Modus Operandi Orchestra Brings 'Celebrating America at 250' to Merkin Hall

The Modus Operandi Orchestra (MOO) will perform "Celebrating America at 250" at Merkin Hall in New York City on Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m.

The program places the semiquincentennial squarely at the center of the evening, pairing American composers with Dvořák, the Czech composer whose late-19th-century American period left a permanent mark on the country's concert life. Works by Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber and Jessie Montgomery sit alongside the Dvořák selection, according to the announcement.

Soprano Katherine Whyte joins the orchestra as soloist for Barber's "Knoxville: Summer of 1915." MOO's founder and music director, Justin Bischof, conducts.

Who is performing?

The Modus Operandi Orchestra presents symphonic, operatic and choral repertoire throughout New York on a regular basis. The ensemble draws on freelance musicians from across the city's performing community.

It also fields its own vocal ensemble, the MOO Singers, which allows the organization to move between purely orchestral programs and choral or operatic projects within a single season.

What is on the program?

The announced repertoire spans four composers:

• Aaron Copland
• Samuel Barber, with soprano Katherine Whyte as soloist in "Knoxville: Summer of 1915"
• Jessie Montgomery
• Antonín Dvořák

The specific works beyond the Barber have not yet been itemized in the announcement.

Why the title matters

The concert joins a wave of programming across the United States marking the 250th anniversary of American independence in 2026. Related initiatives already announced include "Sing Democracy 250," a nationwide singing event honoring America's 250th, and the PBS broadcast "America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together," headlined by bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green and soprano Kelli O'Hara.

By folding Dvořák into an American-themed anniversary program, the orchestra signals the broader musical conversation the semiquincentennial has opened: which sounds, and which composers, count as part of the American canon.

The single performance takes place Nov. 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center on Manhattan's Upper West Side, the venue that has long served as a stage for the city's mid-sized orchestral and chamber organizations.