Valentine’s Day: Love Songs from 17th-Century Italy and England
Experience the sound of courtship in 17th-century Italy and England. Voices of Music celebrates Valentine’s Day weekend with a program devoted to love songs and instrumental music that capture desire, devotion, wit, and longing as they were expressed in the Baroque era. Performances take place February 12–15, 2026, in Sacramento, Palo Alto, San Francisco, and Berkeley.
The program brings together intimate English love songs and passionate Italian vocal and instrumental works, performed by an internationally acclaimed ensemble led by directors Hanneke van Proosdij (harpsichord & recorder) and David Tayler (archlute & baroque guitar). Featured artists include soprano Amanda Forsythe, praised for her “radiant tone and effortless eloquence” (New York Times), alongside baroque violinists Elizabeth Blumenstock and Augusta McKay Lodge, cellist William Skeen.
At the heart of the program are works by Henry Purcell, John Blow, Luigi Rossi, Arcangelo Corelli, and Marco Uccellini, paired with lesser-known gems by Robert Johnson, Giovanni Felice Sances, Maria Grimani, John Jenkins, and Virgilio Mazzocchi. From tender English ayres to fiery Italian songs and sonatas, the music reveals how composers in both countries gave voice to the rituals and emotions of courtship during a century of extraordinary creativity.
Whether you’re honoring a partnership decades in the making, a new spark, a treasured lifelong friendship, or simply treating yourself, this concert offers a Valentine’s Day experience you won’t forget.
Voices of Music is internationally recognized for its historically informed performances and for bringing early music to global audiences through concerts, educational programs, and widely viewed online videos.
