What does resistance sound like?

Nearly 90 years after it was written, Sir Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time continues to ask urgent questions about fear, injustice, division, and hope.

Written in response to the rise of fascism in Europe and the violence of Kristallnacht in 1938, Tippett’s powerful oratorio for chorus and orchestra draws on African American spirituals. For Tippett, these songs expressed a universal truth: even in the face of injustice, the human spirit endures.

For this one-night performance, singers from the New York Choral Society (NYCHORAL) will join the Mannes School of Music Orchestra and an acclaimed cast of soloists, conducted by David Hayes.

Presented one week before the 2026 midterm elections, this performance invites audiences to reflect on where we have been, where we are, and the future we want to create. More than a concert, A Child of Our Time is a reminder of the power of music to bear witness, challenge injustice, and bring people together.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Mannes School of Music on this extraordinary performance. Bringing together the New York Choral Society’s volunteer singers with Mannes' exceptional orchestra, acclaimed voice faculty, and rising young artists is exactly the kind of collaboration that makes New York's cultural community so extraordinary. To perform a work as profound and urgently relevant as A Child of Our Time in David Geffen Hall is an incredible privilege. At a moment when many of us are searching for connection and hope, Tippett reminds us that music has the power to bear witness, challenge injustice, and bring people together. This performance lives at the intersection of art, resistance, and our shared humanity, and I can't imagine a more meaningful way to open our season." — Ellen PutneyMoore, Executive Director, New York Choral Society

 ABOUT THE NEW YORK CHORAL SOCIETY

The New York Choral Society (NYCHORAL) is The Voice of the City—more than 150 auditioned volunteer singers representing every borough, profession, generation, and socio-economic background that make New York unlike anywhere else in the world. Founded in 1960, NYCHORAL is entering its 69th season with a chorus that is younger than ever: today, more than half of its singers are under the age of 35, proving that the future of choral music is already here.

By day, our singers are physicians, teachers, attorneys, baristas, nonprofit leaders, engineers, artists, students, and retirees. Together, they create extraordinary performances that reflect the city they call home. Through bold programming that pairs classical masterworks with contemporary voices and ideas, NYCHORAL explores the issues shaping our world while honoring the traditions that brought us here.

At NYCHORAL, we believe choral music isn't a museum piece, it's one of the most immediate ways people can come together to explore difficult questions, celebrate our shared humanity, and experience the transformative power of singing with one voice.