Higher Word's Season-Opening Concert with full orchestra and choir
Be sure to watch our concert trailer below

Led by conductors Jacob Beranek and Christa Dalmazio, with guest conductor Dr. Nicholas Chong and a reflection by Fr. Brian Graebe.

We invite you to step into the mystery of the angels and meditate on the celestial beauty and majesty of the Heavenly Host. Higher Word's season-opening concert features our full 60-member orchestra and choir performing the works of Mozart, Handel, Bach, among others, on the Feast Date of the Guardian Angels.

The magnificent church of St. Jean Baptiste on the Upper East Side, a jewel of Renaissance Revival architecture, will be our venue for the evening.

Join us before the performance for a welcome reception at Eataly Caffe and continue the evening afterward with dinner, drinks, and conversation at Bottega.

Schedule

5:30 pm - 7:00 pmWelcome Reception

Enjoy appetizers, an open beer and wine bar, and mingling prior to the performance at Eataly Caffe, less than 2 short blocks from the church (Separate ticket required).

7:15 pm - 9:15 pmOrchestra Performance

Experience the Higher Word Orchestra and Choir in a performance that celebrates the beauty and majesty of the Heavenly Host. There will be a brief intermission.

9:15 pm - 1 amPost-Concert Afterparty

Finish the night at our closing restaurant, Bottega, for a full dinner, desserts, open beer and wine bar, and great company (Separate ticket required).

About the Concert

For centuries, Christians marked the transition from summer to winter, growth to harvest, and light to dark with Michaelmas, the feast of St. Michael and the archangels. Invoking the strength of the Archangels, especially Michael, before the onset of winter, they commemorated the great victory of light over darkness and gave thanks for the aid and power of the celestial host.

Just days later, on Friday, October 2nd, the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, Higher Word will open its season with an orchestral and choral celebration at St. Jean Baptiste Church featuring the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bach, and more.

Tickets	Price
Concert Tickets Ticket Levels for the Concert Only
Orchestra Concert General Seating Admission to general seating throughout the church. Premium & VIP seating available separately.	$42.42 ($40.00 + $2.42 fee)

Orchestra Concert Premium Seating Admission to available concert seating in the front third of the church.	$63.12 ($60.00 + $3.12 fee)

Orchestra Concert VIP Seating Admission to available concert seating in the first three rows.	$78.65 ($75.00 + $3.65 fee)

Welcome Reception & Afterparty Add-Ons Concert admission is selected separately in the section above and is not included with reception or afterparty tickets.
Tickets	Price
Welcome Reception Admission to the pre-concert welcome reception. Enjoy a selection of hors d’oeuvres and an open beer and wine bar. Note: Concert admission sold separately.	$63.12 ($60.00 + $3.12 fee)

Afterparty Admission for one to the Afterparty. Enjoy an open beer and wine bar, full dinner, and desserts at our nearby partner restaurant, Bottega. Note: Concert admission sold separately.	$94.17 ($90.00 + $4.17 fee)

Welcome Reception & Afterparty Admission for one to both the Welcome Reception & Afterparty. Enjoy a selection of hors d’oeuvres and an open beer and wine bar at the Welcome Reception and open beer and wine bar, full dinner, and desserts at the Afterparty. Note: Concert admission sold separately.	$151.10 ($145.00 + $6.10 fee)

Total: $0.00

Please note that fees indicated above are for payment processing

Support Higher Word (Optional)

Ticket revenue covers only part of the cost of presenting a 60-member orchestra and choir. An additional contribution helps Higher Word compensate musicians, secure exceptional venues, and expand future programming.

Note to Clergy & Religious: Please enter "HWClergy" in the Access Code field below to receive a complimentary ticket to the concert.

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Name: Heavenly Host
Start: 2026-10-02T19:15:00-04:00
End: 2026-10-02T21:00:00-04:00
Location: St. Jean Baptiste Church

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Jacob Beranek

Music Director, Orchestra Conductor, & Composer

Jacob Beranek is a New York-based composer, pianist, and conductor, currently pursuing his doctorate in composition at The Juilliard School as a student of John Corigliano. His compositions invoke his Catholic faith and have been performed around the world, including venues such as Prague Castle, Oxford University, Alice Tully Hall, and Canterbury Cathedral. He is a recipient of the Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Christa Dalmazio

Music Director & Choir Conductor

Christa Dalmazio is a classical and sacred musician and soprano who performs and teaches the piano, organ, harp, viola, and violin. She received Encouragement Awards from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2018, 2019 and 2020. She is the Assistant Director of Music at St. John the Baptist Church in Allentown, NJ, Co-Music Director/Manager of the Higher Word Orchestra and Choir in Manhattan, and the Director of The Academy of Our Lady Sacred Music Choir in Glen Rock, NJ. She also gives lectures and recitals specializing in the Aesthetic of Beauty in music, and the life and music of St. Hildegard von Bingen. Christa graduated from Manhattan School of Music (MSM) with Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees in Vocal Performance, and graduated with her Doctorate of Musical Arts at MSM, studying with Catherine Malfitano.

Dr. Nicholas Chong

Visiting Conductor

Nicholas Chong is Associate Professor of Musicology at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, and previously taught “great books” in the Core Curriculum at Columbia University, where he also received his Ph.D. He is the author of The Catholic Beethoven, published by Oxford University Press in 2024. In addition to his scholarly work, Chong studied orchestral conducting with Mark Gibson at the College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, and in workshops and masterclasses with other noted pedagogues such as Gustav Meier and Larry Rachleff. He is also a tenor, and has for many years been a member of various choral groups in New York City.

Fr. Brian Graebe

Homilist

Fr. Brian A.Graebe is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York and the current pastor of St. Patrick's in Bedford, New York. He holds a doctorate in dogmatic theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and is the author of Vessel of Honor: The Virgin Birth and the Ecclesiology of Vatican II (Emmaus Academic). Fr. Graebe leads the theological direction of Higher Word.