2025 – 2026
season seventeen
language and lineage
In our 17th season, Kinnara explores the voice as both inheritance and invention — a vessel for memory, myth, and meaning across time and place. From breath made music to sacred storytelling and transatlantic echoes, we invite you into three programs that trace the human impulse to sing, speak, and be heard.
september 5 & 6, 2025
WRITTEN IN THE AIR
A Choral Meditation on Breath, Language, and the Ephemeral Voice
What is spoken vanishes the moment it’s heard — yet the voice lingers. This season opens with a meditation on breath, language, and the ephemeral beauty of utterance. Anchored by Herbert Howells’ radiant Requiem, this program draws from poetry, philosophy, and sacred fragments to explore the space between silence and sound. Ethereal, intimate, and deeply human, Written in the Air invites listeners to consider the fragile power of what we say — and what we leave unsaid.
december 22 & 23, 2025
christmas with kinnara
Timeless Readings and Choral Reflections for the Season
A beloved tradition returns with a luminous tapestry of seasonal music and spoken word. Timeless readings from the Christmas story are paired with choral responses — both ancient and new — in a concert that honors the wonder, mystery, and stillness of the season.
From hushed anticipation to joyous exultation, Christmas with Kinnara offers a space for reflection, warmth, and shared celebration.
march 14 & 15, 2026
a sea between
A Transatlantic Tapestry of English and American Choral Music
Separated by an ocean, united by a shared voice. Our spring program journeys across centuries of English and American choral music, tracing lines of influence, divergence, and return. From the clear counterpoint of Renaissance psalms to the vibrant textures of contemporary composers, A Sea Between weaves together a musical dialogue of heritage and innovation — two nations, one language, many voices.
PAST PERFORMANCES
12 april • 7:00 PM
Glenn Memorial Auditorium at Emory University • Atlanta GA
reincarnations
Thomas Tallis Lamentations of Jeremiah
Samuel Barber Reincarnations
Benjamin Britten Five Flower Songs
Immerse yourself in a captivating journey of renewal and transformation with Reincarnations. This concert presents an extraordinary tapestry of choral masterpieces, spanning from the grandeur of the Renaissance to vibrant contemporary works. Thomas Tallis’ Lamentations of Jeremiah captures the profound sorrow of a city in ruins, its intricate polyphony evoking a deep sense of desolation. Samuel Barber’s Reincarnations reflects on themes of rebirth and change, with dynamic settings of Irish poetry that explore love and renewal. The evening culminates in Benjamin Britten’s Five Flower Songs, an exuberant celebration of nature’s vitality and the cyclical beauty of the seasons.
23 december • 7:00 PM
Glenn Memorial Auditorium at Emory University • Atlanta GA
a rose in winter
CHristmas with kinnara
with Käthe Wright Kaufman, organ
Hugo Distler Variations on “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming”
Plainchant Corde natus ex parentis (Divinum Mysterium)
Herbert Howells A Spotless Rose
Jean Mouton Nesciens Mater
Tomás Luis de Victoria O magnum mysterium
Arvo Pärt Bogoroditse Devo
Sarah Rimkus Mater Dei
Gustav Holst Christmas Day
trad. Huron/Wendat carol, arr. Eleanor Daley The Huron Carol
trad. Southeastern English carol, arr. David Willcocks Sussex Carol
Peter Warlock Bethlehem Down
John Rutter What sweeter music
Charles Wood Nunc Dimittis in B flat
trad. Austrian carol, arr. Malcom Sargent Silent Night
Celebrate the splendor and joy of the season with the cherished Christmas with Kinnara concert. Featuring Hugo Distler’s captivating variations on Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming, this program weaves these timeless themes with readings from the Christmas story, from prophetic visions to the reverence of the shepherds and wise ones, alongside choral responses by Howells, Rutter, Holst, Pärt, and others. Allow the exquisite voices of Kinnara to lead you through an evening filled with peace, wonder, and celebration.
june 8, 2024 | 4:00pm
chorus america
Herbert Howells Take Him, Earth, for Cherishing
Jonathan Woody I Conquer the World with Words
Johannes Brahms Fest-und Gedenksprüche
Byunghee Oh Kwaejina Ching Ching
Kinnara has been selected as the featured performing ensemble for the prestigious national 2024 Chorus America Conference. We are deeply honored to grace the stage at the closing concert, presenting a 25-minute set that epitomizes our artistic prowess on a national scale. We extend a warm invitation to the public to join us for this momentous occasion, where alongside performances by the Trey Clegg Singers and the Atlanta Music Project, we will collectively celebrate the power and beauty of choral music.
MAY 3-5, 2024
immortal bach
BWV 227. Jesu, meine Freude
BWV 228. Fürchte dich nicht, ich bin bei dir
BWV 230. Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden
with Käthe Wright Kaufman & Katie Rietman, continuo
Join us for the grand finale of Kinnara's 15th Anniversary Season, as we pay homage to the enduring musical heritage of J.S. Bach. Embark on a captivating journey through three of Bach’s beloved motets, and other works crafted by Monteverdi, Brahms, Distler, Caroline Shaw, and other notable composers, all celebrating Bach's everlasting impact on the world of music.
DECEMBER 2023
CHRISTMAS with KINNARA
Experience the magic of Christmas with Kinnara as we bring our cherished holiday traditions from our New Jersey origins to Atlanta. Immerse yourself in the a cappella treasures of the season, featuring enchanting works by Vaughan Williams, Poulenc, Dawson, and other renowned composers.
SEPTEMBER 2023
REFLECTIONS
Kinnara opens its 15th Anniversary Season with a concert celebrating and commemorating fifteen years of exemplary choral music. Featuring Frank Martin’s mesmerizing Mass for Double Choir and cherished favorites from past performances including works by Finzi, Britten, Rachmaninov, and Victoria.
MARCH 2023
Kinnara & Atlanta baroque orchestra
Kinnara joins forces with Atlanta Baroque Orchestra for a concert including Dieterich Buxtehude’s stunning Membra Jesu Nostri, and other works by J.S. Bach, J.C. Bach, and Jan Dismas Zelenka.
november 2022
unshackled
Kinnara collaborates with celebrated organist, Bruce Neswick, in performances of James MacMillan’s heart-wrenching Cantos Sagrados and the sublime and beloved Requiem by Maurice Duruflé.
SEPTEMBER 2022
path of miracles
Kinnara embarks on Joby Talbot’s epic choral work, Path of Miracles, a musical journey through the infamous catholic pilgrimage through northern Spain, the Camino de Santiago.