Paul Stanhope's Requiem

In November, Cantori performs the US premiere of Australian composer Paul Stanhope’s expansive Requiem and the New York City premiere of Juhi Bansal’s exquisite Four Reflections on the Night. Stanhope’s Requiem, for chorus, soloists, and instruments, interweaves the traditional sacred Latin text with English-language reflections by female poets from around the world, including Neela Nath Das (India), Mary Elizabeth Frye (USA), Emily Dickinson (USA), and Australian Indigenous poet Oodgeroo Noonuccal. The work premiered in Stanhope’s native Sydney in 2021, in the midst of a global pandemic. Cantori is thrilled to present this powerful work that consoles, commemorates, and celebrates life. Juhi Bansal’s Four Reflections on the Night won second place in Cantori’s 2023 composition competition. Written for chorus with percussion and harp, it tells an ancient human story of gazing wonderingly at the night sky.