In our final program of the season, we turn to a longtime friend—the brilliant guitarist Nicolò Spera—to help us premiere a brand new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Christopher Theofanidis titled Door Out of the Fire. Often celebrated for his colorful, inventive, and magnetic compositions, Theofanidis turns his musical spotlight in a new direction. Door Out of the Fire is a setting of four choral “messages in a bottle” based on poems by Melissa Studdard – a kind of time capsule reflecting some of the major worries and issues of our time. Each of the movements has an accompanying prelude or interlude, played on acoustic guitar. In fact, the guitar serves as the contemplative soul of the piece. Mezzo-soprano Abigail Nims is featured in the third movement, “Ruth’s Aria.”

The program also includes the glorious Requiem, by Italian composer Ildebrando Pizzetti, presented on the 100th anniversary of its composition. The Requiem begins with Gregorian plainchant, and includes references to 15th- and 16th-century Renaissance polyphony, including Venetian multiple choruses. Stark melodies and two-part textures suddenly blossom into glowingly radiant complex harmonies.