The Cathedral is pleased to offer complimentary seating, in addition to General Admission and Reserved tickets. Complimentary seating will be available the evening of the performance on a first-come basis. Doors for the performance will open at 5:30 pm.

Founded by Leonard Bernstein in 1984, the annual New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace is a signature Cathedral event, gathering old friends and new for more than a quarter of a century. Kent Tritle, Director of Cathedral Music, begins this year’s concert with selections from Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 6 in D Major. Following a seasonal reflection from Emmy award winning journalist and news anchor, Harry Smith, the performance continues with settings of three spirituals by African-American composers, Adolphus Hailstork, William Dawson, and Moses Hogan. As part of this evening’s concert, the Cathedral is pleased to present a new work by composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell, “Light Shall Lift Us,” a musical response to the tragedy that occurred at Pulse nightclub in Orlando on June 12, 2016: the largest mass shooting in U.S. history. The inspirational work was premiered in “One Voice Orlando,” a benefit concert Campbell helped organize with Opera Orlando.

This year’s Concert for Peace features special guests Judy Collins, soprano Jamet Pittman, and Jason Robert Brown, with Brown performing his “To Build A Home,” the opening number, portraying an immigrant’s arrival to the heartland of the USA, from the musical The Bridges of Madison County. Brown will be joined by Elizabeth Stanley, who starred in the musical’s national tour. The concert will also feature the world premiere of a choral piece, “Come, Lord, And Tarry Not,” from a new oratorio by composer Georgia Stitt.

The optimism of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Gloria/Et in terra pax from the monumental Mass in B Minor, and the beloved gospel song “This Little Light of Mine,” led by soloist Jamet Pittman, herald the coming of the new year. The celebration culminates with the light of thousands of candles held aloft by audience members.

SOLOISTS
Jamet Pittman, soprano
Jason Robert Brown
Elizabeth Stanley

PROGRAM
Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 6 in D major, "Le Matin"

Johann Sebastian Bach
From the Mass in B Minor:
Gloria/et in terra pax
Laudamus te
Gratias agimus tibi
Dona nobis pacem

Adolphus Hailstork
Motherless Child

William Dawson
Balm in Gilead

Moses Hogan
Walk together, Children

Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell
Light Shall Lift Us

Jason Robert Brown
Hope
To Build A Home

Georgia Stitt
Come, Lord, and Tarry Not

Traditional Spiritual
This little light of mine

Free seating is available the evening of the performance on a first-come basis. Reserved tickets for the New Year's Eve Concert for Peace may be purchased in advance by clicking the link below.