World premiere performances presented alongside Brahms’ works at NYC’s Merkin Hall on March 3
McGRATHPR.com – Multiple works of award-winning Boston composer Rachel Burckardt are prominently featured in a Modus Operandi Orchestra (MOO) performance on Tuesday, March 3 at 7:00 pm at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center in New York City. The concert marks MOO’s fifth performance at Merkin Hall and presents a compelling dialogue between the music of Johannes Brahms and newly composed works by Burckardt, including several world premieres.
Conducted by MOO Founder and Music Director Justin Bischof, the program pairs Brahms’ “Tragic Overture” and “Symphony No. 4” with several of Burckardt’s original compositions, offering audiences the opportunity to experience living symphonic music created by a composer rooted in the Boston region.
“For me, it is deeply meaningful to hear new works come to life in conversation with a composer like Brahms,” said Burckardt. “Brahms’ music carries immense emotional and structural depth, and I’m honored to have my own voice placed alongside his in a program that affirms the symphonic tradition as something vibrant and evolving.”
The concert features world premieres of Burckardt’s “October Fanfare,” “Variations on Afternoon Light,” and “3 Psalms,” as well as the premiere of her orchestral adaptation “Aire Mount Auburn.” Many of these works draw inspiration from reflection, light, and spiritual contemplation, shaped by Burckardt’s long career as both a composer and church musician.
Modus Operandi Orchestra Founder and Music Director Justin Bischof shares, “This program is exciting because it places Brahms’ profound emotional architecture alongside the living, breathing voice of Rachel Burckardt, reminding us that the symphonic tradition is not a museum, but a living art form. Audiences will experience both the timeless power of Brahms and the excitement of hearing new music born in our own time.”
Concert Program:
Johannes Brahms – “Tragic Overture”
Johannes Brahms – “Symphony No. 4”
Rachel Burckardt – “October Fanfare” (World Premiere)
Rachel Burckardt – “Aire Mount Auburn” (World Premiere – orchestral adaptation)
Rachel Burckardt – “Variations on Afternoon Light” (World Premiere)
Rachel Burckardt – “3 Psalms” (World Premiere)
Rachel Burckardt is a prolific composer whose works explore sacred and liturgical music, jazz, electronic music and orchestral works. She has served as a church musician for more than 48 years and currently is a member of the Saint Cecilia Parish music ministry and the American Guild of Organists. A longtime instrumentalist, chorister, and composer, she also previously served as co-director of Saint Cecelia Parish’s contemporary ensemble. As a performing artist, she sings with the Boston Archdiocesan Festival Choir.
Burckardt has released seven albums featuring her original compositions and improvisations. The most recent is the studio recording of “Mount Auburn: a Requiem in d minor”, which premiered in Boston. She holds a parallel career as a civil engineer, with professional work focused primarily on transportation infrastructure, including railroads, transit systems, and roadways. Her music reflects a distinctive synthesis of structural clarity, spiritual depth, and expressive lyricism.
For more information about composer Rachel Burckardt, visit her portal site to explore her original music, at woodharbormusic.net.
