Death of Classical Brings David Lang's 'Little Match Girl Passion' Back to the Crypt

Death of Classical will present its annual performances of David Lang's "The Little Match Girl Passion" on Dec. 15 and 17, 2026, in the Crypt beneath the Church of the Intercession. The production features vocal ensemble Ekmeles, with performances at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. each evening.

Curated by Andrew Ousley, the program has become an annual holiday tradition for the organization. It's the only program Death of Classical repeats every season — a notable choice for a presenter otherwise built on variety.

What makes this work unusual?

Lang's piece won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Music. It's based on Hans Christian Andersen's story of a young girl who tries, unsuccessfully, to sell matches on a freezing winter night.

The composer's mechanism here is the interesting part. Lang draws on the structure and texts of Bach's St. Matthew Passion (the Passion tradition: musical settings of Christ's suffering and crucifixion). He then places the girl's story inside that framework. The effect, as the work frames it, asks listeners to consider both her suffering and the indifference of those around her.

The scoring is lean: four singers, each of whom also plays percussion. No orchestra, no chorus — the intimacy suits the venue.

Who performs, and what else is on the program?

Ekmeles returns with a familiar lineup:

• Soprano Amber Evans
• Mezzo-soprano Elisa Sutherland
• Tenor Tomás Cruz
• Bass Steven Hrycelak
• Conductor Jeffrey Gavett

The program also includes the Agnus Dei from William Byrd's Mass for Four Voices — a Renaissance pairing that fits the church setting and the four-voice format of Lang's piece.

What does the evening actually look like?

Each performance is preceded by an hourlong reception with food and drinks in the nave of the church. That's part of the Death of Classical model: the setting and the social ritual matter as much as the score.

The Crypt beneath the Church of the Intercession, in Washington Heights, gives the production its atmosphere — an underground space, in December, for a story about a child freezing on a winter night. The venue does part of the dramaturgical work.

Why does the repeat matter?

For an organization that otherwise changes its programming every season, repeating one work annually says something about how this piece functions. It has become a ritual — a holiday fixture with a built-in audience, closer to how institutions treat Handel's "Messiah" or a annual staged "Nutcracker" than to a typical contemporary-music concert.

It also gives New York audiences a reliable annual entry point into Lang's music, performed by the same ensemble in the same space. OperaWire reviewed the production in the 2023-24 season, and the work's return in 2026 will mark its continued run as the company's one fixed tradition.

For listeners who haven't caught it yet, the format is low-commitment on paper — two performances a night, a reception, roughly an hour of music — but the piece itself carries real weight. Tickets and details run through Death of Classical's usual channels.