After a summer of singing opera in Santa Fe, our son—the tenor Andrew Bearden Brown—returns to the concert stage this fall. His travels take him to New England, California, Florida, and Washington, DC as he performs both solo and in ensemble settings.

Here’s a full listing of Andrew’s scheduled performances (ticket information available on his website):

• The Four Elements (Ensemble Member)—“Ensemble Altera in its short history has already been identified as ‘a leading ensemble on the American choral scene'” (Scherzo Magazine). Performances September 12th, 13th, and 14th in Chestnut Hill, MA; Old Lyme, CT; and Westerly, RI.

• Centuries of Sound (Ensemble Member)—Aeternum, California’s professional vocal ensemble, performs “a sweeping choral journey through nine centuries of music. From the serene beauty of Medieval chant to contemporary favorites, this program features masterworks and hidden gems by Byrd, Mendelssohn, Bruckner, Whitacre, and others.” Performances September 19th, 20th, and 21st in Belvedere, St. Helena, and Moraga, CA.

• Cantata 300 (Soloist)—Washington Bach Consort‘s celebratory opening event for the Director’s Series “uniquely commemorates the 300th anniversary of four of Bach’s finest cantatas, highlighting the rarely performed Dramma per Musica, Zerreißet, zersprenget, zertrümmert.” Performance September 28th in Washington, DC. 

• Handel & Mozart (Soloist)—Master Chorale of South Florida. Performances October 24th and 26th in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

• The Cryes of London (Ensemble Member)—The superb vocalist of the Washington Bach Consort “will be joined by a viol consort in a program that offers the beauty of Orlando Gibbons’ finest works, led by Artistic Director Dana Marsh.” Performances November 14th and 15th in Washington, DC, and Alexandria, VA.

• Messiah (Soloist)—Washington National Cathedral. Soloists Laura Choi Stuart, soprano; Zoie Reams, mezzo-soprano; Andrew Bearden Brown, tenor; and Kevin Deas, bass-baritone join conductor Dana Marsh, concertmaster Daniel Lee, and The Washington National Cathedral Choir & Baroque Orchestra in three performances of Handel’s masterpiece on December 5th, 6th, and 7th.

• Christmas Oratorio (Ensemble Member)—Washington Bach Consort. Performance on December 13th in Washington, DC.

Andrew is excited about each of these performances, but the opportunity to be the tenor soloist for Messiah at the Washington National Cathedral has special meaning. He grew up singing as a treble and a tenor at the Cathedral, so he notes that this is “truly a full-circle moment.”

When he is not performing on the road, Andrew is a member of the professional choir at Christ Church, Georgetown, which has a rich musical tradition under the direction of Organist and Choirmaster Thomas P. Smith. In December, the Liturgical Choral Music schedule includes A Service of Lessons and Carols for Advent on December 1st and A Service of Nine Lessons and Carols for Christmas on December 15th.

To get you into the mood for the season, I’ll end with Andrew’s performance of “Comfort Ye” and “Every Valley” from Handel’s Messiah, performed in 2024 at Duke University Chapel with conductor Zebulon Highben.

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UPDATE: In addition to the solo piece above, Andrew and I thought that you would enjoy hearing one of his ensembles. Caroline Shaw’s and the swallow is a contemporary piece that uses text from Psalm 84, performed here by Ensemble Altera.

More to come . . .

DJB