For Immediate Release
July 7, 2026
CONTACT
Joanna Boyle
General Manager
Musicians of the Old Post Road
781.466.6694
musicians@oldpostroad.org
MUSICIANS OF THE OLD POST ROAD
Announces its 38th Season: Convergence
The Boston-based period instrument chamber ensemble Musicians of the Old Post Road is proud to announce its 38th season. Entitled “Convergence,” the concert series invites audiences on an adventure to explore musical lineages and the merging of cultures and styles across two centuries, with the ensemble’s signature blend of musical “rediscoveries” in dialogue with beloved Baroque and Classical works.
For more than three decades, Musicians of the Old Post Road has captivated and delighted audiences through its innovative programming, with dynamic and diverse music from the Baroque to early Romantic eras. Performed on period instruments, the group’s subscription series brings concerts to historical venues in cities and towns along the original route of the old Boston Post Road, the first thoroughfare connecting Boston and New York City in the 1670s.
Core ensemble members include flutist Suzanne Stumpf, violinists Sarah Darling and Jesse Irons, violist Marcia Cassidy, and cellist Daniel Ryan. Nicola Canzano will be joining the ensemble as the season’s guest harpsichordist. The players are all acclaimed historical instrument specialists. The ensemble has been recognized for its cutting-edge programming and rediscovery work with awards from the American Musicological Society and Early Music America.
The series opens with a program entitled Playing it Forward, featuring works that reveal the creative lineages from teachers to students in a multi-generational program. Works include a trio sonata by Zachow (Handel’s teacher), an aria by J. C. Smith (Handel’s student), a trio sonata for strings by Kirnberger (J. S. Bach’s student), a flute sonata by Anna Amalia (Kirnberger’s student), an aria by Porpora (Haydn’s teacher), and an aria by Marianna Martines (Haydn’s student). The ensemble will be joined by guest soprano Corrine Byrne. Concerts are offered on Saturday, October 24, 4pm at First Parish, Sudbury; and Sunday, October 25, 4pm at Old South Church, Boston and online. The Sudbury program is supported, in part, by the Sudbury Cultural Council.
The December concert, Christmas in Olde/New England, is presented in collaboration with the early music choir Convivium Musicum, directed by Allegra Martin. This seasonal program features spirited choral and instrumental works from country churches on both sides of the Atlantic. The boisterous singing style of Early American fugueing tunes will be featured alongside the rustic West Gallery style of rural England, as well as early arrangements of familiar seasonal tunes and festive instrumental works. Concerts will be presented on Saturday, December 5, 4pm at Church of the Covenant, Boston; and Sunday, December 6, 4pm at First Unitarian Church, Worcester and online.
In the spring of 2027, the season continues with When in Rome, celebrating the glorious musical culture of the Eternal City. Baroque composers from all across Europe were drawn to the city to study the highly-regarded expressive style of the Italians. The program features works by Handel, G. Benda, Muffat, Bononcini, Froberger, and others, showcasing international styles in quartets, trios, duos, and solos. Concerts will be presented on Saturday, March 6, 4pm at First Parish, Wayland and online; and Sunday, March 7, 4pm at Old South Church, Boston.
The season concludes in April with Classical Kaleidoscope, featuring rare chamber works written for multiple historical wind and string instruments. Audiences will experience an array of sonorities as flute, clarinet, bassoon, and horn blend with strings in an outstanding septet by Johann Nisle (an unjustly overlooked contemporary of Beethoven), and the regional premieres of a quintet by Andreas Lidl and a sextet by Johann Andreas Amon. Guest musicians for this program include Elisabeth Axtell, horn; Thomas Carroll, clarinet, and Allen Hamrick, bassoon. Concerts will be presented on Saturday, April 17, 4pm at the Museum of Worcester and online; and Sunday, April 18, Emmanuel Church, Boston.
Collaborating organizations include the Sudbury Historical Society, the Wayland Museum and Historical Society, and the Museum of Worcester.
Subscriptions and single tickets are available now. Early Bird Subscribers (subscribe by July 31, 2026) will receive complimentary admission to the ensemble’s special Pre-season Concert and Party at the First Parish Church in Weston, MA, on September 26, 2026.
Premier Subscription: $250; includes 1 free guest ticket for 1 concert, admission to two open rehearsals, best available seats for all 4 programs, online access to all four livestreamed concerts through June 30, 2027, access to all 5 Delving Deeper episodes and select past livestreamed concerts, and discounts for additional tickets, CDs, and OPR merchandise.
Basic Subscription: $180; includes 1 free guest ticket for 1 concert, best available seats for all 4 programs, and discounts for additional tickets, CDs, and OPR merchandise.
Online Subscription: $140 ($250 for family); includes 1 free guest ticket for 1 concert, online access to all four livestreamed concerts through June 30, 2027, select past livestreamed concerts, all 5 Delving Deeper episodes, and discounts for in-person tickets, CDs, and OPR merchandise.
Single In-Person Tickets: $55 general admission, $50 seniors, $35 for under 35, Kids 17 and under free with adult. Day-Of-Concert Rush Tickets (students and EBT Card holders only) are $10, availability permitting. Virtual single tickets are available for $35.
For more information, visit www.oldpostroad.org, email musicians@oldpostroad.org, or call 781-466-6694.
ABOUT MUSICIANS OF THE OLD POST ROAD
Musicians of the Old Post Road takes its name from its acclaimed concert series that brings period instrument performances of music of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries to beautiful historic buildings along New England’s fabled Old Post Road, the first thoroughfare to connect Boston and New York City in the late 17th century.
Winner of the 1998 and 2023 Noah Greenberg Award from the American Musicological Society, Musicians of the Old Post Road has also received programming awards from Early Music America, Chamber Music America and the US-Mexico Fund for Culture. The ensemble has toured in Germany, Austria, and Mexico, and has appeared at festivals and on concert series in the US, including the Indianapolis Early Music Festival, the Boston Early Music Festival Concert Series, the Castle Hill Festival, the Artists Series at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and the Connecticut Early Music Festival. The ensemble has held a residency at Dartmouth College and was featured on WCVB television’s “Chronicle” program and 99.5 All Classical radio’s “Live from Fraser” program.
The ensemble’s discography includes seven recordings that have each been praised in the US and abroad. They include: The Virtuoso Double Bass (Titanic, 1994), Trios and Scottish Song Settings of J. N. Hummel (Meridian, 1999), Galant with an Attitude: Music of Juan and José Pla (Meridian, 2000), Quartets of Telemann and Bodinus (Meridian, 2004), Feliz Navidad: Christmas from Spain and New Spain (Meridian, 2008), Roman Handel (Centaur, 2013), Earthly Baroque (Centaur, 2017), and its most recent CD, Into the Light (OPR Recordings, 2026).
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Press Contact:
Joanna Boyle, General Manager
Musicians of the Old Post Road
781.466.6694
musicians@oldpostroad.org
