2025 - 2026 Abendmusik Concert Season

 Polyphony

Friday, October 24, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.

England’s most remarkable chamber choir, Polyphony, comes to the Midwest for the first time to bring the best of the British choral tradition to the Abendmusik stage. Conducted by Stephen Layton, Polyphony will sing an extraordinary program of works by Stanford, Tallis, Byrd, Duruflé, Mendelssohn, Rheinberger, and Pärt.

Freewill offering to benefit Interfaith Housing Coalition.

No livestream available.

Community Sing: Handel’s Messiah

Sunday, November 30, 2025 at 4:00 p.m.

Raise your voice in Abendmusik’s annual rendition of George Frideric Handel’s iconic Messiah.  Led by First-Plymouth’s Schola Cantorum, hundreds of singers from the Lincoln community come together to sing their “Hallelujahs” for an uplifting conclusion to Thanksgiving weekend.

Freewill offering to benefit First-Plymouth’s Hope House.

...and on earth...peace

Christmas with Abendmusik

Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 4:00 and 6:30 p.m.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, experience a moment of peace in the beauty of the First-Plymouth sanctuary, serenaded by the angelic voices of the Plymouth Choir accompanied by the Plymouth Ringers and the Abendmusik Chamber Orchestra.

Freewill offering to benefit The Gathering Place.

Livestream of the 6:30 p.m. performance only.

New Year’s Eve Last Blast

Wednesday, December 31, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Before the sun sets for the final time in 2025, join the entertaining Plymouth Brass, the Lincoln Continentals, and inspiring guest organist Diane Meredith Belcher for a matinee performance of Lincoln’s beloved New Year’s Eve concert tradition. 

Freewill offering to benefit Fresh Start.

St. Olaf Choir

Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.

The St. Olaf Choir, conducted by Anton Armstrong, has set the gold standard for choral singing for more than a century, performing for millions around the world. Composed of 75 mixed voices, the St. Olaf Choir is hailed as one of the nation’s premier a cappella ensembles, renowned for its artistry and beauty of sound.

Freewill offering to benefit Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska.

Youth Masterworks Festival

at the Lied Center for Performing Arts

Monday, February 23, 2026 at 7:30 p.m.

More than 300 high school students fill the Lied Center stage to perform Christopher Tin’s engaging and fun choral/orchestral masterpiece, The Drop That Contained the Sea.  The massed choir, accompanied by the Lincoln Youth Symphony Orchestra will be directed by Cambodian-American conductor Darita Seth.

Freewill offering to benefit The Bay.

No livestream available.

J.S. Bach’s Mass in b minor

Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.

For the first time in its storied history, Abendmusik will offer a performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in b minor -- arguably the most transcendent music yet composed.  Tom Trenney leads sounding light, the Plymouth Choir, soloists, and the Abendmusik Orchestra in this profoundly moving work.

Freewill offering to benefit Food Fort.

Tonality: America Will Be

Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.

Led by Founding Artistic Director, Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake, Tonality features vocalists from the Greater Los Angeles Area who represent diverse cultures, ethnicities, and experiences. Their mission is to inspire, innovate, and spark social change through the power of diversity. In America Will Be, Tonality invites us to look toward a more perfect union for ourselves and future generations.

Freewill offering to benefit Lincoln’s Indian Center.