A Mass to Be Reckoned With

Soundcheck | May 3, 2010

At the behest of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Leonard Bernstein composed his Mass for the 1971 opening of Washington's Kennedy Center. Much to the chagrin of his critics (Roman Catholics in particular), Bernstein incorporated musical styles as varied as gospel, classical, jazz, and rock into his sprawling religious work. Tonight, the Mass gets its first New York performance in 28 years, and musician Jamie Bernstein Thomas visits to discuss how her father's fascination with Catholic liturgy and pageantry inspired his writing. Plus, clarinetist, vocalist, and composer Derek Bermel talks about how a recent stay in Bulgaria informed his latest composition, which the Westchester Philharmonic will premiere this week.
More than any other area orchestra, the Westchester Philharmonic has based its performance heritage on the performing and promoting of contemporary classical music.
More about the Westchester Philharmonic

Multiple-award winning composer Derek Bermel is also the music director of TONK, a Dutch-American ensemble that tackles poetry, music, visual arts, and dance.
More about Derek Bermel

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