And there was light: By the end of the 16th century at the latest, affect had become an indispensable component of music. Stylus luxurians – "luminous style" – is what music theorist and composer Christoph Bernhard calls this creative device, which was also prevalent in the Baroque period and is characterized by theatricality and intense emotional expression. The Ensemble Astrum researches, experiments, and creates. In their program "And there was light ," the trio of artists led by award-winning Salzburg recorder player Felix Gutschi and Dutch soprano Noëlle Drost dedicate themselves to the stylus luxurians and take the audience on an emotionally profound journey through the Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical periods.

Museum Concert: Ensemble Astrum And there was

Mozart Residence

A celebration of the work of three members of the Restoration Chapel Royal: Pelham Humfrey, John Blow and their younger contemporary Henry Purcell. Humfrey’s verse anthem ‘Lift up your heads’, a rousing setting of verses from Psalm 24, and Blow’s stately ‘I was glad’ for choir, strings and trumpets set the scene for Purcell’s peerless ode to music’s patron saint.

EPSG:4326

Music of the Restoration Chapel Royal with Amy Carson, Alexander Chance, and Anthony Gregory

Wigmore Hall

The Collegium Musicum performs music from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, with repertoire ranging from solo cantatas to madrigals, oratorios, operas, concertos, and other orchestral works. Recent concerts have included performances of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Handel’s Concerti Grossi, op. 3, Purcell’s King Arthur and The Fairy Queen, Lully’s Psyché and Thésée, Luigi Rossi’s Orfeo, Cavalli’s Ercole amante and La virtù de’ strali d’Amore, and Monteverdi’s Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi.

Collegium Musicum

Eastman School of Music

The magnificent ode ‘Of old, when heroes thought it base’, also known as ‘The Yorkshire Feast Song’, shows Purcell at his most inventive in a celebration of the history of York from Roman times,complete with subtle references to the Glorious Revolution. Purcell’s music is heard alongside two masterpieces of Renaissance polyphony.

Resounding Shores: The Pale and the Purple Rose

Royal Academy of Music

The Orchestra Now Resident Conductor Zachary Schwartzman returns with the orchestra to Symphony Space for another free concert. The concert opens with Strauss’s beloved tone poem Don Juan. Then tenor Ryan Michki, a winner of the 2024 Bard Conservatory Concerto Competition, performs Vaughan Williams’ emotional English song cycle On Wenlock Edge, written after the composer had spent three months studying with Maurice Ravel in Paris. Also on the program are Steven Stucky’s arrangement of Purcell’s Funeral Music for Queen Mary, originally composed 330 years ago in 1695, and Samuel Barber’s epic and expansive Symphony No. 1 in One Movement.

The Orchestra Now: "Don Juan" and Vaughan Williams

Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at Symphony Space

Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite

Wooddale Church

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

MSM Camerata Nova

Manhattan School of Music

The English Concert brings their magic touch to Caramoor once again. After captivating audiences with all-Vivaldi programs in 2021 and 2023, this renowned British ensemble returns under Harry Bicket’s masterful direction from the harpsichord. Playing on authentic 17th-century instruments, they achieve something truly special—passionate, fiery performances that never sacrifice precision or delicate beauty. Experience firsthand why they’re considered one of the world’s premier period-instrument ensembles. 

The English Concert

The Rosen House at Caramoor

Hardly any other Baroque opera has recently gained as much popularity as »Dido and Aeneas« (1689). This entertaining and deeply moving work was penned by the congenial English composer Henry Purcell. The tear-jerking lament »When I am laid« has become famous – the climax of a tragic love affair between the Carthaginian princess Dido and the Trojan prince Aeneas. But a magical world, cunning witches and a hunting society also invite you to enjoy listening and smiling.

Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg / decorated company Berlin / Antonius Adamske

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Louise Brugger Bidwell teaches piano at UC Berkeley in the Music 168C Program. She is trained as a pianist and composer and enjoys playing a variety of the wonderful keyboard instruments in the UCB Music Department. She has studied composition at UC Berkeley and gave piano concerts at Stanford for ten years while studying with Adolph Baller. She has performed many concerts at UC Berkeley on the departments historic Erard and Wieck pianos. Her interest in the harpsichord and early keyboard instruments has developed in recent years. Besides attending Professor Davitt Moroney’s course on French Music and Poetry, she also attended his Masterclass in the Music of William Byrd at the Flint Collection in Delaware. She gave concerts of William Byrd’s Music in a Noon Concert and at the Women’s Faculty Club. In 2020, she gave an on-line concert at the Women’s Faculty Club to celebrate JS Bach’s Birthday. She has given concerts at the Women’s Faculty Club and at St. Alban’s Church in Albany featuring Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Johann Jakob Froberger, François Couperin and others, including John Thow and Jeremy Hunt.

Friday Concert: Keyboard Music from England, France, Germany and Spain

University of California, Berkeley

The setting is Carthage, in ancient times: the hero Aeneas flees from burning Troy and arrives in North Africa via the Mediterranean Sea with his fleet of ships, where he meets the beautiful queen Dido. They are lovestruck – and yet fail to bond because of fate’s intervention. Aeneas continues on his journey to form a new kingdom in Italy, while the abandoned Dido is left no alternative but to stay.

Dido & Aeneas

Bebelplatz

Purcell’s ground-breaking opera makes its long-awaited Opera Lafayette debut. Mary Elizabeth Williams returns to Opera Lafayette as Dido, the ill-fated Queen of Carthage, following her internationally lauded performance in last season’s Morgiane. The famously haunting aria “When I Am Laid in Earth” brings the resilient Dido to a crossroad in this woman-centered storyline, delivering an unforgettable saga of love, loss, power, and humanity.

Dido and Aeneas

El Museo del Barrio

Sixth & I

Phantasies

Künstlerhaus am Lenbachplatz

Lamento

Cortot Room

Starting this season, the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra's program will feature a new, colorful highlight: Blue Week. This festival replaces the former Academy Concerts and combines unique works and programs while showcasing the special qualities of the orchestra's musicians. In this first edition, they will make metamorphoses of all kinds audible – in this concert, humans are transformed into animals, oboe notes into alienated soundscapes, and fantasies into sonic reality.

Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra

Starting this season, there will be a new colorful accent in the program of the Hamburg Philharmonic State Orchestra: THE BLUE WEEK. The festival replaces the former Academy Concerts and combines unique works and programs on the one hand and showcases the special qualities of our orchestra musicians on the other. In the first edition, they make metamorphoses of all kinds audible - in this concert, people are musically transformed into animals, oboe notes into alienated soundscapes and fantasies into sounding reality.

2. Blue Concert METAMORPHOSES

Dido and Aeneas, the ancient Roman myth of love and betrayal, was recounted 2000 years ago in Virgil’s Aeneid – and still resonates today. The Trojan hero Aeneas lands on the shores of Carthage, where the beautiful and proud Queen Dido reigns. Just after winning her love, Aeneas suddenly departs – summoned by the gods. Was it destiny or betrayal? No composer has evoked this question with more poignancy than Henry Purcell, whose renowned 17th-century opera Dido & Aeneas is a gem of the baroque repertoire. The program includes sparkling instrumental dances from Purcell’s King Arthur and The Fairy-Queen.

Purcell’s DIDO & AENEAS

Greystone Hall, Akron

Baldwin Wallace University

The Tudor Arms Hotel, Cleveland

Cleveland Institute of Music

Lake Erie College

Hugh Cutting made history in 2021 as the first countertenor to win the Kathleen Ferrier Award and join the roster of BBC New Generation Artists. A rising-star soloist, he was hailed by the Times as “an exceptional voice: lustrous and rounded, with power in reserve and immaculate intonation.”

The English Concert and Hugh Cutting at Wigmore Hall

Choir concert

St. Mary's Church, Lemgo

Stadthalle Gütersloh

Erpho Church, Münster

Paderborn Cathedral

Music sometimes contains composers' secrets that are not meant for everyone to hear. Shostakovich performs his first cello concerto with his D-Es-CH theme formed from his initials, but in the finale, Stalin begins to taunt him with his favorite tune. Schubert left his B minor symphony unfinished, even though he tried for a long time to come up with a sequel to it. Recent research reveals that the work may have been intentionally "Unfinished". The text written by Schubert around the same time tells of a difficult family crisis, the painful memories of which are reflected in two movements of the symphony. In the Cortége by Sibelius Prize-winning Sir Harrison Birtwistle, the musicians perform a mysterious ritual in front of the audience.

Sleep or Trauma

Espoo Cultural Centre

The French-Italian mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre was honored with the Opus Klassik Award for Singer of the Year in 2022. At the age of 21, she was accepted into William Christie's baroque academy, Le Jardin des Voix . Since then, she has enjoyed a meteoric career, performing at all major opera houses and on international concert stages. Together with the brilliant French lutenist Thomas Dunford and the Ensemble Jupiter (Paris), which he founded in 2018, they form a globally acclaimed dream team on the classical music scene.

Songs of Passion

Les Riches Heures de Valère

Stadstheater Arnhem

The Rīga Congress Hall

Zentrum Paul Klee

BOZAR

Auditorium of Normandy

Centre Culturel Spa-Jalhay-Stoumont

"The soul of Ireland lies in its music," they say. A perfect opportunity for star violinist Daniel Hope, who has Irish ancestors and still holds an Irish passport in addition to his German one. With yearning folk songs and catchy pub classics, he and his AIR ensemble conjure up that certain something that captivates everyone. Daniel Hope combines traditional music with works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Irish Roots

St.-Marien-Kirche

St.-Marien-Dom zu Schwerin - Ev.-Luth. Domgemeinde Schwerin

The formula behind Casco Phil’s annual Summer Concerts has become well-known: in an informal open-air setting, the orchestra presents a surprising repertoire, featuring an equally surprising soloist.

Summer concerts – Baroque around the World

Park Sorghvliedt

An audience so enraptured by a symphonic finale that they rush as one toward the stage at the very moment a chandelier crashes to the floor behind them. Alas, fake news, folks, but the fact that music has miraculous powers needs no checking, and here is a concert in which musical wonders never cease.

Haydn's Miracle

Berry Uniting Church

Bowral Memorial Hall

Wesley Music Centre

Sydney Opera House

Greatness inspires greatness. Homage honors the profound exchange of influence between composers with an extraordinary collection of soul-stirring works that channel the spirit of past masters.

Homage

The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center

2025 San Francisco Bach Festival Program II

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Cantatas 2 

Münster Heilsbronn

Storms, Shipwrecks & Sorcery

Gichi-ziibi Center for the Arts

Guest artists in summer 2025 are Festival Perelada from the Catalan countryside. Perelada is one of the most interesting cultural events in southern Europe. Concerts and opera performances take place in the medieval town’s castle, park, church and monastery.

The Fairy Queen

Olavinlinna

Following their thrilling performances of J.S. Bach motets with Jonathan Sells at the Leipzig Bach Festival in 2024, the Monteverdi Choir performs two of his miniature masterpieces in 2025, alongside Handel’s barnstorming setting of Psalm 110, Dixit Dominus.

This concert will allow the Choir and English Baroque Soloists to unleash the full range of their expressive potential, from the plangent intimacy of Purcell’s Funeral Sentences to Handel’s virtuosic vocal and instrumental writing.

Sing to the Lord a New Song

Snape Maltings

Closing the 2025 season will be a new production of Purcell’s masterpiece Dido and Aeneas, featuring one of the world’s leading baroque ensembles, Barokksolistene, and offering fresh and vibrant arrangements of Purcell’s score. For the Longborough Emerging Artists and Youth Chorus, the opportunity to take part in this project will be inspirational, and for audiences, this promises to be a barnstorming end to a thrilling season. The project will be led by Bjarte Eike, one of the leading exponents in Baroque fiddle, and directed by Norwegian stage director and choreographer Erlend Samnøen.

Dido And Aeneas

Longborough Festival Opera

CMS’s summer tradition returns for its tenth anniversary. Get this year’s hottest ticket, featuring beloved chamber music works in the cool atmosphere of Alice Tully Hall. Stay after the performance and get to know the artists in the lobby with a complimentary glass of wine.

Summer Evenings II

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Summer@SFCM: Vocal Academy Solo Recital

This program highlights the evolution of chamber music, beginning with Purcell’s Fantasia Upon One Note, a 17th-century marvel of counterpoint by the celebrated English composer, known for his innovations in sacred and secular music.

Mendelssohn's String Quintet​ in A Major

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

It is safe to say that Constantinos Carydis has secured a distinguished place among the constellation of Europe’s leading conductors. A true musical visionary, the Greek maestro—who has previously led the Wiener Philharmoniker, Berliner Philharmoniker, the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared at the Edinburgh and Salzburg Festivals, the BBC Proms in London’s Royal Albert Hall, the Covent Garden Royal Opera House in London, and the Vienna State Opera—fascinates both audiences and the musicians he conducts from the podium. His performances always bear the unmistakable imprint of his artistic personality: unexpected without being self-conscious, modern without overstating their sophistication, and profoundly musical, they accommodate a bold approach to programming that fearlessly bridges British baroque, French Romanticism, and contemporary Greek music. While they may surprise audiences upon first contact, they ultimately leave them enthralled.

Chamber Orchestra of Europe – Constantinos Carydis – Francesco Piemontesi

Odeon of Herodes Atticus

For this year's stop at the Festival Summer, the renowned British string quartet, ensemble prize winner of the MV Festival since 2008, will naturally be bringing pieces by English composers, but famous works from the continent will also be included this evening.

Visit from the island

Catholic Church of the Assumption of Mary

Vivaldi’s well-known setting of the Gloria remains as fresh and effervescent today as when he first composed it, probably for the girl choristers of the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, where he was music director. Alongside this exuberant work by the Italian maestro are two youthful masterpieces from the pens of the greatest baroque composers of England and Germany respectively, Henry Purcell (himself an Organist of Westminster Abbey) and J.S. Bach.

Gloria

Westminster Abbey

Summer@SFCM: Bass Clarinet Intensive Faculty Recital

Join the Terra String Quartet, Caramoor’s 2024-25 Ernst String Quartet-in-Residence, for an afternoon of chamber music that spans centuries and styles. As part of our mission to nurture and present the next generation of artists, this concert caps off the Terra String Quartet’s yearlong residency of community engagement and concerts.

Terra String Quartet

Thomas Dunford and his Jupiter Ensemble for a celebration of English repertoire from the Baroque era to the present day.

Jupiter Ensemble

Théâtre des Champs-Élysées

From the most delicate of musical miniatures, to the full splendour of Walton’s Crown Imperial, there’s nothing that can’t be played on a great organ. And there’s no organist alive who knows the Philharmonic Hall organ better than Liverpool’s City Organist Ian Tracey.

Summer Organ Recital

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic

Graduating Student Recital | Ying Li, mezzo-soprano | Whispers of the Heart

Longy School of Music of Bard College

Bernard Labadie offers a brilliant programme of Italian, French and English music featuring his own arrangements of two Baroque masterpieces especially made for Les Violons du Roy: Bach's monumental Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor and Pachelbel's poignant Chaconne in E minor.

Chaconnes and passacaglias with Bernard Labadie

Palais Montcalm – Maison de la musique

Immerse yourself in the ethereal sounds of the Baroque era with "Celestial Voices - Music of the Baroque," a concert series that promises to transport audiences back in time through the power of music. Under the baton of Principal Guest Conductor Nicholas Kraemer, the Music of the Baroque Chorus and Members of the Orchestra will showcase their incredible talent and versatility. The program features a rich tapestry of compositions from the Renaissance to the Baroque period, including works by Tallis, Palestrina, Purcell, Monteverdi, Byrd, Pachelbel, Rameau, and Bach.

The concert series will highlight the shimmering sounds of Palestrina and Byrd, the intricate compositions of Purcell, and culminate in the high energy of Bach’s "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied" (Sing unto the Lord a new song), BWV 225. This selection of music not only showcases the technical prowess of the performers but also the emotional depth and spiritual uplift inherent in Baroque music.

"Celestial Voices" will be performed at two iconic locations, offering audiences a choice of venues to experience the magic of Baroque music. The first performance will take place on Sunday, May 11, 2025, at 7:30 PM at the Faith, Hope, & Charity Church in Winnetka. The series will continue with a performance on Monday, May 12, 2025, at 7:30 PM at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. For those unable to attend in person, an on-demand performance will be available on Friday, May 16, 2025, at 5:00 PM.

This concert series is a must-attend for lovers of choral and orchestral music, offering a rare opportunity to experience the breadth and depth of Baroque music performed by a talented ensemble under the guidance of Nicholas Kraemer. Don't miss your chance to be part of this musical journey through time.

Celestial Voices

Fourth Presbyterian Church

Sts Faith, Hope, And Charity Catholic Church

Join BBC Radio 3 for a FREE lunchtime invitation concert with the Ulster Orchestra, featuring codes, variations and fresh musical perspectives on 08 May 2025 at the Ulster Hall, Belfast.

The programme opens with the Variations for Orchestra by Grażyna Bacewicz: a groundbreaking female composer, who studied composition in Paris with Nadia Boulanger in the 1930s. She wrote it in 1957, and while its 8 variations aren’t based on a conventional melody, 3 motives standout for development In its opening section. Over the course of 10 minutes these are used to embrace a gamut of sound worlds and characters, with the composer’s well-documented humour amply on show.

Old Wine New Bottles – BBC Radio 3 Invitation Concert

Ulster Hall Belfast

In a programme designed to pay tribute to musical predecessors, the evening opens with Tchaikovsky’s sentimental tribute to the composer he worshipped and culminates in Mozart’s 'Jupiter' — his final and greatest symphony.

Mozart's Jupiter

Auckland Town Hall

Maurice Steger will be performing in a dual role as conductor and soloist. The symphony concert with the German State Philharmonic Orchestra of Rhineland-Palatinate will be "very British". The "Meeting Point London Haymarket" program combines music by local composers such as Henry Purcell with works that were either written in England or have a...

Guest Concert

Fruchthalle

Gastkonzert

BASF-Feierabendhaus

Come and experience a heartwarming concert where community and the joy of singing are at the center!

Vocal winds and budding spring dreams

Odense Concert Hall

Julie Fuchs

Opernhaus Zürich

In 1900, three keepers disappear without a trace from a remote lighthouse in the north of Scotland. Sir Peter Maxwell Davies based his chamber opera "The Lighthouse" (1980) on this unresolved incident, which retraces the events in a mixture of documentation and vision of what actually happened at the time. Maxwell Davies' composition ranges from the roaring waves surrounding the lighthouse to the chant-like arguments between the three keepers Sandy, Blazes and Arthur that lead to the catastrophe.

Der Leuchtturm / Dido und Aeneas

Theater Duisburg

Experience the grace and depth of English classical music featuring Henry Purcell’s heart-wrenching “Dido’s Lament” and Edward Elgar’s stirring “Nimrod” from Enigma Variations, known for its profound peacefulness. Fans of modern period drama will revel in John Lunn’s theme from Downton Abbey, a score that perfectly captures the aristocratic life and emotion of the beloved series. The ethereal harmonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis” transport listeners through centuries of English musical tradition. The concert promises an evening of nostalgia, refinement, and emotional resonance.

English Elegance

St. Michael's Catholic Church, Kalida

Trinity United Methodist Church Lima

Join us for an enchanting evening with the Spartanburg Philharmonic as we present "Go For Baroque" on Friday, January 31, 2025, from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM at the Chapman Cultural Center, located at 200 East Saint John Street, Spartanburg, United States. This exquisite concert, jointly curated by our Concertmaster, Joanna Mullfinger, is a celebration of the Baroque era's opulent sounds, featuring the remarkable talent of our musicians.

"Go For Baroque" will transport you to a time when composers like Bach, Purcell, and Corelli were the luminaries of the classical music world. The program promises a rich tapestry of melodies and harmonies, showcasing a selection of pieces that highlight the luxury and elegance of Baroque music. 

**Program Highlights Include:**
- Henry Purcell, Pavanne and Chaconne 7'
- J.S. Bach, Orchestral Suite no. 1 11'
- Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber, Battalia a 10 11'
- Arcangelo Corelli, (program subject to change)

This is a unique opportunity to step into a musical time capsule and experience the height of Baroque luxury through a live performance. 

**Ticket Information:**
Single tickets will go on sale this summer. Subscribe to the Full Season and save 10% off single ticket prices and service fees. For more information on subscriptions and the concert, please visit our website.

**Note:** Program subject to change. Timings, when given, are approximate.

Don't miss this splendid journey through the Baroque era with the Spartanburg Philharmonic. Mark your calendars and prepare for an evening of exquisite music that promises to be both a feast for the ears and a journey for the soul.

Go For Baroque

Zimmerli Plaza

Conductor Klaus Mäkelä says that a concert is like a journey through time. The composers featured on this programme were clearly inspired by older music. Robert Schumann had just suffered a nervous breakdown when he wrote his Symphony No. 2, a work in which he documents his recovery and overtly draws on the music of Bach, Haydn and Beethoven.

On tour with Klaus Mäkelä and Janine Jansen

Auditorio - Palacio de Congresos Príncipe Felipe

National Music Auditorium

The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra will again be hosting a lavish Annual Gala under the baton of Klaus Mäkelä in a festively decorated Concertgebouw. Janine Jansen is the soloist in Britten’s Violin Concerto.

Annual Gala

The Concertgebouw

The Concertgebouw Orchestra, its future chief conductor Klaus Mäkelä and Janine Jansen join forces in Britten’s Violin Concerto. The orchestra also performs Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 and music by Dowland and Purcell.

Klaus Mäkelä and Janine Jansen

Odes for special occasions frame this opening programme, from Purcell’s ‘From hardy climes and dangerous toils of war’, performed at the wedding of Prince George of Denmark and Princess Anne, to one of his finest and most wistfully beautiful odes, ‘Love’s goddess sure was blind’, written in 1692 for the birthday of Queen Mary. In between, we hear Locke’s ‘The Oxford Ode’, commissioned in 1672 for the annual degree ceremony at Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre. These three odes are interspersed with fantasias for viol consort by Purcell and Locke that represent the pinnacle of a two-century-long musical tradition in England.

Occasional Odes

Join us for an exquisite afternoon of Baroque music as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, featuring the radiant soprano Julia Bullock, graces the stage of Zellerbach Hall on January 19, 2025, at 3:00 pm. This performance marks Bullock's second appearance of the season and the much-anticipated return of the period-instrument ensemble to Berkeley.

Under the theme of "Illuminations: Fractured History," the ensemble, celebrated for its fresh approach to Baroque music, will perform alongside Bullock, showcasing her gleaming soprano voice through a selection of arias from operas by Handel, Lully, Rameau, and Purcell. The program will be sung in Italian, French, and English, offering a rich tapestry of Baroque vocal music complemented by instrumental showpieces by Vivaldi, Bach, Pachelbel, and Handel.

Highlights of the program include Handel's "Overture from Music for the Royal Fireworks," Vivaldi's "Concerto in E major, Op. 8, No. 1, Spring from The Four Seasons," and Bach's "Schafe können sicher weiden from BWV 208," among others. This performance not only promises to be a celebration of Baroque music's enduring beauty but also a testament to the timeless appeal of historic instruments and the repertoire composed for them.

Tickets for this enchanting afternoon start at $56, with season subscriptions available now and single tickets going on sale on August 6 at noon. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the sublime artistry of Julia Bullock and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in a program that bridges the past and present through the universal language of music.

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with Julia Bullock

Cal Performances

Julia Bullock brings the vocal fireworks to a night with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment celebrating the greatest hits of the 18th century.

Baroquebusters

Southbank Centre

The Artist in Residence’s first programme of the Season invites us to look forward to the New Year in a Shakespearean manner.

Nicky Spence tenor; Dylan Perez piano

The verve and virtuosity of the 18th century is brought to life in this enchanting concert staged in a candle-lit style setting with an evocative programme crowned by Vivaldi’s sublime masterpiece.

Four Seasons by Candlelight

Barbican Centre

Under the artistic direction of Harry Bicket, The English Concert has earned a reputation for combining urgency, passion and fire with precision, delicacy and beauty. The ensemble's festive programme culminates in Bach's first major liturgical composition on a Latin text, with Christmas interpolations.

The English Concert; Harry Bicket; Lucy Crowe soprano; Katie Bray soprano; Jess Dandy alto; James Way tenor; Morgan Pearse bass

A legendary figure in the establishment and development of the Early Music movement, Jordi Savall has contributed as much as any individual to the current popularity of works from the distant past. He brings with him the ensemble he founded 50 years ago, and which retains the sheer vitality and explorative excellence that has marked his entire career. The programme celebrates a tradition of consort music that lasted for two centuries and traversed many countries – with English composers notable for their prominence.

Jordi Savall director, treble viol; Hespèrion XXI Book now

Jordi Savall director, treble viol; Hespèrion XXI

Ahead of two performances at Wigmore Hall, one of the most exceptional figures in today’s music world, Jordi Savall, with Hesperion XXI the ensemble he founded 50 years ago, brings Irish audiences a rousing programme of Fantasies, Battles and Dances. The programme performed by these captivating artists celebrates the golden age of European Consort Music that lasted for two centuries and traversed many countries – with English composers notable for their prominence. Passion and creativity with world-class scholarship guaranteed!

Jordi Savall & Hesperion XXI - Wigmore Series Dublin

Royal Irish Academy of Music

Our 2024 series closes with Purcell’s Hail, bright Cecilia!, written in honour of St Cecilia, patron saint of musicians. In this work, all of the instruments have ‘character’ movements where singers and instrumentalists play equally dramatic roles. Preceding this famous ode is Sir John Clerk of Penicuik’s relatively little-known cantata, Leo Scotiae irritatus, which depicts Scotland’s ambitious (and unsuccessful) venture to set up an empire in Panama.

Resounding Shores: Ode to St Cecilia

Join Musicians of the Philharmonic for personal and intimate performances, and experience the personality of the performers. See how a small setting can amplify a huge musical event!

NY Phil Ensembles at Merkin Hall

Kaufman Music Center

Edmund Rubbra is a sadly neglected composer, but was highly rated in his time. Inscape (1964) is a beautiful melodic setting of four poems by Gerald Manley Hopkins.

Britten's Saint Nicolas (1948) tells stories of the life of St Nicolas, fourth century Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, including the miraculous bringing back to life of three "pickled boys". Nicholas Pritchard will be reprising his role as St Nicolas, which he performed alongside Britten Sinfonia at the Aldeburgh Festival this June.

Britten Saint Nicholas

Saffron Hall

The Academy’s first SIDE-BY-SIDE with the Dunedin Consort presents concerts in Edinburgh and the Duke’s Hall. It will feature Purcell’s Hail, Bright Cecilia!, written in honour of St Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, a work in which all instruments have ‘character’ movements and where singers and instrumentalists play equally dramatic roles. Preceding this famous ode is Sir John Clerk of Penicuik’s relatively little-known cantata, Leo Scotiae Irritatus, depicting Scotland’s unsuccessful venture to set up an empire in Panama.

Henry Purcell

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 20, 2025

From all over Europe · Duisburger Philharmoniker

Jan 11, 2026

Iestyn Davies & Oliver Wass · Garsington Opera

Jan 15, 2026

The Baroque Era: Bach and Beyond · Phoenix Symphony

17 - 18 Jan, 2026

Didon et Énée · Clermont Auvergne Opéra

Jan 18, 2026

Vivaldi Meets the Middle East · Symphony Nova Scotia

Past events

Dec 16, 2025

Museum Concert: Ensemble Astrum And there was · Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

Dec 16, 2025

Music of the Restoration Chapel Royal with Amy Carson, Alexander Chance, and Anthony Gregory · The English Concert

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