New York Baroque Incorporated (NYBI) returns to Carnegie Hall's Stern Auditorium on Wednesday, November 28, 2018, when the ensemble reunites with MasterVoices for a multi-media presentation of George Frideric Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt.

NYBI's first collaboration with MasterVoices (formerly the Collegiate Chorale) was in February 2017, and marked the ensemble's Carnegie Hall debut for an audience-participation performance of a new English-language translation of J. S. Bach's St. John Passion. Israel in Egypt epitomizes NYBI's penchant for collaborations that combine multiple artistic disciplines and interaction. This performance of Israel in Egypt will feature film and live visual creations by Syrian-Armenian artist Kevork Mourad. In partnership with The Juilliard School, the performance will include vocal soloists who are students or alumni of the conservatory's Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts at Juilliard.

This multi-media presentation of Israel in Egypt, which recounts the biblical story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt, takes on timely resonance. Throughout the performance, Kevork Mourad's films will be projected onto the walls of Carnegie Hall, along with computerized drawings and paintings which he will create in real-time, bringing additional perspective to the oratorio's themes of exile and displacement.

NYBI's Artistic Director Wen Yang comments, "Performing Handel's Israel in Egypt today encourages one to reflect on the cost of freedom. It's a stark reminder to us that having a home is not to be taken for granted. It's gratifying for NYBI to play alongside MasterVoices in another compelling collaboration, and I am very eager to see how Kevork's art will fit in with Handel's music, transforming the listening experience for the audience."

New York-based Mourad comments, "This story is very familiar to me because of my Armenian background. My ancestors were forced to leave their homes 100 years ago and were welcomed by Syrians. And now this has happened to the Syrians: almost half the population has been forced to leave their homes. The story of the Exodus is mirrored in the refugee crisis in the country of my birth, Syria, and many other countries around the world, where people are forced out of their homes due to violence and economic hardship. History is repeating itself, and the idea of finding a new home, the right to safety, is something that resonates with me."

NYBI will return to the Carnegie campus in January 2019 when they perform in Weill Recital Hall alongside countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński.

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For further information about New York Baroque Incorporated please visit http://www.nybaroque.org

For further information, image or interview requests please contact Melanne Mueller, MusicCo International, +1 917 907 2785 or +44 (0) 7788 662 461, 
melanne@musiccointernational.com

PROGRAM INFORMATION
Wednesday, November 28, 2018 - 8:00pm
George Frederic Handel (1685 - 1759) Israel in Egypt
New York Baroque Incorporated with
Kevork Mourad visual artist
Mikaela Bennett soprano
Jessica Niles soprano
John Holiday countertenor
Andrew Stenson tenor
Gregory Feldmann baritone
Erik Van Heyningen bass-baritone
MasterVoices
Ted Sperling conductor

Carnegie Hall
Stern Auditorium
57th Street & Seventh Avenue
New York, NY 10019