Tickets are now on sale for the Boston Early Music Festival’s 26/27 Season
- BEMF presents 9 programs in Greater Boston with 8 available for virtual viewing;
- The GRAMMY-winning BEMF Chamber Opera Series returns to Baroque London with Pyramus & Thisbe: A Mock Opera with words by Shakespeare and music by John Frederick Lampe on Thanksgiving Weekend in Boston and Troy, NY;
- Returning artists and ensembles include Stile Antico, Les Arts Florissants led by William Christie and Paul Agnew, The Tallis Scholars led by Peter Phillips, Ensemble Correspondances led by Sébastien Daucé, Trio Mediæval, and harpsichordist Kristian Bezuidenhout;
- The Season will feature BEMF Concert Series débuts by Ruckus, violinist Isabelle Faust, and The Royal Wind Music
Cambridge, MA–Individual tickets and subscription packages are now on sale for the Boston Early Music Festival’s 26/27 Season, featuring 9 programs in Boston and Cambridge. Thanks to the ongoing support from our fans around the world, BEMF will continue to offer virtual broadcasts following 8 of the 9 programs. A highlight of our 37th annual concert series will be an all-new production of Lampe’s Pyramus & Thisbe—representing the 15th edition of our popular BEMF Chamber Opera Series—led by BEMF’s GRAMMY-winning Musical Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs.
“One of the nation’s foremost Early Music organizations.”
—The New Yorker
BEMF opens our 26/27 Season with one of the world’s most accomplished and innovative vocal ensembles—Stile Antico—on Friday, October 16, 2026 at 7:30pm at St. Paul Church in Cambridge, MA. Adored by BEMF fans since making their North American début at our 2009 Festival, the singers of Stile Antico have thrilled audiences on four continents with their fresh, vibrant, and moving performances of Renaissance polyphony. Their program explores the thriving cultural lives of the great cities of Renaissance Europe, from papal Rome to the academies of Paris and the flourishing commercial centers of Lisbon and Seville with music by Monteverdi, Palestrina, Tallis, Guerrero, Lassus, and many others.
For the first time since the 40th anniversary of Les Arts Florissants in 2019, Baroque masters William Christie and Paul Agnew join forces to co-direct a revelatory program of Monteverdi’s finest madrigals for mixed voices on Saturday, November 7, 2026 at 7:30pm at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, Boston. Explore the madrigal in a variety of styles from the purest polyphonic settings to pieces rich in dissonances through more elaborate works evoking dance. The program culminates in a performance of the iconic Il Combattimento (The Combat of Tancredi and Clorinda), an inventive showcase of Monteverdi’s dramatic genius.
“Our play is The Most Lamentable Comedy and Most Cruel Death of Pyramus and Thisbe.”
—Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The GRAMMY-winning BEMF Chamber Opera Series returns to 18th-century London and John Frederick Lampe’s hilarious follow-up to The Dragon of Wantley—our production which thrilled BEMF audiences in 2023. Londoners were flocking to new Shakespeare adaptations, and if you can’t beat them, join them with Pyramus & Thisbe: A Mock-Opera. Three performances take place starting on Friday, November 27, 2026 at 7:30pm at the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall in Troy, NY, followed by Saturday, November 28, 2026 at 8pm and Sunday, November 29, 2026 at 3pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall in Boston, MA!
With “words taken from Shakespeare” and his play-within-a-play from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Lampe’s Pyramus & Thisbe expands the emotional range of the original to include heart-rending lyricism between the episodes of typically English silliness. Falling in love through a crack in a wall, ill-fated Pyramus and Thisbe plan a moonlit rendezvous in the shade of a mulberry tree, before a ferocious lion gets in the way and a tragedy of misunderstandings ensues.
Period-inspired staging, lavish costumes, and elegant Baroque dance bring this satirical romp to life with an all-star cast of singers, dancers, and instrumentalists in this new production led by: Musical Directors Stephen Stubbs and Paul O’Dette; Stage Director & Choreographer Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière; Concertmaster Robert Mealy; Costume Designer Anna Kjellsdotter; and Executive Producer Kathleen Fay. The stellar cast bringing Shakespeare’s delightful characters to life features: GRAMMY-winning tenor Aaron Sheehan as Pyramus and soprano Nola Richardson as Thisbe; baritone John Taylor Ward as Lion; GRAMMY-nominated tenor Brian Giebler as Moon; Jason McStoots as Wall; the all-star BEMF Chamber Ensemble and BEMF Dance Company; and guest actor Caleb Mayo.
For 38 consecutive seasons, the legendary singers of The Tallis Scholars have been welcomed annually by BEMF audiences. Director Peter Phillips leads these transcendent voices in a celebration of the Christmas season with music written to honor the Virgin Mary by the finest composers of the Renaissance on Friday, December 4, 2026 at 7:30pm at St. Paul Church, Cambridge, MA. Enjoy beloved settings of the Ave Maria and Salve Regina alongside a newly commissioned setting of Gaude gloriosa by Matthew Martin. The program opens and concludes with festal settings of the Magnificat, Mary’s universal message of hope, by Michael Praetorius and Heinrich Schütz.
Experience the expressive brilliance of Charpentier with his Messe de minuit pour Noël performed by the incomparable Ensemble Correspondances on Sunday, December 13, 2026 at 4pm at First Church in Cambridge, Congregational. This beloved masterpiece is an invitation to immerse oneself in a musical world where liturgical and popular traditions come together in magnificent harmony. Based on traditional French carols, the Mass possesses both an accessible candor and a profound depth of emotion. Led by Sébastien Daucé, Ensemble Correspondances specialize in the French Baroque repertoire, producing uniquely intimate and passionate interpretations that have mesmerized audiences across the world.
Don’t miss the BEMF début of Ruckus, a Baroque band with a fresh, visceral approach to Early Music—Friday, February 19, 2027 at 7:30pm at First Church in Cambridge, Congregational. The ensemble aims to fuse the Early Music movement’s creative spirit with the groove and jangle of American roots music, creating a unique sound of “rough-edged intensity” (New Yorker). Their program explores German music at the dawn of the Enlightenment—from the fierce and dark to the glittering and resplendent—structured around the brilliant music of Biber, Bach’s majestic organ works in fresh, intimate arrangements for the ensemble, and the lively and playful music of Buxtehude.
The crystalline voices of Trio Mediæval have captivated audiences across the globe since their founding in Oslo in 1997, earning GRAMMY nominations and worldwide renown for performances that are pristine and intensely immersive. They return to BEMF on Sunday, February 28, 2027 at 4pm at First Church in Cambridge, Congregational with a program of pieces for female voices by the iconic Hildegard von Bingen and anonymous composers at Santa Maria la Real de Las Huelgas, one of the most prestigious convents in medieval Spain. Heralded for their creative interpretations of medieval polyphony, the Trio takes us into more ancient territory, where the evolving solo song merges into the vibrant soundscapes of polyphony.
In this must-hear recital for violin and keyboard lovers alike, international superstars Isabelle Faust and Kristian Bezuidenhout illuminate the Baroque sonata as it comes vividly into focus—Friday, March 5, 2027 at 8pm at NEC’s Jordan Hall in Boston. As they move between Bach and the composers who shaped his world, Faust’s “clarity, gutsy depth, and technical brilliance” (San Francisco Classical Voice) reveals the violin’s growing expressive power, and Bezuidenhout, a Boston favorite and frequent BEMF guest artist, demonstrates the harpsichord’s evolution from accompaniment to conversational partner. Expect breathtaking virtuosity from both artists and the thrill of hearing ideas connect across generations. Presented by Vivo Performing Arts in association with the Boston Early Music Festival, this performance will not be available virtually.
Playing entirely from memory and without a conductor, the engaging musicians of The Royal Wind Music have earned praise for their ability to communicate with an international audience. Past guests of our biennial Festivals, they make their début on BEMF’s annual concert series on Sunday, April 25, 2027 at 4pm at First Church in Cambridge, Congregational with a program spotlighting a world of Renaissance music where the vibrant exchange of melodies spanned courts and churches across Europe. Secular chansons and madrigals found new life in sacred music, transforming familiar works into striking new creations. With works by Palestrina, Josquin, Cabezón, De Rore, and Lassus, this performance promises an unforgettable journey from simple melodies to intricate polyphonic masterpieces in an experience that will inspire and captivate.
Subscriptions and individual tickets are on sale now through the Boston Early Music Festival Box Office at 617-661-1812 or online at BEMF.org. Discounted subscription packages start as low as $94.50 for three (3) in-person programs or $67.50 for three (3) virtual programs.
The Boston Early Music Festival’s 2026/27 Season is presented with support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, Constellation Charitable Foundation, 99.5 WCRB: Classical Radio Boston, a service of WGBH, and ArtsBoston.
VIRTUAL TICKET OPTIONS
For the 26/27 Season, 8 of our 9 programs will be available for virtual viewing starting one to two weeks after the performance on our secure, online platform. This added convenience offers our patrons—in Boston and around the world—options to enjoy our superb programs. BEMF works in partnership with Videographer Kathy Wittman of Ball Square Films and Recording Engineer Antonio Oliart Ros to record the live performances, before collaborating with our presented artists and ensembles to produce fully edited concert videos. When available, Virtual Tickets are included FREE with in-person tickets or can be purchased on their own.
RESOURCES
Press Images: https://bemf.org/about-us/press-room/press-images/
ABOUT THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Recognized as the preeminent early music presenter and Baroque opera producer in North America, the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) has been credited with securing Boston’s reputation as “America’s early music capital” (The Boston Globe). Founded in 1981, BEMF offers diverse programs and activities, including two GRAMMY Award–winning and five more GRAMMY Award–nominated recordings, an annual concert series that features early music’s brightest stars on the BEMF concert stage, and a biennial week-long Festival and Exhibition recognized as the “world’s leading festival of early music” (The Times, London). The 24th Boston Early Music Festival will take place from June 6 to 13, 2027, and will feature the fully-staged North American premiere of Telemann’s operatic masterpiece, Emma und Eginhard. BEMF’s Artistic Leadership includes Artistic Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Opera Director Gilbert Blin, Orchestra Director Robert Mealy, and Dance Director Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière.
For more information, images, press tickets, or to schedule an interview, please contact Kathleen Fay at 617-661-1812 or email kathy@bemf.org.
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