Vocalist

Driven by a “passion for musical discovery” and an “open-hearted spirit of camaraderie,” The Knights bring fresh excitement and insight to every performance. Tonight, conducted by Eric Jacobsen, they traverse a vast soundscape of American music as part of Carnegie Hall’s United in Sound: America at 250 festival. The program features Copland’s Pulitzer Prize–winning, folk-infused masterpiece: the Appalachian Spring Suite, plus the New York premiere of a concerto written by Gabriel Kahane for clarinetist extraordinaire Anthony McGill, part of the ensemble’s multi-year Rhapsody project.

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The Knights at Carnegie Hall with Anthony McGill

Carnegie Hall

The Knights is a self-described “fellowship of adventurous musicians” known for transforming the orchestral concert experience. In this concert, led by Artistic Director and violinist Colin Jacobsen, they perform a time-tested masterpiece—Dvořák’s ever-popular Serenade for Strings—alongside the New York City premiere of Reena Esmail’s The History of Red, a stirring work for chamber orchestra and soprano, inspired in part by Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. The program also highlights the extraordinary compositional talents of The Knights’ own members, with a world premiere by violinist and vocalist Christina Courtin and a piece written collaboratively by Ms. Courtin with flutist and vocalist Alex Sopp.

The Knights at Carnegie Hall

The Knights is a self-described “fellowship of adventurous musicians” known for transforming the orchestral concert experience. In this program led by Artistic Director and violinist Colin Jacobsen, the ensemble performs a time-tested masterpiece—Dvořák’s ever-popular Serenade for Strings—alongside the New York premiere of Reena Esmail’s The History of Red, a stirring work for chamber orchestra and soprano partly inspired by Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915. The program also highlights the extraordinary compositional talents of The Knights’ own members, with a world premiere by violinist and vocalist Christina Courtin, and a piece written collaboratively by Courtin with flutist and vocalist Alex Sopp.

The Knights

**Event Description:**

**Title:** Magdalene - A Chamber Opera in Thirteen Movements

**Presented by:** Beth Morrison Projects, Danielle Birrittella, Zoe Aja Moore, and Marie Howe at REDCAT

**Dates:** June 4-5, 7-8

**Time:** 8 PM (TUE-WED, FRI-SAT)

**Duration:** Approx. 75 minutes, no intermission

**Location:** REDCAT, USA

**Ticket Price:** $50

**Genres:** Music, Theater

**Season:** Winter/Spring 2024

**About the Event:**

"Magdalene" is a transformative chamber opera that invites audiences into the profound interior world of Mary Magdalene, exploring themes of desire, transformation, and the sacred versus the sexual. This unique opera, set to Marie Howe’s evocative "Magdalene" poems, is a collaborative masterpiece scored by fourteen women composers: Leila Adu, Ruby Kato Attwood, Danielle Birrittella, Sheena Birrittella, Christina Courtin, Gabrielle Herbst, Molly Joyce, Emma O’Halloran, Tanner Porter, Ellen Reid, Kamala Sankaram, Bergrún Snæbjörnsdóttir, Annika Socolofsky, and Gyða Valtýsdóttir. Through a series of vivid scenes—from wandering through a hotel to lighting birthday candles and making love in the ocean—Magdalene seeks transcendence in the mundane, striving to become the subject of her own story.

This West Coast Premiere is a wild meditation on transformation and desire, enlarging the figure of Mary Magdalene to cross time and space, appearing as a woman alive now, who navigates the unyielding split between the sacred and the sexual.

**Special Features:**

- **Post-Show Talks:** Engage with the cast and creative team on June 5, 7, and 8, offering deeper insights into the production.
- **Content Advisory:** Please note that "Magdalene" contains nudity and mature content, catering to an adult audience.

**About the Artists:**

"Magdalene" is produced and co-presented by Beth Morrison Projects, a leading force in the creation and production of new opera-theatre and music theatre. The opera is commissioned and produced by PROTOTYPE Festival, a partnership between Beth Morrison Projects and HERE, and premiered at the PROTOTYPE Festival 2020. The production has received funding from OPERA America’s Opera Fund and support from the New York State Council on the Arts.

**Join Us:**

Don't miss this breathtaking opera that merges the contemporary with the timeless, offering a powerful narrative through the collective voice of an all-female composer team. Buy your tickets now for an unforgettable experience of "Magdalene" at REDCAT this Winter/Spring 2024 season.

Beth Morrison Projects, Danielle Birrittella, Zoe Aja Moore, and Marie Howe

Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Knights are a musically omnivorous chamber ensemble, a self-described “fellowship of adventurous musicians dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience.” In this program of Ravel, Weill and Brecht, Bob Dylan, Chico Buarque, and Du Yun, the orchestra—conducted by Eric Jacobsen—welcomes pipa virtuoso Wu Man, “one of the rare musicians who has changed the history of the instrument she plays” (The Boston Globe); and The Knights’ own multifaceted violinist and singer-songwriter Christina Courtin. To close the evening, special guest Magos Herrera—a versatile interpreter of jazz and Latin American music—joins the group for a new arrangement of Buarque’s powerful, Weill/Brecht–inspired “Geni e o Zepelim.” As part of Carnegie Hall’s Fall of the Weimar Republic festival, this program looks to the past and present through multiple layers of history and culture, in true “Knightsian” style.

Continuing a long-standing relationship with pipa legend Wu Man, this program will feature the world premiere performance of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Du Yun’s new work for pipa and orchestra and explore themes of cultural memory, transformation of old into new, and a sense of theatricality within both instrumental and vocal music.

The Knights with Wu Man at Carnegie Hall

The Knights celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with a bold new festival across iconic New York City parks and the historic Caramoor Center. In a three-part musical showcase, audiences will experience the multifaceted potential and power of American music—rooted in history, alive in the present, shaped by many voices, and brimming with possibility.

The Knights at Naumburg Orchestral Concerts

Central Park

Experience a vibrant celebration of the American sound as the boundary-breaking orchestral collective The Knights joins forces with visionary pianist Conrad Tao for an afternoon of fearless music-making. Led by Artistic Directors Eric and Colin Jacobson, the program anchors the spirit of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, featuring Tao’s acclaimed, "explosive" interpretation within a broader narrative of musical innovation. From the pastoral beauty of Copland’s Appalachian Spring Suite and Margaret Bonds’ soulful Troubled Water to contemporary rhapsodies by Jessie Montgomery and the ensemble's own Christina Courtin, this performance bridges the gap between classical tradition and modern energy.

The Knights & Conrad Tao

Venetian Theater at Caramoor

The Knights at Caramoor with Conrad Tao

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts

Violinist, producer, and 2024 MacArthur Fellow Johnny Gandelsman will perform a solo violin program of works from his This is America project at Caramoor, featuring the New York premiere of a Caramoor commission by Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer Tyshawn Sorey. Experience this reflection of the complex times we are living in through these intimate musical portraits of joy, uncertainty, isolation, and love. Don’t miss this profound, emotional journey.

Vocalist

Christina Courtin

Events

Upcoming events

Jun 23, 2026

The Knights at Naumburg Orchestral Concerts · The Knights

Jun 28, 2026

The Knights & Conrad Tao · Caramoor

Jun 28, 2026

The Knights at Caramoor with Conrad Tao · The Knights

Jul 5, 2026

Johnny Gandelsman: This is America · Caramoor

Past events

Apr 9, 2026

The Knights at Carnegie Hall with Anthony McGill · The Knights

May 15, 2025

The Knights at Carnegie Hall · The Knights

Future and recently performed repertoire

Violin in Rhapsody No. 2 by Montgomery

Caramoor

Violin in rhapsody on being giant proof by Courtin

The Knights

About

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