EMA FEATURES & PRESS RELEASES
Is Historical Performance Still Controversial?
There was once a dismissive, even hostile, attitude toward period instruments and scholarship-based approaches to technique and interpretation. Most of those complaints now seem like dated artifacts of the late 20th c., or were a reaction (let's be honest) to unrefined instruments and wobbly playing. But that's now all behind us, right?
Musings: Programming for the American Experiment
From Tom Kelly's Musings column: 'I can't wait to see what early music will be programmed, and in what context, to commemorate America's 250th... We must engage with cultural history more than ever — and we pick which slice of that history suits our ensemble and community.'
Amidst the Turmoil, We Must Make Our Voices Heard
From the Executive Director: 'We're at a critical turning point for cultural institutions. Federal funding for arts and culture is rapidly diminishing, and there's a real fear that foundations, corporations, and individual donors won't pick up the slack (and might even give less if economic uncertainty continues)...'
Canto: Singing, Mental Health, and the Arts
'A fellow vocalist,' writes Cecilia Duarte, 'mentioned to me that whenever she was onstage, she would hear the voices of every person that had ever criticized her. It became clear to me that our artistic community had a huge need...'
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EMA RECORDING & BOOK REVIEWS
Another Superlative Passion from Raphaël Pichon and Pygmalion
Pygmalion, the period instrument ensemble led by visionary French conductor Raphaël Pichon, again leads the way with an incisive and inspired account of the Bach 'St. John Passion' in its final 1749 version.
Murder, Betrayal, and Countertenors Aplenty in Haymarket’s ‘Artaserse’
Ambition, regicide, fratricide, false accusations, betrayal, conspiracies, love, honor — and that's just Act 1 of Leonardo Vinci's 'Artaserse,' a 1730 opera seria with a sensational libretto by Metastasio. Chicago's Haymarket Opera Co.'s production was a popular and critical hit on stage in 2025. Now, with the same cast, it's a compelling new recording.
Henry Purcell From All Sides
A rewarding new biography on Henry Purcell brings the composer's life and times into one slender volume. At the book's center is an up-to-date dictionary — accessible to non-specialists — that mentions well-known collaborators and a range of musicians, political events, performance practices, relevant musical terms, and more.
Arcadian Dreams from Cleveland
In a splendid new recording, soprano Hannah De Priest and period-instrument ensemble Les Délices offer pastoral dreams of Arcadia in cantatas and instrumental works by Rameau, Handel, Louis Lefebvre and others.
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COMMUNITY NEWS & PRESS RELEASES
For Immediate ReleaseMarch 30, 2026 PRESS CONTACTJoanna Boyle, General ManagerMusicians of the Old Post Road781.466.6694musicians@oldpostroad.org PHOTOShttps://oldpostroad.org/press-room MUSICIANS OF THE OLD POST ROAD presents Ben Franklin's Musical Curiosity Saturday, May 2, ...
The American Classical Orchestra, New York City’s leading period instrument orchestra, present Genius, a chamber music concert at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall on Wednesday, April 8 at 7:30 pm ...
Alkemie will premiere Eleanor, a brand-new queer chamber opera by Alkemie core-member Niccolo Seligmann, at the experimental New Stage Performance Space on the Upper West Side on April 24 and ...
March 27, 2026Somerville, MA – The Society for Historically Informed Performance (SoHIP) presents eight weeks of live performances and video premieres beginning June 2. Now in its 40th year, SoHIP ...
The North American Virtual Recorder Society (NAVRS) presents the Flanders Recorder Duo (FR2) for a Medieval Gems Playing Meeting on Saturday, April 25 at 1:30PM, ET. World-renowned musicians, Tom Beets ...
