Empire City Men's Chorus

Depending on where they live, it can be dangerous for men to openly express tenderness with one another. Still, men have found ways to cultivate tenderness in their interactions over centuries. This tenderness transcends mere sexuality, even rejecting the common assumption that intimacy and sex must go hand-in-hand.

This concert will showcase men's universal capacities for kindness and connection. The program features world premiere choral works that capture heartfelt expressions of love and support between men in various contexts — a son and father, secret lovers defying oppression, soldiers reaching out in the midst of war, and a trans man embraced by his family. These poignant stories will be brought to life through the powerful medium and warm, embracing sound of the Empire City Men's Chorus.

Join us in celebrating the depth of male-to-male tenderness.

Love Letters

Church of the Holy Apostles

Drawing inspiration from the Age of Absolutism when Baroque masters like Bach navigated aristocratic control, this bold program features a world premiere neo-Baroque setting by composer Evan Fein of Francisco de Quevedo's 17th-century satirical poem "Poderoso Caballero es Don Dinero"—a fierce critique of wealth's corrupting power that speaks directly to our current moment. Vince Peterson's own Tenor/Bass arrangements of portions of Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Handel's "Messiah" join music by Charpentier and Mendelssohn, alongside powerful contemporary works: Joan Szymko's exhilarating "A Winter Ride," Edwin Willmington's provocative "Refugee King" (reimagining the Holy Family as displaced refugees), Brian Tate's theatrical "Run Mary Run," and Dan Forrest's transcendent setting of civil rights leader Howard Thurman's "The Work of Christmas."

Performed with full Baroque orchestra and harpsichord continuo, ABSOLUTE JOY transforms historical oppression into contemporary resistance—a declaration that no corrupt leader can extinguish the human spirit's capacity for transcendent joy.

Absolute Joy