St. George's Choral Society's spring program centers around the theme "East Meets West." The group will perform Gustav Holst's Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda and the world premiere of the group's commission of Under the Persian Sky by Nami Nazar. The concert will take place on Sunday, April 26 at 3:00 PM at Rutgers Presbyterian Church, 236 West 73rd Street in New York City.

Dr. Matthew Lewis, Artistic Director for the group, shares his insights on these composers and the program.

Laura Daly: What was your inspiration for the theme of this program?

Matthew Lewis: Funny, I often answer this type of question by saying it deals with repertoire from my wish list, and this is true once again! I find the Holst pieces to be stunning: very new, creative, unusual, mystical, bold, etc. Then I felt something else could complement the program, which steered me toward Nami Nazar, a talented musician I've known for the past year. Then, it all came together on its own!

LD: Let's first talk about Holst's Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda. The Rig Veda is one of the oldest sacred texts in the world (c. 1500-1200 BCE). In the early 1900s, Holst became deeply interested in Hindu philosophy, Sanskrit literature and comparative religion. Dissatisfied with English translations of Eastern texts, he taught himself Sanskrit so he could work directly from the original language. The text appealed to Holst for its cosmic imagery, ritual focus and elemental spirituality. How did this work contribute to Holst's artistic development? How did this work break from the late romantic period?

ML: I believe Holst is, in general, an underestimated composer. Maybe it was the popularity of The Planets that puts him in an unusual place. He is much more than that. (The Planets is a GREAT work, by the way.) Holst is a very modern, cutting-edge composer and creator. I admire his aesthetic and imagination -- what a mind! It really speaks to me, and I am seeing, in rehearsals, that his music speaks to our singers as well. I also love hearing from Jim Bassi, our accompanist, who is an incredible musician. I know that when Jim loves a piece, it must be good, and he is swooning over these.

LD: The work is broken into four groups. Can you tell us about each group?

ML: They are all choral works, scored differently. The first group is the only one for mixed chorus, with large orchestra. The second group is for sopranos and altos, with orchestra, and the third group is for sopranos and altos with harp only. The fourth group is for tenors and basses with orchestra.

LD: Holst's work is a unique fusion of ancient text and modern musical language. The music appears spare and simple on the page, but it requires extraordinary discipline, precision and spiritual focus from a choir. What do you consider the biggest performance challenges a choir faces?

ML: Well, stamina for one thing. There is a lot of sustained, demanding singing. And harmonically they are tricky -- they don't sing themselves. We are currently working around some of the trickier passages (and there are several), but they all make sense and are well worth the effort. The text isn't that hard, even though singing in one's native tongue always poses some diction issues. But the biggest challenges are rhythmic and harmonic.

LD: Is there anything you would like to add about Holst's Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda?

ML: Everyone should experience them! I don't really know why they aren't performed more often -- they are fantastic! The third set (for harp) probably gets done more than the others, for practical reasons. I don't think I've ever seen all four sets on one program, though. This may be a first!

LD: St. George's Choral Society has a tradition of commissioning work from various composers. This spring, you have commissioned a work from Nami Nazar, Under the Persian Sky. Mr. Nazar has quite a resume. He is an Iranian composer and instrumentalist based in New York. He won the NY Theater Festival's Best Music Score in 2025 for the play SPEAK, SAHARA, SPEAK. He is a prize winner of various competitions, including the National Youth Music Festival in Iran. He has given numerous performances as a soloist and chamber musician in venues such as Alice Tully Hall (Lincoln Center), the Peter Jay Sharp, the Paul Hall, the Wilson Theater (The Juilliard School), the Vahdat Hall and the Niavaran Cultural Center (Tehran, Iran). As a multifaceted musician, Nami pursues a strong interest in composing and conducting. He has had the privilege of composing for and conducting the Pars Symphony Orchestra in Iran. Matthew, how did you connect with Nami?

ML: I know Nami from Juilliard, where I teach organ in the Pre-College Division. He and I have talked about choral music a lot, and last year he sketched out a piece for me to review. It was based on the Persian scale (similar to harmonic minor, but with a slightly lower 6th scale degree). I asked if he could expand it for this concert and he did. He just sent me the piano piece that goes with it -- a sort of Prologue, which established the tone of the work.

LD: Can you tell us something about Under the Persian Sky?

ML: As you might imagine, under the current conditions it is a timely piece. Nami and his father wrote the text together, in Farsi. He writes this in the score: Under the Persian Sky reflects the dark times in Iran during January and February of 2026. The lyrics tell the story of oppression, the longing for freedom and the power of uniting as one, accompanied by music meant to carry a sense of hope. I believe people will experience what he intends.

LD: If singers want to join the group to perform these pieces, what is the process?

ML: Singers can schedule an audition by e-mailing us through our website at www.stgeorgeschoralsociety.com/. It's not a scary process! We just need to hear people sing to make sure they are in the appropriate section for them. There is still time, although we've already had a few rehearsals. And we provide online tools so people can do some work at home, to help them prepare for rehearsals which sometimes move quickly. Singing in a choir is a wonderful way to keep music active in our lives, and I strongly encourage it!

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For more information about the April 26 St. George's Choral Society concert, please visit www.stgeorgeschoralsociety.com/concerts. Tickets are $30 and are available online or at the door.