Singer

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.

EPSG:4326

Purcell’s DIDO & AENEAS

Greystone Hall, Akron

Baldwin Wallace University

The Tudor Arms Hotel, Cleveland

Cleveland Institute of Music

Lake Erie College

The US-based women's vocal ensemble Lyyra, founded by the VOCES8 Foundation, captivates audiences with crystal-clear brilliance, expressive voices, and multifaceted sounds. Barnaby Smith, Artistic Director of VOCES8 and initiator of the ensemble, rightly praises them: "When I heard Lyyra, my heart leapt: Six remarkable musicians, each with a unique tone, merge into a vibrant, captivating sound that immediately captivated me. Their collaboration has the potential to redefine ensemble singing, push boundaries, and open up new perspectives on the expressive possibilities of the female voice." Lyyra—derived from the constellation representing Orpheus' lyre—lives up to its name, presenting vocal works ranging from nocturnal intimacy to ethereal sounds. For its upcoming debut at the Rheingau Music Festival, there could hardly be a better venue for this concert than the venerable Abbey of St. Hildegard.

Lyyra

St Hildegard's Abbey

Bach’s magnificent Mass features a large and colorful orchestra, including several unusual instruments. Praised for her “revelatory performance” (Opera News) of Bach’s sacred works, conductor Jeannette Sorrell leads the festive forces – including trumpets, timpani, strings, choir, and soloists.

Bach Mass in B Minor

Saint Christopher Parish Religious Education · St Christopher's School

St Paul's Episcopal Church Akron

Trinity Cathedral Episcopal Church

The final part of IN Series’ Monteverdi trilogy, Poppea brings the composer’s most famous and audacious final opera of love, power, sex, and betrayal to life inspired by the performance tradition of South India, and specifically Bharatanatyam dance. This landmark production, running March 14-30 at Dupont Underground, St. Mark’s Capitol Hill and Baltimore Theatre Project, is of one of opera’s undisputed masterpieces. IN Series’ production will be a collaboration with Indo-American choreographer Hari Krishnan, whose work brilliantly combines the aesthetics of this traditional dance form with contemporary movement and questions of gender norms, and will feature original dance music composed by sitar player Ami Dang, and mridangam percussionist Rajna Swaminathan. The work will be directed and conducted by IN Series Artistic Director Timothy Nelson and feature a cast of local favorites and international artists known for their interpretations of opera of the Baroque. The INnovātiō Orchestra, IN Series’ own period baroque band, will blend music of South India in an evening of whirling passion, music, poetry, and dance. Opening night will be a celebration of the Indian festival of Holi.

Poppea

Dupont Underground

St Marks Capitol Hill

Baltimore Theatre Project

On Christmas night in Old Ireland, families and friends gathered for singing, storytelling, … and plenty of wassail. From a caroling party through the streets of Dublin to a holiday barn dance in Virginia, this heartwarming program follows the hopes and fears of the Irish who bravely crossed the Atlantic. Irish singer Fiona Gillespie joins with fiddlers, medieval harp, hammered dulcimer, and bagpipes in this communal celebration of the American immigrant experience. The people of the mountains welcome the holidays with love, prayer, singing, and dancing!

WASSAIL! An Irish-American Christmas

Martin Theatre

Ringing with urgency in our time, this acclaimed program created by Jeannette Sorrell returns in a fresh version. Honoring the peoples whose music and faith brought such vibrancy to the Middle East, 26 artists from Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, and Christian backgrounds perform on oud, theorbo, medieval harp, zither, strings, and exotic percussion.

In this musical tour of the four quarters of Old Jerusalem (Jewish, Christian, Arab, and Armenian), surprising cross-influences emerge. A Sephardic ballad leads to a classical Arabic love song; selections from Monteverdi’s great Vespers of 1610 echo the exotic and rapturous singing of the Jewish cantors in the temples. The rhythms of daily life – love, singing, dancing and prayer – culminate in a joyous celebration of shared humanity.

Mezzo-soprano

Aryssa Leigh Burrs

Events

Upcoming events

9 - 11 Apr, 2026

O Jerusalem! Crossroads of Three Faiths · Apollo's Fire

Past events

3 - 12 Oct, 2025

Purcell’s DIDO & AENEAS · Apollo's Fire

Jul 8, 2025

Lyyra · Rheingau Musik Festival

Future and recently performed repertoire

Dido in Dido and Aeneas by Purcell

Apollo's Fire

About

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