Brahms Requiem

From its gentle, reassuring opening to its powerful and radiant conclusion, Brahms’ A German Requiem offers moments of deep reflection, soaring beauty, and heartfelt warmth. Whether you come seeking solace, inspiration, or simply the thrill of hearing a magnificent chorus in full voice, A German Requiem speaks directly to the heart. The Syracuse University Oratorio Society joins us for this special performance.

This concert will be performed without intermission.

Program
BRAHMS: Ein Deutsches Requiem, Op. 45 (A German Requiem)

Featured artists

Austin Chanu, conductor
Hailed as “one of the great talents in the USA at the moment” by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Brazilian-American conductor Austin Chanu is the newly appointed Music Director of The Syracuse Orchestra. He has received the Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award four times and won third prize and the orchestra prize in the Korean National Symphony Orchestra International Conducting Competition.

In the 2025–26 season, Chanu made debuts with The Syracuse Orchestra, the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Johns Creek Symphony Orchestra. He was also named a finalist in The Mahler Competition 2026 and will compete in June conducting the Bamberger Symphoniker. In recent seasons, he has appeared as a guest conductor with The Philadelphia Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Filarmonica Banatul Timișoara, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and Omaha Symphony.

Previously, Chanu was Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, assisting Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He co-led a project to restore and elevate underperformed works by American composer William Grant Still, helping create and conduct the world premiere of a newly restored edition of Still’s Wood Notes. Chanu made his subscription debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra conducting Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Broad Street Review praised his interpretation for its “primal energy and shamanistic insight.”

Chanu’s interest in contemporary music stems from his background as a composer. He served as a teaching artist and conductor for the LA Philharmonic Association’s Associate Composer Program and as a Conducting Fellow at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, where he studied with Cristian Măcelaru. The Eastman School of Music commissioned him to compose an orchestral work for its centennial celebration; he conducted its premiere in fall 2021.

He was also Music Director of the Los Angeles Music and Art School, leading its youth orchestra, choirs, and jazz band. Drawing on his Latino heritage, he fostered representation for the program’s predominantly Latinx students and families through repertoire selection. He also has experience in jazz and musical theatre, performing in musical pit orchestras and jazz ensembles in Los Angeles.

Chanu earned a B.M. in Music Composition from the USC Thornton School of Music, graduating magna cum laude, and an M.M. and DMA in Orchestral Conducting from the Eastman School of Music.

Julia Ebner, soprano
Julia Ebner is an active classical singer praised for her “vocally and dramatically superb” performances. She has performed with companies including The Santa Fe Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Opera North, Virginia Opera, Syracuse Opera, and Tri-Cities Opera. She has also sung in the Metropolitan Opera chorus for Fidelio, Otello, and Turandot.

Her concert credits include Handel’s Messiah, Mahler’s Rückert Lieder, and Bach’s Magnificat with Symphoria, as well as Vaughan Williams’s A Sea Symphony and Dona Nobis Pacem, Brahms’ Requiem, and Mendelssohn’s Elijah. She has performed with the Binghamton Baroque Ensemble and The Society for New Music.

Ebner has taught voice at Syracuse University and LeMoyne College, led choirs at LeMoyne College and SUNY Cortland, and directs the Opera Workshop and teaches Vocal Literature at Syracuse University. She also teaches dance and choreography. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Syracuse University and a master’s degree in Opera from Binghamton University.

Tim LeFebvre, baritone
Nationally acclaimed baritone Timothy LeFebvre has experience on the operatic stage and in the concert hall. Recent performances include Dett’s The Ordering of Moses at Oberlin Conservatory, Mendelssohn’s Elijah with New Dominion Chorale, Brahms’ Requiem with Hamilton College, Bach’s Saint John Passion with Spoleto Festival USA, Britten’s War Requiem with Wichita Symphony, and Haydn’s Mass in Time of War with Symphoria.

LeFebvre has appeared with orchestras and festivals across the country, including the Jacksonville Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, and Rochester Bach Festival, and at Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall. His operatic performances include Central City Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, Sarasota Opera, Syracuse Opera, and Indianapolis Opera.

He graduated with honors from Carnegie Mellon University and Binghamton University and has taught at several universities and colleges. He is Young Artists Division Head for Bel Canto in Tuscany and Professor of Voice and division director of vocal studies at Oberlin Conservatory of Music. A frequent performer in the Syracuse area, he has appeared with Symphoria, Syracuse Symphony, and Syracuse Opera.