Song Cycle Letters From The Front a Tribute to Service Members, to be Performed at Fisher Center November 11

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—This November, the Sosnoff Theater at Bard College’s Fisher Center will host a performance of Letters From The Front. Composed by Patrick Zimmerli with libretto by Mirabelle Ordinaire, the new song cycle sets to music the wartime letters of American military service members and their families.

The concert takes place on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, at 7 p.m. It will last approximately 95 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission. Standard single tickets are $35; the program is free for veterans and their families, and for all Bard students.

The musical project was spearheaded by executive producer Ian Gindes, a classical pianist and major in the Illinois Army National Guard. Zimmerli and Ordinaire transformed the project into a song cycle scored for four singers and piano. The performers bring to life the voices of the original letter writers, who experienced wars ranging from the American Revolution to the Gulf War. “Through these private letters, poetic in their own way, we experience the direct, heartfelt emotions of service members who didn’t know if they would live to see another day and family members who prayed for their safe return,” says Gindes.

Letters From The Front was first released as a recording by Lexicon Classics on July 3, 2026, coinciding with the semiquincentennial of the United States. In his liner notes for the album, classical music critic John von Rhein describes Letters From The Front as “a grand musical tapestry of American history, hope, faith, aspiration, despair, and optimism in time of war.”

Alongside Gindes on piano, the recording featured soprano Desirée Hassler, mezzo-soprano Angela Born, tenor John Riesen, and bass-baritone David Govertsen. The November 11 performance at Bard features Hassler and Born along with tenor Tyler Lee and bass-baritone Aaron Wardell.

The concert at the Fisher Center is one in a number of performances across the country in the coming months. The live adaptation includes narration written by Jeffrey Ernstoff, formerly of Radio City Music Hall Productions in New York, and is staged and directed by George Cederquist of Chicago’s North Park University.

About Bard College
Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place and Massena properties, Bard’s campus consists of more than 1,200 parklike acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs; advanced degrees through 14 graduate programs; 10 early colleges; and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 166-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal arts education. The undergraduate program at the main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.
 

This event was last updated on 10-19-2026

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