Kent Tritle
Encyclopedia
Kent Tritle is a choral conductor and organist
in New York City, United States. He is the current director of the professional chorus Musica Sacra
and of the Oratorio Society of New York
, and director of cathedral music and organist at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
. He is a concert organist, including organist of the New York Philharmonic
and the American Symphony Orchestra
. He has been Director of Choral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music
, and on the graduate faculty of the Juilliard School
.
directed there a concert series Sacred Music in a Sacred Space. He was artistic consultant on the design and installation in 1993 of the church’s renowned four-manual, 68-stop mechanical action organ
built by Mander Organs
Ltd. of London, England.
Tritle has been organist of the New York Philharmonic
and the American Symphony Orchestra
. With the Philharmonic he has recorded Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem, Britten’s War Requiem
and Henze’s Symphony No. 9
, conducted by Kurt Masur
, as well as the Grammy-nominated Sweeney Todd conducted by Andrew Litton
. He has performed with most all the conductors on the Philharmonic’s roster. He is featured on the Cala label’s New York Legends series with principal players of the New York Philharmonic
, and on the AMDG, Epiphany, Gothic, VAI and Telarc labels. He has produced Glorious Pipes, a compendium of great organ music, for Universal Classics. He is also a regular guest artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has performed as recitalist in Asia and Europe. Recitals include those at the Gewandhaus
Leipzig, the Zurich Tonhalle and at St. Sulpice, Paris. Tritle’s artistic collaborations include those with Susanne Mentzer
, Susan Graham
, Renée Fleming
(for BBC Wales
), Jessye Norman
, Sherrill Milnes
, Marilyn Horne
, Tony Randall
and Hei-Kyung Hong
, Barbara Dever
, André Previn
and Yo-Yo Ma
. In 2010 he played in St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden
.
Tritle was from 1996-2004 Music Director of the Emmy-nominated Dessoff Choirs
, winners of the ASCAP Chorus America award for adventurous programming of contemporary music. Under his direction Dessoff sang with the Cleveland Orchestra
, the New York Philharmonic
, San Francisco Symphony
, American Symphony Orchestra
, and the Czech Philharmonic. They have appeared regularly in Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, including the nationally telecast and Emmy-nominated Live from Lincoln Center performance of Mozart’s Requiem
in 2001.
In January 2006 Tritle was appointed music director of the Oratorio Society of New York
. His Carnegie Hall
debut conducting Handel’s Messiah
with that organization garnered critical acclaim from The New York Times
.
Tritle holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from The Juilliard School in organ performance and choral conducting and has been on the Juilliard faculty
since 1996, currently directing a graduate practicum on oratorio in collaboration with the school’s Vocal Arts Department. He has been a featured personality on ABC World News Tonight, National Public Radio, and Minnesota Public Radio
, as well as in The New York Times
and numerous other radio and print outlets.
In the fall of 2008 Tritle began his tenure as Director of Choral Activities at Manhattan School of Music
.
Since 2011 he has been director of cathedral music and organist for the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
in New York City, United States. He is the current director of the professional chorus Musica Sacra
Musica Sacra (New York)
Musica Sacra is the longest continuously-performing professional chorus in New York City. Its founder, Richard Westenburg, directed the chorus from 1964 until 2007, when he was succeeded as director by Kent Tritle. The chorus regularly performs in Carnegie Hall and other New York concert...
and of the Oratorio Society of New York
Oratorio Society of New York
The Oratorio Society of New York is a non-profit membership organization which performs choral music in the oratorio style. The Society was founded in 1873 by conductor Leopold Damrosch, and it is New York City's second oldest cultural organization...
, and director of cathedral music and organist at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, officially the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in the City and Diocese of New York, is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York...
. He is a concert organist, including organist of the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
and the American Symphony Orchestra
American Symphony Orchestra
The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York-based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski, then aged 80. Following Maestro Stokowski's departure, Kazuyoshi Akiyama was appointed Music Director of the American Symphony Orchestra from 1973-1978. Music Directors during the early...
. He has been Director of Choral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
, and on the graduate faculty of the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
.
Career
From 1989 until 2011 Tritle was organist and choral director of the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, New York. Hedirected there a concert series Sacred Music in a Sacred Space. He was artistic consultant on the design and installation in 1993 of the church’s renowned four-manual, 68-stop mechanical action organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
built by Mander Organs
Mander Organs
Mander Organs is an English pipe organ maker and refurbisher based in London. Although well known for many years in the world of organ building, they achieved wider notability in 2004 with their refurbishment of the Royal Albert Hall's Father Willis organ....
Ltd. of London, England.
Tritle has been organist of the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
and the American Symphony Orchestra
American Symphony Orchestra
The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York-based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski, then aged 80. Following Maestro Stokowski's departure, Kazuyoshi Akiyama was appointed Music Director of the American Symphony Orchestra from 1973-1978. Music Directors during the early...
. With the Philharmonic he has recorded Brahms's Ein Deutsches Requiem, Britten’s War Requiem
War Requiem
The War Requiem, Op. 66 is a large-scale, non-liturgical setting of the Requiem Mass composed by Benjamin Britten mostly in 1961 and completed January 1962. Interspersed with the traditional Latin texts, in telling juxtaposition, are settings of Wilfred Owen poems...
and Henze’s Symphony No. 9
Symphony no. 9 (Henze)
The Ninth Symphony of the German composer Hans Werner Henze was written in 1997.It is a choral symphony, subtitled Den Helden und Märtyrern des deutschen Antifaschismus gewidmet...
, conducted by Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times...
, as well as the Grammy-nominated Sweeney Todd conducted by Andrew Litton
Andrew Litton
Andrew Litton is an American orchestral conductor. Litton is a graduate of The Fieldston School, and holds both undergraduate and Masters degrees in music from Juilliard....
. He has performed with most all the conductors on the Philharmonic’s roster. He is featured on the Cala label’s New York Legends series with principal players of the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, and on the AMDG, Epiphany, Gothic, VAI and Telarc labels. He has produced Glorious Pipes, a compendium of great organ music, for Universal Classics. He is also a regular guest artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He has performed as recitalist in Asia and Europe. Recitals include those at the Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, Germany. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. The first Gewandhaus was built in 1781 by architect Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe. The second opened on 11 December 1884, and was destroyed in the...
Leipzig, the Zurich Tonhalle and at St. Sulpice, Paris. Tritle’s artistic collaborations include those with Susanne Mentzer
Susanne Mentzer
Susanne Mentzer is an operatic mezzo-soprano. She is best known for singing trouser roles, such as Cherubino in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo, Octavian in Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier and the composer in Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos, as well as other music of...
, Susan Graham
Susan Graham
Susan Graham is an American mezzo-soprano.Raised in Midland, Texas, she is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Manhattan School of Music. She studied the piano for 13 years...
, Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
(for BBC Wales
BBC Wales
BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. Based at Broadcasting House in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, it directly employs over 1200 people, and produces a broad range of television, radio and online services in both the Welsh and English languages.Outside...
), Jessye Norman
Jessye Norman
Jessye Norman is an American opera singer. Norman is a well-known contemporary opera singer and recitalist, and is one of the highest paid performers in classical music...
, Sherrill Milnes
Sherrill Milnes
Sherrill Milnes is an American operatic baritone most famous for his Verdi roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera....
, Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages....
, Tony Randall
Tony Randall
Tony Randall was a U.S. actor, comic, producer and director.-Early years:Randall was born Arthur Leonard Rosenberg to a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Julia and Mogscha Rosenberg, an art and antiques dealer...
and Hei-Kyung Hong
Hei-Kyung Hong
Hong Hei-Kyung is a South Korean-American operatic lyric soprano.Hong studied at Yea Won Music School in Seoul and through scholarships went to the United States alone at age 15 to study at the Juilliard School of Music in New York and its American Opera Center...
, Barbara Dever
Barbara Dever
The American mezzo-soprano Barbara Dever is an opera singer who has appeared with Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Zubin Mehta, Nello Santi and James Levine.Dever made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1994, as Amneris in Aida...
, André Previn
André Previn
André George Previn, KBE is an American pianist, conductor, and composer. He is considered one of the most versatile musicians in the world, and is the winner of four Academy Awards for his film work and ten Grammy Awards for his recordings. -Early Life:Previn was born in...
and Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist, virtuoso, and orchestral composer. He has received multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011...
. In 2010 he played in St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden
St. Bonifatius, Wiesbaden
St. Bonifatius in Wiesbaden, Germany, is the central Catholic parish and church in the capital of Hesse. The present building was designed by architect Philipp Hoffmann in Gothic Revival style and built from 1844 to 1849. Twin steeples of 68 m dominate the Luisenplatz. The parish is part of the...
.
Tritle was from 1996-2004 Music Director of the Emmy-nominated Dessoff Choirs
Dessoff Choirs
-History:The Dessoff Choirs is an independent chorus based in New York City. Margarete Dessoff established the organization in 1930 as the union of two choirs she directed, the Adesdi chorus and the A Cappella Singers, whence the plural Choirs...
, winners of the ASCAP Chorus America award for adventurous programming of contemporary music. Under his direction Dessoff sang with the Cleveland Orchestra
Cleveland Orchestra
The Cleveland Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Cleveland, Ohio. It is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1918, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Severance Hall...
, the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
, San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
, American Symphony Orchestra
American Symphony Orchestra
The American Symphony Orchestra is a New York-based American orchestra founded in 1962 by Leopold Stokowski, then aged 80. Following Maestro Stokowski's departure, Kazuyoshi Akiyama was appointed Music Director of the American Symphony Orchestra from 1973-1978. Music Directors during the early...
, and the Czech Philharmonic. They have appeared regularly in Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, including the nationally telecast and Emmy-nominated Live from Lincoln Center performance of Mozart’s Requiem
Requiem (Mozart)
The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
in 2001.
In January 2006 Tritle was appointed music director of the Oratorio Society of New York
Oratorio Society of New York
The Oratorio Society of New York is a non-profit membership organization which performs choral music in the oratorio style. The Society was founded in 1873 by conductor Leopold Damrosch, and it is New York City's second oldest cultural organization...
. His Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
debut conducting Handel’s Messiah
Messiah (Handel)
Messiah is an English-language oratorio composed in 1741 by George Frideric Handel, with a scriptural text compiled by Charles Jennens from the King James Bible and the Book of Common Prayer. It was first performed in Dublin on 13 April 1742, and received its London premiere nearly a year later...
with that organization garnered critical acclaim from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
.
Tritle holds graduate and undergraduate degrees from The Juilliard School in organ performance and choral conducting and has been on the Juilliard faculty
Faculty (university)
A faculty is a division within a university comprising one subject area, or a number of related subject areas...
since 1996, currently directing a graduate practicum on oratorio in collaboration with the school’s Vocal Arts Department. He has been a featured personality on ABC World News Tonight, National Public Radio, and Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
, as well as in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and numerous other radio and print outlets.
In the fall of 2008 Tritle began his tenure as Director of Choral Activities at Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
.
Since 2011 he has been director of cathedral music and organist for the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.
Sources
- Kent Tritle Appointed Director of Cathedral Music and Organist stjohndivine.org
- Kent Tritle on the New York PhilharmonicNew York PhilharmonicThe New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
website - Kent Tritle on the Oratorio Society of New YorkOratorio Society of New YorkThe Oratorio Society of New York is a non-profit membership organization which performs choral music in the oratorio style. The Society was founded in 1873 by conductor Leopold Damrosch, and it is New York City's second oldest cultural organization...
- Kent Tritle on WQXRWQXRWQXR refers to the following broadcasting stations in the United States:*WQXR-FM, a radio station on 105.9 MHz licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States...
- Kent Tritle (Choral Conductor, Organ) on bach-cantatas
External links
- Kent Tritle Website
- Dessoff Choirs website
- Kent Tritle Church of St. Ignatius Loyola, New York City website
- Sacred Music in a Sacred Space website