Present Music has stumbled upon a tradition: a Thanksgiving concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist that kicks off the holiday season with gratitude and acceptance.

The first performance proved popular 25 years ago, and it became a fixture for the contemporary ensemble that yielded a Pulitzer Prize for a piece by Raven Chacon , commissioned by Present Music and premiered by the group in 2022. Each concert brings commissioned works from talented composers to the cavernous cathedral for an unparalleled listening experience.

“You couldn’t replicate it with 30 surround-sound speakers,” says co-artistic director Eric Segnitz. “Watching people struggling to create music and relating to their humanity, there’s something important about that.”

This year’s Nov. 23 concert feature

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