An evening with Nico Muhly

Nico Muhly (b. 1981) is one of the greatest American composers of our time, having been commissioned by The Metropolitan Opera and many of the world’s leading orchestras.

In addition to these large-scale orchestral and opera works, Muhly composes extensively for liturgical forces — drawing upon his childhood experience as a chorister in the Episcopal Church as guide and inspiration.

For this special program, Muhly’s compositions for choir and organ will be performed in tandem with masterpieces which influence and inform his own work — pieces by William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, Herbert Howells, Igor Stravinsky, and John Rutter included.

Tom Hall, host of WYPR’s Midday, moderates an illuminating conversation with Nico Muhly as part of this special concert event.

Don’t miss your chance to hear this wonderful and engaging music, expertly sung by The Emmanuel Choir and accompanied by Thomas Sheehan, organist of Washington National Cathedral.

• The Emmanuel Choir
• Nico Muhly, composer
• Tom Hall, moderator
• Thomas Sheehan, organist
• Christian Lane, director

About Tickets

A ticket is required of all attendees, and may be obtained prior to the concert or at the door beginning 30 minutes prior to the performance.

Emmanuel Church is committed to ensuring all persons have access to its space and its musical offerings, regardless of income and ability to pay. Therefore, a limited number of Free Rush Tickets will be made available, online only, beginning 24 hours in advance of a concert's start time.

Tickets are transferable, but not refundable. If your plans change and you can no longer attend a performance, we encourage you to transfer your tickets to a friend. To do so, open your ticket in Eventbrite and edit the ticket's name and email address.

We thank Emmanuel's Friends of Music for their ongoing and significant support of programming at Emmanuel. If you are intersted in becoming a Friend of Music, please click here.

Music at Emmanuel is grateful to the Maryland State Arts Council and the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artist Portfolios, www.BakerArtist.org, for their support of the 2023–2024 season.

About the choir

The Emmanuel Choir is Maryland's premier professional liturgical choral ensemble.

A 16-voice fully-professional mixed-voice ensemble, its 12-member core is augmented by four Choral Scholars, each a local young artist. Rooted in the great and expansive choral traditions of the Anglican (Episcopal) Church, the Emmanuel Choir’s repertoire spans the centuries — from Italian Renaissance to English Romantic; from plainsong to the 21st century — and includes regular world-premiere performances of new music composed for the church of today and tomorrow. The choir is directed by Christian Lane.

Parking and Transportation

Paid parking is available in a lot directly adjacent to Emmanuel Church, with entrances on both N Charles and W Read Streets. More information about rates and location may be found here.

Numerous options for metered street parking, free street parking, and alternative parking lots may be found on the city blocks surrounding Emmanuel's building at 811 Cathedral Street.

The church is also served by local bus routes on both Cathedral and N Charles Streets, as well as the Charm City Circulator (Purple Route) and Baltimore LiteRail Link (Mt Vernon/Centre St Stop).

About the venue

Emmanuel Episcopal Church is located in the heart of Baltimore's historic Mt. Vernon neighborhood. Its tremendous stone tower at the corner of Cathedral and W. Read Streets serves as a beacon in this community, and the nave's warm acoustic and gentle ambiance contribute to creating an ideal environment in which to hear choral and chamber music.

In 2022, the church building underwent a $3.2M transformation to make each space in its physical plant fully accessible to all; included in this project was an elevator, increased ramp access, and new restroom facilities.