MasterVoices is set to perform “Sins and Grace,” including the world premiere of the song cycle “SEVEN: A Cycle of Sins,” based on the seven deadly sins, on March 23 and 24, 2026.

The concerts will be held Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center.

Conceived by Ted Sperling and commissioned by MasterVoices as a companion piece to Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem in D Minor, the cycle mirrors the Requiem’s seven angelic movements, using the same orchestral and vocal forces, including soprano, baritone, chorus, orchestra, and organ. The new work was also inspired in part by Alice Tully Hall’s pipe organ, for which the composers were commissioned to write.

The concert will feature soprano Mikaela Bennett and baritone Justin Austin.

“SEVEN: A Cycle of Sins” features a list of composers and lyricists ranging from Broadway hitmakers to Pulitzer Prize-winning classical composers. They are Michael Abels,  Will Aronson and lyricist Dolan Morgan, William C. Banfield and Michael R. Jackson, Jason Robert Brown, Heather Christian, Ted Hearne, and Gregory Spears.

In a statement, Sperling said, “The concept started with a desire to program the beloved Fauré’s Requiem, and to pair it with something noteworthy and contrasting in tone. The Fauré is known for its gentle approach to dying and the heavenly afterlife; in contrast, I thought it would be fun to explore the temptations that torment us as we’re living our daily lives. I landed on the idea of commissioning a new song cycle built around the seven deadly sins, inviting composers from a wide array of genres to add even more texture. After our premiere, SEVEN: A Cycle of Sins will receive regional premieres by our partners, Los Angeles Master Chorale and VocalEssence.”

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