So, the music of the London-born Purcell sits alongside masterpieces by Handel – a German who became English by choice – and Ignatius Sancho, who was born into slavery but found freedom and musical success in Georgian England. Curated by American countertenor Reginald Mobley, Sons of England weaves music and words to explore alternative histories of the English baroque, culminating in a Sancho-inspired new commission by composer Roderick Williams: musical history shaping a shared future.

The Golden Anniversary: Sons of England Academy of Ancient Music

Milton Court Concert Hall

Charpentier’s Actéon and Rameau’s Pygmalion: two mythological mini-masterpieces of baroque opera, in an exuberant concert performance.
In the world of baroque opera, the impossible comes as standard. Deep in the forest, a huntsman surprises a naked goddess – and finds himself transformed from hunter into prey. A sculptor falls in love with his own beautiful creation; but this time, the gods are smiling and even cold stone can conceal a passionate heart. 

Academy of Ancient Music - Charpentier’s Actéon & Rameau’s Pygmalion

University of Cambridge

In the world of baroque opera, the impossible comes as standard. Deep in the forest, a huntsman surprises a naked goddess – and finds himself transformed from hunter into prey. A sculptor falls in love with his own beautiful creation; but this time, the gods are smiling and even cold stone can conceal a passionate heart.

Charpentier’s Actéon & Rameau’s Pygmalion

In the world of baroque opera, the impossible comes as standard. Deep in the forest, a huntsman surprises a naked goddess – and finds himself transformed from hunter into prey. A sculptor falls in love with his own beautiful creation; but this time, the gods are smiling and even cold stone can conceal a passionate heart. 

Charpentier’s Actéon and Rameau’s Pygmalion

Experience the elemental forces of nature through the exquisite sounds of baroque music with "The Elements - Music of the Baroque." This captivating concert series, under the baton of esteemed conductor Laurence Cummings, invites audiences to explore the fundamental elements of earth, air, fire, and water through a selection of masterpieces by Rameau, Telemann, Vivaldi, and Rebel.

Laurence Cummings, celebrated music director of the Academy of Ancient Music, leads the Music of the Baroque Orchestra in this thematic journey. The program features Rameau's Suite from Naïs and Telemann's Ebb und Fluth (Water Music), showcasing the fluidity and power of water. Vivaldi's Autumn from The Four Seasons brings the earth to life with its vivid musical storytelling, while Rebel's Les Elémens offers a dynamic and imaginative depiction of all the natural elements in harmony and conflict.

Joining the orchestra is virtuoso violinist Gina DiBello, bringing her exceptional talent to Vivaldi's evocative concerto. This series promises to be a profound exploration of the natural world through the lens of baroque music's most celebrated composers.

Performances are scheduled for:
- Sunday, October 27, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the North Shore Center in Skokie.
- Monday, October 28, 2024, at 7:30 PM at the Harris Theater in Chicago.
- An On Demand performance will be available on Friday, November 1, 2024, at 5:00 PM.

Don't miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the elemental beauty of baroque music. Subscribe and save to ensure your seat at this must-see event.

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The Elements

Harris Theater for Music and Dance

North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie

The Academy of Ancient Music visit from Cambridge – gleaming trumpets and Music Director Laurence Cummings in tow – joining the Oxford Philharmonic Choir and its soloists for this portrait of Bach both vocal and instrumental, excitable and reflective. We hear music from the festive season 1723/24, including the exuberant Magnificat Bach wrote for Christmas Day and the energetic Cantata he wrote for New Years’ Day. There’s rest for the trumpets in Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 3, though here they underpin textures more than tracing the music’s outline. The concert opens with Bach’s motet Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf – almost a concerto for florid eight-part choir.

Bach Magnificat

The Sheldonian Theatre

‘The greatest composer known to me, either in person, or by reputation.’ Joseph Haydn never stopped admiring his younger friend Mozart: but the pair shared many musical friendships, and one day in Vienna in 1784 they came together with two of the finest composers of the age for one of the most extraordinary musical gatherings of all time.

Viennese Virtuosity: symphonies by Mozart, Haydn & friends

Hallelujah! Handel’s Messiah isn’t just a British Christmas fixture – it’s a landmark of European culture, performed annually at this time of year in a tradition dating back to the 18th century. With Laurence Cummings at the harpsichord, plus an A-list line-up of soloists, it’ll come up as fresh as new paint.

Handel's Messiah

Barbican Centre

With some pieces, the name is enough. Handel’s Messiah is practically a national institution, and one of those rare works of art that transcends time, place and even musical genre. But Laurence Cummings and Academy of Ancient Music take it back to its source, using the sort of musical forces that maybe – just maybe – Handel himself might have recognised.

Bach meant The Art of Fugue to be the pinnacle of his life’s work: an unparalleled feat of craft, intelligence and sheer joy in the act of creation. In this intimate, inquisitive piece of music theatre, Bach’s work and legacy springs to witty, touching, sometimes startling life, all illuminated by that astonishing music.

Laurence Cummings

Events

Upcoming events

Oct 8, 2024

Academy of Ancient Music - Charpentier’s Actéon & Rameau’s Pygmalion · Cambridge Corn Exchange

Oct 8, 2024

Charpentier’s Actéon & Rameau’s Pygmalion · Academy of Ancient Music

Oct 9, 2024

Charpentier’s Actéon and Rameau’s Pygmalion · Barbican Centre

Oct 27 - Nov 1, 2024

The Elements · Music of the Baroque

Nov 30, 2024

Bach Magnificat · Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra

Past events

May 30, 2024

The Golden Anniversary: Sons of England Academy of Ancient Music · Barbican Centre

Future and recently performed repertoire

Conductor in Naïs by Rameau

Music of the Baroque

Conductor in Les élémens by Rebel

Music of the Baroque

Conductor in The Four Seasons by Vivaldi

Music of the Baroque

Harpsichord in Messiah by

Academy of Ancient Music

Conductor in Ebbs and Flows by Chen

Music of the Baroque

Harpsichord in Concerto in G major by Handel

Barbican Centre

About

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