Les Délices

Les Délices (pronounced Lay day-lease) brings long-forgotten music alive for contemporary audiences. Founded by baroque oboist Debra Nagy in 2009, Les Délices has established a reputation for unique programs that “can’t help but get one listening and thinking in fresh ways” (San Francisco Classical Voice). The New York Times observed that “Concerts and recordings by Les Délices are journeys of discovery” while UK Classical Source added, “The centuries roll away when the members of Les Délices bring this long-existing music to communicative and sparkling life.”

While music of the French Baroque remains a core specialty of Les Délices, recent projects have seen Les Délices bring their “outstanding artistry and verve” (American Record Guide) to music by Black eighteenth-century composer Charles Ignatius Sancho, Classical chamber music from the Age of Revolutions, late-Medieval music, and more. The ensemble’s commitment to creating powerful arts experiences and new opportunities for audiences also extends to commissioning works that expand the “canon” of early music to include historically underrepresented composers: Les Délices has featured commissions by Nathan Mondry, Jonathan Woody and Sydney Guillaume on tour. This season, Les Délices will present the third World Premiere of The Mythology Project, a multi-year commissioning initiative exploring myth and its impact on our lives. In 2027, the ensemble will present “Kiss and Tell”, a new myth-inspired cantata by Black American composer Damien Geter. An album featuring recordings of all three Mythology Project commissions, (Kiss and Tell, Soy la Diosa, and A Moment’s Oblivion) is forthcoming. 

The global pandemic marked an important evolutionary period for the ensemble. Les Délices was a leader in conceiving concerts for the virtual space and created SalonEra, a webseries and podcast for early music that opened a world of music to audiences at home. Now in its 7th Season, they have produced over 50 SalonEra episodes and created feature opportunities for over 80 artists while earning support and recognition from the National Endowment for the Arts (2023) and Early Music America (2022 Laurette Goldberg Award). Visit www.salonera.org and www.lesdelices.org to learn more.