Modus Operandi Orchestra presents Celebrating America at 250
Merkin Hall, NY: November 19, 2026
Featuring treasured compositions by Copland, Barber, Montgomery and Dvořák

New York, NY — On Thursday, November 19 at 6:30 pm, New York-based Modus Operandi Orchestra (MOO) returns to Merkin Hall in a concert of works by Copland, Barber, Montgomery and Dvořák. This celebration of America’s 250th anniversary offers a powerful program showcasing the extraordinary breadth and vitality of American music.

Founded by conductor and music director Justin Bischof, MOO – Modus Operandi Orchestra is comprised of some of the finest freelance orchestral players in the country.

Guest artist, acclaimed Canadian operatic soprano Katherine Whyte will be the soloist for Barber’s beloved Knoxville: Summer of 1915.

Complete Program:

AARON COPLAND   Fanfare for the Common Man
JESSIE MONTGOMERY Coincident Dances
SAMUEL BARBER Knoxville: Summer of 1915, Op. 24, Katherine Whyte, soprano
SAMUEL BARBER Adagio for Strings, Op. 11
ANTONIN DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, “From the New World”

The concert will take place at the Merkin Hall, Kaufman Music Center, Abraham Goodman House, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY. T 212 501 3330. Tickets are $45 and $85 and can be purchased through www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org

Modus Operandi Orchestra
Modus Operandi Orchestra’s mission is to present symphonic, operatic and choral repertoire at the highest artistic level with the goal to engage and enrich the local community. A vital component of its mission is to provide the opportunity for some of the finest freelance musicians in New York City, led by internationally acclaimed conductor Justin Bischof, to perform the staples of the great symphonic and operatic repertory as well as contemporary works and world premieres with their colleagues. Their concerts have been met with critical acclaim and a dedicated audience following. Many of their players have gone on to perform with major ensembles including Berlin’s Konzerthaus Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony and St. Paul’s Chamber Orchestra. MOO’s stellar roster of international guest soloists have appeared with Vienna Philharmonic, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Edinburgh Festival, Lyric Opera Chicago, New Israeli Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Seattle Symphony, Hong Kong Opera, Seattle Opera, Vlaamse Opera (Belgium), Sante Fe Opera, Montreal Opera, Opera North (UK), New York City Opera, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.  

Justin Bischof, Founder, Artistic Director & Conductor of MOO
New York City based Justin Bischof is an internationally acclaimed conductor, concert organist, pianist, and improviser whose career spans the orchestral, operatic, and solo worlds. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Tonhalle Zürich, St. Paul’s Cathedral London, Notre-Dame Paris, Cologne Cathedral, and the Royal Opera House Muscat, and has collaborated with distinguished artists including Joshua Bell, Bright Sheng, Tan Dun, and Roberta Peters.

As a conductor, Bischof has worked with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Royal Symphony Orchestra of Oman, Neue Philharmonie Frankfurt, and other ensembles internationally. His operatic work includes the critically acclaimed Australian premiere of Robert Ward’s Pulitzer Prize winning The Crucible.

Katherine Whyte, Soprano
Canadian soprano Katherine Whyte has appeared to critical acclaim on opera and concert stages throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Following her Metropolitan Opera debut in Strauss’s Die Ägyptische Helena, she returned to the company in Iolanta, Rigoletto, and Parsifal. Her operatic appearances include leading roles with the Canadian Opera Company, English National Opera, Vancouver Opera, Opera Hong Kong, Dallas Opera, Atlanta Opera, and Michigan Opera Theatre.

A distinguished concert artist, Whyte has appeared with the San Francisco Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Eugene Symphony, and orchestras throughout North America and abroad. Her repertoire includes Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Handel’s Messiah, Brahms’s Ein deutsches Requiem, Mozart’s Requiem and Mass in C minor, Poulenc’s Gloria, and Orff’s Carmina Burana.

Winner of the 2007 Alice Tully Vocal Arts Debut Recital Competition, Whyte made her Carnegie Hall recital debut at Weill Recital Hall in 2008. She has since performed internationally in venues including Belgrade’s celebrated Kolarac Hall and with orchestras in China and Taiwan.