2023 Boston Early Music Festival Brochure

Boson Early Music Fesival

PAUL

& STEPHEN STUBBS , Artistic Directors KATHLEEN FAY, Executive Director

Dear Friends:

WELCOME

I am thrilled to welcome you to the June 2023 Boston Early Music Festival, our 22nd biennial Festival and highly anticipated return to an in-person gathering! Our Festival—A Celebration of Women—will be an inspiring week honoring the work of women musicians both living and departed, as well as poets, painters, librettists, actors, scholars, publishers, dedicatees, and patrons, in addition to administrators, directors, and theater technicians, reminding us that women have been an integral part of classical music all along. We are honored to have been part of the tremendous growth of Early Music in North America since our first Festival in 1981, and we hope you will join us for this unique celebration of all our field has to offer.

The Festival Centerpiece will be Henry Desmarest’s 1694 tragedie en musique, Circé, an opera written by the first French female librettist—Louise-Geneviève Gillot de Saintonge. Saintonge adapts a tale from Homer’s Odyssey, depicting an encounter between the sorceress and the famed traveler. This will be paired with a revival of our 2018 Chamber Opera Series production of Francesca Caccini’s 1625 Alcina, the first opera by a woman composer. In this brilliant, witty entertainment, the sorceress Alcina stands between the valiant magician Melissa and her quest to save the warrior Ruggiero.

These productions will employ over 75 directors and assistants, singers, dancers, and instrumentalists. Both productions incorporate the talents of BEMF’s unsurpassed artistic leadership team: the expertise of Musical Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, the inspired staging and magnificent sets of Stage Director and Set Designer Gilbert Blin, and the choreographies of Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière and Pierre-François Dollé, who will bring elegance to the stage with a troupe of 10 dancers led by Dance Director Melinda Sullivan. The casts will appear in stunning costumes designed by Jérôme Kaplan and Anna Watkins and be illuminated by the work of Kelly Martin. All of this will be accompanied by the 27 musicians of our world-class Orchestra and Chamber Ensemble led by Orchestra Director Robert Mealy

Our Young Artists Training Program will offer talented young vocalists a unique opportunity to experience Baroque opera. They will appear in Circé, study a leading role alongside the professional artists, and present their own abridged production of Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre’s 1694 opera, Cephale et Procris, under the directorship of Gilbert Blin, Jason McStoots, and Jeffrey Grossman

Our full roster of concerts and opera performances is contained in this brochure, and additional information can be found on our website. Please visit BEMF.org for the complete schedule of Festival 2023 events, including 17 BEMF concerts, the Organ & Keyboard Mini-Festival, the world-famous Exhibition, Performance Masterclasses, lectures, symposia, and more. Subscription packages and individual tickets are on sale now, so please secure yours today to ensure the best seats.

I look forward to seeing you in June for what promises to be a thrilling and memorable week.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Kathleen Fay Executive Director

Cover Image: Self-Portrait, ca. 1630, by Judith Leyster. One of only two women admited to the Haarlem painter’s guild in the 17th century, this Dutch master’s work is characterized by her freely expressive brushwork and the casual intimacy she displays with her subjects. The figure of the violin player references her 1629 painting Merry Company

JUNE 4 -11, 2023

Our Festival—A Celebration of Women—will be an inspiring week honoring the work of women musicians both living and departed, as well as poets, painters, librettists, actors, scholars, publishers, dedicatees, and patrons, in addition to administrators, directors, and theater technicians, reminding us that women have been an integral part of classical music all along!

—BBC RADIO 3

“Arguably the most important and influential Early Music event in the world.”

2017 | Le Carnaval de Venise |

PHOTO: KATHY WITTMAN

JUNE 4, 7, 9 & 11, 2023

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston, MA

Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors

Gilbert Blin, Stage Director

Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director | Melinda Sullivan, Dance Director

Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière & Pierre-François Dollé, Choreographers

Jérôme Kaplan, Costume Designer | Gilbert Blin, Set Designer

Kelly Martin, Lighting Designer | Ellen Hargis, Assistant Stage Director

Alexander McCargar, Associate Scenic Designer | Kathleen Fay, Executive Producer

After the divine sorceress Circé welcomes Ulisse and his weary companions to her island home, the forces of love, magic, and fate clash and threaten to ensnare them all. First performed in 1694 at the Paris Opera, Henry Desmarest’s Circé features a libretto by renowned poet Louise-Geneviève Gillot de Saintonge. Be captivated as this epic adventure from Homer’s Odyssey comes to life on stage with opulent, period-inspired costumes, elegant Baroque dance, breathtaking sets, and utterly gorgeous music.

FULLY STAGED NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE—SUNG IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUPERTITLES

SULLIVAN MEALY O’DETTE STUBBS BLIN

“A constant delight of anticipation.”

—THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Karina Gauvin, Circé | Aaron Sheehan, Ulisse

Teresa Wakim, Astérie | Jesse Blumberg, Elphénor

Amanda Forsythe, Éolie | Douglas Williams, Polite

VOCAL CAST | Hannah De Priest, Nola Richardson, Megan Stapleton, Mindy Ella Chu, Mireille Lebel, Ashley Mulcahy, David Evans, Brian Giebler, Jason McStoots, James Reese, Kyle Stegall, Daniel Fridley, Michael Galvin, Jonathan Woody

BEMF DANCE COMPANY | Melinda Sullivan, Dance Director

Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière & Pierre-François Dollé, Choreographers & Dancers; Stéphanie Brochard, Julian Donahue, Junichi Fukuda, Olsi Gjeci, Caitlin Klinger, Alex Meeth, Alexis Silver, Sonam Tshedzom Tingkhye

BEMF ORCHESTRA | Robert Mealy, Julie Andrijeski, Johanna Novom, Cynthia Roberts & Beth Wenstrom, dessus de violon; Sarah Darling, Peter Spissky & Anna Griffis, haute-contre; Miloš Valent & Dagmar

Valentová, taille; Daniel Elyar & Laura Jeppesen, quinte; Phoebe Carrai, Matt Zucker & Keiran Campbell, basse; Nathaniel Chase, contrebasse; Gonzalo X. Ruiz & Kathryn Montoya, oboe & recorder; Dominic Teresi & Allen Hamrick, bassoon; Michelle Humphreys, percussion; Michael Sponseller, harpsichord; Paul O’Dette, Stephen Stubbs & Charles Weaver, theorbo & Baroque guitar; David Morris, viola da gamba

BEMF YOUNG ARTISTS TRAINING PROGRAM

Gilbert Blin, Founder & Director

Jason McStoots, Associate Director, 2023

Jeffrey Grossman, Musical Director, 2023

Mara Yaffee, Alissa Magee, Kristine Caswelch, Richard Pittsinger, Jason Rober, Peter Schoellkopff, singers

PRODUCED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE

WAKIM

FORSYTHE WILLIAMS

BLUMBERG

Karina GAUVIN

Aaron SHEEHAN

OPERA CONCERTS EXHIBITION

For more than 40 years, the Boston Early Music Festival has been North America’s premier celebration of Early Music. Don’t miss your chance to experience a weeklong extravaganza of gorgeous opera, unforgettable concerts, our worldfamous Exhibition, and so much more, right in the heart of Boston!

PHOTO: KATHY WITTMAN

PHOTO: KATHY WITTMAN

PHOTO: MATT WAN

SUNDAY, JUNE 4

n 3:30PM | Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston

n 10:30PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

CENTERPIECE OPERA | See pages 4–5 for more details.

MONDAY, JUNE 5

n 8PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA & CHORUS

Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors

Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director

Hannah De Priest & Amanda Forsythe, soprano

Colin Balzer & Kyle Stegall, tenor

Jesse Blumberg, baritone | Jonathan Woody, bass-baritone

Caroline Copeland & Olsi Gjeci, dancers

A Grand Celebration: Music from Desmarest’s Circé and Handel’s Almira

We open our weeklong Celebration of Women with a grand program of music written for the opera stage! The evening begins with the complete prologue of Desmarest’s Circé thirty minutes of delicious airs, dances, and choruses!

The allegorical prologue in French opera, an elaborate spectacle praising the king, was ultimately dropped from the performing tradition, but Circé’s is too good to pass over. This exceptional musical morsel is paired with a selection of truly stunning arias and dances from Handel’s first opera, Almira, both featuring dancers and singers from the Festival’s opera productions. Don’t miss this stunning collection of operatic masterworks led by GRAMMYwinners Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs!

MAXINE EILANDER, harp & TEKLA CUNNINGHAM,

The Mysterious Zoé de la Ruë

violin

Little is remembered about the enigmatic Zoé de la Ruë—a celebrated French harpist and composer in the turbulent years of the early 19th century who has been nearly forgotten by history. Her music for solo harp as well as harp and violin was published in her lifetime, but only recently found again in the collection of the Bibliothèque Nationale of France. Discover this brilliant and sensual repertoire in a collaboration between two of Early Music’s most accomplished instrumentalists, harpist Maxine Eilander and violinist Tekla Cunningham.

TUESDAY, JUNE 6

n 5PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

LES DÉLICES | Debra Nagy, Director

Hannah De Priest, soprano; Debra Nagy, oboe & recorder; Julie Andrijeski, violin; Rebecca Reed, viola da gamba; Mark Edwards, harpsichord

Woman Scorned: Circé, Phèdre, and Armide

Founded by renowned oboist Debra Nagy in 2009, Les Délices has established a reputation for unique programs that are “thematically concise, richly expressive, and featuring composers few people have heard of” (The New York Times). They make their eagerly anticipated BEMF début in a fascinating program exploring themes of desire, jealousy, shame, and revenge by giving voice to the spurned lovers of antiquity. This program exalts in the wild, passionate music

2023 OPERA & CONCERT SCHEDULE

portraying characters such as Circé, Phèdre, and Armide while contemplating the somewhat misogynistic portrayals of the women in these works that can be far removed from their Classical origins. The remarkable selections are by Rebel, Bourgeois, Lully, Senaillé, and Blamont.

n 8PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

VOX LUMINIS | Lionel Meunier, Artistic Director

Nigra sum sed formosa: Morenas in Ibero-America

Making their BEMF début, La Donna Musicale and Rumbarroco perform songs and polyphonic settings that highlight Morenas dark-skinned women—in the Ibero-American repertory. Director Laury Gutiérrez leads us on a musical voyage from the Iberian Renaissance to African-influenced folk traditions in contemporary South America. The program features settings of Nigra sum sed formosa from the Song of Songs and other selections from Spanish songbooks Cancioneros—with endearing depictions of Morenas, interspersed with dances. Selections include music by Manuel Machado, Francisco de Peñalosa, Juan Vásquez, and many others.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

n 5PM | Emmanuel Church, Boston

The Virgin Mary: Stabat Mater

Winners of Gramophone’s prestigious Recording of the Year, the singers and continuo players of Vox Luminis have been heralded around the world for an extraordinary combination of exquisite clarity and infectious passion. Artistic Director Lionel Meunier leads a program of magnificent music inspired by the Virgin Mary with selections by Monteverdi, Lotti, and others. The final work brings the ensemble back to their very beginning with the first piece they ever performed together, Domenico Scarlatti’s Stabat Mater. Written for ten voices, this monumental work remains beloved for its expressive and meditative brilliance.

n 10:30PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

LA DONNA MUSICALE & RUMBARROCO | Laury Gutiérrez, Director

Adriana Ruiz, soprano; Daniela Tosic, mezzo-soprano; Miguel Cabrera, tenor; Na’ama Lion, early flutes; Cynthia Mathiesen, violin & viola da gamba; Laury Gutiérrez, viola da gamba & early guitars; Katherine Shao, keyboards; Kera Washington & Juan Sebastian Sanchez, percussion; Roberto Perez Oraa, bandola & percussion; Eduardo Betancourt, harp & percussion

THE NEWBERRY CONSORT

Liza Malamut, Artistic Director

Ellen Hargis, Guest Director

Ellen Hargis, Lucía Mier y Terán Romero, Josefien Stoppelenburg, Salomé Sandoval, Elena Mullins, soprano; Pamela Dellal, Ashley Mulcahy, Candace Smith, Beverly Simmons, alto; Rachel Begley, dulcian; Kate Shuldiner, viol; Liza Malamut & Lisa Albrecht, trombone; Frances Conover Fitch, organ

The Juan de Lienas Vespers

The life of Mexican composer Juan de Lienas is shrouded in mystery. What little we know of the Baroque master comes from envious remarks scrawled by others in the margins of his surviving manuscripts, masterpieces that are exhilaratingly original and technically demanding. Written for the Convento de la Encarnación in the center of Mexico City, this Vespers service has been painstakingly reconstructed and edited by Guest Director Ellen Hargis. The Newberry Consort and Artistic Director Liza Malamut return to BEMF with an allfemale ensemble of nine voices, two trombones, dulcian, viol, and organ to transport us to the 17th-century convent where this sumptuous music was first heard.

n 7PM | Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston

CENTERPIECE OPERA | See pages 4–5 for more details.

n 8PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

THE ORLANDO CONSORT

Matthew Venner, countertenor; Mark Dobell & Angus Smith, tenor; Donald Greig, baritone; Robert Macdonald, bass

Leuven Chansonnier—was discovered in an estate sale in 2015. Containing 50 songs, among which a dozen were unknown to modern scholars, the 1470 book has a particular emphasis on songs written from a woman’s perspective, suggesting it may have originally had a female owner, perhaps a singer herself. Founded by Anna Danilevskaia in 2014, Sollazzo Ensemble brings together exceptional musicians with a keen interest in late Medieval and early Renaissance music. Join these engaging artists for an intimate showcase of some of their favorite selections from the Leuven Chansonnier

Voices Appeared: A live soundtrack to accompany the 1928 film La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc

After a storied 35-year career, the singers of the Orlando Consort make their FINAL PERFORMANCE one to remember with their beloved “Voices Appeared” program. The members of this legendary vocal ensemble provide a live soundtrack of music from the early 15th century to accompany a screening of Dreyer’s 1928 silent-film masterpiece, La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc with its unforgettably harrowing performance from Renée Jeanne Falconetti. This program has been presented more than 60 times across the globe and features breathtaking performances of the music of Dufay, Binchois, and a selection of hidden gems of the period. You won’t want to miss this celebration of these peerless artists and timeless music!

n 10:30PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

SOLLAZZO ENSEMBLE

Anna Danilevskaia, Director

Carine Tinney, soprano; Jonatan Alvarado & Lior Leibovici, tenor; Franziska Fleischanderl, psaltery; Christoph Sommer, lute; Johanna Bartz, flute; Filipa Meneses & Anna Danilevskaia, vihuela de arco

Le corps s’en va, le coeur demeure:

The Leuven Chansonnier

Only a tiny number of 15th-century songbooks are known to survive, making it quite a sensation when a new collection—the

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

n 10AM–4PM | First Lutheran Church, Boston

ORGAN & KEYBOARD

MINI-FESTIVAL

(See page 14 for more details.)

n 5PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

DOULCE MÉMOIRE

Denis Raisin Dadre, Director

Camille Fritsch, mezzo-soprano; Bor Zuljan, archlute; Sébastien Wonner, harpsichord; Nolwenn Le Gwern, lira da gamba; Denis Raisin Dadre, recorder

The Century of Titian: Music of the Italian Renaissance

For thirty years, the close-knit team of instrumentalists and singers that make up Doulce Mémoire have traveled the world giving life to the music of the Renaissance. Director Denis Raisin

2023 OPERA & CONCERT SCHEDULE

Dadre transports us to Renaissance Italy during the life of the famous Venetian painter Titian (1490–1576). Throughout his long life, the Italian passion for music was central to both the public and private lives of people throughout the Italian peninsula. These intimate gatherings of the most learned men and women of the time inspire a program featuring music by de Rore, Striggio, Verdelot, Tromboncino, and the brilliant repertoire of Luzzasco Luzzaschi written for Duke Alfonso II d’Este’s famous “Ladies of Ferrara” decades after Titian had painted a magnificent cycle of mythological paintings for Duke Alfonso I.

n 8PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA & VOX LUMINIS

Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director

Lioniel Meunier, Vox Luminis Artistic Director

n 10:30PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

HAMBURGER RATSMUSIK & DOROTHEE MIELDS, soprano

Dorothee Mields & Kerstin Dietl, soprano; Ulrich Wedemeier, lute; Simone Eckert, viola da gamba; Anke Dennert, harpsichord

From Heavenly Harmony: Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day and Bach’s Magnificat

Experience an incredible collaboration of two musical powerhouses you won’t see anywhere else! Vox Luminis and the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra join forces in an evening showcasing masterworks by Bach and Handel inspired by the power of divine intercession from two formidable women: St. Cecilia and the Virgin Mary. In Handel’s spectacular Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, voices and instruments together explore the heavenly power of music to make—and unmake—the world, in a series of gorgeous choruses and solo arias. We pair this with Bach’s Magnificat, Mary’s ancient song of praise, which he composed for his first season in Leipzig.

Barbara Strozzi: La Virtuosissima Cantatrice

Venetian composer Barbara Strozzi was not merely undeterred by the male dominance of her field, she was prolific, publishing more secular vocal works than any other composer of her time. The daughter of a poet and an accomplished singer herself, her music reflects her background, displaying a unique insight into lyricism and harmonies to achieve profound intensity. One of Early Music’s leading sopranos, Dorothee Mields brings Strozzi’s work to vibrant life in an alluring collaboration with German trio Hamburger Ratsmusik in their BEMF début with soprano Kerstin Dietl.

FRIDAY, JUNE 9

n 5PM | Emmanuel Church, Boston

TIBURTINA ENSEMBLE

Barbora Kabátková, Artistic Director

Ivana Bilej Brouková & Tereza Böhmová, soprano; Daniela Čermáková, Kamila Mazalová & Anna Chadimová Havlíková, alto; Margit Übellacker, dulce melos; Barbora Kabátková, soprano & Medieval harp

Ego sum homo: Musical visions of Hildegard von Bingen

Founded in 2008 in Prague, the women of Tiburtina Ensemble have won acclaim for their exquisite performances of Medieval MEUNIER

repertoire. They make their BEMF début in a program of magnificent music by Hildegard of Bingen. Enormously influential as a musician, a theologian, and a healer, over the centuries her life has sometimes taken on a mythic form, but she was first a human being. This program explores a selection of plainchant from the massive Riesencodex, an exhaustive collection of her spiritual and musical output. The music is exceptionally ornate and masterfully constructed, a testament to her undeniable virtuosity that made her such a legendary figure in her own lifetime.

n 10:30PM | Emmanuel Church, Boston

RICERCAR CONSORT

Philippe Pierlot, Director

Philippe Pierlot, treble & bass viol; Lucile Boulanger & Clémence Schiltz, bass viol; Daniel Zapico, theorbo; Julien Wolfs, harpsichord

Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe et ses filles

CENTERPIECE OPERA | See pages 4–5 for more details.

Emmanuel Church, Boston STILE ANTICO

8PM |

Breaking the Habit: Music for and by Renaissance women

Firmly established as one of the world’s finest vocal ensembles, Stile Antico is renowned for their vibrant and expressive performances. In this fascinating program, these outstanding singers shine a light on an often-neglected repertoire, bringing to life women from the Renaissance through song. The 16th century saw an unprecedented number of female rulers and many of these monarchs used their patronage to facilitate the production of music of exquisite beauty by the finest composers of the day. Celebrated in this program are Margaret of Austria, who ruled as regent for the great Charles V in the Low Countries; Queen Mary of England, whose brief reign saw a revival of music for her Catholic faith; and Mary’s sister, Elizabeth I, whose coronation heralded a Golden Age for England. The century also saw the first publications of music by female composers, often Italian nuns, whose convents supported musical groups of astonishing ability.

Hailed as the “Orpheus of our time,” Monsieur de SainteColombe is towering figure in the history of the viol, earning a preeminent reputation as a teacher, composer, and player. His house concerts—where he played alongside his own two daughters as well as esteemed friends—were fervently admired for their graceful and beautiful music. The venerated viol virtuoso Philippe Pierlot draws inspiration from these intimate programs as he returns to BEMF with his Ricercar Consort for a program of music by Sainte-Colombe and his contemporaries.

SATURDAY, JUNE 10

n 5PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

ACRONYM

Adriane Post, Johanna Novom, Edwin Huizinga, Beth Wenstrom & Manami Mizumoto, violin; Kyle Miller, viola; Loren Ludwig & Kivie Cahn-Lipman, viola da gamba; Paul Dwyer, violoncello; Doug Balliett, violone; Elliot Figg, harpsichord & organ; Daniel Swenberg, theorbo

Queen Christina’s Playlist: Music of Corelli, Alessandro Scarlatti, Cavalli, and others

Fiercely intelligent and independent, Queen Christina of Sweden forged a path that brought her to the center of the European political and cultural landscape that emerged from

n 7PM | Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston

n

2023 OPERA & CONCERT SCHEDULE

the turmoil of the Thirty Years’ War. Confidante of popes and monarchs, fluent in eight languages, and friend and patron to artists, musicians, and intellectuals across Europe, her musical palate was particularly diverse and sophisticated, encompassing the latest music from England, France, Germany, and Italy, where composers including Cavalli, Scarlatti, and Corelli would dedicate works to her. The alwaysengaging instrumentalists of ACRONYM have assembled a “royal playlist” of works associated with Christina’s travels and patronage over the course of her career in major cultural centers across the continent. These works showcase the best music of mid-17th-century Europe and testify to the taste and power of this exceptional woman.

n 8PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

Mazzocchi, and Marco Marazzoli. Upon hearing the original Canterine, one observer wrote, “This concert transported me into such ravishment, that I forgot my mortal condition and believed myself to be among the angels!” Be enraptured yourself as three of the world’s most alluring divas—Amanda Forsythe, Dorothee Mields, and Cecilia Duarte—present an unforgettable evening of vocal fireworks accompanied by the acclaimed artists of the BEMF Continuo Ensemble.

SUNDAY, JUNE 11

n 12:30PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

ERIK BOSGRAAF, recorder & FRANCESCO CORTI,

CHAMBER OPERA | See page 13 for more details.

n 10:30PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston

AMANDA FORSYTHE, soprano, DOROTHEE MIELDS, soprano & CECILIA DUARTE, mezzo-soprano

BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL CONTINUO ENSEMBLE

Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors

Paul O’Dette, chitarrone; Stephen Stubbs, chitarrone & Baroque guitar; Charles Weaver, chitarrone; Maxine Eilander, Baroque harp; David Morris, viola da gamba & lirone; Michael Sponseller, harpsichord

A Tribute to Anne, the Princess Royal and Handel’s favorite pupil

After making an enthusiastically received appearance at the 2021 Virtual Festival, the internationally renowned duo of Erik Bosgraaf and Francesco Corti make their in-person début for BEMF in a program that pays tribute to Princess Anne, the eldest daughter of King George II of England. She was a pupil of Handel—his recorder sonatas may have been written as part of her studies—and remained a devoted supporter after she married the Prince of Orange and moved to The Netherlands. The program also explores other composers for whom she was a patron, supporter, or friend, including Leclair, van Wassenaer, and Schickhardt.

n 3:30PM | Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston

The Three Sopranos: Earthly Delights for Angelic Voices

Long before the Three Tenors became a sensation, 17th-century Rome had the Three Sopranos, or “Le Canterine Romane,” the finest singers of the age who performed sublime vocal trios by the most beloved composers of the time: Luigi Rossi, Domenico

CENTERPIECE OPERA | See pages 4–5 for more details.

harpsichord

2023 FESTIVAL CHAMBER OPERA

Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors

Gilbert Blin, Stage Director

Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director

Melinda Sullivan, Choreographer

Anna Watkins, Costume Designer

Kelly Martin, Lighting Designer

Kathleen Fay, Executive Producer

A contemporary of Monteverdi, Francesca Caccini came of age in Florence during the earliest years of opera as an art form. Both a composer and a performer, she was one of the most important musical figures at the Medici Court, for whom she created the first opera by a woman composer, La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina.

Alcina is a brilliant entertainment, full of wit and drama, with a demanding title role first sung by the composer herself. 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 rescue the warrior Ruggiero and liberate the captives whom Alcina has transformed into plants and trees to ornament her island.

SATURDAY, JUNE 10, 2023

8PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA

JUNE 23 & 24, 2023

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA (See page 16 for more details)

Mireille Lebel, Alcina

Colin Balzer, Ruggiero

Cecilia Duarte, Melissa

BEMF VOCAL ENSEMBLE

Teresa Wakim, Hannah De Priest, Nola Richardson, Megan Stapleton, Mindy Ella Chu, Kameryn Lueng, Brian Giebler, Kyle Stegall, David Evans, Douglas Williams, Daniel Fridley & Michael Galvin

BEMF CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

Robert Mealy, concertmaster

Julie Andrijeski, violin

Sarah Darling, violin & viola

David Morris, lirone & viola da gamba

Christel Thielmann, viola da gamba & recorder

Laura Jeppesen, viola da gamba

Kathryn Montoya, recorder

Héloïse Degrugillier, recorder

Maxine Eilander, Baroque harp

Michael Sponseller, harpsichord, organ & regal

Paul O’Dette, chitarrone

Stephen Stubbs, lute & Baroque guitar

LEBEL BALZER DUARTE

2018 | Alcina | PHOTOS: KATHY WITTMAN

n THURSDAY, JUNE 8 | First Lutheran Church, Boston

ORGAN & KEYBOARD

MINI-FESTIVAL

Join us at the First Lutheran Church, home to the magnificent Richards, Fowkes & Co. Opus 10 organ, and enjoy four recitals on four different keyboard instruments from leading virtuosos.

n 10AM | CAROLE CERASI, clavichord

Private Passions

Known for her expressive and virtuosic interpretations, fluidity of phrasing and refined touch, Carole Cerasi has given recitals throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas and has won numerous accolades for her exemplary recordings. She makes her BEMF début in a program of music from the golden period of the most intimate of instruments, the clavichord. Discover a quiet world of passionate emotions in music by Müthel, C. P. E. Bach, and Haydn.

n 11:30AM | FRANCESCO CORTI, harpsichord

Around Anna Magdalena Bach

A shared love of music made for a happy marriage between Johann Sebastian Bach and his second wife, Anna Magdalena, herself a professional singer from a family of musicians. Conductor and celebrated harpsichordist Francesco Corti offers some of his favorite selections from the notebooks that Johann Sebastian gave to her, and from other manuscripts from the Bach family circle. Explore the domestic life of this extraordinarily musical family in a program featuring works by Bach, Telemann, Böhm, and Kuhnau.

n 1:30PM | STEFANIA NEONATO, fortepiano

Becoming Composers: Women on the Make

Prize-winning performer and internationally recognized pedagogue Stefania Neonato makes her BEMF début in a fortepiano recital exploring a diverse selection of women composers. Enjoy masterpieces from established figures of Romanticism, Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn; Maria Szymanowska, who extensively toured Europe as a virtuoso pianist in the early 19th century; and Marianna von Auenbrugger, a Viennese composer and performer who was well acquainted with the Mozart family and a student of Haydn and Salieri, whose promising life and career was cut short by illness when she was 23.

n 3PM | CHRISTA RAKICH, organ

Sisters, Daughters, Wives, and Nuns

Music from around the world and through the centuries is celebrated on the elegant Richards, Fowkes organ! Internationally recognized performer and teacher Christa Rakich returns to BEMF to present repertoire by Sister Gracia Baptista of Spain, Princess Anna Amalia of Prussia, Isabella Leonarda of Italy, Mélanie Hélène Bonis of France, Maria Theresia von Paradis of Austria, Clara Wieck Schumann of Germany, and Florence Smith Price of the U.S.

RAKICH

NEONATO

CORTI CERASI

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THANK YOU!

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Learn more at BEMF.org/Support

COVID-19 POLICIES

The health of our audience remains our highest priority. To best protect the most vulnerable members of our community, some safety policies—including requiring face masks—will remain in place for the Festival. Please visit BEMF.org/safety to review our current policies. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

PHOTO: KATHY WITTMAN

A tradition since 2003, BEMF follows its triumphant Festival week with a weekend of performances in the Berkshires at the acoustically superb and visually dazzling Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. In continuous operation for over a century, first as a vaudeville theater and then as a glorious movie palace, the Mahaiwe Theater is one of the premier live performance venues in western Massachusetts.

BEMF CHAMBER OPERA SERIES presents

FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2023

8PM | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2023

3PM | Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA (See page 13 for more details)

The BEMF Chamber Opera Series returns to Great Barrington with a stellar production of the first opera by a woman composer, Francesca Caccini’s Alcina. Don’t miss this revival of the sumptuous 2018 BEMF Chamber Opera Series production led by Musical Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs and Stage Director Gilbert Blin. These performances are made possible by the generous support of the Berkshire Friends of BEMF, whose objective is to foster and promote BEMF’s performing presence in western Massachusetts. To learn more about the Berkshire Friends of BEMF, please contact Kathleen Fay (kathy@bemf.org).

“A joy in all its aspects from beginning to end.”

—THE BERKSHIRE REVIEW

Alcina

PHOTOS: KATHY WITTMAN

Encore!

AVAILABLE ONLINE: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2023

For fans unable to attend our in-person celebration, or those wishing to experience the Festival magic again, enjoy the exceptional talent of BEMF artists in the comfort of your own home with Encore! Our 2023 VIRTUAL FESTIVAL showcases a specially curated selection of operas, concerts, and symposia recorded live at the June 2023 Festival and will also include two EXCLUSIVE, remotely recorded Mini-Festival performances. Virtual Subscriptions and individual tickets will go on sale in July 2023. Visit BEMF.org for more information.

OPERA

n CENTERPIECE OPERA | Desmarest’s Circé

n CHAMBER OPERA | Caccini’s Alcina

CONCERTS

n Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra & Chorus

n Maxine Eilander, harp & Tekla Cunningham, violin

n Sollazzo Ensemble

n Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra & Vox Luminis

n ACRONYM

n Amanda Forsythe, Dorothee Mields & Cecilia Duarte with the Boston Early Music Festival Continuo Ensemble

ORGAN & KEYBOARD

MINI-FESTIVAL

n Frédérick Haas, organ

n Béatrice Martin, harpsichord

SYMPOSIA

n Women at Work: Composers, Musicians, and Scholars

n Producing and Performing Henry Desmarest’s Circé Programs subject to change.

EXHIBITION

Wednesday, June 7 through Saturday, June 10, 10AM–5PM Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown | 275 Tremont St, Boston, MA

THE HEART OF THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL is our world-famous Exhibition. As the premier Early Music trade show in North America and among the largest in the world, the BEMF Exhibition features some of the top tradespeople from across the globe, with makers of period instruments, music publishers, representatives from the world’s leading conservatories and schools of music, and dealers in rare books, prints, and manuscripts. Visit these specialists to test new instruments, restock your library with unique performance editions, learn about recent musicological developments, and renew old friendships. Whether you are a professional or an enthusiast, the BEMF Exhibition offers an unparalleled opportunity for enrichment and discovery.

Admission is included with a Festival Week Pass ($40) or Day Pass ($10).

To register as an Exhibitor, please visit BEMF.org or contact Elizabeth Hardy, Exhibition Manager, at elizabeth@bemf.org or 617-661-1812

THE BEMF CD STORE

The one-of-a-kind BEMF CD Store offers a selection of spectacular Early Music recordings for sale, including BEMF’s own GRAMMY-winning series of Baroque Opera recordings. With hundreds of sought-after titles featuring the field’s most distinguished artists and labels, be sure to save plenty of time to peruse this extraordinary treasure chest!

For the first time, you can pick up our recording of the Centerpiece Opera at the Festival! Our world premiere recording of Desmarest’s Circé—with the same all-star cast you’ll hear during the Festival—will be released on opening night!

“One stop shopping for the… historical performance set.”

—THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

SPECIAL PERFORMANCE

n Friday, June 9 at 2:30pm | NEC’s Jordan Hall

BEMF 2023 Young Artists Training Program participants

Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre: Cephale et Procris

Founded and directed since 2011 by Opera Director Gilbert Blin, the BEMF Young Artists Training Program is an integral component of our biennial centerpiece opera. With a goal of nurturing talented young artists through training and performance opportunities, six Young Artists singers have been selected to participate in our production of Henry Desmarest’s Circé. As a special feature of their training, all six Young Artists will also present an abridged performance of Cephale et Procris, a tragédie en musique by French composer Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre. Perhaps the most successful woman composer of the Baroque period, Jacquet was a musical prodigy who first earned the admiration of Louis XIV when she was just five years old! Based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Cephale et Procris was the first opera by a woman composer to be performed in France. This production will be semi-staged with period-inspired costumes and led by the 2023 Young Artists Training Program Associate Director Jason McStoots and the 2023 Young Artists Training Program Musical Director Jeffrey Grossman

This FREE performance will be preceded by a Pre-Concert Talk in NEC’s Williams Hall, one hour prior to the performance: Thwarted Constancy: La Guerre’s Cephale et Procris; presented by Claire Fontijn, Phyllis Henderson Carey Professor at Wellesley College.

SPECIAL PERFORMANCE

n Sunday, June 11 at 10am | NEC’s Jordan Hall

BEMF Beyond Borders 2023

Nina Stern, BEMF Director of Community Engagement

BEMF BEYOND BORDERS 2023 presents a FREE international, hybrid program featuring a performance by the BEMF Youth Ensemble and short, filmed performances from international partners on four continents: Kenya, Lebanon, The Netherlands, and Brazil. Reaching out to a new generation of players, BEMF seeks to expand our community by providing an opportunity for diverse groups of young players to perform with and for each other, and to celebrate their shared love of music. Third graders from the Waltham Dual Language School will be joined by young music students from around the United States—as well as preprofessional early music performers, and a selection of BEMF artists—in an inspiring performance of music from the new and old worlds. The program, led by Nina Stern, will include traditional early 19th-century Brazilian music, works by Juan del Encina and Juan Ponce, and a new composition by Melika Fitzhugh commissioned for the BEMF Youth Ensemble.

BLIN McSTOOTS GROSSMAN

S’Cool Sounds Kenyan Musical Director Jacob Saya conducts students at BEMF’s 2021 Virtual Festival STERN

CONCURRENT EVENTS

FRINGE CONCERTS

One of the most important features of every Festival is the impressive array of Fringe Concerts—performances by dozens of soloists and ensembles from New England, North America, and Europe—that epitomize the accomplished musicians and wide-ranging repertoire of the Early Music field. The 2023 lineup will include concerts by the New York Continuo Collective, Entwyned, the Pandora Consort, Seven Times Salt, the Stevenson Baroque Ensemble & Viol Consort, and a special Fringe event, “The Very First Piano,” that will feature a Baroque piano after Bartolomeo Cristofori (Florence, 1726) by Kerstin Schwarz (Zerbst, Germany, 2020), to name but a few. A complete schedule will be available on the BEMF website starting May 1, 2023.

For Fringe Concert registration materials, please visit BEMF.org or contact Carla Chrisfield, General Manager, at carla@bemf.org or 617-661-1812.

DANCE WORKSHOPS

n SESSION ONE: Thursday, June 8 at 9:30am

n SESSION TWO: Thursday, June 8 at 11:30am

Emmanuel Church Music Room, 15 Newbury Street

Enjoy a dance class with the Circé Choreographers. Session One with Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière will be an exploration of gavotte and hemiola rhythms to create comic effect. Session Two with Pierre-François Dollé will be on Baroque dance: from walking steps to complex dances and from codified movements to expressive interpretation. Participants of all levels are welcome. Please bring a lowheeled, soft shoe and wear comfortable clothing. Admission to each session is included with a Festival Week Pass or Day Pass, but limited to the first 50 participants.

PERFORMANCE MASTERCLASSES

An assortment of Performance Masterclasses by distinguished Festival musicians will be offered throughout the week. BEMF Masterclasses allow students, as well as avocational and professional musicians, to receive a public coaching by some of the top performers in the field today. Auditors are encouraged to attend; their admission is included with a Festival Week Pass or Day Pass. Masterclasses at the 2023 Festival will be presented by:

VIOLIN

Tekla Cunningham and Cynthia Roberts

n Wednesday, June 7, 2pm to 4pm

The Library at the Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

VIOLA DA GAMBA (solos and consorts)

Philippe Pierlot

n Thursday, June 8, 2pm to 4pm

The Library at the Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

HARPSICHORD

Francesco Corti

n SESSION ONE: Friday, June 9, 2pm to 4pm

n SESSION TWO: Saturday, June 10, 2:30pm to 4:30pm

The Library at the Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

17 TH -CENTURY ACCOMPANIED SOLO SONG

Ellen Hargis, Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, Paul O’Dette, and Stephen Stubbs

n Saturday, June 10, 1:30pm to 4:30pm

New England Conservatory’s Burnes Hall

For information about performing in a BEMF Masterclass, please visit BEMF.org or contact Elizabeth Hardy at elizabeth@bemf.org or 617-661-1812

DOLLÉ LACOURSIÈRE ROBERTS O’DETTE & STUBBS

FAMILY DAY

n Saturday, June 10, 2pm–4pm | Wilbur/Colonial Ballroom & Exhibition, Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown Admission FREE for Parents and Children. All ages welcome.

PART ONE: 2PM | Circle Dances for the Family

Discover the art of Renaissance dance with easy-to-learn branles, a pavane, and an improvised galliard. All are welcome! Presented by Caitlin Klinger and Julian Donahue, BEMF Dance Company

PART TWO: 3PM | Scavenger Hunt at the World-Famous BEMF Exhibition

Find old and unusual instruments and meet the people who make them—with special prizes and treats for all!

SYMPOSIA, LECTURES, CONCERTS

Enjoy unique opportunities to hear from and interact with some of the top scholars and artists in Early Music today in lectures, panel discussions, special performances, and more! Some events are FREE and admission is included with a Festival Week Pass or Day Pass for all other Concurrent Events.

n Wednesday, June 7, 11am to 12:30pm | Wilbur/Colonial Ballroom, Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

Taking Action in Changing Times: A Conversation

Early Music organizations—both large and small—are committed to increasing diversity; this essential discussion seeks to approach their commitment in a collaborative and action-oriented way. In an intergenerational discussion— moderated by Debra Nagy, Founder and Director of Les Délices, and presented by BEMF and Early Music America—participants will focus on ongoing initiatives to increase diversity in our

field, while offering a chance to identify challenges, exchange ideas, communicate openly, and recommit to a more inclusive and diverse environment. A panel of artists, educators, and presenters will summarize their efforts to increase access, awareness, and diversity. All are welcome as we listen to each other, raise important questions, focus on the future, underscore what’s working, and establish ways to leverage connections and partnerships as a community. FREE.

n Wednesday, June 7, 1pm | Outdoor Event: Commonwealth Mall/Corner of Gloucester St. and Commonwealth Ave.

Cappella Clausura Celebrates

Boston Women’s Memorial

Before 2003, only two women were memorialized in Boston, both from the Puritan era: Anne Hutchinson and Mary Dyer. In 2003, sculptor Meredith Bergmann created the Boston Women’s Memorial. Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phillis Wheatley are depicted here making use of their granite blocks to write or dream on, or to lean against. Cappella Clausura, a professional ensemble of voices directed by Amelia LeClair, has partnered with the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail to celebrate the 20th anniversary year of this memorial. They will be joined by Bergmann and Susan Wilson, House Historian of the Omni Parker House, and will perform one newly commissioned work by local composer Inés Velasco on the words of Abigail Adams, and three works by 17th-century composers from the Italian convents. FREE.

n Wednesday, June 7, 3:30pm

The College Club of Boston, 44 Commonwealth Avenue

Ricercar una Fantasia: Improvising counterpoint on lute and related instruments in the Renaissance

In the 16th century, the improvisation of polyphony had been considered one of the highest achievements of the art of the lutenist. Treatises of this time affirm the importance of such

NAGY LECLAIR FAMILY DAY DONAHUE KLINGER

CONCURRENT EVENTS

practice. During this Lecture-Workshop, Bor Zuljan proficient in different musical genres and playing many kinds of early, modern, and traditional plucked-stringed instruments—will offer an overview of the topic within its historical and philosophical context and explain the steps of the reconstruction of this forgotten practice. The presented material will be useful not only to lute and guitar players, but also to harpists and keyboard players.

n Thursday, June 8, 11:30am | Wilbur/Colonial Ballroom, Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

Consider the Source:

Reconstructing the Lienas Vespers

“The Lienas Vespers” is a reconstruction of music for a Vespers service featuring works by Juan de Lienas, drawn from the Newberry Choirbooks, six books of manuscript housed at the Newberry Library in Chicago and the most important accessible source for female monastic polyphony in 17th-century Mexico. The Choirbooks belonged to the Convent of the Encarnación in Mexico City and contain music by composers from both old and new Spain. Ellen Hargis, Director Emerita of The Newberry Consort, will share how she reconstructed the music of Lienas and others, as well as what she gleaned from this source about historical performance practice in the convent, including evidence of regional pronunciation, idiomatic use of harmony, and possible attribution of what seem to be anonymous works.

n Friday, June 9, 10am to 1pm | Wilbur/Colonial Ballroom, Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

Women at Work:

Composers, Musicians, and Scholars

Over a dozen of the best and best-known women scholars whose research focuses on women’s music will convene to discuss with one another and with you the place of women in this year’s Festival and in history. The women featured

on the Festival program—composers Hildegard von Bingen, Barbara Strozzi, Francesca Caccini, and Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, and Circé librettist Louise-Geneviève de Saintonge—will be discussed not as anomalies but as part of a continuous history of women making music. Moderated by Ellen T. Harris, Class of 1949 Professor Emeritus, MIT, and co-organized by Claire Fontijn, Phyllis Henderson Carey Professor at Wellesley College, the threehour session will be divided into two parts, each beginning with a set of five-minute “lightning talks” offered by the panelists to help spark discussion. Panelists will include Jane Bernstein, Suzanne Cusick, Margot Fassler, Claire Fontijn, Catherine Gordon, Kelley Harness, Rebecca Harris-Warrick, Wendy Heller, Candace Magner, Barbara Nestola, Marcie Ray, Ellen Rosand, and Elizabeth Weinfield

n Saturday, June 10, 10am to 12:30pm | Wilbur/Colonial Ballroom, Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

Producing and Performing Henry Desmarest’s Circé

An engaging conversation about the evolution of BEMF’s North American premiere production of Henry Desmarest’s Circé. Benoît Dratwicki, Artistic Director of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles (CMBV), moderates a panel of specialists—including Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors; Gilbert Blin, Stage Director and Set Designer; Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director; Melinda Sullivan, Dance Director; Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière and Pierre-François Dollé, Choreographers; Jérôme Kaplan, Costume Designer; and Jean Duron, Founder & Director of Research for the CMBV (1989–2008)—as they explore the meticulous research that has been undertaken to bring this operatic masterpiece to the stage.

SULLIVAN FONTIJN HARRIS HARGIS ZULJAN

n Saturday, June 10, 1pm

The Library at the Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

Erik Bosgraaf: Discovering Adriana vanden Bergh

Unknown until recently, Adriana vanden Bergh’s biography reads like a novel. Influential in her time, she was portrayed as the muse of song, Euterpe, by Rembrandt’s contemporary Jacob Adriaensz Backer. Depicting her alongside three recorders, a shawm, and a Venetian music print, it is one of the most beautiful paintings of the Dutch Golden Age. Jacob van Eyck’s publisher, Paulus Matthijsz, dedicated an anthology of music to her in 1644, Der Goden Fluit-hemel (The Gods’ Recorder Heaven). Recorder virtuoso Erik Bosgraaf will offer snippets of Adriana’s story and perform a solo recital of variations and other pieces from the anthology written by Paulus Matthijsz, Jacob van Noordt, Pieter de Vois, and Jacob van Eyck.

n Saturday, June 10, 3:30pm to 4:30pm | Wilbur/Colonial

Ballroom, Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

The Fashioning of French Opera: Identity, Production, Networks

Benôit Dratwicki, Artistic Director of the CMBV, and Barbara Nestola, Director of Research of the CMBV, have co-authored and just released a book devoted to French Baroque opera written in English: The Fashioning of French Opera (1672-1791). Identity, Production, Networks (Brepols, 2023). Don’t miss this opportunity to meet the authors, hear their presentation about their research and the book, and participate in a Q&A.

PRE-PERFORMANCE TALKS

PRE-OPERA TALKS will precede all four performances of Desmarest’s Circé, offering audience members fascinating insights on Henry Desmarest’s life and work. Each will take place at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre at the following times:

n Sunday, June 4 at 2pm

The Power of Enchantment: Circé, Desmarest, Saintonge; presented by Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors; Gilbert Blin, Stage Director and Set Designer; Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director; Melinda Sullivan, Dance Director

n Wednesday, June 7 at 5:30pm

n Sunday, June 11 at 2pm

Operatic sorceresses: heroines or villains?; presented by Rebecca Harris-Warrick, Emeritus Professor, Cornell University

n Friday, June 9 at 5:30pm

Designing an opera in the shadow of Lully and Quinault; presented by Benoît Dratwicki, Artistic Director of the CMBV

Additional Pre-Opera and Pre-Concert Talks will be offered for the following select events:

n Monday, June 5 at 7pm | NEC’s Jordan Hall

PRE-CONCERT TALK: BEMF Orchestra & Chorus

New Beginnings, Old Favorites: Circé’s Prologue and Almira’s Arias; presented by Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director

n Thursday, June 8 at 7pm | NEC’s Williams Hall

PRE-CONCERT TALK: BEMF Orchestra & Vox Luminis

Portraits of Celestial Women by Handel and Bach; presented by Ellen T. Harris, Class of 1949 Professor Emeritus, MIT

n Friday, June 9 at 1:30pm | NEC’s Williams Hall

PRE-CONCERT TALK: BEMF 2023 Young Artists

Training Program: Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre’s Cephale et Procris

Thwarted Constancy: La Guerre’s Cephale et Procris; presented by Claire Fontijn, Phyllis Henderson Carey Professor at Wellesley College

n Saturday, June 10 at 7pm | NEC’s Williams Hall

PRE-OPERA TALK: Francesca Caccini’s Alcina

Of Enchantment and Liberations: Francesca Caccini’s Alcina; presented by Suzanne G. Cusick, Samuel Rudin University

Professor emerita in the Humanities, New York University

BOSGRAAF HARRIS-WARRICK CUSICK DRATWICKI NESTOLA

TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS & VENUES

Please see the PLAN YOUR VISIT section of our website for complete travel, lodging, venue, directions, parking, and other visitor information. All venues are located in Boston, Massachusetts, unless otherwise noted. BEMF-recommended subway stops (The ) and nearby parking locations are noted. All BEMF 2023 venues are accessible to the physically impaired.

1 Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

275 Tremont Street | 617-426-1400

courtyardbostondowntown.com

Boylston or Tufts Medical Center

Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown Garage

2 Dormitory Rooms at Emerson College

Paramount Residence Hall | 555 Washington Street

Boylston or Chinatown Lafayette Garage

Emerson College offers semi-private dormitory accommodations in a fully air-conditioned, state-of-the-art residence hall. The Paramount Residence Hall has secure access, a 24-hour staffed front desk, and complimentary WiFi. Rates are $99 for a single room with a shared bath, and $198 for a shared-double room with a shared bath. Breakfast and basic linens are included, but parking is not included. BEMF will accept reservations through Monday, May 22, 2023, while inventory lasts. Reservations must be made using the dorm reservation form at BEMF.org/visit/ We encourage you to book your room well in advance.

3 Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre

219 Tremont Street

Box Office: 617-824-8400 | EmersonTheatres.org

Boylston or Tufts Medical Center Transportation Building Garage

Please note that there is no elevator service to the mezzanine and balcony levels.

4 New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall & Williams Hall | 30 Gainsborough Street

New England Conservatory’s Burnes Hall 255 St. Botolph Street

Symphony or Massachusetts Ave

Gainsborough Garage

5 Emmanuel Church | 15 Newbury Street

Arlington Boston Common Garage

6 The First Lutheran Church of Boston 299 Berkeley Street

Arlington Boston Common Garage

7 The College Club of Boston

44 Commonwealth Avenue

Arlington Boston Common Garage

Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center

14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, MA Box Office: 413-528-0100 | mahaiwe.org

Please note that there is no elevator service to the mezzanine and balcony levels.

Programs are subject to change. All venues are located in Boston, Massachusetts, unless otherwise indicated.

KEY TO VENUE ABBREVIATIONS

CMT Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre

EC Emmanuel Church

ECMR Emmanuel Church Music Room

FLC The First Lutheran Church of Boston

JH New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall

LIB Library, Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

WCB Wilbur/Colonial Ballroom, Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown

WH New England Conservatory’s Williams Hall

BH New England Conservatory’s Burnes Hall

SUNDAY, JUNE 4

2pm PRE-OPERA TALK: Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors; Gilbert Blin, Stage Director and Set Designer; Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director; Melinda Sullivan, Dance Director: The Power of Enchantment: Circé, Desmarest, Saintonge, Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre (CMT), 219 Tremont Street

3:10pm OPENING FANFARE: Members of the BEMF Orchestra, Lobby, CMT

3:30pm OPERA: Opening Performance of Henry Desmarest’s Circé, CMT

MONDAY, JUNE 5

7pm PRE-CONCERT TALK: Robert Mealy, BEMF Orchestra Director: New Beginnings, Old Favorites: Circé’s Prologue and Almira’s Arias, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall (JH), 30 Gainsborough Street

8pm CONCERT: Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, Soloists, Dancers, and Chorus, Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors; Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director: A Grand Celebration: Music from Desmarest’s Circé and Handel’s Almira, JH

10:30pm CONCERT: Maxine Eilander, harp and Tekla Cunningham, violin: The Mysterious Zoé de la Ruë, JH

TUESDAY, JUNE 6

5pm CONCERT: Les Délices, directed by Debra Nagy: Woman Scorned: Circé, Phèdre, and Armide, JH

8pm CONCERT: Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier, Artistic Director: The Virgin Mary: Stabat Mater, JH

10:30pm CONCERT: La Donna Musicale and Rumbarroco, directed by Laury Gutiérrez: Nigra sum sed formosa: Morenas in Iberoamerica, JH

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

10am– EXHIBITION: Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown, 5pm 275 Tremont Street (Empire Ballroom and 5th Floor Conference Suite)

11am– SYMPOSIUM: Taking Action in Changing Times: A 12:30pm Conversation, moderated by Debra Nagy, Founder and Director of Les Délices, Wilbur/Colonial Ballroom, Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown, 275 Tremont Street (WCB)

1pm CONCERT & LECTURE: Cappella Clausura Celebrates Boston Women’s Memorial, directed by Amelia LeClair, with Meredith Bergmann, Sculptor, and Susan Wilson, House Historian of the Omni Parker House: Commonwealth Mall (outside)/corner of Gloucester Street and Commonwealth Avenue, Back Bay

2pm– MASTERCLASS: Tekla Cunningham and Cynthia 4pm Roberts, violin, Library, Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown, 275 Tremont Street (LIB)

2019 | Orlando generoso | PHOTO: KATHY WITTMAN

2023 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

3:30pm LECTURE-WORKSHOP by Bor Zuljan, archlute: Ricercar una Fantasia: Improvising counterpoint on lute and related instruments in the Renaissance, The College Club of Boston, 44 Commonwealth Avenue

5pm CONCERT: The Newberry Consort, Liza Malamut, Artistic Director; Ellen Hargis, Guest Director: The Juan de Lienas Vespers, Emmanuel Church (EC), 15 Newbury Street

5:30pm PRE-OPERA TALK: Professor Rebecca Harris-Warrick: Operatic sorceresses: heroines or villains?, CMT

6:40pm OPENING FANFARE: Members of the BEMF Orchestra, Lobby, CMT

7pm OPERA: Henry Desmarest’s Circé, CMT

8pm CONCERT & FILM: The Orlando Consort: Voices Appeared: A live soundtrack to accompany the 1928 film La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc, JH

10:30pm CONCERT: Sollazzo Ensemble, directed by Anna Danilevskaia: Le corps s’en va, le coeur demeure: The Leuven Chansonnier, JH

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

9:30am– DANCE WORKSHOP, Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière,

11am Circé Co-Choreographer: Session One: An exploration of gavotte and hemiola rhythms to create comic effect, Emmanuel Church Music Room (ECMR), 15 Newbury Street

10am– EXHIBITION: Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown, 5pm 275 Tremont Street (Empire Ballroom and 5th Floor Conference Suite)

10am– BEMF Organ & Keyboard Mini-Festival, Part

11am One: Carole Cerasi, clavichord: Private Passions, The First Lutheran Church of Boston (FLC), 299 Berkeley Street

11:30am– LECTURE by Ellen Hargis, Director Emerita of

12:30pm The Newberry Consort: Consider the Source: Reconstructing the Lienas Vespers, WCB

11:30am– DANCE WORKSHOP, Pierre-François Dollé, Circé

1pm Co-Choreographer: Session Two: Baroque dance: from walking steps to complex dances and from codified movements to expressive interpretation, ECMR

11:30am– BEMF Organ & Keyboard Mini-Festival, Part

12:30pm Two: Francesco Corti, harpsichord: Around Anna Magdalena Bach, FLC

1:30pm– BEMF Organ & Keyboard Mini-Festival, Part

2:30pm Three: Stefania Neonato, fortepiano: Becoming Composers: Women on the Make, FLC

2pm– MASTERCLASS: Philippe Pierlot, viola da gamba

4pm (solos and consorts), LIB

3pm– BEMF Organ & Keyboard Mini-Festival, Part Four:

4pm Christa Rakich, organ: Sisters, Daughters, Wives, and Nuns, FLC

5pm CONCERT: Doulce Mémoire, directed by Denis Raisin Dadre: A Secret Concert of the Ladies of Ferrara, JH

7pm

PRE-CONCERT TALK: Professor Ellen T. Harris: Portraits of Celestial Women by Handel and Bach, New England Conservatory’s Williams Hall (WH), 30 Gainsborough Street

8pm CONCERT: Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra & Vox Luminis, Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director; Lionel Meunier, Vox Luminis Artistic Director: From Heavenly Harmony: Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day and Bach’s Magnificat, JH

10:30pm CONCERT: Hamburger Ratsmusik, with Dorothee Mields and Kerstin Dietl, soprano: Barbara Strozzi: La Virtuosissima Cantatrice, JH

FRIDAY, JUNE 9

10am– SYMPOSIUM: Women at Work: Composers, Musicians, 1pm and Scholars, moderated by Professor Ellen T. Harris, co-organized by Professor Claire Fontijn, WCB

10am– EXHIBITION: Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown, 5pm 275 Tremont Street (Empire Ballroom and 5th Floor Conference Suite)

1:30pm PRE-CONCERT TALK: Professor Claire Fontijn: Thwarted Constancy: La Guerre’s Cephale et Procris, WH

2pm– MASTERCLASS: Francesco Corti, harpsichord 4pm (Session One), LIB

2:30pm SPECIAL CONCERT: BEMF 2023 Young Artists

Training Program participants: Cephale et Procris by Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre, Gilbert Blin, Founder & Director; Jason McStoots, Associate Director, 2023; Jeffrey Grossman, Musical Director, 2023, JH

5pm CONCERT: Tiburtina Ensemble, Barbora

Kabátková, Artistic Director: Ego sum homo: Musical visions of Hildegard von Bingen, EC

5:30pm PRE-OPERA TALK: Benoît Dratwicki, Artistic Director of the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles (CMBV): Designing an opera in the shadow of Lully and Quinault, CMT

6:40pm OPENING FANFARE: Members of the BEMF Orchestra, Lobby, CMT

7pm OPERA: Henry Desmarest’s Circé, CMT

8pm CONCERT: Stile Antico: Breaking the Habit: Music by and for Renaissance women, EC

10:30pm CONCERT: Ricercar Consort, directed by Philippe Pierlot: Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe et ses filles, EC

SATURDAY, JUNE 10

10am– BEMF SYMPOSIUM: Producing and Performing

12:30pm Henry Desmarest’s Circé, moderated by Benoît Dratwicki, with Paul O’Dette, Stephen Stubbs, Gilbert Blin, Robert Mealy, Melinda Sullivan, Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, Pierre-François Dollé, Jérôme Kaplan, and Jean Duron, WCB

10am– EXHIBITION: Courtyard Marriott Boston Downtown, 5pm 275 Tremont Street (Empire Ballroom and 5th Floor Conference Suite)

1pm– CONCERT & LECTURE: Erik Bosgraaf: Discovering

2pm Adriana vanden Bergh, LIB

1:30pm– MASTERCLASS: Ellen Hargis, Marie-Nathalie

4:30pm Lacoursière, Paul O’Dette, and Stephen Stubbs: 17th-century accompanied solo song, BH

2pm– FAMILY DAY: Part One at 2pm, Circle dances for 4pm the family: Arbeau’s branles, pavane, and galliard: Caitlin Klinger and Julian Donahue, BEMF Dance Company, WCB

Part Two at 3pm, Scavenger Hunt at the World-Famous BEMF Exhibition

2:30pm– MASTERCLASS: Francesco Corti, harpsichord

4:30pm (Session Two), LIB

3:30pm– LECTURE: The Fashioning of French Opera

4:30pm (1672–1791): Identity, Production, Networks (Brepols, 2023), edited by Barbara Nestola, Benoît Dratwicki, Julien Dubruque, and Thomas Leconte: Benoît Dratwicki, Artistic Director of the CMBV, and Barbara Nestola, Director of Research of the CMBV, WCB

5pm CONCERT: ACRONYM: Queen Christina’s Playlist: Music of Corelli, Alessandro Scarlatti, Cavalli, and others, JH

7pm PRE-OPERA TALK: Professor Suzanne G. Cusick: Of Enchantment and Liberations: Francesca Caccini’s Alcina, WH

8pm CHAMBER OPERA: Francesca Caccini’s Alcina, JH

10:30pm CONCERT: Amanda Forsythe, soprano; Dorothee Mields, soprano; Cecilia Duarte, mezzo-soprano; BEMF Continuo Ensemble, Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors: The Three Sopranos: Earthly Delights for Angelic Voices, JH

SUNDAY, JUNE 11

10am– CONCERT: BEMF Beyond Borders 2023, Nina Stern, 11am BEMF Director of Community Engagement, JH

12:30pm CONCERT: Erik Bosgraaf, recorder and Francesco Corti, harpsichord: A Tribute to Anne, the Princess Royal and Handel’s favorite pupil, JH

2pm PRE-OPERA TALK: Professor Rebecca Harris-Warrick: Operatic sorceresses: heroines or villains?, CMT

3:10pm OPENING FANFARE: Members of the BEMF Orchestra, Lobby, CMT

3:30pm OPERA: Henry Desmarest’s Circé, CMT

BEMF IN THE BERKSHIRES

All events take place at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, 14 Castle Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts

FRIDAY, JUNE 23

7pm

PRE-OPERA TALK by Members of the Alcina Directorial Team

8pm CHAMBER OPERA: Francesca Caccini’s Alcina

SATURDAY, JUNE 24

2pm PRE-OPERA TALK by Members of the Alcina Directorial Team

3pm CHAMBER OPERA: Francesca Caccini’s Alcina