Sacred Music Series
St. Gertrude Parish is delighted to present its third annual Sacred Music Series. Over the course of the 2026–2027 program year, we invite you to encounter beauty, discover the riches of the Church’s musical heritage, and, above all, draw closer to God to whom this music has been offered for centuries.
Whether you are a lifelong lover of sacred music or joining us for the first time, we look forward to welcoming you.
Sacred Music Series Events
Friday, September 11, 2026 | 7 p.m.
Bach: Mass in B Minor
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Although Bach never heard the complete work performed, the Mass in B Minor has come to be recognized as one of the supreme achievements of Western civilization. This rare performance features period instruments, revealing the colors and vitality Bach himself would have known.
Soloists
- Olivia Knutsen, Soprano I
- Natalie Romanick, Soprano II
- Rachael Bell, Mezzo-Soprano
- Samuel Krausz, Tenor
- Michael Young, Baritone
- Maureen Murchie, Baroque Violin
- Colin St-Martin, Flauto traverso
- Kristin Olson, Baroque Oboe
- Michael Styles, Corno da caccia
Tickets: General Admission $25; Student $10 (with valid ID); Children under 12 free. Maximum $60 per family.
Saturday, October 31, 2026 | 7 p.m.
All Saints' Vigil
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Composed over the final decade of Hubert Parry’s life and completed amid the First World War, Parry’s Songs of Farewell is one of the great choral masterpieces of the 20th century. Join us as we keep vigil with the saints through music of profound beauty and consolation.
Freewill offering.
Friday, November 13, 2026 | 7 p.m.
Duruflé: Requiem
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Maurice Duruflé’s beloved Requiem weaves the ancient Gregorian chants of the Mass for the Dead into one of the 20th century’s most luminous sacred works. Sung during the medieval Dominican Rite using Duruflé’s version for chamber orchestra of strings, organ, and harp, this solemn liturgy offers an unforgettable encounter with one of the Church’s oldest living liturgical traditions.
Freewill offering.
Sunday, December 13, 2026 | 3 p.m.
Advent Lessons and Carols
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Experience the timeless tradition of Advent Lessons and Carols with the Schola Cantorum, one of the United States’s few choral foundations to pair children’s treble voices with professional adult singers in the European cathedral tradition. Throughout the service, the Novitiate Choir of Dominican brothers chants the great “O” Magnificat Antiphons of Advent.
Freewill offering.
Wednesday, December 24, 2026 | 11:30 p.m.
Handel's Messiah
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Before the celebration of Midnight Mass, the Parish Choir and members of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra present excerpts from the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah. This beloved tradition proclaims the mystery of the Incarnation through classical music’s most famous and joyous passages, culminating in the “Hallelujah” Chorus.
Free admission.
Sunday, February 28, 2027 | 3 p.m.
Britten: Rejoice in the Lamb
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Sung during our annual Prayer Service for People with Health Issues, Benjamin Britten’s joyful cantata sets the extraordinary and idiosyncratic poetry of Christopher Smart, written during years of confinement in an asylum. The work celebrates God’s glory throughout creation with wit, tenderness, and exuberance, reminding us that even cats, flowers, and mice praise God in their own ways.
Freewill offering.
Friday, March 5, 2027 | 7 p.m.
Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil
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Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil is one of the supreme achievements of sacred choral music, uniting ancient Orthodox chant with music of extraordinary depth and radiance. Sung entirely unaccompanied, it draws the listener into a world of mystery, stillness, and transcendent prayer.
Tickets: General Admission $25; Student $10 (with valid ID); Children under 12 free. Maximum $60 per family.
Wednesday, March 24, 2027 | 8 p.m.
Choral Tenebrae
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As darkness gradually envelops the church, Scripture, chant, and choral music lead us into the mystery of Christ’s Passion. The service culminates with Allegri’s haunting Miserere mei, one of the most beloved works of the Roman sacred music tradition, sung by three choirs spaced throughout the church.
Freewill offering.
Friday, April 16, 2027 | 7 p.m.
Rosary Meditation: The Glorious Mysteries
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Violinist Zachary Carrettin and harpsichordist Christopher Holman present a musical meditation on the glorious mysteries of the rosary. A different work illuminates each mystery, creating a unique dialogue between sacred music and prayer.
Tickets: General Admission $25; Student $10 (with valid ID); Children under 12 free. Maximum $60 per family.
Friday, May 14, 2027 | 7 p.m.
Fanny Mendelssohn: Oratorium
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Composed in response to a cholera epidemic in 1831, Fanny Mendelssohn’s powerful but rarely performed Oratorium stands alongside the finest sacred music of her generation, setting texts from Psalms, Isaiah, Job, Revelation, and other Scriptures. The program opens with Bach’s jubilant and virtuosic Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen, BWV 51, featuring soprano Olivia Knutsen.
Tickets: General Admission $25; Student $10 (with valid ID); Children under 12 free. Maximum $60 per family.
Ticket Information
Tickets may be purchased in advance using the buttons above or at the door on the evening of each performance (cash or card accepted).
Adults — $25
Students — $10 (with valid ID)
Families* — $60
Season tickets for all four ticketed programs—Bach’s Mass in B Minor, Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, Rosary Meditation, and Fanny Mendelssohn’s Oratorium—are available at the following discounts through September 1, 2026:
Adult Season Pass — $80 (save 20 percent)
Student Season Pass — $30 (save 25 percent)
Family Season Pass* — $165 (save over 30 percent)
*Family tickets include two adults and all children living under the same roof.
Support the Series
St. Gertrude Parish upholds and continues the Roman Catholic Church’s great tradition of patronage of the arts in liturgical settings. The Sacred Music Series, however, is funded largely through giving from freewill offerings, Catholic organizations, businesses, and individuals. Please consider making a tax-deductible gift to support and sustain this growing initiative. Contributions may be made at any time, and 100 percent of the proceeds go toward welcoming distinguished guest artists from all over the country and abroad.
For more information, please contact Dr. Christopher Holman, director of music, at cholman@stgertrude.org.
