In 18th- and 19th-century Europe, dancing was used to make social connections and impress members of one’s class. ‘Dance and Sociability’ offers detailed descriptions of the social context for European dance among the upper classes during this period, including a thought-provoking article on how to define “grace.”

Gabriela Guadalajara is perhaps NYC’s only luthier who works exclusively on period instruments. In a brilliantly devised partnership, she is helping bring Baroque instrument-making techniques to Latin America.

Brace yourself for tri-cornered hats and fife-and-drum renditions of ‘Yankee Doodle.’ Nostalgia aside, America250 is an opportunity to reflect on the broader trajectories of our musical heritage. We lose something profound if this moment is nothing more than a self-congratulatory celebration.

Great artists express their identities through their art, yet many artists are forced to live in a society that does not accept their true identity. ‘Passing Fancy: Beauty in a Moment of Chaos,’ from Sonnambula, an ensemble of violins, viols, and keyboard, explores works by a range of such societal outcasts from the 16th and 17th centuries.