Mass for the Endangered

About This Event

Join Canon Martin Green, Assistant Director of Music David Preston, Artist in Residence Raphael Attila Vogl, the Cathedral Choirs and an ensemble of the area’s finest musicians for a work of rare power and compassion.

Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider's Mass for the Endangered sets original text by writer, visual artist, and musician Nathaniel Bellows alongside the traditional Latin Mass — a six-movement prayer for the animals and ecosystems at risk from human activity. Written for choir and chamber orchestra, the piece does not despair; it pleads, with clarity and grief and beauty, for parity and protection. Performed beneath Gaia, its message could not feel more at home.

A portion of the proceeds from this event will go to support Last Hope Animal Shelter in Wantagh.

The Setting

Built in 1885, the Cathedral of the Incarnation is the historic cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. From April 25 through May 31, 2026, its soaring Gothic nave is home to Gaia — Luke Jerram's internationally acclaimed 20-foot rotating sculpture of planet Earth, built from detailed NASA imagery and lit from within, accompanied by a specially commissioned surround sound composition by BAFTA award-winning composer Dan Jones. Gaia has been experienced by more than eight million people in over 30 countries; this is its first exhibition in a U.S. house of worship.

About Sarah Kirkland Snider | Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider writes music of direct expression and vivid narrative hailed as "rapturous" (New York Times), "groundbreaking" (Boston Globe), and "ravishingly beautiful" (NPR). Recently named one of the "Top 35 Female Composers in Classical Music" by The Washington Post, her works have been commissioned and performed by the Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, National, and San Francisco symphonies; the New York Philharmonic; Emerson String Quartet; Renée Fleming; eighth blackbird; Roomful of Teeth; and many others.

Recent highlights include Forward Into Light for the New York Philharmonic, Mass for the Endangered (programmed by choirs worldwide), and Embrace, a ballet for Birmingham Royal Ballet. Her opera Hildegard — about 12th-century visionary St. Hildegard von Bingen — premieres at Los Angeles Opera in November 2025. Her four albums on Nonesuch/New Amsterdam have earned widespread critical acclaim. Her music is published by G. Schirmer.

About Canon Martin Green | Director of Music, Cathedral of the Incarnation A nationally acclaimed choral conductor, organist, and vocalist, Canon Martin Green has spent over two decades leading cathedral music at the highest level. Steeped in the Anglican choral tradition since childhood — he sang as a treble soloist for Queen Elizabeth II — Martin has championed new and forgotten repertoire, built celebrated choral programs, and collaborated with symphony orchestras and opera companies across the country. His work has been featured on NPR's Pipedreams, and he has studied with legendary figures including John Rutter and David Willcocks.

About David Preston | Assistant Director of Music, Cathedral of the Incarnation An award-winning organist and harpsichordist, David Preston holds master's degrees in organ performance from Yale and is currently pursuing graduate studies in harpsichord at Stony Brook University. A prizewinner at the 2024 Miami International Organ Competition and several other national competitions, David brings exceptional command of both the choral and early music traditions to his work at the Cathedral.

About Raphael Attila Vogl | Artist in Residence, Cathedral of the Incarnation German concert organist Raphael Attila Vogl trained at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest before completing his Master's and doctoral studies at the Juilliard School under Grammy Award-winner Paul Jacobs. A prizewinner at multiple international competitions, he has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonic, and with the Philadelphia Orchestra under conductors including Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Marin Alsop. In 2026, he was named the Cathedral of the Incarnation's inaugural Artist in Residence — a newly created role reflecting the Cathedral's growing commitment to the arts.

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