Recorders Beyond Borders 2022 (Re-upload) Boston Early Music Festival 2022-07-05 | Recorders Beyond Borders returns with an exciting new program featuring young recorder players from four continents. Last year’s young musicians from the United States and Kenya are joined by participants in Brazil and the Netherlands in a new presentation from the Boston Early Music Festival. Learn more at https://BEMF.org/engaging/Introduction: 0:08Brazil (Brasil): 5:27Netherlands (Nederland): 21:58Kenya: 36:26USA: 53:15A renowned recorder player, BEMF Director of Community Engagement Nina Stern is on the faculty of Juilliard’s Historical Performance program and serves as the Artistic Director of S’Cool Sounds, an organization that uses the power of music to inspire, educate, and connect children. For our 2022 Recorders Beyond Borders event, she partners with teaching artists from S’Cool Sounds (U.S. and Kenya), the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague, and Brazilian organizations NEOJIBA, Alunos da Orquestra da Grota, and Projeto Musica no Bairro/ Dorcas to engage their young students with songs from these many traditions, each interpreting them in their own ways, performing them for each other, and for you.Learn more about the participating organizations:S'Cool Sounds scoolsounds.orgNEOJIBA neojiba.orgAlunos da Orquestra da Grota https://en.ecg.org.br/Projeto Musica no Bairro facebook.com/MusicaNoBairroDorcas https://dorcas.org.br/Royal Conservatoire in The Hague https://www.koncon.nl/en/On Saturday, June 4, these young musicians gathered over Zoom, together with their teachers and families as well as BEMF audience members, to perform, greet each other, and share stories. Through the joyful collaboration of music-making, this program will create bonds and build community for the next generation of music lovers and beyond.
Boston Early Music Festival presents Francesca Caccinis Alcina Boston Early Music Festival 2023-06-22 | Don't miss the GRAMMY-winning BEMF Chamber Opera Series and a gorgeous production of the first opera by a woman composer - Francesca Caccini's 1625 masterpiece, Alcina. At the center of a struggle between illusion and destiny, the sorceress Alcina stands in the way of the valiant Melissa and her quest to liberate the warrior Ruggiero to fulfill his heroic fate before Alcina transforms him into a plant to ornament her island. Don't miss 2 performances at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, MA on Friday, June 23 at 8pm and Saturday, June 24 at 3pm and 1 performance at Caramoor in Katonah, NY on Sunday, June 25 at 4pm.Learn more at bemf.org/2023-festival/festival-operas/chamber-operaGRAMMY Award-winning Musical Directors Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs and Stage Director Gilbert Blin lead this encore production–originally performed in 2018 in Boston and New York City when The Boston Globe praised the production as "spellbinding". They are joined by Concertmaster Robert Mealy, Choreographer Melinda Sullivan, Costume Designer Anna Watkins, and the all-star singers and instrumentalists of the BEMF Vocal & Chamber Ensembles.Photos by Kathy Wittman
Go behind-the-scenes on Desmarests Circé—coming to Boston June 4-11, 2023! Boston Early Music Festival 2023-06-01 | Go inside the rehearsal studio in downtown Boston as the Boston Early Music Festival prepares the fully staged, North American premiere of Henry Desmarest's 1694 opera, Circé. Hear from some of the incredibly talented artists and directros who will be bring the dazzling spectacle of this French Baroque masterpiece to life as part of the 2023 Boston Early Music Festival—A Celebration of Women—June 4-11, 2023. Learn more and secure your seats today at bemf.org/2023-festival/festival-operas/centerpiece-operaVideo by Kathy Wittman | Ball Square Films
Boston Early Music Festival: Desmarets Circé Video Preview Boston Early Music Festival 2023-05-22 | Go behind the scenes with the GRAMMY Award-winning Boston Early Music Festival as they prepare for the fully staged, North American premiere of Henry Desmarest's 1694 opera, Circé. Enjoy the dazzling spectacle of French Baroque Opera when the production comes to Boston as part of the 2023 Boston Early Music Festival—A Celebration of Women—June 4-11, 2023.bemf.org/2023-festival/festival-operas/centerpiece-operaVideo by Kathy Wittman | Ball Square Films
Francesca Caccinis Alcina- Excerpt of Act II Boston Early Music Festival 2023-05-16 | In Act II of Francesca Caccini's Alcina, the noble magician Melissa has found heroic Ruggerio enchanted by the sorceress Alcina. Scolded, Ruggerio denounces the charms of love and pledges to return to his fate as a warrior. The plants on the island reveal themselves to be previous victims of Alcina and beg Ruggerio to rescue them from their terrible fate.Originally presented in November 2018, the GRAMMY-winning Boston Early Music Festival will present encore performances of Alcina—the first opera by a woman composer—at the 2023 Boston Early Music Festival, themed A Celebration of Women. Join us in Boston on Saturday, June 10, 2023 at 8pm before the production goes on tour to Great Barrington, MA on June 23 and 24 and Katonah, NY on June 25. Learn more at bemf.org/2023-festival/festival-operas/chamber-operaKelsey Lauritano (Melissa), Colin Balzer (Ruggerio), and the BEMF Vocal Ensemble; Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors; Gilbert Blin, Stage Director; Robert Mealy, Concertmaster; Melinda Sullivan, Choreographer. Originally recorded November 25, 2018.Video by Kathy Wittman | Ball Square Films
2022-2023 SEASON | Stile Antico Pre-Concert Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2023-04-24 | A favorite of BEMF audiences for more than a decade, the intensely collaborative singers of Stile Antico have established themselves as one of the world’s most vibrant and expressive vocal ensembles. They return for a season finale honoring the 400th anniversary of the death of William Byrd, one of the most extraordinary composers England has ever produced—Friday, April 28, 2023 at 8pm in Cambridge, MA and premiering virtually on May 12, 2023.Join ensemble members Rebecca Hickey, Kate Ashby, and Will Dawes discuss their program and the fascinating life of William Byrd, moderated by Edward Elwyn Jones, who has served as Harvard University’s Gund University Organist and Choirmaster since 2003.Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/stile-antico
2022-2023 Season | Ensemble Castor Pre-Concert Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2023-04-18 | Don’t miss the stunning soprano Sherezade Panthaki in an exciting collaboration with the outstanding Austrian chamber orchestra Ensemble Castor—Saturday, April 22 in Cambridge, MA; Sunday, April 23 in New York, NY; and streaming online from May 6 to May 20, 2023. Enjoy a program exploring concertos and vocal works by Antonio Vivaldi that vividly evoke the natural world through music, from bird song to violent tempests to pastoral countrysides.Ensemble members Petra Samhaber-Eckhardt and Erich Traxler discuss the program in this Pre-Concert Talk. Learn more about the program at http://bemf.org/concert-season/ensemble-castor
2022-2023 Season | Chiaroscuro Quartet Pre-Concert Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2023-03-20 | Featuring virtuoso instrumentalists from across Europe, Chiaroscuro Quartet has captivated fans and critics around the world in performances that are bursting with fearless imagination, thrilling passion, and flawless execution. Don’t miss their eagerly anticipated BEMF début, which highlights a brilliant selection of string quartets by Beethoven, Schubert, and Mendelssohn that are all written in minor keys, yet have greatly contrasting characters, from shocking to passionate.Preview the program with violoncellist Claire Thirion and violinist Pablo Hernán Benedí in this Pre-Concert Talk!Learn more and purchase tickets at bemf.org/concert-season/chiaroscuro-quartet
2022–2023 Season | Quicksilver Pre-Concert Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2023-03-06 | Quicksilver brings together some of North America’s most acclaimed Early Music instrumentalists to explore the rich chamber music repertoire of the 17th-century. Join them as they immerse themselves in the vibrant musical culture of Vienna over a century before Mozart. Tickets are available for an in-person performance in Cambridge, MA on Friday, March 10, 2023 at 8pm and the Virtual Premiere on Friday, March 24, 2022 at 8pm.Home to the court of the Holy Roman Empire, musicians were brought in from across Germany, Austria, and Italy to create sumptuous sonatas and ingenious ballets for the imperial festivities. Enjoy early Baroque masterworks by Valentini, Bertali, Buonamente, Kerll, Legrenzi, Muffat, Fux, and Schmeltzer. Preview the program in an introduction by Co-director Robert Mealy.Learn more and purchase tickets at bemf.org/concert-season/quicksilver
2022–2023 Season | Bach Collegium Japan Pre-Concert Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2023-02-06 | One of the world’s most illustrious period instrument ensembles, Bach Collegium Japan and its legendary founder Masaaki Suzuki return for their 8th tour of North America in a thrilling collaboration with celebrated British baritone Roderick Williams. Tickets are available for an in-person performance in Cambridge, MA on Friday, February 10, 2023 at 8pm and the Virtual Premiere on Friday, February 24, 2022 at 8pm.Join these distinguished artists for a program of music by Bach, Telemann, and Janitsch, including Bach’s transcendently beautiful cantata Ich habe genug (I have enough). Preview the program in a conversation between Bach Collegium Japan Director and founder Masaaki Suzuki and celebrated Bach scholar Christoph Wolff.Learn more and purchase tickets at bemf.org/concert-season/bach-collegium-japan
2022-2023 Season | The Tallis Scholars Pre-Concert Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2022-12-06 | The beloved voices of The Tallis Scholars return to BEMF on Friday, December 9, 2022 at 8pm in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA.Join the legendary director and founder of The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips, as he discusses their program oof music dedicated to the Virgin Mary with Edward Elwyn Jones, who has served as Harvard University’s Gund University Organist and Choirmaster since 2003.Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/the-tallis-scholars
Lully & Charpentier | Pre-Opera Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2022-11-22 | The GRAMMY Award–winning BEMF Chamber Opera Series returns on Thanksgiving weekend! Explore the festivities for a Royal Peace with masterworks of the French Baroque by Lully and Charpentier—November 26 & 27 in Boston, November 30 in Miami, December 3 & 4 in New York City, and premiering virtually from December 12 through December 26.Join the BEMF Directorial Team—Musical Directors Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Stage Directors Gilbert Blin, Concertmaster Robert Mealy, and Choreographer Melinda Sullivan—for a lively Pre-Opera Talk discussing this all-new production.Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/chamber-opera
BEMF Chamber Opera Series: Lully & Charpentier Boston Early Music Festival 2022-11-21 | Go behind the scenes with the GRAMMY Award-winning BEMF Chamber Opera Series and our brand-new production featuring masterworks of the French Baroque: Lully’s Idylle sur la Paix and Charpentier’s La Fête de Rueil. Hear from the performers and directors as they are hard-at-work bringing this splendid double bill to the stage. Enjoy this musical feast on Thanksgiving weekend 2022 - November 26 & 27 at NEC's Jordan Hall in Boston. The production then goes to Miami on November 30, New York City on December 3 and 4, and premieres virtually on December 12.Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/chamber-operaVideo by Kathy Wittman | Ball Square Films
Pre-Concert Talk | Philippe Jaroussky & Ensemble Artaserse Boston Early Music Festival 2022-10-24 | World-renowned countertenor superstar Philippe Jaroussky makes a triumphant return to Boston leading his Ensemble Artaserse in a beguiling program of opera arias and instrumental interludes. Heralded both for his uniquely captivating and nuanced voice and his keen musical curiosity, Jaroussky shares a selection of brilliant and beloved arias by Handel and Vivaldi alongside rarely heard gems by Baroque masters Hasse, Piccinni, and Ferrandini. Tickets are available for an in-person performance in Boston, MA on Friday, October 28, 2022 at 8pm.Preview the program in a Pre-Concert Talk with BEMF Orchestra Director and Director of Historical Performance at The Juilliard School, Robert Mealy.Learn more and purchase tickets at bemf.org/concert-season/philippe-jaroussky
BEMF Chamber Opera Series presents Lully & Charpentier Boston Early Music Festival 2022-10-12 | The GRAMMY-winning BEMF Chamber Opera Series returns to the French Baroque with a Double Bill of music written for Louis XIV—Thanksgiving weekend in Boston and on tour to Miami and New York City!Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/chamber-operaLully’s Idylle sur la Paix and Charpentier’s La Fête de Rueil were each commissioned in 1685 for lavish garden parties planned by French courtiers to celebrate King Louis XIV. Both pieces feature an idyllic utopia where shepherds in the French countryside celebrate a recent truce “given” to Europe by the Sun King. The genius of Charpentier and Lully raises these formal tributes to musical masterpieces where dazzling singing combines with charming dances in a vivid depiction of the people’s desire for peace.These splendid chamber operas are led by BEMF’s GRAMMY-winning Musical Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs and acclaimed Stage Director Gilbert Blin. With an all-star roster of 26 singers, dancers, and instrumentalists, this all-new production featuring period-inspired staging and lavish costumes will truly be an entertainment fit for a King!Join us on November 26 & 27 in Boston at NEC's Jordan Hall. This production will go on tour to Miami on November 30, presented by RK Cultural Productions, and to New York City on December 3 and 4, presented by the Morgan Library & Museum
Pre-Concert Talk | Ensemble Correspondances Boston Early Music Festival 2022-04-25 | Sébastien Daucé and Ensemble Correspondances are renowned for recordings and performances of Baroque masterpieces that merge passion and elegance. They return to BEMF with a program showcasing Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu nostri alongside intensely expressive sacred motets by Schütz and Buxtehude. Tickets are available for an in-person performance in Cambridge, MA on Friday, April 29, 2022 at 8pm and the Virtual Premiere on Friday, May 13, 2022 at 8pm.Preview the program in a conversation between celebrated Bach scholar Christoph Wolff and Ensemble Correspondances founder and director, Sébastien Daucé.Learn more and purchase tickets at bemf.org/concert-season/ensemble-correspondances
Pre-Concert Talk | Juilliard415 Boston Early Music Festival 2022-03-21 | Musical Co-Director of Les Arts Florissants Paul Agnew makes his BEMF conducting début in a unique collaboration with New York City’s Juilliard415 performing music by C. P. E. Bach. Tickets are available for an in-person performance in Cambridge, MA on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 8pm and the Virtual Premiere on Friday, April 8, 2022 at 8pm.Held in the highest regard by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and others, Carl Philipp Emanuel was far more famous in his time than his father, Johan Sebastian. His music still sounds radical to us today, full of unexpected twists, bold harmonies, and virtuosic orchestral writing. Preview Juilliard415's program in a conversation between BEMF Orchestra Director and director of Historical Performance at Juilliard Robert Mealy and celebrated Bach scholar Christoph Wolff.Learn more and purchase tickets at bemf.org/concert-season/juilliard415
Pre-Concert Talk | Jordi Savall & Le Concert des Nations (Spanish Subtitles) Boston Early Music Festival 2022-03-10 | The legendary Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations return to BEMF with a program masterworks written for Baroque Versailles, premiering virtually on Friday, March 11, 2022.Join director Jordi Savall as he discusses the program with moderator Laury Gutierrez, scholar and founding director of La Donna Musicale & Rumbarroco. Our thanks to the La Donna Musicale/Rumbarroco team for their work on creating the Spanish subtitles for this video.Learn more and purchase tickets for the Virtual Premiere at bemf.org/concert-season/jordi-savall
Pre-Concert Talk | Jordi Savall & Le Concert des Nations Boston Early Music Festival 2022-02-25 | The legendary Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations return to BEMF with a program masterworks written for Baroque Versailles, in Cambridge, MA on Friday, February 25, 2022 at 8pm and premiering virtually on Friday, March 11, 2022.Join director Jordi Savall as he discusses the program with moderator Laury Gutierrez, scholar and founding director of La Donna Musicale & Rumbarroco.Learn more and purchase tickets for the Virtual Premiere at bemf.org/concert-season/jordi-savall
Pre-Concert Talk | Stile Antico Boston Early Music Festival 2022-02-14 | The intensely collaborative singers of Stile Antico present a program of music that charts a course from twilight to dawn, in Cambridge, MA on Friday, February 18, 2022 at 8pm and premiering virtually on Friday, March 4, 2022.Join ensemble members James Arthur, Kate Ashby, and Rebecca Hickey discuss their program featuring composers from England and across Europe, moderated by Edward Elwyn Jones, who has served as Harvard University’s Gund University Organist and Choirmaster since 2003.Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/stile-antico
The Tallis Scholars | Pre-Concert Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2021-12-06 | The beloved voices of The Tallis Scholars return to BEMF for a virtual performance premiering on Friday, December 10, 2021 at 8pm (ET)!Join the legendary director and founder of The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips, as he discusses their program celebrating the music of Josquin with Suzannah Clark, the Morton B. Knafel Professor of Music and Director of Mahindra Humanities Center at HarvardLearn more at bemf.org/concert-season/the-tallis-scholars
Telemanns Pimpinone and Ino | Pre-Opera Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2021-11-23 | The GRAMMY Award–winning BEMF Chamber Opera Series returns on Thanksgiving weekend! Explore the depth and scope of Telemann’s genius with a fascinating pairing of comedy and drama with the comic intermezzo Pimpinone and the dramatic cantata Ino—November 27 & 28 in Boston and premiering virtually on December 11.Join the BEMF Directorial Team—Musical Directors Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Stage Directors Gilbert Blin and Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, Concertmaster Robert Mealy, and Dance Director Melinda Sullivan—for a lively Pre-Opera Talk.Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/chamber-opera-series
BEMF Chamber Opera Series | Telemanns Pimpinone and Ino Boston Early Music Festival 2021-11-22 | Go behind the scenes with the GRAMMY Award-winning BEMF Chamber Opera Series and our brand-new production featuring two masterworks by Telemann: the comic chamber opera Pimpinone and the dramatic cantata Ino. Hear from the performers and directors as they are hard-at-work bringing this intriguing double bill to the stage. Enjoy this splendid musical feast on Thanksgiving weekend 2021 - November 27 & 28 at NEC's Jordan Hall in Boston or for the Virtual Premiere on December 11.Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/chamber-opera-seriesVideo by Kathy Wittman | Ball Square Films0:00 Introduction0:35 Paul O'Dette Musical Co-Director1:11 Robert Mealy Concertmaster1:54 Gilbert Blin Stage and Costume Co-Director3:20 Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière Stage Co-Director and Arlecchino3:55 Melinda Sullivan Dance Director4:24 Meriem Bahri Costume Co-Oesigner5:49 Amanda Forsythe6:20 Stephen Stubbs Musical Co-Director
Piffaro | Pre-Concert Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2021-11-08 | Renaissance wind band Piffaro return to BEMF during their final season with retiring founders and Artistic Directors Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken with a sold out concert on November 14 in Boston and a virtual premiere on November 26.Join acclaimed basoonist with the BEMF Orchestra Dominic Teresi as he moderates a talk with Joan Kimball and Bob Wiemken about this upcoming performance.Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/piffaro
BEMF Vocal & Chamber Ensembles | Pre-Concert Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2021-10-12 | GRAMMY-winning Musical Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs lead the all-star Boston Early Music Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles in selections from Monteverdi’s late vocal works on the subject of love. October 16 in Boston and premiering virtually on October 30. Join Kathleen Fay, BEMF Executive Director, as she moderates a Pre-Concert Talk with Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs.Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/bemf-vocal-ensemble
Monteverdis Zefiro Torna with the BEMF Vocal & Chamber Ensembles Boston Early Music Festival 2021-10-07 | Jason McStoots and Aaron Sheehan, tenor and the Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble. Recorded at the GBH Fraser Performance Studio for the June 2021 Boston Early Music Festival. Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors; Robert Mealy, Concertmaster Video by Kathy Wittman, Ball Square Films.Audio by Antonio Oliart Ros
Paul ODette plays selections from the Mure of Rowallans Lute Book, Rowallan Castle, Scotland Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-25 | Enjoy an excerpt from Paul O'Dette's concert at the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival, featuring the Mure of Rowallan's Lute Book, Rowallan Castle, Scotland.
Erik Bosgraaf & Francesco Corti perform Telemanns Sonata in C major, TWV 41:C2 Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-24 | Enjoy an excerpt from Erik Bosgraaf and Francesco Corti's concert at the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival, featuring Telemann's Sonata in C major, TWV 41:C2.
Cinquecento perform Introitus from Jean Richaforts Requiem à 6 Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-22 | Enjoy an excerpt from Cinquecento's concert at the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival.
Leo van Doeselaar performs Buxtehudes Toccata in D minor, BuxWV 155 Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-16 | Enjoy an excerpt from Leo van Doeselaar's concert at the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival. Organ virtuoso Leo van Doeselaar's program, "Johann Sebastian Bach, his teachers, and his sons," was recorded on the Arp Schnitger Organ, Martinikerk, Groningen, The Netherlands.
2021 Virtual Festival | Champagne Toast Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-14 | Congratulations All!Hosted by Kathleen Fay, BEMF Executive DirectorVirtually meet, congratulate, and toast members of the BEMF Board of Directors, Artistic Directorial Team, Staff, and Artists, while sipping on your favorite bubbly beverage! Mounting BEMF’s first-ever all virtual Boston Early Music Festival has been a fascinating—and challenging—journey. We are so grateful to innumerable friends and fans around the world for making this historic occasion possible, and we’d love YOU to join our global celebration and thanks to all! Watch for this live presentation on our YouTube channel.Presented as part of the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival. Learn more at https://BEMF.org/2021-festival/
2021 Virtual Festival | POST-OPERA Q&A: Pergolesis La serva padrona & Livietta e Tracollo Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-13 | Celebrating Pergloesi’s La serva padrona and Livietta e TracolloPresented by Paul O’Dette, BEMF Artistic Co-Director; Stephen Stubbs, BEMF Artistic Co-Director; Gilbert Blin, BEMF Opera Director; Robert Mealy, BEMF Orchestra Director; and Melinda Sullivan, BEMF Dance Director; moderated by Kathleen Fay, BEMF Executive Director.Virtually meet and greet the BEMF Artistic Directorial Team and BEMF Chamber Opera Artists during this post-opera Q&A following the archival video broadcast of BEMF’s 2014 performance of Pergolesi’s La serva padrona and Livietta e Tracollo. Ask questions of BEMF directors and artists via Zoom and YouTube and learn more about the pleasures and challenges of mounting these charming operatic gems.Pergolesi’s La serva padrona & Livietta e Tracollo is part of our 2021 Virtual Festival. Learn more at bemf.org/2021-festival/festival-operas/centerpiece-opera
2021 Virtual Festival | Pergolesi’s Intermezzi: Soundtracks to Lost Movies Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-12 | More than almost any other musical scores, Pergolesi’s music for his comic Intermezzi encodes not only the way his music should sound, but literally also teaches us the comic timing for a robust and successful staging. All you need is musicians with ears to hear, stage directors with eyes to see, and above all superbly talented singing actors to bring it all roaring back to life. BEMF’s brilliant directorial team discuss bringing Pergloesi’s beloved La serva padrona and Livietta e Tracollo to life!A Pre-Opera Talk for Pergolesi's La serva padrona & Livietta e Tracollo. Learn more at bemf.org/2021-festival/festival-operas/chamber-opera
2021 Virtual Festival | Recorders Beyond Borders: Boston Meets Kenya Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-12 | ENGAGING COMMUNITIES | BEMF Director of Community Engagement Nina Stern will lead a compelling and interactive program featuring young recorder players from around the globe. A renowned recorder player, Nina is the Artistic Director of S’Cool Sounds, an organization that uses the power of music to inspire, educate, and connect children. Families as well as Festival attendees are invited to enjoy a live performance by an award-winning group of S’Cool Sounds students from the neighborhood of Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya alongside a virtual performance by a group of American children hailing from Seattle to New York, from New Jersey to Boston. The children will then have an opportunity to greet each other and share stories, ending with a question and answer session for all viewers.This year’s virtual event will lay the foundation for the 2023 début of the BEMF Youth Ensemble, which will bring together young players of recorder, strings, and percussion from far and wide. Through the joyful collaboration of music-making, this program will create bonds and build community for the next generation of music lovers and beyond.Special thanks to recorder teachers Julius Odhiambo and Jacob Saya In Nairobi; Evan Harris and Ruaridh Pattison in New York, Miyo Aoki, Vicki Boeckman, Sabine Endrigkeit, and Isabella Pagel in Seattle; Bonnie Kelly, Karen Robbins, and Jennifer Farley Smith in Boston; and Julienne Pape in New Jersey for gathering and instructing our young participants. Special thanks also to Peter Maund.Presented as part of the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival. Learn more at https://BEMF.org/2021-festival/
2021 Virtual Festival | The Hall of Mirrors Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-11 | The Hall of Mirrors | Moderated by Kathleen Fay, BEMF Executive Director; with Paul O’Dette, BEMF Artistic Co-Director; Stephen Stubbs, BEMF Artistic Co-Director; and Robert Mealy, BEMF Orchestra DirectorOne of the stimulating ironies of working with Monteverdi’s music is that while we do everything we can to understand and revive the lost art of Monteverdi and his contemporaries, they had their eyes firmly fixed on the glories of ancient Greek music and drama. What can Monteverdi’s attempted revival of the ancients teach us about reviving his art? BEMF Directors Paul O’Dette, Stephen Stubbs, and Robert Mealy explore this question and others, during an enlightening discussion prior to the premiere broadcast of a recently recorded performance of duets and trios by Monteverdi featuring the BEMF Vocal and Chamber Ensembles.A Pre-Concert Talk for the Boston Early Music Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles at the 2021 Virtual Festival. Learn more at bemf.org/2021-festival/festival-concerts/bemf-vocal-ensemble
2021 Virtual Festival | Young Artists Training Program: Cultivating the Next Generation Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-11 | The BEMF Young Artists Training Program nurtures talented young singers and dancers through training and performance opportunities, offering promising artists a chance to explore Baroque opera-making at a highly professional level. During this one-hour documentary hosted by Gilbert Blin, BEMF Opera Director and Founder & Director of the Young Artists Training Program—complete with video excerpts and photographs—meet a selection of graduates of this program, learn more about how this important BEMF initiative has impacted their career, and hear about BEMF’s plans to cultivate the next generation of artists specializing in Early Music. Testimonials will be presented by Alumnae and Alumni: Thomas Albanese, Mindy Ella Chu, Julian Donahue, David Evans, Daniel Fridley, Michael Galvin, Patrick Kilbride, Bradley King, Alex Meeth, Nola Richardson, Megan Stapleton, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye, and Mark Watson Williams.Learn more about the Young Artists Training Program at https://BEMF.org/YATP/Presented as part of the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival. Learn more at https://BEMF.org/2021-festival/
2021 Virtual Festival | Dance Workshop Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-11 | Enjoy a dance training session with Early Dance specialist and BEMF Dance Director Melinda Sullivan. Acclaimed for her work as a performer, choreographer, director, and teacher, Ms. Sullivan will teach a Sarabande—a slow and elegant dance in triple time—and offer an in-depth view of an excerpt of a popular ballroom dance suite, La Bourgogne, choreographed by French dancer and choreographer Guillaume Louis Pécour (1653–1729) and published in 1700. BEMF Dancer Caitlin Klinger and BEMF Young Artists Training Program graduate dancer Alex Meeth assist, while BEMF violinist Sarah Darling provides accompaniment. Video by Kathy Wittman, Ball Square Films.Presented as part of the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival. Learn more at https://BEMF.org/2021-festival/
2021 Virtual Festival | A Retrospective: The Story of the BEMF Dance Company Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-11 | A panel of distinguished choreographers and dancers look back at the development of the BEMF Dance Company—a troupe of American dancers and invited international guests, under the artistic supervision of Melinda Sullivan, Lucy Graham Dance Director—through archival photos and videos, personal reminiscences, and testimonials.Presented as part of the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival. Learn more at https://BEMF.org/2021-festival/
2021 Virtual Festival | Handel, Cardinal Pamphilj, and the voices of lamenting women Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-10 | Presented by Ellen T. Harris, Class of 1949 Professor Emeritus at MIT | Handel’s Italian cantatas were a proving ground of Handel’s mature dramatic style. While he found the breadth and depth of his own expressive voice in the voices of abandoned women, he also learned, especially from leading members of the Arcadian Academy in Rome, how to control this feminized lamenting with the rational, masculinized principles of style and structure. And at both extremes he wrote some of the most beautiful and remarkable music of his entire career.A Pre-Concert Talk for Handel as Orpheus with Amanda Forsythe, soprano, and the Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble. Learn more at bemf.org/2021-festival/festival-concerts/amanda-forsythe
2021 Virtual Festival | Exploring the dance music of Dowland and Holborne Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-09 | Passionate Pavans and Aeirs both Grave and Light: Exploring the dance music of Dowland and Holborne | Presented by John Bryan, Emeritus Professor of Music at the University of Huddersfield, UKDowland’s Lachrimae of 1604 opens with a magnificent pavan cycle of seven “teares” for lute and five viols, music which travels from darkness to light. How did Dowland and his contemporary Holborne transform simple dances into music of such eloquence and artistry? Professor Bryan explores this question and others, during this illuminating talk complete with slides.A Pre-Concert Talk for L'Achéron at the 2021 Virtual Festival. Learn more at bemf.org/2021-festival/festival-concerts/lacheron
2021 Virtual Festival | Liturgy and Homage in Jean Richafort’s Setting of the Requiem Mass Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-08 | Liturgy and Homage in Jean Richafort’s Setting of the Requiem Mass | Presented by Suzannah Clark, Morton B. Knafel Professor of Music, Harvard UniversityThis talk will highlight key features of the Requiem up to Jean Richafort’s time in order draw out the distinctive compositional traits of Richafort’s setting. In particular, we will focus on Richafort’s choice of chant melody and possible meanings behind his references to Josquin’s music.A Pre-Concert Talk for Cinquecento at the 2021 Virtual Festival. Learn more at bemf.org/2021-festival/festival-concerts/cinquecento
2021 Virtual Festival | Welcome from Alan Rubin, Museum of Historical Instruments in Provins Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-08 | Two instruments from the collection of the Museum of Historical Instruments in Provins will be featured in recitals recorded exclusively for the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival. The founder of the Museum, Alan Rubin, welcomes the Festival, acknowledging Boston's long history with the Early Music movement, and introduces his Museum that will open soon in Provins, France. A legendary antiques dealer, Rubin now focuses on his lifelong passion for music and antique instruments. Keyboard virtuoso Benjamin Alard will perform on two instruments from the Museum's collection and recorded at the Musée de Provins et du Provinois.As part of the Organ Mini-Festival on Wednesday, June 9, Alard performed on the Castle Grant Chamber Organ by John Byfield II, London. Learn more about the Organ Mini-Festival at bemf.org/2021-festival/organ-mini-festivalAs part of the Keyboard Mini-Festival on Thursday, June 10, Alard performed on a 1763 unfretted clavichord by Johann Adolf Hass, Hamburg, Germany. Learn more about the Keyboard Mini-Festival at bemf.org/2021-festival/keyboard-mini-festival
2021 Virtual Festival | Da Vinci and Dance Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-07 | Da Vinci and Dance | Presented by Catherine Turocy, Founder and Artistic Director, New York Baroque Dance CompanyIn Leonardo da Vinci’s description of the Vitruvian Man, he not only lays out principles of proportion and beauty, but he also describes the body’s relationship to nature and the concept of the body as a microcosm of the macrocosm, the Universe. The art of ballet—beginning in the Renaissance through the 18th century (and beyond)—is based on cosmic theory discussed in Da Vinci’s work. This pre-concert talk—complete with a movement component and slides—explores the microcosm of the body, notions of measure and proportion as they are seen and heard, and explains how a movement in music is directly related to dance theory.A Pre-Concert Talk for Doulce Mémoire at the 2021 Virtual Festival. Learn more at bemf.org/2021-festival/festival-concerts/doulce-memoire
2021 Virtual Festival | POST-OPERA Q&A: Campras Le Carnaval de Venise Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-06 | Bravo to the BEMF Campra Company! Hosted by Kathleen Fay, BEMF Executive DirectorVirtually meet and greet the BEMF Artistic Directorial Team and Opera Artists during this post-opera Q&A and Champagne Toast following the premiere of Campra’s Le Carnaval de Venise. Here’s your chance to ask questions of BEMF directors and artists and toast our gifted Campra Company!Campra's Le Carnaval de Venise is the Centerpiece of our 2021 Virtual Festival. Learn more at bemf.org/2021-festival/festival-operas/centerpiece-opera
2021 Virtual Festival | Producing and Performing André Campra’s Le Carnaval de Venise Boston Early Music Festival 2021-06-06 | Join us for an engaging conversation about the evolution of BEMF’s 2017 North American premiere production of Campra’s Le Carnaval de Venise. Rebecca Harris-Warrick, Professor of Music at Cornell University, moderates a panel of specialists—including Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, BEMF Musical Directors; Gilbert Blin, BEMF Stage Director and Set Designer; Robert Mealy, BEMF Orchestra Director; and Caroline Copeland, BEMF Choreographer—as they explore the meticulous research and careful attention that was undertaken to bring this opéra-ballet to the stage.A Pre-Opera Talk for Campra's Le Carnaval de Venise. Learn more at bemf.org/2021-festival/festival-operas/centerpiece-opera
2021 Virtual Festival | Campras Le Carnaval de Venise Boston Early Music Festival 2021-05-07 | "An elaborate, colorful, kaleidoscopic…entertainment!"At the 2017 Festival, more than 80 directors, singers, dancers, and instrumentalists brought André Campra's 1699 opéra-ballet, Le Carnaval de Venise, to vivid life! For our June 2021 Virtual Festival, BEMF is offering an encore presentation of this dazzling spectacle from our video archives. Part of a weeklong event with 2 archival opera productions, 14 exclusive, newly-recorded concerts from world-class artists, and so much more—June 6-13, 2021 at BEMF.org. Tickets range from $10-$25 or subscribe to 16 events for just $150!bemf.org/2021-festival/festival-operas/centerpiece-operaPaul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Musical DirectorsGilbert Blin, Stage DirectorRobert Mealy, ConcertmasterMelinda Sullivan, Dance DirectorCaroline Copeland, ChoreographerAnna Watkins, Costume DesignerGilbert Blin, Set DesignerChristopher Ostrom, Lighting DesignerEllen Hargis, Assistant Stage DirectorKathleen Fay, Executive ProducerVideo by Kathy Wittman | Ball Square Films
Ensemble Correspondances | Pre-Concert Talk Boston Early Music Festival 2021-04-19 | Sébastien Daucé and Ensemble Correspondances are renowned for recordings and performances of Baroque masterpieces that merge passion and elegance. Join Sébastien and mezzo-soprano Lucile Richardot for a preview of their upcoming performance for BEMF, a showcase of English songs from the politically turbulent 17th century. Join us for the premiere on Saturday, April 24, 2021 on our YouTube channel. Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/ensemble-correspondancesLearn more about Ensemble Correspondances at ensemblecorrespondances.comPresented in partnership with the Morgan Library & Museum (themorgan.org)Please consider making a contribution to the Boston Early Music Festival!With no ticket revenue for our 2020/21 virtual season, we are relying more than ever on our generous friends and supporters. Individual ticket prices for the originally scheduled Ensemble Correspondances concert – ranged from $25 to $80. With sincere thanks for your generosity. Donate today at bemf.org/support
The Tallis Scholars perform Guerreros Ave virgo sanctissima Boston Early Music Festival 2021-03-21 | From their December 2020 streaming performance with the Boston Early Music Festival, please enjoy The Tallis Scholars performing Francisco Guerrero's Ave virgo sanctissimaThe Tallis Scholars return to BEMF's virtual stage in 2021 with a Virtual Premiere on Friday, December 10. Purchase tickets at bemf.org/concert-season/the-tallis-scholarsARTISTSPeter Phillips, conductorAmy Haworth, sopranoEmma Walshe, sopranoEmily Atkinson, sopranoEloise Irving, sopranoCaroline Trevor, altoElisabeth Paul, altoSteven Harrold, tenorSimon Wall, tenorGreg Skidmore, bassRob Macdonald, bass
Quicksilver performs Kerlls Sonata a 2 from the Rost MS Boston Early Music Festival 2021-03-21 | From their February 2021 streaming performance with the Boston Early Music Festival, please enjoy Quicksilver performing Johann Kaspar Kerll's Sonata a 2 from the Rost MS.Learn more about BEMF's upcoming virtual performances at bemf.orgARTISTSRobert Mealy & Julie Andrijeski, directors & violinCharles Weaver, theorbo & guitarAvi Stein, harpischordYou can learn more about the ensemble at quicksilverbaroque.com and visit quicksilverbaroque.com/watchandlisten.html to purchase recordings.Presented in partnership with the Morgan Library & Museum (themorgan.org) and RK Cultural Productions (rkculturalproductions.org)
Stile Antico | Pre-Concert Talk and Preview Boston Early Music Festival 2021-02-22 | Working without a conductor, the intensely collaborative singers of Stile Antico have won acclaim as one of the world’s most vibrant and expressive vocal ensembles. Members of this acclaimed ensemble discuss their upcoming virtual performance of BEMF, celebrating the North American release of their new CD for Decca Classics, titled The Golden Renaissance: Josquin des Prez, premiering on Friday, February 26, 2021 on our YouTube Channel. Learn more at bemf.org/concert-season/stile-anticoLearn more about this new recording at Stile Antico's website: stileantico.co.uk/recordings/josquin-des-prezPresented in partnership with the Morgan Library & Museum (themorgan.org)Please consider making a contribution to the Boston Early Music Festival!With no ticket revenue for our virtual season this fall, we are relying more than ever on our generous friends and supporters. Individual ticket prices for the originally scheduled Stile Antico concert – ranged from $25 to $75. With sincere thanks for your generosity. Donate today at bemf.org/support
