Brooklyn Art Song Society (BASS) has announced its 2025–26 season.

Artistic Director Michael Bronfman said, “In times of crisis, BASS has always doubled down on the core belief that the experience of sharing something expressive face-to-face with others is not a luxury but a fiercely urgent necessity. We will not be silenced and we will not slow down.”

The season opens with all three Schubert song cycles in a single day. Baritone Tyler Duncan and pianist Erika Switzer perform “Die schöne Müllerin” at 3:00 PM followed by tenor Paul Appleby and pianist Ken Noda with “Winterreise” at 5:00 PM. The third performance will feature baritone Gregory Feldmann and pianist Michael Brofman in “Schwanengesang” at 7:00 PM.

Performance Date: Oct. 12, 2025

The second cycle will feature Schumann’s “Dichterliebe,” alongside two contemporary works, Bernard Foccroulle’s “Zauberland” (selections), and an encore performance of Katherine Balch’s “BASS-Commission,” which premiered in 2021.

Performers include sopranos Kristina Bachrach and Lucy Fitz Gibbon, baritone Randall Scarlata, and pianists Michael Brofman, Lyndsi Maus, and Ryan McCullough.

Performance Date: Nov. 9, 2025,

The third cycle will include Brahms’ “Die schöne Magelone.” Baritone Brian James Myer and pianist Dimitri Dover are joined by MSNBC host Chris Hayes as narrator.

Performance Date: Dec. 14, 2025

The fourth cycle will pair two modernist landmarks; Janáček’s “The Diary of One Who Disappeared” and Schoenberg’s “Das Buch der hängenden Gärten.” The cast includes sopranos Katherine Lerner-Lee and Maia Sumanaweera, mezzo-sopranos Katherine Lerner and Kate Maroney, tenor Dylan Morrongiello, and pianists Michael Brofman and Brent Funderburk.

Performance Date: Jan. 11, 2026

Cycle five will feature Mezzo-soprano Erin Wagner and pianist Shawn Chang performing Olivier Messiaen’s “Harawi.”

Performance Date: Feb. 1, 2026

The mainstage series concludes with cycle six. This performance will feature a rare full performance of Ned Rorem’s “Evidence of Things Not Seen.” The cast includes sopranos Sara LeMesh and mezzo-soprano Anna Laurenzo, tenor Daniel McGrew, baritone Steven Eddy, and pianists Mila Henry, Nana Shi, and Miori Sugiyama.

Performance Date: March 8, 2026

BASS’s New Voices Festival

The BASS New Voice Festival opens with Longing I, spotlighting the extraordinary vitality of composers from the United Kingdom. Highlights include the world premiere of a new BASS commission by Charlotte Bray, with text by acclaimed Iranian-American poet Sholeh Wolpé, and works by Iain Bell, Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade, Helen Grime, and Hannah Kendall. Performers include sopranos Jennifer Zetlan and Maggie Finnegan, mezzo-soprano Abi Levis, baritones Brandon Bell and Brian Mextorf, and pianists Michael Brofman and Nathaniel LaNasa.

Performance Date: April 12, 2026

Longing II centers on themes of personal and planetary crisis. Lembit Beecher’s “After the Fires,” anchors a program that also features a world premiere by Benjamin Attahir, the U.S. premiere of Hèctor Parra’s “L’illa dels lliris vermells,” and works by Missy Mazzoli and Huang Ruo. Performers include sopranos Sarah Brailey and mezzo-sopranos Devony Smith and Rachel Calloway (BASS debut) tenors Andrew Fuchs and Dominic Armstrong, baritone Michael Kelly, clarinetist Moran Katz, and pianists Michael Brofman, Joel Harder, and Danny Zelibor.

Performance Date: May 10, 2026

The festival concludes with Longing III, a wide-ranging celebration of American art song today. The program includes a new BASS commission by Michael Djupstrom along with works by Gilda Lyons, Will Liverman, Carlos Simon, Quinn Mason, Jessica Meyer, Scott Wheeler, Tom Cipullo, James Kallembach, and Alex Weiser. Performers include sopranos Elisabeth Marshall and Laura Strickling, mezzo-sopranos Kristin Gornstein and Sarah Nelson Craft, baritone Joseph Parrish (BASS debut), pianist Jeremy Chan, and violist Jessica Meyer.

Performance Date: June 14, 2026