Cathedral Concert Series
St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption
Covington, Kentucky USA
All Concerts are open to the public with No Admission Charge.
Your Freewill Offering is gladly accepted.
Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 3:00 p.m.
L. Brett Scott, Director
Music Director
Fanny Hensel geb Mendehlssohn
Oratorio on
Scenes from the Bible
Under the direction of Dr. L. Brett Scott, Musica Sacra will perform Oratorio on Scenes from the Bible by Fanny Hensel geb Mendelssohn, in addition to the encore of Receiving by award-winning composer Jessica French, on Sunday, October, 25, 2026 at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, KY, as part of their well-known concert series.
The opening work, Receiving, premiered as part of Musica Sacra’s 60th anniversary season, and was their first commission. The program will conclude with the Cincinnati premiere of Fanny Hensel's most substantial choral orchestral composition, Oratorium, written in 1831 on texts from the Bible, in response to the frightening cholera pandemic of that era.
Dr. Scott added, “This innovative program reflects Musica Sacra's commitment to bring the finest sacred choral orchestral masterworks written by both well known and underrepresented composers to the public.”
For Receiving, French was inspired by a poem she set for four parts, accompanied by strings, to honor the commission’s charge that this work should be accessible and easily programmed by a wide variety of choral groups. Dr. Scott added, “We wanted to create a tangible musical legacy for Musica Sacra, and Cincinnati, and adding to the canon of sacred choral music, keeping the genre vibrant, robust, and engaging.”
All are welcome. Open to the public with No Admission Charge.
A Freewill Offering will be gladly accepted.
Musica Sacra Cincinnati's 60-member chorus is ecumenical, with participants across many faith traditions from all over the
Greater Cincinnati area, who all share a passion for singing
Sacred Masterworks in Sacred Spaces.
Musica Sacra also collaborates with emerging choral artists from
the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music,
Xavier University, St. Xavier High School, and others.
There are still several founding members in the chorus who
have been with Musica Sacra since its inception in 1965 by
founder and conductor, the late Dr. Helmut J. Roehrig.