HAYDN’S
THE SEASONS

September 20, 2026 | NEC’s Jordan Hall

Conductor | Marc Minkowski

Join us in welcoming Marc Minkowski as Boston Baroque's newly appointed Music Director in this inaugural concert, a one-night-only celebration of an exciting new chapter, made possible by the extraordinary 52-year legacy of our founder, Martin Pearlman.

Boston Baroque brings this joyful and reflective work to life with a stellar trio of soloists: soprano Lauren Snouffer, tenor Andrew Turner, and bass-baritone Brandon Cedel, who portray the three farmers, Hanne, Lukas, and Simon.

PERGOLESI’S STABAT MATER

February 27 & 28, 2027 | Jordan Hall/Sanders Theater

Conductor | Marc Minkowski

Join Boston Baroque, Music Director Marc Minkowski, and soloists soprano Maya Kherani and countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, for an evening exploring two distinct voices of the eighteenth century: J.S Bach and Pergolesi.

The first half centers on two solo cantatas by Bach. One is intimate and reflective, the other celebratory and extroverted, yet both reveal Bach's ability to shape theological ideas into music of extraordinary clarity and invention. The second half is devoted to Pergolesi's Stabat Mater, composed in 1736 during the final months of the composer's life. Written for two voices and a small ensemble, the work sets a medieval poem describing Mary's grief at the crucifixion. Together, these works offer two perspectives on sacred music in the Baroque era: Bach's deeply considered musical architecture and Pergolesi's direct, melodic approach. Nearly three centuries after their composition, both remain central works in the choral and vocal repertoire.

PURCELL’S DIDO & AENEAS &
BLOW’S VENUS & ADONIS

April 23 & 25, 2027 | NEC’s Jordan Hall

Conductor | Lionel Meunier

Join Boston Baroque for an evening of two landmark English operas: John Blow’s Venus and Adonis and Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. Closely connected in both style and history, Venus and Adonis is widely believed to have influenced Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, which was composed only a few years later. Both works place a powerful woman at the center of the drama, draw on stories from classical mythology, and conclude with some of the most poignant music of the Baroque era.

Performed under the musical direction of Lionel Meunier, these performances feature Avery Amereau as Dido, Song Hee Lee as Belinda and Cupid, Roderick Williams as Aeneas and Adonis, Sophie Michaux as the Sorceress, and Amanda Forsythe as Venus.

THE X-TET: SONGS OF THE AVIARY

May 15, 2027 | Sanders Theater

Composer | Lei Liang

Join Boston Baroque for an imaginative program exploring the ways composers have listened to, imitated, and been inspired by the natural world. At the center of the program is the world premiere of a new work by composer Lei Liang. Inspired by the song of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, a Hawaiian bird declared extinct in 1987, the piece reflects on memory, loss, and the traces that remain after a voice has disappeared.

For centuries, birdsong has found its way into music. Long before field recordings and modern technology, composers attempted to capture the calls of cuckoos, nightingales, and other birds through instrumental music. This program brings together works from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that transform birdsong into musical motifs, from the playful cuckoo calls of Biber and Schmelzer to the vivid evocations of spring in Vivaldi and Rameau’s elegant portrait of birds in conversation.