Musica Sacra is a professional chorus founded in New York’s Central Presbyterian Church in 1964 by the conductor Dr. Richard Westenburg and is the city’s longest continuously performing ensemble of its type.
In the 1970s it became an independent ensemble and began giving performances at acclaimed venues such as Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Carnegie Hall. Also during the late 1970s Richard Westenburg began the chorus’s Basically Bach Festivals, which are held at Lincoln Center.
They took on Kent Trittle as an associate conductor in 2006 and following the passing of Richard Westenburg in early 2008 he assumed the position of the music director and has since led them in all their concerts.
The chorus has been acclaimed for their performances in many genres of music ranging from renaissance chant to contemporary. They are renowned for their annual performance of Handel’s Messiah and their numerous recordings include many holiday recordings and works by Hildegard von Bingen, Brahms, Messaien and Verdi among others.
Musica Sacra Recordings
Baloo Lammy (Traditional Scottish)
G. 429 732-2 (CD:Christmas Carols & Motets)
Conductor – Richard Westenburg
Arranger – Norman Luboff
Version composer – William Billings
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