Heaven Hell and Everything in Between: MasterVoices Triumphs with Sins and Grace
Some concert hall evenings linger in memory long after the final note fades. Tuesday at Alice Tully Hall was one of those rare nights when music transcended entertainment and became pure transformation. Conductor, Artistic Director, and Impresario Ted Sperling and MasterVoices conjured such magic with Sins and Grace, pairing a beloved requiem with a radiant world-premiere song cycle. The result was an experience at once exquisitely crafted, brilliantly performed, and deeply human. Simply put, a triumph.
From the very first downbeat, Sperling radiated a refined, luminous authority—an elegant confidence that let inner brilliance shimmer beneath outward poise. His leadership was more than direction; it was a living conversation, a vibrant exchange between conductor and ensemble that invited every musician and choral voice to discover not just the notes, but their spirit.
Justin Austin, Baritone. Courtesy justin-austin.com
Gabriel Fauré's Requiem: Elegance Incarnate
The evening opened with Gabriel Fauré's Requiem in D Minor, Op. 48, and from the onset, the hall was bathed in a sound of otherworldly tenderness. Sperling, speaking warmly about the performance, noted that the Fauré has been treasured by him since youth — a piece that, in his words, "takes a unique approach to the Requiem text, stressing the more heavenly aspects of the afterlife," with an original scoring for strings, horns, organ, and harp that lends it "a truly magical texture." Indeed, this is a requiem unlike any other: no thunder of divine judgment, no trembling flesh. Instead, Fauré presents a gentle, luminous passage toward eternal rest.
Matthew Lewis, organ with The MasterVoices Chorus and Orchestra of St. Luke's. MasterVoices presents Sins and Grace, conceived and conducted by Ted Sperling, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Monday, March 23, 2026. Credit Photo: Erin Baiano
The synergy between the MasterVoices Chorus, the pipe organ, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's was nothing short of sublime. Sperling’s inspired choice to spotlight Alice Tully Hall’s majestic, Swiss-crafted pipe organ placed its grandeur at the heart of the evening’s soundscape. Strings glowed with warmth and unity, while the chorus shaped every phrase with exquisite care—articulation, dynamics, and lyricism all in perfect balance. Each vocal section—soprano, alto, tenor, and bass—wove together seamlessly, honoring Fauré’s intricate design. The harp, gleaming at the stage’s edge, lent shimmer and drama, while the organ’s resonance enveloped the hall in regal splendor.
Unforgettable was the radiant violin obbligato in the Sanctus, performed by Emma Frucht—a single, soaring melody that seemed to hover above the chorus and orchestra. Frucht’s playing, singular in the Fauré repertoire, shimmered with lyrical tone, poise, and a touching vulnerability, capturing the movement’s ethereal spirit. The audience responded with hushed awe, marking one of the night’s most exquisite moments.
Soloists of Rare Distinction
If the evening had two magnetic poles, they were baritone Justin Austin and soprano Mikaela Bennett—each delivering performances of unwavering magnificence.
Soloists Mikaela Bennett, soprano, center, The MasterVoices Chorus and Orchestra of St. Luke's. MasterVoices presents Sins and Grace, conceived and conducted by Ted Sperling, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Monday, March 23, 2026. Credit Photo: Erin Baiano
Austin, the 2024 International Opera Awards Rising Star of the Year, commands a baritone of rare richness—shimmering in the depths, nuanced and expressive at every turn. His Libera Me in the Fauré was both dramatic and deeply felt, a prayer shaped by a voice of weight and passion. In the new cycle, he remained a force: alert, authoritative, and theatrically vibrant from start to finish.
Mikaela Bennett, Soprano. Photo by Jenny Anderson, Courtesy mikaela-bennett.com
Mikaela Bennett’s soprano was unforgettable: pure, effortlessly expressive, and glowing with warmth in the upper realms Fauré adored. Her Pie Jesu—the Requiem’s emotional core—floated with serene beauty, casting a hush over the hall. In the world premiere, she revealed remarkable theatrical insight, meeting every demand—tenderness, wit, gravitas, and blazing, righteous fury—with radiant artistry.
SEVEN: A Cycle of Sins — The World Premiere
Conception and Architecture
Then came the mischief—and what delicious mischief it was. Commissioned by MasterVoices and envisioned by Sperling as a modern counterpart to Fauré’s seven movements, SEVEN: A Cycle of Sins made its world premiere before a delighted audience. With trademark wit, Sperling shared, "I thought it would be fun to explore the temptations that torment us daily." Gathering seven of the most in-demand composer-lyricist teams was a curatorial marvel, each entrusted with a single deadly sin to reimagine.
Sperling challenged each composing team to abandon the piano and instead unleash the full percussive and organ spectrum of Alice Tully Hall’s instrument and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. The result was a sonic landscape as diverse as humanity itself: drum set, timpani, marimba, bells, whistles, foot-stomping, and hand-clapping all found their place. The evening traversed Broadway sheen, operatic splendor, sacred echoes, and clever lyrical twists. If Fauré charted the realm of grace, SEVEN boldly mapped the terrain of desire—with wit, sophistication, and fearless flair.
Soloists Mikaela Bennett, soprano, left, and Justin Austin, baritone, right, with Ted Sperling, conductor, The MasterVoices Chorus and Orchestra of St. Luke's. MasterVoices presents Sins and Grace, conceived and conducted by Ted Sperling, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Monday, March 23, 2026. Credit Photo: Erin Baiano
The Seven Movements: A Guided Tour Through Temptation
I. Everything in the World — Gluttony (Will Aronson & Dolan Morgan)
Tony Award-winner Will Aronson, creator of Maybe Happy Ending, and lyricist Dolan Morgan launched the cycle with a piece that boldly declared the evening’s ambitions. Everything in the World burst forth with freshness and dramatic vitality, performed with such exuberance that the audience was swept along from the first notes. It was instantly clear this cycle would break the mold, and the delighted crowd leaned in, eager for more.
II. The Preacher — Vanity (Gregory Spears)
Opera composer Gregory Spears—hailed for his "astonishing beauty" and "singular compositional voice"—channeled those gifts into Vanity in The Preacher. Here, the pipe organ thundered with fire-and-brimstone drama, its mighty voice shaking the very air of Alice Tully Hall. Spears wove romanticism, minimalism, and early music into a tapestry that felt both modern and mesmerizing. The organ, unleashed at full power, delivered a sermon no one could resist.
III. Envy (Jason Robert Brown)
Tony Award-winner Jason Robert Brown—creator of Parade, The Last Five Years, and The Bridges of Madison County—infused Envy with his signature melodic brilliance and emotional candor. He unearthed the human core of the sin: longing, corrosive comparison, and the quiet heartbreak of ambition. The music pulsed with Brown’s urgency and psychological insight, brought to life by soloists, chorus, and orchestra in a performance of total conviction.
Justin Austin, baritone, with Ted Sperling, conductor, The MasterVoices Chorus and Orchestra of St. Luke's. MasterVoices presents Sins and Grace, conceived and conducted by Ted Sperling, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Monday, March 23, 2026. Credit Photo: Erin Baiano IV. Nine Results in This Book for Justice — Greed (Ted Hearne)
Two-time Pulitzer finalist Ted Hearne, fresh from a 2026 GRAMMY-nominated collaboration, approached Greed with theatrical flair and sonic ingenuity. Nine Results in This Book for Justice began with a supple solo violin, setting the stage for anticipation. Hearne's lyrics, echoing the rhythms of digital communication, used CAPITALS for emphasis and lowercase for introspection, creating a witty, psychologically astute interplay. The music conjured vivid scenes, and the lyrics, brimming with wit, drew laughter and sighs alike. This was among the cycle’s most inventive and satisfying moments.
V. Sloth (William C. Banfield & Michael R. Jackson)
Composer William C. Banfield and Pulitzer and Tony winner Michael R. Jackson—the visionary behind A Strange Loop—crafted one of the cycle’s most intellectually playful works. Cinematic and strikingly modern, Sloth proved that even inertia can be rendered with beauty and sly humor in the right hands. Mikaela Bennett’s crystalline soprano soon took center stage, while the orchestration dazzled—bells glimmered, marimba painted cinematic colors
VI. Lust (Michael Abels)
Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Abels—renowned for his genre-blurring scores for Get Out, Us, Nope, and the opera Omar—cast Lust in a slow, sultry swing, its triple meter utterly irresistible. This music stood apart: a sumptuous treat for the ears, swaying with effortless sensuality. The rhythm created its own universe—patient, inventive, and brimming with sly surprises, keeping listeners deliciously off-balance. Abels once again proved himself a singular compositional voice.
Soloists Mikaela Bennett, soprano, center, with Ted Sperling, conductor, The MasterVoices Chorus and Orchestra of St. Luke's. MasterVoices presents Sins and Grace, conceived and conducted by Ted Sperling, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Monday, March 23, 2026. Credit Photo: Erin Baiano VII. Wrath (Heather Christian)
Before the final movement, Maestro Sperling paused to thank the audience, describing them not as mere concertgoers but as a "gathering." It was a simple, heartfelt gesture—fitting, since what followed called for a community ready to feel deeply.
MacArthur "Genius" Heather Christian—Drama Desk and two-time Obie winner, and one of Variety’s "10 Storytellers to Watch"—brought the cycle to a thunderous, visceral finale with Wrath, unlike anything else heard that night. Driven by an urgent, off-kilter 5/4 meter, the movement demanded everything from its performers. Foot-stomping, hand-clapping, and whistles turned the MasterVoices Chorus into a living percussion section, raising the room’s collective pulse. At the heart of it all, Mikaela Bennett’s soprano blazed through Christian’s fierce vocal lines, igniting the audience to a standing ovation. The house was left shaken, exhilarated, and breathless—just as Wrath demands.
The MasterVoices Chorus, Orchestra of St. Luke's, conductor Ted Sperling, and soloists Mikaela Bennett, soprano, and Justin Austin, baritone. MasterVoices presents Sins and Grace, conceived and conducted by Ted Sperling, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, Monday, March 23, 2026. Credit Photo: Erin Baiano
A Theater for Heaven and Hell
No review of Alice Tully Hall is complete without acknowledging the hall as a living partner in performance. Since its celebrated 2009 renovation, the Adrienne Arsht Stage—with its warm wood and stunning acoustics—has become one of New York’s most enchanting soundscapes. Its Swiss-made pipe organ, a rare, fully integrated marvel, proved essential to the evening. Sperling’s decision to spotlight it was inspired: the organ anchored the grandest moments with majestic resonance and gave Spears, especially, the fire-and-brimstone power his music demanded.
This is programming that echoes the finest traditions of American choral and theatrical artistry. The spirit of Robert Shaw—who founded MasterVoices as one of the nation’s first interracial and interfaith choirs—endures in the group’s fearless creativity and commitment to accessibility. Pairing a timeless masterwork with a bold world premiere channels the visionary energy of Broadway’s greatest impresarios, a belief that every musical voice deserves a place in the conversation. As Harold Schonberg might say, the true test of a concert lies in what it reveals about music’s living bond with its era—and by that measure, Sins and Grace excelled.
Heaven Hell and Everything in Between: MasterVoices Triumphs with Sins and Grace
Sins and Grace
MasterVoices at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center
Alice Tully Hall | 65th Street between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue | New York City, NY 10023
Box Office: 212-721-6500 (CenterCharge) | Monday–Saturday 10 am–6 pm; Sunday 12–6 pm
Season tickets, upcoming events & information: mastervoices.org
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