Dear Friends,

Our celebrations continue!

Last year we marked a quarter century with festive concerts and events. The joy of looking back over 25 years made for an unforgettable season.

What are we celebrating now? Handel and his most exquisite arias, Vivaldi and a motet that explodes with fire and virtuosity, Bach and his celestial complications, Haydn and his most intimate and heartfelt quartets, the nonchalance of Satie and the sophistication of Cole Porter, Airs de cour and airs de ville from the pen of Lully and the voice of Edith Piaf. There is much to celebrate and many reasons for excitement as we begin our 26th year, that I can only say JOIN US!

The New Church is our new home, a simple, beautiful building on a quiet street in Murray Hill. The chapel is surrounded by a garden and good restaurants. The acoustics are superb.

For our third concert, a joint venture with cabaret genius Steve Ross, we will move to the Metropolitan Room. On March 7th join the core Ensemble of Charlie, Krista, Loretta for an evening of music from Sans Souci. Frederick the Great was besotted with music. He gave the conquest of Italian opera and French chamber music as much energy as the conquest of neighboring principalities. There was a quirky Enlightenment going on in Berlin and this included the important composers of the sensitive and the Sturm, und Drang styles; C. P. E. Bach, The Bendas, Graun. Their music, along with a visit from J. S. Bach in Berlin makes for a gilded and varied evening of music.

On April 25th, Sherezade Panthaki, a thrilling young soprano, joins us for Lamentations and Ululations. Her laments and cries of triumph come from Handel opera in arias of Cleopatra and Morgana. No composer understood the voice better than Handel and no singer in today’s early music scene has the energy and brilliance to thrill you more than Shari.

On both Wednesday and Thursday, May 23rd and 24th Steve Ross, Gaële Le Roi and the Ensemble will evoke Paris through the songs of Lambert, Offenbach, Porter, Lully, Satie, Piaf and Jacques Brel all in the context of the cabaret. Join us in our final concert of the season as we transform the Metropolitan Room into Le Lapin Agile.

As we enter the holidays and New Year, and as Krista, Loretta, Charlie and I send you our best regards for 2012, we ask you to join with us by subscribing to the spring season and by adding your support. As you know, even a full house cannot cover the expenses of our New York Series. Your donations nourish Four Nations’ efforts while they encourage us. This year, for a gift of $50 and over, we invite you and your guests to join us after the March and April concerts in a post performance reception upstairs at the New Church. We hope to see you in the audience and at the wine bar afterwards!

Sincerely,

Andrew Appel