This journey will explore the sounds of both classical musicians performing pieces of Carlisle Floyd’s Pilgrimage, and local jazz/contemporary artists in a collaboration art forms unique to New Orleans.
Pilgrimage by Carlisle Floyd - a note about the music
A work more ambitious than anything outside his operas: Pilgrimage, is a twenty-minute, five-movement solo cantata on serious biblical texts, for low voice, conceived for and dedicated to Mack Harrell. The cycle spans a tonal world of D Minor/D Major, with a carefully constructed emotional arc.
The first two songs suggest a grouping of '“sin and expiation,” the third balances the cycle, as the singer makes peace with himself before God. The writing is syllabic, but lyrical, a return to Susannah’s tonal world. Songs four and five embrace acceptance and repose. The cycle concludes with words from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans as the music drifts back into an idyllic Susannah mood, all torment and searching daring away; anything, in fact, as the text affirms, that might “separate me from the love of God.” - Thomas Holliday
Performance Times
and Locations
St. Louis Cathedral
615 Pere Antoine Alley
Norman Garrett, baritone - Pilgrimage No. 1, Carlisle Floyd
Tessa Lark, violin
Jesse Reeks, organ
2:30 - 2:50 pm
Norman Garrett
American baritone Norman Garrett, hailed byThe New York Times as “scene-stealing,” has appeared with leading companies including the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, and Houston Grand Opera. In the 2025/26 season, he sings Macbeth with Boston Lyric Opera and appears in Porgy and Bess at the Met, continuing a career that spans major roles in standard repertory and contemporary works. https://imgartists.com/roster/norman-garrett/
Tessa Lark
Violinist Tessa Lark is a Grammy-nominated artist celebrated for her technical brilliance and wide-ranging sound, blending classical music withAppalachian and bluegrass traditions from her native Kentucky. A frequent soloist with major orchestras and venues worldwide, she is also a dynamic collaborator and recording artist.With family roots inLouisiana through her father, Lark brings a personal connection to the region alongside her internationally acclaimed career. https://www.tessalark.com/
Jesse Reeks
Jesse is a versatile accompanist and music director with extensive experience across musical theatre, classical, jazz, and liturgical settings. His work includes accompanying auditions for The Princess and the Frog, as well as performances on television, radio, competitions, and festivals. He has collaborated with choirs, soloists, chamber ensembles, ballet classes, and voice studios, and recently served as music director for Forbidden Broadway. Reeks currently accompanies at Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans, and serves as Principal Organist / Music Consultant at St. Louis Cathedral.
About St. Louis Cathedral
The site of the Cathedral-Basilica of St. Louis, King of France, has been the center of worship for the Catholic faithful in New Orleans and a major civic gathering place since the founding of our city in 1718. In 1850, New Orleans became an Archdiocese, and in 1851 Archbishop Antoine Blanc blessed the newly expanded and restored Cathedral. Elements of the earlier churches are included in the present structure, and there have been many additions and improvements made throughout the years.
For more info, visit: https://stlouiscathedral.org/our-history
Old Ursuline Convent
1112 Chartres St.
Malcolm Parson, cello
3:00pm-4:00pm
Performance c. 10 minutes long, cycled for one hour
Malcolm Parson
Malcolm is a New Orleans–born, Grammy-nominated composer, cellist, and conductor whose work spans classical, film, and contemporary music. A versatile artist, he has composed for acclaimed films and collaborated with leading musicians across genres, while also building a reputation as an emerging conductor. Rooted in New Orleans, Parson brings his artistry home as Assistant Conductor for Dialogues des Carmélites, combining international experience with a deep connection to the city’s rich musical culture.
About the Old Ursuline Convent
The Old Ursuline Convent building we see today was authorized by King Louis XV of France in 1745 and completed in 1752 or 1753. The building is approximately 160 x 48 feet (about 7,700 square feet per floor). In addition to its use as a convent-school and archbishop's residence, the building has also served as a Catholic boy's school, the city's first public school, and the seat of the Louisiana legislature (1831-1834). The adjoining St. Mary's Church dates from 1845.
The Ursuline nuns moved away from this site in 1824, but the main building has long been known as the Old Ursuline Convent. The convent is the third of three buildings that the Ursuline Nuns occupied in the French Quarter.
https:// oldursulineconventmuseum.com/history
St. Mary's Church
1110 Chartres Street
Darren Drone, baritone, Pilgrimage No. 2, Carlisle Floyd
Donald Lee III, piano
3:00pm-4:00pm
Performance c. 10 minutes long, cycled for one hour
Darren Drone
Darren is arising baritone praised for his “warm tone and deep resonance”(Opera News), known for his commanding stage presence and rich, expressive voice across both classical and contemporary repertoire. He has performed with leading companies including the Metropolitan Opera and Seattle Opera, appearing in major works like Porgy and Bess, and Carmen. At the festival, Drone is also featured in Show Boat, where he performs the iconic “Ol' Man River,” highlighting both his vocal power and versatility.
Donald Lee III
Donald is a versatile conductor and pianist known for his charisma on both the podium and at the keyboard. He has performed with leading ensembles including the Lyric Opera of Chicago and musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and has served as ac over conductor for major opera productions. A passionate advocate for new music and underrepresented composers, Lee has conducted works by today’s leading voices while also building a dynamic career as a pianist, collaborating with acclaimed artists like Lawrence Brownlee. His work reflects a commitment to both operatic tradition and innovation.
About St. Mary's Church
Saint Mary's Catholic Church (named by Archbishop Shulte in March of 1994) was built in 1845 as the Chapel of the Archbishops during the administration of Bishop Antoine Blanc. The ground on which the chapel was constructed originally was the site of the Ursuline Convent and chapel dating to the arrival of the Ursulines in New Orleans. After the Ursulines moved down river in 1824, the site became the residence of the Archbishop of New Orleans. The church has born several names through its existence. It was originally called Sainte Marie de l'Archeveche and later Holy Trinity. Later, it became St. Mary's Italian Church, the official Italian parish of the Archdiocese, with services in the Italian language for the many Sicilian and Italian immigrants who settled in the lower French Quarter. The church has now been named St. Mary's Church and it is part of the Antoine Blanc Memorial and Archdiocesan Archives housed at the Vieux Carre location.
https://www.neworleanschurches.com/ stmaryitalian/ursulchap.htm
Kingsway Mansion
544 Esplanade Ave
Jorell Williams, baritone Pilgrimage No. 3, Carlisle Floyd
Tessa Hartle, piano
3:00pm-4:30pm
Performance c. 10 minutes long, cycled for one hour
Jorell Williams
Jorell is an internationally acclaimed baritone, praised for his“magnificent” voice (BBC Music Magazine) and rich, resonant sound. Known for his technical mastery and expressive depth, he has performed leading roles with major companies across North America and Europe, including standout appearances in Don Giovanni, Carmen, and Yardbird. In the 2025–2026 season, Williams makes his company debut with New Orleans Opera, appearing in Dialogues des Carmélites and Pilgrimage, bringing his powerful stage presence and nuanced artistry to the festival.
Tessa Hartle
Tessa, from Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, is a pianist and coach with recent work at Des Moines Metro Opera, Opera San Antonio, Austin Opera, Opera Southwest, and New Orleans Opera for The Cook-Off. She is also appearing this festival season with Dialogues des Carmélites.
About Kingsway Mansion
Kingsway is a legendary 12,000 square foot private residence designed beautifully by Los Angeles based LM Pagano, architect Wayne Troyer and owner Sean Cummings.
Built in 1848, Kingsway has been owned by all manner of local characters. Among the colorful cast was Prohibition-era restaurateur Count Leon Arnaud Cezenave and Germaine Wells, his debaucherous, Easter parade founding daughter. Currently, her many Queen of Carnival gowns are displayed at the family’s namesake Arnaud’s Restaurant. During the 1990’s the property housed perhaps the most prolific recording studio in the world, Kingsway Studio, owned and operated by esteemed producer Daniel Lanois. Venerable names in the industry flocked here, among them U2, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Pearl Jam, Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., Robbie Robertson, Sheryl Crow, Iggy Pop, Blind Melon, Cowboy Mouth and other respected artists. Nicolas Cage later owned the property, filming “Sonny” at the house in 2002. In 2004, Sean Cummings bought and renovated Kingsway. Says Cummings, “The architectural scale is the great luxury to me. In it, the Italian monastery table, fertility bed from Senegal, patinaed bar, the mesmerizing Swarovski Cascade Chandelier (floor-to-ceiling) and other elements tell a joyful story about this city and the mosaic of humanity that created it.”
Lanaux Mansion
547 Esplanade Ave
Anna Laura Quinn, vocalist, joined by Nahum Zdybel (guitar)
3:00pm-4:30pm
Performance c. 10 minutes long, cycled for one hour
Anna Laura Quinn
New Orleans–based vocalist Anna Laura Quinn blends sincerity, humor, and radiant improvisation across jazz standards, global repertoire, and original songs. A Jazz Studies graduate of the University of New Orleans, she leads projects under her name and with The Unmentionables. Quinn has released two albums and performs widely across New Orleans and beyond.
About Lanaux Mansion
The mansion was built after the Civil War by Charles Andrew Johnson, a wealthy Connecticut attorney. With no children of his own, he left it to his goddaughter, Marie Andry. When Marie married local businessman George Lanaux, it became known as the Lanaux Mansion. While the mansion has been an active part of cinema history (including “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), it has been a family business, hosting visitors and locals, for four decades.
Venusion Garden and Art Gallery
2601 Chartres Street
Jonathan Bryan, baritone, Pilgrimage No. 4, Carlisle Floyd
Jesse Reeks, piano
Gladney, saxophone
3:15pm-4:30pm
Performance c. 15 minutes long, cycled for one hour
Jonathan Bryan
Dallas-born baritone Jonathan Bryan has been praised for his “beautifully resonant” voice and performs leading roles across the U.S. and internationally. He is a recent Washington National Opera Cafritz Young Artist and joins the Metropolitan Opera Roster covering JTAC in Grounded. Recent highlights include Captain Von Trapp (The Sound of Music, Arizona Opera), Sylvio (I pagliacci, Opera Louisiane), Count Carl Magnus (A Little Night Music, St. Petersburg Opera), and he appears this season in Show Boat. Bryan is a graduate of LSU.
Jesse Reeks
Jesse is a versatile accompanist and music director with extensive experience across musical theatre, classical, jazz, and liturgical settings. His work includes accompanying auditions for The Princess and the Frog, as well as performances on television, radio, competitions, and festivals. He has collaborated with choirs, soloists, chamber ensembles, ballet classes, and voice studios, and recently served as music director for Forbidden Broadway. Reeks currently accompanies at Tulane University and Loyola University New Orleans, and serves as Principal Organist / Music Consultant at St. Louis Cathedral.
Gladney
GRAMMY-nominated multi-instrumentalist and composer Gladney is a sixth-generation New Orleans native from the Lower 9th Ward. A NOCCA and New School graduate, he has performed worldwide with leading artists and appeared on major television programs. A 2024 Foundation for Louisiana World Maker, Gladney also mentors young musicians as a woodwind instructor at NOCCA.
About Venusian Gardens
Venusian Gardens is a contemporary art gallery in a renovated historic church built in 1854. Featuring luminous sculpture, including a sweeping display of neon and glass Jellyfish suspended overhead. This unique setting creates a memorable and unique local addition to Marigny.
NOCCA Foundation
600 Homer Plessy Way
Tess Lark, violin “Vers toi qui es si loin,” Saariaho
Norman Garrett, baritone Pilgrimage No. 5, Carlisle Floyd
eah Crocetto, soprano “Dich, teure Halle,” Tannhäuser, Wagner
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
5:00pm
Performance c. 15 minutes long, cycled for one hour
Leah Crocetto
American soprano, Leah Crocetto, praised by The New York Times for her “agile coloratura technique” and “penetrating sound,” is celebrated for her moving portrayals of opera’s greatest heroines. She has performed leading roles worldwide, including Aida at the Metropolitan Opera and Opera Australia, Odabella in Attila at Teatro Petruzzelli, and Leonora in Il trovatore with Toledo Opera and Opera Australia. She is also active as a recitalist, educator, and co-founder of the duo Momenti. This season, Ms. Crocetto also joins the New Orleans Opera Festival in Dialogues des Carmélites.
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is dedicated to maintaining live orchestral music and a full-scale symphonic orchestra as an integral part of the cultural and educational life of the New Orleans area, the entire state of Louisiana, and the Gulf South region. Formed in 1991, the LPO is the oldest full-time musician-governed and collaboratively-operated orchestra in the United States.
The LPO offers a full 36-week season with more than 120 performances, including classics, light classics, pops, education, family, park, and community engagement concerts in New Orleans and across multi-parish areas. In addition, The LPO collaborates with and provides orchestral support for other cultural and performing arts organizations, including the New Orleans Opera Association, New Orleans Vocal Arts Chorale, New Orleans Ballet Association, Delta Festival Ballet, Musical Arts Society of New Orleans, and the Historic New Orleans Collection.
About NOCCA
The NOCCA Foundation champions the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. We build lasting partnerships. We invest in young artists, their mentors, alumni, and the community through programs that encourage educational excellence and artistic innovation.
