(CLEVELAND) – Les Délices, the renowned early music ensemble, is proud to announce the details of its 2025-26 season, Metamorphosis. The dynamic season includes four subscription concerts, a number of special concerts and regional engagements, free programs, virtual concerts, and a new CD release.
Les Délices’ Artistic Director Debra Nagy explained the inspiration for the season’s name, “As a relatively small arts organization, we are constantly adapting and evolving – keeping our strong artistic vision firmly in our sights while exploring new creative avenues and responding to an ever-changing environment.”
Nagy continued, “I dubbed our 2025-26 Season Metamorphosis in recognition of Les Délices artistic evolution: multi-year initiatives like our Mythology Project (typified by February’s Latin Baroque-inspired La Diosa) continue to expand Les Délices’ repertoire and cultural perspectives; our free September program O’er the Hills and Far Away see us delve into local history and early American music for the first time; January’s A Red, Red Rose further extends our exploration of Scottish ballads; and November’s puppet-filled family program The Aesop Project literally considers the lessons that nature and the animal kingdom has to teach us all. Meanwhile, programs like December’s Noel, Noel and April’s Starstruck (a dazzling new, all-Handel program featuring soprano Hannah De Priest) promise our audiences transcendent musical experiences. These are just a few of the many inspiring and fun projects that will be fueling our growth and development this season!”
The 2025-26 Season also sees the continued evolution of Les Délices’ education and community programming. Says Les Délices Executive Director Laura Potter, “It’s inspiring to work with an organization that does so much creative work and is intentional about how we connect with our community. Each program is carefully crafted to share something new with our audience, we’re excited to continue our journey of discovery together!”
Exhilarating Live Performances
The season encompasses four subscription programs performed live on the East and West sides of Cleveland and in Summit County:
- Bohemian Rhapsody (Oct. 17-19, 2025): Fun and fascinating works by Krommer, Druschetzky, and Dusikova are heard alongside traditional Czech folk tunes arranged for the ensemble in this program that explores the unique sound of Bohemian music for oboe, violin, viola, and cello. Mozart’s sublime Quartet for oboe & strings completes the program.
- Noel, Noel (Dec. 5-7, 2025): Les Délices’ intimate holiday program of carols and festive baroque music featuring soprano Elena Mullins Bailey returns by popular demand!
- La Diosa (Feb 28 & Mar. 1, 2026): Centering Latin American folklore and historical legends, the second installment of Les Délices’ Mythology Project features acclaimed soprano Estelí Gomez in “Soy la Diosa” by Nicaraguan-American composer Gilda Lyons.
- Starstruck (Apr 24-26, 2026): Les Délices celebrates the release of their newest CD Arcadian Dreams with the return of “magnetic” soprano Hannah De Priest in an all-Handel program featuring dramatic early cantatas and brilliant chamber music.
Special Concerts and Regional Engagements
In addition to the Concert Series, Les Délices is proud to partner with local and regional presenters for special engagements throughout the 2025-2026 season:
- On September 15, LD and baritone Tyler Duncan perform O’er the hills and far away as part of Lorain County Community College’s Signature Series.
- Music from the Western Reserve (Hudson) presents Les Délices’ Wild Things on September 23rd. This fun new program features delightful musical settings of Aesop’s Fables and instrumental Baroque music depicting the sounds of the animal kingdom.
- We celebrate the Scottish bard Robert Burns at A Red, Red Rose, a special concert with tenor James Reese on January 15, 2026 hosted at the Hermit Club, located above Cleveland’s beloved beer garden and microbrewery Hofbrauhaus.
- Les Délices makes its Cleveland Museum of Art concert series debut in March 2026 for Marianne Mozart, a special recital featuring violinist Shelby Yamin and keyboard virtuoso Mark Edwards.
Free Outreach and Family Programs!
Free concerts and educational outreach are integral to Les Délices’ mission. This season, we are deepening ties to local schools and organizing a wide range of free events, including:
- O’er the hills and far away (Sept. 13 at CPL; Sept. 16 at CVNP): An uplifting program of 18th century Scottish ballads and songs of the Great Lakes and Ohio-Erie Canal featuring baritone Tyler Duncan and the LD ensemble.
- Full Day Baroque Strings Workshop (Sunday, Nov. 16 in University Circle): LD is thrilled to partner again with The Music Settlement to host a full-day workshop for young string players. Participants will try out Baroque bows, explore historical techniques, and learn from an all-star faculty. Says ED Laura Potter, “We are thrilled to have violinist Shelby Yamin and cellist Rebecca Landell working closely with our partner schools this season, delivering our Baroque Strings curriculum.”
- The Aesop Project (Nov. 22 in Cleveland and Akron): A puppet-filled family program that adapts a Brothers Grimm fairytale and some of Aesop’s beloved fables to an animal-inspired Baroque score by Debra Nagy and a narrative by Ohio poet laureate Dave Lucas. Featuring whimsical puppets by local artist Ian Petroni. Fans of The White Cat will recognize this multidisciplinary approach to engage audiences of all ages.
- More community events and accessible online releases, including the details of SalonEra’s sixth season of video and podcast episodes, will be announced soon.
Virtual Concert Options Return by Popular Demand!
In addition to a busy schedule of live performances, Les Délices is proud to offer high-quality virtual concert options for early music fans everywhere. LD will release filmed versions of La Diosa (April) and Starstruck (June). Online patrons will also enjoy an exclusive re-release of two highly-acclaimed concerts from the LD digital vault: Winds of Change (2021) and Noel, Noel.
Access to Virtual Concerts can be purchased as a Subscription ($75 for four concert videos) or as a $50 add-on for in-person subscribers, or à la carte for $20 per concert. Virtual and In-Person Subscriptions go on sale August 15th.
Experience the power of Metamorphosis
Les Délices’ 2025-26, Season Metamorphosis promises a transformational experience of musical artistry. Visit https://lesdelices.org/events/ for detailed information on each program, performance dates and times, and ticketing options. Subscriptions (including Virtual Subscriptions) go on sale August 15, 2025. Single tickets will be available from September 15th.
