Carnegie Hall

(NEW YORK, NY; September 7, 2023)—Carnegie Hall today announced that conductor Dinis Sousa will step in for Sir John Eliot Gardiner, leading the English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir on Wednesday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m. and Thursday, October 26 at 8:00 p.m. Sir John Eliot recently announced that he has withdrawn from all conducting engagements until next year. The programs for both evenings will remain as previously announced. Mr. Sousa—who makes his Carnegie Hall debut with these concerts—will lead two choral masterpieces: J. S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor and Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato—the first complete performance of this work at Carnegie Hall since 1895. The English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir last performed at Carnegie Hall in 2015.

Ticketholders with any questions can e-mail feedback@carnegiehall.org or call CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800.
 

Artist Information
Dinis Sousa is Associate Conductor of the three Monteverdi ensembles, the first-ever in the history of the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras. The London-based Portuguese conductor and pianist has worked closely with Sir John Eliot Gardiner, both with the Monteverdi ensembles and other orchestras including the London Symphony Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker and Tonhalle Orchester Zurich. At the 2016 BBC Proms, Mr. Sousa co-conducted the Monteverdi Choir’s critically acclaimed performance of Berlioz’s Roméo et Juliette televised on BBC4. In January 2019, he conducted the English Baroque Soloists in four concerts at the Cartagena International Music Festival. Most recently, in August/ September 2023, he stepped in to lead the Monteverdi Choir and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique on their critically acclaimed European tour of Berlioz’s Les Troyens, including a BBC Proms performance broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 (available on BBC Sounds until October 9).

Mr. Sousa studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he was Conducting Fellow, during which period he prepared the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra for concerts with Bernard Haitink. Other conducting projects included Bach’s St. John Passion at Milton Court and a staged production of Harrison Birtwistle’s opera Down by the Greenwood Side at the Silk Street Theatre, both at London’s Barbican. He studied conducting with Sian Edwards and Timothy Redmond and piano with Philip Jenkins and Martin Roscoe. As a pianist, he has taken masterclasses with Yekaterina Lebedeva, Sequeira Costa, Angela Hewitt, Richard Egarr, and Ralf Gothóni among others.

In April 2021, Mr. Sousa became Principal Conductor of the Royal Northern Sinfonia. During his tenure, the orchestra has performed at the BBC Proms twice with soloists Kristian Bezuidenhout and Nicholas Daniel. During the 2023-2024 season, the orchestra will present a complete cycle of Robert Schumann’s symphonies at Sage Gateshead in addition to the composer’s choral masterpiece, Das Paradies und die Peri. Other highlights include a world premiere by Cassandra Miller, collaborations with soloists Christian Tetzlaff, Steven Isserlis ,and Elizabeth Leonskaja and several performances around the United Kingdom, including Birmingham and Cardiff.

This season, he will also make his debut with the Swedish Radio and Iceland Symphony orchestras and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, as well as returning to Edmonton Symphony and the Riga Sinfonietta. Recent engagements have included the BBC Philharmonic, Gulbenkian and Ulster Orchestras and two programs at the Bach Carmel Festival. His operatic experience includes Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia (Nevill Holt Opera) and Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande (Orquestra XXI).

Mr. Sousa is Founder and Artistic Director of Orquestra XXI, an award-winning orchestra bringing together some of the best young Portuguese musicians from around Europe to perform at the most prestigious venues in Portugal. The orchestra has established itself as one of the leading performing groups in Portugal, appearing regularly at major concert halls to critical acclaim. Recent highlights include opening the Gulbenkian Foundation season and a critically acclaimed tour featuring Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 to celebrate the orchestra’s 10th anniversary.

In recognition of his work with Orquestra XXI, Mr. Sousa was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of Prince Henry by the President of the Portuguese Republic, Anibal Cavaco Silva.

Program Information
Wednesday, October 25 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

ENGLISH BAROQUE SOLOISTS
English Baroque Soloists
Monteverdi Choir
Dinis Sousa, Conductor

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Mass in B Minor

Tickets: $50-$117

This concert is made possible, in part, by an endowment fund for choral music established by S. Donald Sussman in memory of Judith Arron and Robert Shaw.
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Thursday, October 26 at 8:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage

ENGLISH BAROQUE SOLOISTS
English Baroque Soloists
Monteverdi Choir
Dinis Sousa, Conductor

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato

Tickets $21-$139

This concert is made possible, in part, by an endowment fund for choral music established by S. Donald Sussman in memory of Judith Arron and Robert Shaw.

 

 

Ticket Information

Tickets are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org.

For events in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage presented by Carnegie Hall, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Weil Music Institute and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer.

In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visit carnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change.

For the most up-to-date information about health and safety guidelines, please visit carnegiehall.org/SafetyChecklist.

 

Photo: Dinis Sousa by Wilfredo Amaya