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Cantori New York celebrates Hailstork’s 85th birthday
with concerts on March 13 and 14
Posted 2/25/2026
Distinguished African-American composer Adolphus Hailstork has been composing since he was a child growing up in Albany, NY. Now approaching his 85th birthday, he's more prolific than ever -- he wakes up with new music in mind almost every day.
Award-winning chamber ensemble Cantori New York celebrates Hailstork's long legacy with a special tribute concert, featuring two world premieres: a new chamber orchestration of his signature oratorio Crispus Attucks and the brand new Four Psalms. We also present the reprise of Friends Eternal, a Cantori commission premiered in March 2025. A long-time member of Cantori's advisory board, Hailstork is a friend and frequent artistic collaborator of the ensemble.
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- On March 13 and 14, Cantori New York celebrates the 85th birthday of noted African-American composer Adolphus Hailstork, who has served on Cantori’s Advisory Board for 25 years. This all-Hailstork tribute concert will feature two world premieres: a new chamber orchestration of his signature oratorio Crispus Attucks, the brand new Four Psalms and a revisit of Friends Eternal, which Cantori New York premiered a year ago. (2026-1-27)
- Harold Rosenbaum hosts Sounds Choral on WWFM on Sunday, October 5 at 2 PM (rebroadcast Tuesday, October 7 at 3 PM). The show will focus on sublime contemporary choral music that Harold has conducted and recorded over the decades. For details, visit www.wwfm.org/show/sounds-choral. (2025-9-30)
- West Side Rag has an article about auditioning for and singing with the Central City Chorus. (2025-9-10)
- The Long Island Community Chorus is the new name for the group formerly known as the Rockville Centre Choral Society. (2025-8-21)
- Chorus life is the backdrop for Angels’ Blood: Murder in the Chorus, the debut novel from Roberta Mantell, the pen name of Roberta Hershenson, who covered arts and culture for The New York Times as an independent writer and photographer for more than two decades and sang with the Oratorio Society of New York and The Cecilia Chorus of New York for more than twenty-five years. For details about the novel -- a deep dive into a fictional chorus dealing with two simultaneous mysteries: the murder of a young soprano after a concert and a disputed new 1899 Requiem discovered in the conductor's home -- visit robertamantell.com/angels-blood-murder-in-the-chorus/. (2025-7-12)
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