any one of Bach’s iconic motets in a live performance, but to hear all of them in one evening is a revelation. Bach’s vocal-ensemble writing is legendary among singers, artfully bringing to life the rhetorical substance of his musical and theological convictions. A valuable part of Bach’s oeuvre, the motets together capture the full range of connection between text, music, and faith.

Each season, the singers of the Washington Bach Consort present a concert exploring sacred vocal polyphony of the Renaissance and Baroque. Arguably among the finest composers of the high Renaissance, William Byrd (c.1540–1623) left behind a repertory richly varied in its contrapuntal style, with a sense of individuality not often encountered among his counterparts in continental Europe. The program will be performed in observance of the 400th anniversary of the composer’s death. Much of Byrd’s Latin sacred music would have been prohibited in parishes of Elizabethan Protestant England. Like many Roman Catholics, Byrd had to exercise caution when it came to speaking—or composing—his religious views.

Each season, the singers of the Washington Bach Consort present a concert exploring sacred vocal polyphony of the Renaissance and Baroque. Arguably among the finest composers of the high Renaissance, William Byrd (c.1540–1623) left behind a repertory richly varied in its contrapuntal style, with a sense of individuality not often encountered among his counterparts in continental Europe. The program will be performed in observance of the 400th anniversary of the composer’s death. Much of Byrd’s Latin sacred music would have been prohibited in parishes of Elizabethan Protestant England. Like many Roman Catholics, Byrd had to exercise caution when it came to speaking—or composing—his religious views.

Join the Alma College Choir and Orchestra (plus alumni!!) for a performance of Handel’s Messiah! Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto soloist

Few works evoke the dramatic intensity and impact of Bach’s Johannes-Passion, highlighting the extremes of human emotion and experience. Bach reveals his profound spirituality through powerful musical depictions of the passion drama, offering the listener some of the greatest moments to be found in his entire output. Bach brings the themes of betrayal, sacrifice, and redemption straight to the heart, placing the listener at the center of the drama. The Washington Bach Consort welcomes “impressive tenor” (The New York Times) Gene Stenger, who narrates the story in the role of the “Evangelist.”

Res Facta, led by Ryan James Brandau, is a project-based vocal ensemble comprised of fourteen of New York, Chicago, and Washington D.C.’s finest consort singers. The program offers a rich and diverse survey of William Byrd’s body of work for choral ensemble. It combines motets, anthems, mass movements, and songs curated from volumes published across five decades highlighting the breadth and impact of Byrd’s consummate skill. At the core of the program stands a selection of Byrd’s large-scale motets from the 1589 and 1591 Cantiones Sacrae collections. Exquisitely crafted, they present the composer at the height of his expressive and rhetorical power from the aching poignancy of Ne Irascaris, Domine and Tribulationes Civitatum, to the pathos of Miserere Mei and jubilance of Haec Dies. Their intensity juxtaposes the buoyant joy of English anthems Sing We Merrily and Blow Up the Trumpet, the tender intimacy of movements from the Mass for Four Voices and Mass for Five Voices, and the cheeky pithiness of miniatures from the 1588 and 1611 song collections. Join us for a moving, beautiful experience celebrating one of the greatest contributors to the choral repertoire.

Join the Virginia Chamber Orchestra and the Alexandria Chorale for a performance of Saint-Saens’ Christmas Oratorio.

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, Mezzo-Soprano soloist

A cherished tradition of the Washington Bach Consort, the holiday season simply isn’t complete without experiencing Christmas Oratorio live at Strathmore! Praised by The Washington Post, this “splendid” and “joyful” performance of Bach’s timeless telling of the Nativity is performed by an all-star cast

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto soloist

Join Ensemble Altera for a boldly reimagined chamber version of a timeless classic, Handel's Messiah, live in concert in Providence, RI. Don't miss your chance to experience this groundbreaking concert, featuring some of the finest period instrumentalists and singers in the country. Kick off your holiday season with this festive favorite and hear the Messiah as you never have before, crackling with new energy and clarity. Just 25 musicians bring this masterpiece to life with Ensemble Altera's customary passion and invention.

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto soloist/chorus

Josquin Ave Maria, virgo serena Palestrina Missa brevis
Victoria and Byrd O magnum mysterium Guerrero and Palestrina Alma Redemptoris Mater Gibbons First Service Magnificat and Nunc dimittis Peñalosa and Byrd Ave verum corpus Croce and Victoria O vos omnes Byrd and Palestrina Hodie Christus natus est * From Josquin's exquisite Ave Maria, the first piece in Petrucci's first printed
edition of Renaissance music, to Byrd's brilliant Hodie Christus natus est, every work on this program is a deservedly famous masterpiece.

• Palestrina's serene Missa brevis is one of the best-known Masses ever composed. ​
• Victoria's and Byrd's settings of O magnum mysterium, and Victoria's and Croce's ​ settings of O vos omnes, stand at the head of all settings of their texts.

Henry Purcell Hail! Bright Cecilia (Ode on St. Cecilia’s Day 1692), Z. 328 My heart is inditing, Z. 30 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem, Z. 46 O sing unto the Lord, Z. 44

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, chorus

MASQUE: VENUS & ADONIS ODE: YE SONS OF PHOEBUS John Blow

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FROM THE FAIRY QUEEN Henry Purcell

Exploring the music and relationship of John Blow to Henry Purcell, two of England’s most influential composers of the seventeenth century.

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, Cupid/chorus

MASQUE: VENUS & ADONIS ODE: YE SONS OF PHOEBUS John Blow

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FROM THE FAIRY QUEEN Henry Purcell

Exploring the music and relationship of John Blow to Henry Purcell, two of England’s most influential composers of the seventeenth century.

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, Cupid/chorus

The sensuous allure of the East and the structure of the West. They met in Venice in 1610 – and the splendor resounded. Jeannette Sorrell leads chorus, strings, brass, lutes, and soloists in Monteverdi’s sumptuous masterpiece.

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto soloist/chorus

The sensuous allure of the East and the structure of the West. They met in Venice in 1610 – and the splendor resounded. Jeannette Sorrell leads chorus, strings, brass, lutes, and soloists in Monteverdi’s sumptuous masterpiece.

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto soloist/chorus

The sensuous allure of the East and the structure of the West. They met in Venice in 1610 – and the splendor resounded. Jeannette Sorrell leads chorus, strings, brass, lutes, and soloists in Monteverdi’s sumptuous masterpiece.

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto soloist/chorus

The sensuous allure of the East and the structure of the West. They met in Venice in 1610 – and the splendor resounded. Jeannette Sorrell leads chorus, strings, brass, lutes, and soloists in Monteverdi’s sumptuous masterpiece.

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto soloist/chorus

The sensuous allure of the East and the structure of the West. They met in Venice in 1610 – and the splendor resounded. Jeannette Sorrell leads chorus, strings, brass, lutes, and soloists in Monteverdi’s sumptuous masterpiece.

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto soloist/chorus

St. Matthew Passion The Pinnacle of Passion Johann Sebastian Bach- St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244

Kristen Dubenion-Smith, alto soloist