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Tenebrae

A Celestial Gift
November 12
PERFORMING ARTS SERIES | 2026-27 SEASON
Thursday, November 12, 2026, at 7:30 PM
Nov 12, 2026 7:30 PM Nov 12, 2026 10:00 PM America/Chicago Tenebrae A Celestial Gift - https://www.armstrongauditorium.org/performance/tenebrae Armstrong Auditorium 14400 S. Bryant Road Edmond, OK 73034 Armstrong Auditorium sgranger@armstrongauditorium.com
A Celestial Gift

Described as “phenomenal” (The Times) and “devastatingly beautiful” (Gramophone Magazine), award-winning choir Tenebrae, under the direction of Nigel Short, is one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles renowned for its passion and precision.

Tenebrae presents a wide-ranging program spanning five centuries of sacred choral music. A Celestial Gift features celebrated choral works such as Gustav Holst’s majestic Nunc dimittis and Gregorio Allegri’s iconic setting of Psalm 51. Alongside these familiar favorites, this program showcases a wealth of music by some of today’s most exciting composers, with particular highlights including In Winter’s House by Joanna Marsh and James MacMillan’s stunning setting of the Miserere.

PROGRAM

A Celestial Gift

Orlando de Lassus
Musica Dei donum

Caroline Shaw
and the swallow

Joanna Marsh
Evening Prayer

Gregorio Allegri
Miserere mei, Deus

Orlando Gibbons
Drop, drop slow tears

Eric Whitacre
When David heard

John Tavener
Funeral Ikos (truncated)

Kerensa Briggs
Media vita

Joanna Marsh
In Winter’s House

A. Gretchaninov
Now the powers of heaven

Pavel Chesnokov
Svyete tihi

James MacMillan
Miserere

Gustav Holst
Nunc dimittis

All programs subject to change

Featuring Eric Whitacre's “When David Heard”

Eric Whitacre’s “When David Heard” is a profoundly moving choral masterpiece that captures the raw, overwhelming grief of a father’s loss. The work draws its text from a single, devastating verse in the King James Bible (II Samuel 18:33): “When David heard that Absalom was slain, he went up into his chamber over the gate and wept: my son, my son, O Absalom my son, would God I had died for thee!” Through lush, clustered harmonies, aching silences, and an iconic 18-part chord that suspends time in sorrow, Whitacre transforms this ancient lament into a timeless expression of parental anguish, regret, and heartbreak.