Saturday, February 14
Seelenbräutigam: The Drese Effect
ACRONYM: Edwin Huizinga, Adriane Post & Johanna Novom, violin; Beth Wenstrom, violin & viola; Kyle Miller, viola; Loren Ludwig & Kivie Cahn-Lipman, viola da gamba; Doug Balliett, violone; Daniel Swenberg, theorbo & guitar; Elliot Figg, harpsichord & organ; with Guest Artists: Clara Rottsolk, soprano; Elisa Sutherland & Sylvia Leith, mezzo-soprano; Aaron Sheehan & Jacob Perry, tenor; Jonathan Woody, bass; Perry Sutton & Steven Marquardt, slide trumpet; Liza Malamut, Ben David Aronson & Garrett Lahr, trombone
Before “Bach” was synonymous with “musician” in the German state of Thuringia, the name “Drese” was already associated with the musical leadership of this region. Adam Drese and his cousin Johann Samuel Drese helped shaped the musical landscape that Johann Sebastian Bach entered into—Johann Samuel was even Kapellmeister in Weimar during Bach’s tenure in the city. While much of their repertoire has been lost to history, the Drese cousins were hugely influential, including on the young Bach. A mainstay of our June Festivals since 2019, the American chamber ensemble ACRONYM débuts on our annual concert series in a program that assembles for the first time nearly all of the extant works by the Drese cousins, along with several of Bach’s arrangements of them. Comprised of some of North America’s finest young Early Music specialists, ACRONYM is joined by an all-star roster of guest artists, including historical brass players, for the modern premiere of Adam Drese’s funeral motet, Wie selig sind die Toten, the earliest-known work written for slide trumpet.
8pm - First Church in Cambridge, Congregational
VIRTUAL PREMIERE: Saturday, February 28, 2026at 8pm (ET) Available to watch until March 14, 2026 at 11:59pm (ET)
https://bemf.org/concert-season/acronym/
ACRONYM: Edwin Huizinga, Adriane Post & Johanna Novom, violin; Beth Wenstrom, violin & viola; Kyle Miller, viola; Loren Ludwig & Kivie Cahn-Lipman, viola da gamba; Doug Balliett, violone; Daniel Swenberg, theorbo & guitar; Elliot Figg, harpsichord & organ; with Guest Artists: Clara Rottsolk, soprano; Elisa Sutherland & Sylvia Leith, mezzo-soprano; Aaron Sheehan & Jacob Perry, tenor; Jonathan Woody, bass; Perry Sutton & Steven Marquardt, slide trumpet; Liza Malamut, Ben David Aronson & Garrett Lahr, trombone
Before “Bach” was synonymous with “musician” in the German state of Thuringia, the name “Drese” was already associated with the musical leadership of this region. Adam Drese and his cousin Johann Samuel Drese helped shaped the musical landscape that Johann Sebastian Bach entered into—Johann Samuel was even Kapellmeister in Weimar during Bach’s tenure in the city. While much of their repertoire has been lost to history, the Drese cousins were hugely influential, including on the young Bach. A mainstay of our June Festivals since 2019, the American chamber ensemble ACRONYM débuts on our annual concert series in a program that assembles for the first time nearly all of the extant works by the Drese cousins, along with several of Bach’s arrangements of them. Comprised of some of North America’s finest young Early Music specialists, ACRONYM is joined by an all-star roster of guest artists, including historical brass players, for the modern premiere of Adam Drese’s funeral motet, Wie selig sind die Toten, the earliest-known work written for slide trumpet.
8pm - First Church in Cambridge, Congregational
VIRTUAL PREMIERE: Saturday, February 28, 2026at 8pm (ET) Available to watch until March 14, 2026 at 11:59pm (ET)
https://bemf.org/concert-season/acronym/
Sunday, February 15
Farewell Unkind: Songs and Dances of John Dowland
The Boston Camerata with Nigel North, lute
To celebrate the anniversary of John Dowland, lutenist to Queen Elizabeth the First and the greatest English song writer until Purcell and Britten, we present a program of airs, dances, hymns and fantasies, for voices and instruments in collaboration with British lute virtuoso Nigel North. Preview the music for this program by listening to our album Farewell, Unkind: Songs & Dances of Dowland on Spotify.
4:00pm - Pickman Concert Hall, Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St. Cambridge, MA
https://bostoncamerata.org/performances/
The Boston Camerata with Nigel North, lute
To celebrate the anniversary of John Dowland, lutenist to Queen Elizabeth the First and the greatest English song writer until Purcell and Britten, we present a program of airs, dances, hymns and fantasies, for voices and instruments in collaboration with British lute virtuoso Nigel North. Preview the music for this program by listening to our album Farewell, Unkind: Songs & Dances of Dowland on Spotify.
4:00pm - Pickman Concert Hall, Longy School of Music, 27 Garden St. Cambridge, MA
https://bostoncamerata.org/performances/
Friday, February 20
In Praise of Laura Peverara: Madrigals for the Concerto delle donne (Ferrara, 1580s)
Blue Heron
In the 1580s, Ferrara boasted one of the most famous vocal ensembles in Europe: a trio of women known as the Concerto delle donne. One member, Laura Peverara, was so admired and beloved that she inspired two madrigal anthologies, published in 1582 and 1583. We present a selection of this rich repertoire, including music by Wert, Marenzio, Luzzaschi, and others.
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026
7:30pm - Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton, MA
$11.50-$95.50, Under 18 FREE
https://www.blueheron.org/
Blue Heron
In the 1580s, Ferrara boasted one of the most famous vocal ensembles in Europe: a trio of women known as the Concerto delle donne. One member, Laura Peverara, was so admired and beloved that she inspired two madrigal anthologies, published in 1582 and 1583. We present a selection of this rich repertoire, including music by Wert, Marenzio, Luzzaschi, and others.
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026
7:30pm - Edwards Church, 297 Main Street, Northampton, MA
$11.50-$95.50, Under 18 FREE
https://www.blueheron.org/
Saturday, February 21
In Praise of Laura Peverara: Madrigals for the Concerto delle donne (Ferrara, 1580s)
Blue Heron
In the 1580s, Ferrara boasted one of the most famous vocal ensembles in Europe: a trio of women known as the Concerto delle donne. One member, Laura Peverara, was so admired and beloved that she inspired two madrigal anthologies, published in 1582 and 1583. We present a selection of this rich repertoire, including music by Wert, Marenzio, Luzzaschi, and others.
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026
8pm - First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge
$11.50-$95.50, Under 18 FREE
https://www.blueheron.org/
Blue Heron
In the 1580s, Ferrara boasted one of the most famous vocal ensembles in Europe: a trio of women known as the Concerto delle donne. One member, Laura Peverara, was so admired and beloved that she inspired two madrigal anthologies, published in 1582 and 1583. We present a selection of this rich repertoire, including music by Wert, Marenzio, Luzzaschi, and others.
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026
8pm - First Church in Cambridge, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge
$11.50-$95.50, Under 18 FREE
https://www.blueheron.org/
Friday, February 27
English Country Dance with Seven Times Salt
Seven Times Salt: Karen Burciaga, fiddle, Dan Meyers, winds, percussion, Josh Schreiber, bass viol, Matthew Wright, lute, with Orly Krasner, dance caller
In our annual jaunt to the dance floor, STS will provide splendid live music for the Harvard Square English Country Dance. You’ll hear tunes popular from 1650 up to the present; some are elegant, some rowdy, some romantic, some playful. English Country Dance is social, community dancing. Friendly, helpful dance caller Orly Krasner will teach all the dances; no experience is necessary. Come dance with us! Introductory session starts at 7:10pm for new dancers.
7:30-9:30pm - Harvard-Epworth Church, 1555 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA
$5-15 sliding scale, Presented by CDS-Boston
https://www.seventimessalt.com/
Seven Times Salt: Karen Burciaga, fiddle, Dan Meyers, winds, percussion, Josh Schreiber, bass viol, Matthew Wright, lute, with Orly Krasner, dance caller
In our annual jaunt to the dance floor, STS will provide splendid live music for the Harvard Square English Country Dance. You’ll hear tunes popular from 1650 up to the present; some are elegant, some rowdy, some romantic, some playful. English Country Dance is social, community dancing. Friendly, helpful dance caller Orly Krasner will teach all the dances; no experience is necessary. Come dance with us! Introductory session starts at 7:10pm for new dancers.
7:30-9:30pm - Harvard-Epworth Church, 1555 Massachusetts Ave. Cambridge, MA
$5-15 sliding scale, Presented by CDS-Boston
https://www.seventimessalt.com/
Bringing it Home with Brescianello: Concerti a tre from the Stuttgart Court
Newton Baroque: Susanna Ogata, Jesse Irons, violin, Alison Gangler, oboe, Sarah Freiberg, cello, Andrus Madsen, harpsichord
7:30pm, Nathaniel Allen House, 35 Webster St., Newton, MA
Saturday, February 28, 7:30 pm, Goethe-Institut, 170 Beacon St., Boston
https://www.newtonbaroque.org/concerts.html
Newton Baroque: Susanna Ogata, Jesse Irons, violin, Alison Gangler, oboe, Sarah Freiberg, cello, Andrus Madsen, harpsichord
7:30pm, Nathaniel Allen House, 35 Webster St., Newton, MA
Saturday, February 28, 7:30 pm, Goethe-Institut, 170 Beacon St., Boston
https://www.newtonbaroque.org/concerts.html
Saturday, February 28
Bringing it Home with Brescianello: Concerti a tre from the Stuttgart Court
Newton Baroque: Susanna Ogata, Jesse Irons, violin, Alison Gangler, oboe, Sarah Freiberg, cello, Andrus Madsen, harpsichord
7:30pm, Goethe-Institut, 170 Beacon St., Boston MA
https://www.newtonbaroque.org/concerts.html
Newton Baroque: Susanna Ogata, Jesse Irons, violin, Alison Gangler, oboe, Sarah Freiberg, cello, Andrus Madsen, harpsichord
7:30pm, Goethe-Institut, 170 Beacon St., Boston MA
https://www.newtonbaroque.org/concerts.html