

Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Artistic Directors
Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Artistic Directors
SUNDAY, APRIL 13, 2025
3PM | NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
21–27 NOVEMBER 2025
Rinaldo to the vibrantly descriptive , via the virtuosity of Dixit Messiah . Three of
A range of Handel’s best works, from the beloved Israel in Egypt Dominus, and the grand culmination – the the leading ensembles performing today: The English Concert, Solomon’s Knot and the Gabrieli Consort & Players. Stay in Valletta, Malta’s delightful, diminutive capital, among the loveliest and most fascinating of cities built in the Age of Baroque.
MARTIN RANDALL FESTIVALS bring together world-class musicians for a sequence of private concerts in Europe’s most glorious buildings, many of which are not normally accessible. We take care of all logistics, from flights and hotels to pre-concert talks. Festivals in 2026 include: Early Music in York (May), The Rhine Piano Festival (22–29 June), Music along the Danube (15–22 August), Music along the Rhine (31 August–7 September), Music in Seville (October) and Monteverdi in Venice (November).
Dear Friends,
We’re delighted to welcome you to the final event of our 24/25 Season.
Since our very first concert series, the Boston Early Music Festival has proudly presented the great Catalan viola da gambist Jordi Savall both as a soloist and in collaboration with his ensembles Hespèrion XXI, La Capella Reial de Catalunya, and Le Concert des Nations. One of the most inspiring performers in the Early Music field, he is admired for his integrity, his immense musical curiosity, and his creation of countless new musical and cultural projects spanning more than five decades, bringing to light music that would otherwise have remained lost to us. As a fitting capstone to our 35th Anniversary Season, Jordi Savall returns to Boston with his legendary ensemble Hespèrion XXI to give us “Music of Fire and Love”—a dazzling and eclectic program of folías, variations, improvisations, battles, laments, and other music from England, Spain, Mexico, Peru, and elsewhere.
Although the live performances of this season end with today’s concert, our virtual season continues: this concert will be available to stream virtually starting April 27. Stile Antico’s glorious 20th-anniversary concert, “The Golden Renaissance,” began streaming on April 11 and is available virtually through April 25, and the virtual concert by Les Arts Florissants featuring the sensational violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons on the 300th anniversary of their original publication—plus other works!—will be available from April 18 through May 2. Tickets may still be purchased for all virtual concerts.
A full week of spectacular music awaits you in June at our 23rd biennial Boston Early Music Festival—Love & Power—which takes place June 8 to 15, 2025. Subscriptions and single tickets are now on sale for all opera and concert performances. As always, please visit BEMF.org for the latest updates and information.
We are also pleased to enclose a Save-the-Dates announcement for our 25/26 Boston Early Music Festival Season, which includes the return of Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XXI along with La Capella Reial de Catalunya and many guests in April 2026. Tickets will go on sale in early May, and a full brochure with in-depth descriptions of all nine programs will be released in early summer.
Thank you for joining us for this afternoon’s performance, whether you are here in person or attending virtually, and please accept our warmest wishes for health and prosperity in the months ahead!
Kathleen Fay Executive Director
Kathleen Fay, Executive Director
Carla Chrisfield, General Manager
Maria van Kalken, Assistant to the Executive Director
Brian Stuart, Director of Marketing and Publicity
Elizabeth Hardy, Marketing and Development Associate & Exhibition Manager
Perry Emerson, Operations Manager
Corey King, Box Office and Patron Services Director
Esme Hurlburt, Patron Services & Advertising Associate
Andrew Sigel, Publications Editor
Julia McKenzie, Director of the BEMF Youth Ensemble
Nina Stern, Community Engagement Advisor
Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Artistic Directors
Gilbert Blin, Opera Director
Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director
Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, Lucy Graham Dance Director
Bernice K. Chen, Chairman | David Halstead, President
Ellen T. Harris, Vice President | Susan L. Robinson, Vice President
Adrian C. Touw, Treasurer | Peter L. Faber, Clerk
Brit d’Arbeloff | Michael Ellmann | George L. Hardman | Glenn A. KnicKrehm
Robert E. Kulp, Jr. | Miles Morgan† | Bettina A. Norton
Lee S. Ridgway | Ganesh Sundaram | Christoph Wolff
Diane Britton | Gregory E. Bulger | Amanda Pond
Robert Strassler | Donald E. Vaughan
Marty Gottron & John Felton, Co-Chairs
Deborah Ferro Burke | Mary Deissler | James A. Glazier
Douglas M. Robbe | Jacob Skowronek
† deceased
43 Thorndike Street, Suite 302, Cambridge, MA 02141-1764
Telephone: 617-661-1812 | Email: bemf@bemf.org | BEMF.org
“I scheduled a trip from Philadelphia around the Festival. It met all my hopes.” 2024 audience member
OCTOBER 10 - 26
Plan a trip to the UK this fall with 20 concerts of early music in Brighton on England’s South Coast. Join the mailing list to receive full programme info when available at bremf.org.uk
Jon Aaron
Debra K.S. Anderson
Kathryn Bertelli
Mary Briggs
Diane Britton
Douglas M. Brooks
Gregory E. Bulger
Julian G. Bullitt
Deborah Ferro Burke
John A. Carey
Anne P. Chalmers
Bernice K. Chen
Joel I. Cohen
Brit d’Arbeloff
Vivian Day
Mary Deissler
Peter L. DeWolf
JoAnne W. Dickinson
Richard J. Dix
Alan Durfee†
Michael Ellmann
Peter L. Faber
Emily C. Farnsworth
Kathleen Fay
Lori Fay
John Felton
Frances C. Fitch
Claire Fontijn
James A. Glazier
Marty Gottron
Carol A. Haber
David Halstead
George L. Hardman
Ellen T. Harris
Rebecca Harris-Warrick
Richard Hester
Jessica Honigberg
Jennifer Ritvo Hughes
Edward B. Kellogg†
Thomas F. Kelly
Glenn A. KnicKrehm
Christine Kodis
John Krzywicki
Kathryn Kucharski
Robert E. Kulp, Jr.
Ellen Kushner
Christopher Laconi
Thomas G. MacCracken
William Magretta
Bill McJohn
Miles Morgan†
Nancy Netzer
Amy H. Nicholls
James S. Nicolson†
Bettina A. Norton
Scott Offen
Lorna E. Oleck
Henry P.M. Paap
James M. Perrin
Bici Pettit-Barron
Amanda Pond
Melvyn Pond
Paul Rabin
Christa Rakich
Lee S. Ridgway
Michael Rigsby
Douglas M. Robbe
Michael Robbins
Susan L. Robinson
Patsy Rogers
Wendy Rolfe-Dunham
Loretto Roney
Ellen Rosand
Valerie Sarles
David W. Scudder
Andrew Sigel
Jacob Skowronek
Arlene Snyder
Jon Solins
Robert Strassler
Ganesh Sundaram
Adrian C. Touw
Peggy Ueda
Donald E. Vaughan
Nikolaus von Huene
Howard J. Wagner
Benjamin D. Weiss
Ruth S. Westheimer
Allan Winkler
Hal Winslow
Christoph Wolff
Arnold B. Zetcher
Ellen Zetcher
† deceased
JUNE 8 - 15, 2025
“Arguably the most important and influential Early Music event in the world.” — BBC RADIO
Enjoy a weeklong celebration with dazzling OPERA, celebrated CONCERTS, the world-famous EXHIBITION, and so much more!
18 Festival Concerts featuring: BEMF Orchestra | The Tallis Scholars | Vox Luminis
ACRONYM | The Boston Camerata | Pacific MusicWorks | Trio Mediæval
Aaron Sheehan, tenor & Paul O’Dette, lute | Ensemble Castor | Constantinople
The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble | Enrico Gatti, violin & Marcello Gatti, flute
Concerto Romano | Théotime Langlois de Swarte, violin & Justin Taylor, harpsichord
ExtravaGamba! | BEMF Chamber Ensemble | Boreas Quartett Bremen
Boston Early Music Festival extends sincere thanks to the following individuals for their leadership support of our 2024/25 Season:
David Halstead and Jay Santos
Sponsors of the October 2024 performance by Vox Luminis
George L. Hardman
Sponsor of the virtual presentation of AGAVE with Reginald Mobley, countertenor
Sponsor of Jordi Savall, Director & treble viol, for his April 2025 appearance with Hespèrion XXI
Andrew Sigel
Sponsor of the virtual presentations of Vox Luminis and The Tallis Scholars
Harold I. Pratt
Sponsor of Sarah Darling, violin, for her February 2025 appearance with the BEMF Chamber Ensemble
Donald E. Vaughan and Lee S. Ridgway
Sponsors of Reginald Mobley, countertenor, for his February 2025 performance with AGAVE
Jean Fuller Farrington
Sponsor of the virtual presentation of Stile Antico
Lorna E. Oleck
Sponsor of the virtual presentation of Francesco Corti, harpsichord & organ, with the BEMF Chamber Ensemble
Not only do Named Gifts help provide the crucial financial support required to present a full season of extraordinary performances, but they are doubly meaningful in that they send a message of thanks to your most beloved artist, musicians, and directors—that their work means something to you.
You can help make this list grow. For more information about investing in BEMF performances with a Named Gift, please email Kathleen Fay at kathy@bemf.org, or call the BEMF office at 617-661-1812. Your support makes a difference. Thank you.
JORDI SAVALL, Director & treble viol
Folías, Battles & Lamenti
Glosados, Variations & Improvisations
DANCES & VARIATIONS
Moresca Pedro Guerrero (ca. 1520–ca. 1560)
Greensleeves to a Ground (Romanesca)
Anonymous (England, 1650)
Guaracha (Mexico, improvisations) Juan García de Zéspedes (1619–1678)
“MUSICALL HUMOURS”, DANCES & BATTLES
An Almaine Tobias Hume (ca. 1579–1645)
Galliard Battaglia Samuel Scheidt (1587–1654)
CATALAN LAMENTS
Planctus — Mariagneta
THE HISPANIC GUITAR
Anonymous / Jordi Savall (b. 1941)
Jácaras & Canarios Gaspar Sanz (1640–1710) from Instrucción de música sobre la guitarra española (Zaragoza,1674)
FOLÍAS CRIOLLAS
From Codex Trujillo del Perú (Lima, 1780)
Tonada de El Chimo Anonymous
Cachua serranita (improvisations) Anonymous
m INTERMISSION n
The Boston Early Music Festival thanks GEORGE L. HARDMAN for his leadership support of this afternoon’s performance by Jordi Savall, Director & treble viol
The Nobleman
Robert Johnson (ca. 1583–1633)
An Scottish Dance William Brade (1560–1630)
The Satyrs’ Dance Robert Johnson / William Brade
Prélude
François Couperin (1668–1733)
Plainte pour les violes Couperin
Muzette Couperin
Chaconas & Paradetas (improvisations)
Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz (ca. 1626–ca. 1677) from Luz y norte (Madrid, 1677)
Cumbees
Santiago de Murcia (1673–1739) from Codex Saldívar (Mexico, 1720)
Chacona (improvisations) Anonymous
A Sad Paven for these Distracted Tymes (1649)
Glosas sobre Todo el mundo en general
Thomas Tomkins (1572–1656)
Francisco Correa de Arauxo (1584–1654) (Alcalá de Henares, 1626)
Canarios (improvisations) Anonymous
Gallarda Napolitana (Naples, 1576) Jarabe loco (improvisations)
Antonio Valente (fl. 1565–1580) / Anonymous Jarocho (Mexico)
Jordi Savall’s treble viol by Barak Norman, London, ca. 1700
LIVE CONCERT
Sunday, April 13, 2025 at 3pm
New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall
30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, Massachusetts
VIRTUAL CONCERT
Sunday, April 27, 2025 – Sunday, May 11, 2024
BEMF.org
Xavier Díaz-Latorre, theorbo & guitar
Andrew Lawrence-King, Italian Baroque triple harp & Spanish Baroque harp
Philippe Pierlot, treble and bass viols
Xavier Puertas, violone
David Mayoral, percussion
Jordi Savall, Director & treble viol
Exclusive North American management for Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XXI: Alliance Artist Management.
Program subject to change.
Ball Square Films & Kathy Wittman, Video Production
Antonio Oliart Ros, Recording Engineer
This program is presented with the support of the Departament de Cultura de la Generalitat de Catalunya and the consortium Institut Ramon Llull.
Alia Vox is the exclusive producer of recordings by Jordi Savall and his ensembles. https://alia-vox.com/
Boston Early Music Festival extends sincere thanks to the following individuals and organizations for their leadership support of the 2024 performances of Don Quichotte:
Glenn A. KnicKrehm and Constellation Charitable Foundation Principal Production Sponsors
Andrew Sigel
Sponsor of Christian Immler, Don Quichotte, Emily Siar, Quiteria, Richard Pittsinger, Grisostomo, and Julian Donahue, dancer
David Halstead and Jay Santos
Sponsors of Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors
Lorna E. Oleck
Sponsor of the BEMF Dance Company
Diane and John Paul Britton Sponsors of Gwen van den Eijnde, Costume Designer
Bernice K. Chen
Sponsor of Gilbert Blin, Stage Director
Harriet Lindblom
Sponsor of Michael Sponseller, harpsichord in honor of Daniel Lindblom, harpsichordist and builder
Michael and Marie-Pierre Ellmann
Sponsors of Jason McStoots, Sancho Pansa
Joanne Zervas Sattley
Sponsor of Sarah Darling, viola
The use of a repeated melodic pattern in the low register, as the basis for successive contrapuntal elaborations by one or more parts in the upper register, is one of the earliest forms of instrumental music known in Europe. Most likely its origin lies in an improvisatory tradition developed by instrumentalists involved in the performance of dance music. If you had a ground bass in long durational values, with a steady rhythm, the limited gamut of consonant choices for the upper parts generated a relatively stable harmonic sequence, and in fact this association of a given bass line with a specific rhythmic and harmonic pattern was often the most recognizable characteristic of a particular dance, and the one which helped dancers the most in finding and keeping the right steps to it. Treble instruments could thus freely improvise virtuosic descants on that basso ostinato, as the Italians called it, while its repeated presentation served its purpose of clearly identifying the dance to which it belonged. Even in a context of purely instrumental performance, without any association to dancing, certain grounds circulated widely throughout Europe as ideal vehicles for improvisation, becoming part of a cosmopolitan instrumental repertoire, while others remained in use exclusively in a particular region.
The Folía is one of the several dances and dance songs of popular origin which developed in the Iberian Peninsula in late Middle Ages and may have been used in their original context for quite some time before they were later assimilated by the courtly polyphonic repertoire, both vocal and instrumental, in the late fifteenth and
in the early sixteenth century. Its Portuguese origin is confirmed by influential Spanish theorist Francisco de Salinas in his 1577 treatise De musica libri septem, and indeed it was first mentioned in several Portuguese documents of the end of the fifteenth century, among others the plays of the founder of Renaissance Theatre in Portugal, Gil Vicente, in which it is associated with popular characters, usually shepherds or peasants, engaging in energetic singing and dancing (hence the name “Folía,” meaning both “wild amusement” and “insanity” in Portuguese), either as an easy way of identifying their social nature to the audience or as a celebration of a happy dénouement of the plot. Furthermore, throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, constant references are made in the Portuguese chronicles of the time to groups of peasants being called upon to dance the Folía at the palaces of the upper nobility on the occasion of festive events such as weddings or births.
The Morisca or Perra mora, a dance with a strong Arab flavor in its characteristic rhythmic design in 5/2 time, is given here in the version attributed to Pedro Guerrero and taken from the so-called Medinaceli Songbook, compiled in the second half of the sixteenth century. Together with the Pésame d’ello, the Zarabanda, and the Chacona, it was mentioned by Miguel de Cervantes in his novella La ilustre Fregona as one of the secular dances that were so fashionable in his time that they even managed to “squeeze through the door cracks into the convents of nuns” (“ha intentado…entrar por los resquicios de las casas religiosas”).
In England, sixteenth- and seventeenthcentury composers like William Byrd, John Bull, Thomas Tomkins, and later Christopher Simpson and John Playford, developed a similar tradition of ostinato variations, sometimes choosing the same ground basses as their continental counterparts but often using different ones, each author either inheriting them from
previous British musicians or inventing his own for each new piece. Strophic songs on a repeated harmonic pattern, such as the famous Greensleeves, were frequently used for this purpose, as well as independent bass lines with no discant parts attached to them, ranging from merely two notes (as in Byrd’s The Bells) to lengthy melodies of a complex internal structure.
A musician linked to the Puebla school, Juan García de Zéspedes (1619–1678), left us a hilarious Christmas Villancico, Ay que me abraso (literally, “I am burning”) written on the characteristic rhythm of another Mexican dance, the Guaracha, and in which the characters portrayed are panting and sighing because of the excessive heat generated by their emotions at the sight of the newborn Christ.
A further fascinating piece of Amerindian influence comes from the Viceroyalty of Peru. It is the closest thing to an “ethnomusicological” record of the Amerindian music of Peru to have reached us from the colonial period: a traditional Cachua, or Christmas song, collected at the end of the eighteenth century by the Bishop of the Peruvian diocese of Trujillo, Baltazar Martínez Compañon, and included in the Codex Trujillo; it is here used as the ground for an instrumental improvisation. Whether the music in question is of Iberian or Amerindian origin, we are thus once again reminded of the fact that this multicultural musical heritage developed by the triangular interaction of the Peninsula, Africa, and the New World was generated, first of all, by the actual encounter of all three living traditions, mutually influencing each other in the context of a performance practice
largely dominated by improvisation rather than by a purely academic approach.
Many Iberian composers of instrumental music, writing for the vihuela, the guitar, the harp, or the organ, made use of these and other ground basses in their works. In his 1626 Facultad organica, one of the most influential publications of Mannerist keyboard music in the Peninsula, organist Francisco Correa de Arauxo (1584–1654), chose a longer bass melody for a stunningly beautiful set of variations, Todo el mundo en general.
Yet another Spanish popular dance pattern to be adopted as a ground bass for instrumental variations in other European countries until the mid-eighteenth century was the Canarios, or Canary, apparently born in the Canary Islands. Often described at first—not always without a certain degree of fascination, one should add—as being “barbaric” and “immoral,” these dances were in many cases gradually transformed into sophisticated courtly items according to the Baroque taste, losing in the process many of their original popular characteristics. Even so, they remained at the very center of the European instrumental repertoire.
On the other hand, Italian composers of the late Mannerist and early Baroque periods thoroughly cultivated this genre in their solo and ensemble instrumental works, such as the Gallarda Napolitana by Antonio Valente (fl. 1565–1580) from his publication Intavolatura de cimbalo (1576), or the various collections published in the first half of the seventeenth century by Salomone Rossi (1570–ca. 1630), Biagio Marini (ca. 1587–1663), and Tarquinio Merula (1594/5–1665), among many others.
As in practically all genres of instrumental music in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, we should bear in mind that most of the sets of variations on a ground published during these two centuries were composed by authors who were themselves acclaimed instrumental virtuosos and who wished to present in their publications examples of a
technical mastery of their instruments which was generally inseparable from their highly developed improvisatory skills. Not only, as a general rule for the performance practice of this period, were other instrumentalists wishing to play these works expected to add ad libitum ornaments and diminutions to the printed score, but undoubtedly no two renditions of a particular work by the same performer, be it the author himself or any other virtuoso, would be exactly alike. In many ways, a printed version of a Mannerist or Baroque instrumental piece (especially in the case of sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century Iberian and Italian music) can be seen exactly like that—as a version, which does not in any way attempt to present a definitive, authoritative text for that work, and which as such is much closer, to some extent, to a live recording of a jazz performance, with all of its spontaneous improvisatory component, than to the nineteenth-century ideal of an unchangeable Urtext. In a repertoire based not as much on purely formal or contrapuntal considerations as on a succession of free virtuosic elaborations on a preexisting bass line, the pursuit of true “authenticity” in its modern performance must include the rediscovery of this inexhaustible element of permanent personal creativity. That is why the present program not only is characterized by a constant improvisatory element in the approach to the works performed but even includes a moment of actual collective improvisations.
A battle (battaglia or bataille) is a style of vocal or instrumental music that emerged during the Renaissance period. Some characteristic elements, such as rallying cries, imitations of fanfares, drum rolls, and other sounds of a battle—already anticipated in the Medieval caccie—define this style of programmatic and descriptive music imitating a battle. The Renaissance form is typically a madrigal for four or more voices, where these elements are imitated by the voices. The Baroque form, however, is more often an instrumental depiction of a battle. An example of this kind of composition in the Baroque period is the
Galliard Battaglia by Samuel Scheidt (1587–1654), which is also based on the pattern of one of the typical dances of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in the form of music, poetry, or song. Examples of such songs can be found in traditional music, including some Catalan laments featured in this program. The Tonada de El Chimo is also an example of this kind of composition, with Amerindian influence, belonging to the Codex Trujillo mentioned earlier. The Plainte pour les violes, a work from one of the Concerts royaux by François Couperin (1668–1733), is another example of Baroque music in this genre. A free and short musical form, also called lament, emerged during the Baroque and reappeared in the Romantic era. It was composed on a set of harmonic variations in a homophonic texture, with the bass (lament bass) descending through a tetrachord, usually suggesting a minor mode.
More pieces based on pattern dances complete the program, such as works for the Hispanic guitar by Gaspar Sanz (1640–1710), an Almaine by Captain Tobias Hume (ca. 1579–1645), and additional pieces by Robert Johnson (ca. 1583–1633) and William Brade (1560–1630), as well as more selections from the Concerts royaux by François Couperin. Pieces from the group “The Island of Chacona” are also based on these patterns; A Sad Paven for these Distracted Tymes could also have been grouped with the laments. n
—Fundació CIMA
Early music’s most important value stems from its ability as a universal artistic language to transmit feelings, emotions, and ancestral ideas that even today can enthrall the contemporary listener. With a repertoire that encompasses the period between the 10th and 18th centuries, Hespèrion XXI searches continuously for new points of union between the East and West, with a clear desire for integration and for the recovery of international musical heritage, especially that of the Mediterranean basin and with links to the New World.
In 1974, Jordi Savall and Montserrat Figueras, together with Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith, founded the early music ensemble Hespèrion XX in Basel as a way of recovering and disseminating the rich and fascinating musical repertoire prior to the 19th century on the basis of historical criteria and the use of original instruments. The name Hespèrion means “an inhabitant of Hesperia,” which in early Greek referred to the two most westerly peninsulas in Europe: the Iberian and the Italian. It was also the name given to the planet Venus as it appeared in the west. At the turn of the 21st century, Hespèrion XX became known as Hespèrion XXI.
Today Hespèrion XXI is central to the understanding of the music of the period between the Middle Ages and the Baroque. Their labors to recover works, scores, instruments, and unpublished documents have a double and incalculable value. On one
hand, their rigorous research provides new information and understanding about the historical knowledge of the period, and on the other hand, the exquisite performances enable people to freely enjoy the aesthetic and spiritual delicacy of the works of this period.
Right from the beginning, Hespèrion XXI set out on a clearly innovative and artistic course that would lead to the establishment of a school in the field of early music because they conceived, and continue to conceive, early music as an experimental musical tool and with it they seek the maximum beauty and expressiveness in their performances. Any musician in the field of early music will have a commitment to the original spirit of each work and has to learn to connect with it by studying the composer, the instruments of the period, the work itself, and the circumstances surrounding it. But as a craftsman in the art of music, he is also obliged to make decisions about the piece being played: a musician’s capacity to connect the past with the present and to connect culture with its dissemination depends on his skill, creativity, and capacity to transmit emotions.
Hespèrion XXI’s repertoire includes, among others, the music of the Sephardi Jews, Castilian romances, pieces from the Spanish Golden Age, and Europa de les Nacions. Some of their most celebrated concert programs are Les Cantigues de Santa Maria d’Alfons X El Savi, La Diàspora Sefardí, the music of Jerusalem, Istanbul, Armenia, and the Folías
Criollas. Thanks to the outstanding work of numerous musicians and collaborators who have worked with the ensemble over all these years, Hespèrion XXI still plays a key role in the recovery and reappraisal of the musical heritage, and one that has great resonance throughout the world. The group has released more than 60 CDs and performs concerts for the whole world, appearing regularly at the great international festivals of early music. n
“Jordi Savall testifies to a common cultural inheritance of infinite variety. He is a man for our time.” (The Guardian)
Jordi Savall is one of the most versatile musical personalities of his generation. For more than fifty years, he has rescued musical gems from the obscurity of neglect and oblivion and given them back for all to enjoy. A tireless researcher into early music, he interprets and performs the repertory both as a gambist and a conductor. His activities as a concert performer, teacher, researcher, and creator of new musical and cultural projects have made him a leading figure in the reappraisal of historical music. Together with Montserrat Figueras, he founded the ensembles Hespèrion XXI (1974), La Capella Reial de Catalunya (1987), and Le Concert des Nations (1989), with whom he explores and creates a world of emotion and beauty shared with millions of early music enthusiasts around the world.
With his key participation in Alain Corneau’s film Tous les Matins du Monde (awarded the César Cinema Prize for the best soundtrack), his intense concert activity (about 140 concerts per year), his record releases (six recordings per year), and the creation in 1998, together with Montserrat Figueras, of his own record label, Alia Vox, Jordi Savall has shown that early
music does not have to be elitist, but rather that it appeals to an increasingly wide and diverse audience of all age groups.
Jordi Savall has recorded and released more than 230 discs covering the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical music repertories, with a special focus on the Hispanic and Mediterranean musical heritage, receiving many awards and distinctions such as the Midem Classical Award, the International Classical Music Award, and the Grammy Award. His concert programs have made music an instrument of mediation to achieve understanding and peace between different and sometimes warring peoples and cultures. Accordingly, guest artists appearing with his ensembles include Arab, Israeli, Turkish, Greek, Armenian, Afghan, Mexican, and North American musicians. In 2008, Jordi Savall was appointed European Union Ambassador for intercultural dialogue and, together with Montserrat Figueras, was named “Artist for Peace” under the UNESCO “Good Will Ambassadors” program.
Between 2020 and 2021, to mark Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th anniversary, he conducted the complete symphonies with Le Concert des Nations and recorded them in two volumes entitled Beethoven Révolution. The impact they have had in the record market worldwide has been defined as “a miracle” (Fanfare), and volume II has been distinguished with the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik for the best orchestral record.
Jordi Savall’s prolific musical career has brought him the highest national and international distinctions, including honorary doctorates from the Universities of Evora (Portugal), Barcelona (Catalonia), Louvain (Belgium), and Basel (Switzerland), the order of Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (France), the Praetorius Music Prize awarded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of Lower Saxony, the Gold Medal of the Generalitat of Catalonia, the Helena Vaz da Silva Award, and the prestigious Léonie Sonning Prize, which is considered the Nobel prize of the music world. He has recently been elected Honorary Member by the Royal Philharmonic Society, the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, and the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia. n
Play a vital and permanent role in BEMF’s future with a planned gift. Your generous support will create unforgettable musical experiences for years to come, and may provide you and your loved ones with considerable tax benefits.
Join the BEMF ORPHEUS SOCIETY by investing in the future of the Boston Early Music Festival through a charitable annuity, bequest, or other planned gift. With many ways to give and to direct your gift, our staff will work together with you and your advisors to create a legacy that is personally meaningful to you.
To learn more, please call us at 617-661-1812, email us at kathy@bemf.org, or visit us online at BEMF.org/plannedgiving.
BEMF’S 2023 PRODUCTION OF DESMAREST’S CIRCÉ
The Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) is universally recognized as a leader in the field of early music. Since its founding in 1980 by leading practitioners of historical performance in the United States and abroad, BEMF has promoted early music through a variety of diverse programs and activities, including an annual concert series that brings early music’s brightest stars to the Boston and New York concert stages, and the biennial weeklong Festival and Exhibition, recognized as “the world’s leading festival of early music” (The Times, London). Through its programs BEMF has earned its place as North America’s premier presenting organization for music of the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods and has secured Boston’s reputation as “America’s early music capital” (Boston Globe).
One of BEMF’s main goals is to unearth and present lesser-known Baroque operas performed by the world’s leading musicians armed with the latest information on period singing, orchestral performance, scenic design, costuming, dance, and staging. BEMF operas reproduce the Baroque’s stunning palette of sound by bringing together today’s leading operatic superstars and a wealth of instrumental talent from across the globe to one stage for historic presentations, all zestfully led from the pit by the BEMF Artistic Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, and creatively reimagined for the stage by BEMF Opera Director Gilbert Blin. Biennial centerpiece productions feature both the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, led by Orchestra Director Robert Mealy, and the
Boston Early Music Festival Dance Company, led by BEMF’s newly appointed Dance Director, Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière.
The 22nd biennial Boston Early Music Festival, A Celebration of Women, was held in June 2023 and featured Henry Desmarest’s 1694 opera Circé from a libretto by Louise-Geneviève Gillot de Saintonge. The 23rd Festival, in June 2025, will have as its centerpiece Reinhard Keiser’s 1705 opera Octavia.
BEMF introduced its Chamber Opera Series during its annual concert season in November 2008, with a performance of John Blow’s Venus and Adonis and Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Actéon. The series features the artists of the Boston Early Music Festival Vocal and Chamber
Ensembles and focuses on the wealth of chamber operas composed during the Baroque period, while providing an increasing number of local opera aficionados the opportunity to attend one of BEMF’s superb offerings. Subsequent annual productions include George Frideric Handel’s Acis and Galatea, Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, combined performances of Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers and La Couronne de Fleurs, Monteverdi’s Orfeo, a double bill of Pergolesi’s La serva padrona and Livietta e Tracollo, a production titled “Versailles” featuring Les Plaisirs de Versailles by Charpentier, Les Fontaines de Versailles by Michel-Richard de Lalande, and divertissements from Atys by Jean-Baptiste Lully, Francesca Caccini’s Alcina, the first opera written by a woman, a combination of Telemann’s Pimpinone and Ino, joint performances of Lully’s Idylle sur la Paix and Charpentier’s La Fête de Rueil, John Frederick Lampe’s The Dragon of Wantley, and most recently Telemann’s Don Quichotte. Acis and Galatea was revived and presented on a fourcity North American Tour in early 2011, which included a performance at the American Handel Festival in Seattle, and in 2014, BEMF’s second North American Tour featured the Charpentier double bill from 2011. In summer 2025, The Dragon of Wantley will be performed at Confidencen in Stockholm, Sweden, and at Oldenburgisches Staatstheater in Oldenburg, Germany, as part of Musikfest Bremen.
BEMF has a well-established and highly successful project to record some of its
groundbreaking work in the field of Baroque opera. The first three recordings in this series were all nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording, in 2005, 2007, and 2008: the 2003 Festival centerpiece Ariadne, by Johann Georg Conradi; Lully’s Thésée; and the 2007 Festival opera, Lully’s Psyché, which was hailed by BBC Music Magazine as “superbly realized…magnificent.” In addition, the BEMF recordings of Lully’s Thésée and Psyché received Gramophone Award Nominations in the Baroque Vocal category in 2008 and 2009, respectively. BEMF’s next three recordings on the German CPO label were drawn from its Chamber Opera Series: Charpentier’s Actéon, Blow’s Venus and Adonis, and a release of Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers and La Couronne de Fleurs, which won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording and the 2015 Echo Klassik Opera Recording of the Year (17th/18th Century Opera). Agostino Steffani’s Niobe, Regina di Tebe, featuring Philippe Jaroussky and Karina Gauvin, which was released in January 2015 on the Erato/ Warner Classics label in conjunction with a seven-city, four-country European concert tour of the opera, has been nominated for a Grammy Award, was named Gramophone’s Recording of the Month for March 2015, is the 2015 Echo Klassik World Premiere Recording of the Year, and has received a 2015 Diapason d’Or de l’Année and a 2015 Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. Handel’s Acis and Galatea was released in November 2015. In 2017, while maintaining the focus on
Baroque opera, BEMF expanded the recording project to include other select Baroque vocal works: a new Steffani disc, Duets of Love and Passion, was released in September 2017 in conjunction with a six-city North American tour, and a recording of Johann Sebastiani’s St. Matthew Passion was released in March 2018. Four Baroque opera releases followed in 2019 and 2020: a disc of Charpentier’s chamber operas Les Plaisirs de Versailles and Les Arts Florissants was released at the June 2019 Festival, and has been nominated for a Grammy Award; the 2013 Festival opera, Handel’s Almira, was released in late 2019, and received a Diapason d’Or. Lalande’s chamber opera Les Fontaines de Versailles was featured on a September 2020 release of the composer’s works; Christoph Graupner’s opera Antiochus und Stratonica was released in December 2020. BEMF’s recording of Desmarest’s Circé, the 2023 Festival opera, was released concurrently with the opera’s North American premiere, Pergolesi’s La serva padrona and Livietta e Tracollo was released in December 2023, and the newest recording, Telemann’s Ino and opera arias for soprano featuring Amanda Forsythe, was released in October 2024.
Some of the most thrilling musical moments at the biennial Festival occur during one of the dozen or more concerts presented around the clock, among them a program by the acclaimed Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra, which often feature unique, oncein-a-lifetime collaborations and programs by the spectacular array of talent assembled for
the Festival week’s events. In 1989, BEMF established an annual concert series bringing early music’s leading soloists and ensembles to the Boston concert stage to meet the growing demand for regular world-class performances of early music’s beloved classics and newly discovered works. BEMF then expanded its concert series in 2006, when it extended its performances to New York City’s Gilder Lehrman Hall at the Morgan Library & Museum, providing “a shot in the arm for New York’s relatively modest early-music scene” (New York Times).
The nerve center of the biennial Festival, the Exhibition is the largest event of its kind in the United States, showcasing nearly one hundred early instrument makers, music publishers, service organizations, schools and universities, and associated colleagues. In 2013, Mozart’s own violin and viola were displayed at the Exhibition, in their first-ever visit to the United States. Every other June, hundreds of professional musicians, students, and enthusiasts come from around the world to purchase instruments, restock their libraries, learn about recent musicological developments, and renew old friendships. For four days, they visit the Exhibition booths to browse, discover, and purchase, and attend the dozens of symposia, masterclasses, and demonstration recitals, all of which encourage a deeper appreciation of early music, and strengthen relationships between musicians, participants, and audiences. n
Revenue from ticket sales, even from a sold-out performance, accounts for less than half of the total cost of producing BEMF’s operas and concerts; the remainder is derived almost entirely from generous friends like you. With your help, we will be able to build upon the triumphs of the past, and continue to bring you thrilling performances by today’s finest Early Music artists.
Our membership organization, the FRIENDS OF THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL, includes donors from around the world. These individuals recognize the Festival’s need for further financial support in order to fulfill its aim of serving as a showcase for the finest talent in the field.
PLEASE JOIN THE FRIENDS OF THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL BY DONATING AT ONE OF SEVERAL LEVELS:
• Friend
$45
• Partner $100
• Associate $250
• Patron $500
• Guarantor $1,000
• Benefactor $2,500
• Leadership Circle $5,000
• Artistic Director’s Circle $10,000
• Festival Angel $25,000
THREE WAYS TO GIVE:
• Visit BEMF.org and click on “Give Now”.
• Call BEMF at 617-661-1812 to donate by telephone using your credit card
• Mail your credit card information or a check (payable to BEMF) to Boston Early Music Festival, 43 Thorndike Street, Suite 302, Cambridge, MA 02141-1764
OTHER WAYS TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT:
• Increase your philanthropic impact with a Matching Gift from your employer.
• Make a gift of appreciated stocks or bonds to BEMF.
• Planned Giving allows you to support BEMF in perpetuity while achieving your financial goals.
• Direct your gift to a particular area that interests you with a Named Gift.
QUESTIONS? Please e-mail Kathleen Fay at kathy@bemf.org, or call the BEMF office at 617-661-1812. Thank you for your support!
This list reflects donations received from June 1, 2023 to March 25, 2025
($25,000 or more)
Anonymous (2)
Bernice K. Chen
Brit d’Arbeloff
Peter L. Faber
David Halstead & Jay Santos
George L. Hardman
Glenn A. KnicKrehm
Jeffrey G. Mora, in memory of Wendy Fuller-Mora
Miles Morgan†
Lorna E. Oleck
Susan L. Robinson
Andrew Sigel
Joan Margot Smith
Piroska Soos†
Donald E. Vaughan & Lee S. Ridgway
Marilee Wheeler Trust
($10,000 or more)
Anonymous (4)
Katie & Paul Buttenwieser
Susan Denison
Tony Elitcher & Andrea Taras
Marie-Pierre & Michael Ellmann
Jean Fuller Farrington
Lori Fay & Christopher Cherry
Clare M. S. Fewtrell†
James A. Glazier
Donald Peter Goldstein, M.D., in memory of Constance Kellert Goldstein
Ellen T. & John T. Harris
Barbara & Amos Hostetter
David M. Kozak & Anne Pistell, in memory of their parents
Robert E. Kulp, Jr., in memory of James Nicolson, Miles Morgan & Ned Kellogg
Mr. & Mrs. Thomas G. MacCracken
Heather Mac Donald & Erich Eichman
Bill McJohn
Joanne Zervas Sattley
David Scudder, in memory of Marie Louise Scudder
Karen Tenney & Thomas Loring
Maria van Kalken & Hal Winslow
Christoph Wolff
($5,000 or more)
Anonymous (2)
Diane & John Paul Britton
Beth Brown, in memory of Walter R.J. Brown
Gregory E. Bulger & Richard J. Dix
Peter & Katie DeWolf
Susan Donaldson
Kathleen Fay, in memory of Dorothy Ryan Fay
John Felton & Marty Gottron, in honor of Paul O’Dette
Mei-Fung Kerley, in memory of Ted Chen
Alan M. King
Harriet Lindblom, in memory of Daniel Lindblom
Victor & Ruth McElheny
Bettina A. Norton
Harold I. Pratt
Kenneth C. Ritchie & Paul T. Schmidt
Nina & Timothy Rose
($2,500 or more)
Anonymous (4)
Annemarie Altman
Dr. Alan & Mrs. Fiona Brener
Douglas M. & Aviva A. Brooks
Amy Brown & Brian Carr
Carla Chrisfield & Benjamin D. Weiss
Jeffrey Del Papa
David Emery & Olimpia Velez
Phillip Hanvy
Dr. Peter Libby, in memory of Dr. Beryl Benacerraf
Lawrence & Susan Liden
John S. Major & Valerie Steele
Rebecca Nemser, in memory of Paul Nemser
Brian Pfeiffer
Paul Rabin & Arlene Snyder
Catherine & Phil Saines, in honor of Barbara K. Wheaton
Paul L. Sapienza, PC CPA
Raymond A. & Marilyn Smith
Richard K. & Kerala J. Snyder
Adrian & Michelle Touw
Will & Alexandra Watkins
Allan & Joann Winkler
Ellen & Arnold Zetcher
($1,000 or more)
Anonymous (11)
A.M. Askew
Ann Beha & Robert Radloff
Mary Briggs & John Krzywicki
The Honorable Leonie M. Brinkema & Mr. John R. Brinkema
Pamela & Lee Bromberg
James Burr
Betty Canick
John A. Carey
Robert & Elizabeth Carroll
David J. Chavolla
Bernice Chen & Mimi Kerley, in memory of Ted Chen
Peter S. Coleman
Dr. & Mrs. Franklyn Commisso
Mary Cowden
Geoffrey Craddock
Richard & Constance Culley
Belden & Pamela Daniels
Mary Deissler
Carl E. Dettman
John W. Ehrlich
Charles & Elizabeth Emerson
Claire Fontijn, in memory of Arthur Fontijn & Sylvia Elvin
Bruce A. Garetz
Alexander Garthwaite
Sarah M. Gates
George & Marla Gearhart
Dr. Robert L. Harris
Rebecca & Ronald Harris-Warrick
H. Jan & Ruth H. Heespelink
Michael Herz & Jean Roiphe
James & Ina Heup
Jessica Honigberg
Jane Hoover
Thomas M. Hout & Sonja Ellingson Hout
Jean & Alex Humez
Thomas F. Kelly & Peggy Badenhausen
Barry D. Kernfeld & Sally A. McMurry
Art & Linda Kingdon
Fran & Tom Knight
Neal & Catherine Konstantin
Kathryn Mary Kucharski
Robert & Mary La Porte
Amelia J. LeClair & Garrow Throop
John Leen & Eileen Koven
Mark & Mary Lunsford
MAFAA
William & Joan Magretta
Carol Marsh
David McCarthy & John Kolody
Amy & Brian McCreath
Michael P. McDonald
Keith Ohmart & Helen Chen
Louise Oremland
Richard & Julia Osborne
Neal J. Plotkin & Deborah Malamud
Gene & Margaret Pokorny
Amanda & Melvyn Pond, in honor of everything that BEMF does
Tracy Powers
Susan Pundt
Christa Rakich & Janis Milroy
Alice Robbins & Walter Denny
Arthur & Elaine Robins
Sue Robinson
Jose M. Rodriguez & Richard A. Duffy
Patsy Rogers
Lois Rosow
Michael & Karen Rotenberg
Carlton & Lorna Russell
Kevin Ryan & Ozerk Gogus, in memory of Dorothy Fay
Lynne & Ralph Schatz
Susan Schuur
Wendy Shattuck & Sam Plimpton
Laila Awar Shouhayib
Cynthia Siebert
Elizabeth Snow
Murray & Hazel Somerville
Catherine & Keith Stevenson
Paola Stone, in memory of Edmondo Malanotte
Theresa & Charles Stone
Carl Swanson
Lisa Teot
Paula & Peter Tyack
Reed & Peggy Ueda
Louella Krueger Ward, in memory of Dr. Alan J. Ward, PhD, ABPP
Peter J. Wender
($500 or more)
Anonymous (3)
Morton Abromson & Joan Nissman
Judy & Thomas Allen
Nicholas Altenbernd
Brian P. & Debra K. S. Anderson
Eric Hall Anderson
Louise Basbas
William & Ann Bein
Michael & Sheila Berke
Susan Bromley
Julie Brown & Zachary Morowitz
Robert Burger
Frederick Byron
John Campbell & Susanna Peyton
Anne Chalmers & Holly Gunner
Mary Chamberlain
JoAnne Chernow
Joseph Connors
David Cooke
Elizabeth & David Cregger
Eric & Margaret Darling
Kathryn Disney
Ellen Dokton & Stephen Schmidt
Ross Duffin & Beverly Simmons, in honor of Kathleen Fay
Austin & Eileen Farrar
Mary Fillman & Mary Otis Stevens
Martin & Kathleen Fogle
Elizabeth French
Jonathan Friedes & Qian Huang
Fred & Barbara Gable
Sandy Gadsby & Nancy Brown
David & Harriet Griesinger
Laury Gutierrez & Elsa Gelin
Joan E. Hartman
Catherine & John Henn
Ian Hinchliffe & Marjorie Shapiro
Phyllis Hoffman
Wayne & Laurell Huber
Charles Bowditch Hunter
Jean Jackson, in memory of Louis Kampf
Paul & Alice Johnson
Richard Johnson & Annmarie Linnane
Robin Johnson
Patrick G. Jordan
Barbara & Paul Krieger
Tom & Kate Kush, in honor of Michael Ellmann
Frederick V. Lawrence, in memory of Rosemarie Maag Lawrence
Susan Lewinnek
Catherine Liddell
Roger & Susan Lipsey
James Liu & Alexandra Bowers
Mary Maarbjerg
Quinn MacKenzie
Marietta Marchitelli
Carol & Pedro Martinez
Anne H. Matthews
June Matthews
Marilyn Miller
Ray Mitzel
Nancy Morgenstern, in memory of
William & Marjorie Pressman
Alan & Kathy Muirhead
Robert Neer & Ann Eldridge
Clara M. & John S. O’Shea
Richard† & Lois Pace, in honor of Peter Faber
William J. Pananos
Henry Paulus
David & Beth Pendery
Joseph L. Pennacchio
Phillip Petree
Hon. W. Glen Pierson & Hon. Charles P. Reed
Martha J. Radford
Mahadev & Ambika Raman
Sandy Reismann & Dr. Nanu Brates
Michael Rogan & Hugh Wilburn
Ellen Rosand
Rusty Russell, in memory of Alan Durfee
Cheryl K. Ryder
David Schneider & Klára Móricz
Richard Schroeder & Dr. Jane Burns
Charles & Mary Ann Schultz
Harvey A. Silverglate, in memory of Elsa Dorfman
Mark Slotkin
Lynne Spencer
Louisa C. Spottswood
Ted St. Antoine
Ann Stewart
Ronald W. Stoia
David & Jean Stout, in honor of Kathy Fay
Ralph & Jeanine Swick, in memory of Alan & Judie Kotok
Douglas L. Teich, M.D.
Mark S. Thurber & Susan M. Galli
John & Dorothy Truman
Richard Urena
Patrick Wallace & Laurie McNeil
Robert Warren
Thomas & LeRose Weikert
Polly Wheat & John Cole
Scott & Barbara Winkler
Kathleen Wittman & Melanie Andrade, in memory of John Wittman
Beverly Woodward & Paul Monsky
ASSOCIATES
($250 or more)
Anonymous (13)
Jonathan B. Aibel & Julie I. Rohwein, in honor of James Glazier
Elizabeth Alexander
Julie Andrijeski & J. Tracy Mortimore
Carl Baker & Susan Haynes
Tim Barber & Joel Krajewski
Lawrence Bell
Helen Benham
Susan Benua
Noel & Paula Berggren
Barbara R. Bishop
Wes Bockley & Amy Markus
Deborah Boldin & Gabriel Rice
James Bowman
David Breitman & Kathryn Stuart
C. Anthony Broh & Jennifer L. Hochschild
David C. Brown
Darcy Lynn Campbell
Joseph Cantey
Peter Charig & Amy Briemer
Floyd & Aleeta Christian
Daniel Church & Roger Cuevas
John K. Clark & Judith M. Stoughton
Sherryl & Gerard Cohen
Derek Cottier & Lauren Tilly
Tekla Cunningham & David Sawyer
Warren R. Cutler
Leigh Deacon
William Depeter
Michael DiSabatino, in honor of Nancy Olson
Charles & Sheila Donahue
Alan Durfee†
Chuck Epstein & Melia Bensussen
The Rev’d Richard Fabian
Lila M. Farrar
Gregg, Abby & Max Feigelson
Charles Fisk
Fred Franklin, in memory of Kaaren Grimstad
Gisela & Ronald Geiger
Monica & David Gerber
The Graver Family
Mary Greer
Thomas H. & Lori B. Griswold
Sonia Guterman, in memory of Martin Guterman
Dr. Joanna Haas
Eric & Dee Hansen
Deborah Haraldson
Rebecca & Richard Hawkins
Diane Hellens
Katherine A. Hesse
David Hoglund
Amy & Seamus Hourihan
Keith L. & Catherine B. Hughes
Francesco Iachello
Chris & Klavs Jensen
Michele Jerison
Kathleen O’Dea Kelly
David P. Kiaunis
Robert L. Kleinberg
Forrest Knowles
Jay Carlton Kuhn, Jr.
Christopher Larossa
Jasper Lawson
David A. Leach & Laurie J. LaChapelle
William Leitch
Rob & Mary Joan Leith
Robert & Janice Locke
William Loutrel & Thomas Fynan
Sally Mayer
Donna McCampbell
Anne McCants
Andrew Modest & Beth Arndtsen
Stephen Moody
Agatha Morrell
Gene Murrow
Michael J. Normile
Nancy Nuzzo
Nancy Olson
Eugene Papa
Jane P. Papa
John Parisi
Susan Pettee & Michael Wise
Elizabeth V. Phillips
Stephen Poteet
Anne & François Poulet
Lawrence Pratt & Rosalind Forber
Brandon Qualls
Virginia Raguin, in honor of Kathy Fay
Julia M. Reade & Robert A. Duncan
Rodney J. Regier
David Rehm
Hadley & Jeannette Reynolds
Marge Roberts
Paul Rutz
Susan Sargent
Richard L. Schmeidler
Miriam N. Seltzer
Mr. Terry Shea & Dr. Seigo Nakao
Jacob & Lisa Skowronek
David Snead & Kate Prescott
Jon Solins & Mary Peterson
Jeffrey Soucy
Victoria Sujata
Jonathan Swartz
Ken & Margo Taylor
Kenneth P. Taylor
Elizabeth Trumpler, in memory of Donald Trumpler
Peter & Kathleen Van Demark
Robert Viarengo
Robert & Therese Wagenknecht
Juanita H. Wetherell
Sarah Whittaker
Susan Wyatt
J. Yavarkovsky & C. Lowe
The Zucker Family
($100 or more)
Anonymous (11)
Anonymous, in memory of Dorothy Ryan Fay
Anonymous, in memory of Thomas Roney
Vilde Aaslid
Anne Acker
Joseph Aieta III
Mr. Neale Ainsfield & Dr. Donna Sieckmann
Joanne Algarin
Druid Errant D.T. Allan-Gorey
Ken Allen
Gene Arnould
Neil R. Ayer, Jr. & Linda Ayer
Susan P. Bachelder
Judith Bairstow
Eric & Rebecca Bank
Dr. David Barnert & Julie Raskin
Rev. & Mrs. Joseph Bassett
Alan Bates & Michele Mandrioli
Elaine Beilin
Alan Benenfeld
Judith Bergson
Larry & Sara Mae Berman
John Birks
Sarah Bixler & Christopher Tonkin
Katharine C. Black
Moisha Blechman
Dan Bloomberg & Irene Beardsley
Claire Bonfilio
Louise Bourgault
Sally & Charlie Boynton
Sibel Bozdogan
James Bradley
Joel Bresler
Andrew Brethauer
Derick & Jennifer Brinkerhoff
Catherine & Hillel Shahan Bromberg
David L. Brown
Lawrence Brown
Margaret H. Brown
John H. Burkhalter III
Judi Burten, in memory of Phoebe Larkey
William Carroll
Bonnie & Walter Carter
Verne & Madeline Caviness
Robert B. Christian
Deborah J. Cohen
Carol & Alex Collier
Anne Conner
Peter B. Cook
Robert B. Crane
Martina Crocker
Katherine Crosier, in memory of Carl C. Crosier
Gray F. Crouse
Donna Cubit-Swoyer
Alicia Curtis & Kathy Pratt
Ruta Daugela
Carl & May Daw
Jim Diamond
Deborah & Forrest Dillon
Paul Doerr
Tamar & Jeremy Kaim Doniger
Ben Dunham & Wendy Rolfe-Dunham
John Dunton & Carol McKeen
Peter A. Durfee & Peter G. Manson
Michael Durgin, in memory of Lisle Kulbach
Jane Edwards
Mark Elenko
Thomas Engel
Anne Engelhart & Douglas Durant
David English
Jake Esher
Marilyn Farwell
Margot Fassler
Ellen Feingold
Grace A. Feldman, in honor of Bernice Chen
Annette Fern
Janet G. Fink
Carol L. Fishman
Dr. Jonathan Florman
Howard C. Floyd
Gary Freeman
Marica & Jeff Freyman
Friends
Michael Gannon
R. Andrew Garthwaite
Stephen L. Gencarello
William Glenn
Tom Golden
The Goldsmith Family
Lisa Goldstein
Nancy L. Graham
Lorraine & William Graves
Winifred Gray
Judith Green & James Kurtz
Deborah Grose
John Gruver & Lynn Tilley
Peter F. Gustafson
Eric Haas, in memory of Janet Haas
Richard & Les Hadsell
Tunie Hamlen
Suzanne & Easley Hamner
Judith & Patrick Hanlon
Joyce Hannan
David J. Harris, MD
Sam & Barbara Hayes
Karin Hemmingsen
Marie C. Henderson, in memory of A. Brandt Henderson
Rebecca Henderson
Roderick J. Holland
Jackie Horne
Valerie Horst & Benjamin Peck
John Hsia
Judith & Alan Hudson
Constance Huff
Joe Hunter & Esther Schlorholtz
Susan L. Jackson
Karen Johansen & Gardner Hendrie
M.P. Johnson
Tim Johnson, in memory of Bill Gasperini
Judith L. Johnston & Bruce L. Bush, in memory of Daniel Lindblom
David K. Jordan
Marietta B. Joseph
George Kaminsky
David Keating
Thomas Keirstead
Mr. & Mrs. Seamus C. Kelly
Louis & Susan Kern
Joseph J. Kesselman, Jr.
Holly Ketron
Leslie & Kimberly King
Maryanne King
Pat Kline
Valerie & Karl KnicKrehm
George Kocur
Leslie Kooyman
Valerie Krall
Ellen Kranzer
Benjamin Krepp & Virginia Webb
Robert W. Kruszyna
Peter A. Lans
Claire Laporte
Bruce Larkin & Donna Jarlenski
Diana Larsen
Joanne & Carl Leaman
Alison Leslie
Drs. Sidney & Lynne Levitsky
Ellen R. Lewis
Laura Loehr
Sandra & David Lyons
Desmarest Lloyd MacDonald, in memory of Ned Kellogg
Dr. Bruce C. MacIntyre
Louise Malcolm, in memory of W. David Malcolm, Jr.
Jeffrey & Barbara Mandula
Anna Mansbridge
Robert Marshall
Timothy Masters
Dr. Arnold Matlin & Dr. Margaret Matlin, Ph.D.
Mary McCallum
Lee McClelland
Heidi & George McEvoy
George McKee
Dave & Jeannette McLellan
Cynthia Merritt
Susan Metz, in memory of Gerald Metz
Eiji Miki†
Marg Miller
Nicolas Minutillo
Rosalind Mohnsen
David Montanari & Sara Rubin
Michael J. Moran, in memory of Francis D. & Marcella A. Moran
Stefanie Moritz
Rodney & Barbara Myrvaagnes
Debra Nagy, in honor of Kathy Fay
Cindy K. Neels
Arthur & Charlotte Ness, in memory of Ingolf Dahl
Nancy Nicholson
Jeffrey Nicolich
Caroline Niemira
Lee Nunley
Leslie Nyman
Michael & Jan Orlansky
Patricia T. Owen
David & Claire Oxtoby
John R. Palys
Theodore Parent, in memory of Ruth Parent
Susan Patrick, in memory of Don Partridge
Jonah Pearl
Elizabeth Pearson-Griffiths
John Percy
John Petrowsky
Bici Pettit-Barron
Susan Porter & Robert Kauffman
Thomas & Barbara Prescott
Klaus & Andrea Radebold
George Raff
Deborah M. Reisman
Melissa Rice
Dennis & Anne Rogers
Sherry & William Rogers
Stephanie L. Rosenbaum
Paul Rosenberg & Harriet Moss
Peter & Linda Rubenstein
Charlotte Rutherfurd
Patricia & Roger Samuel
Mike Scanlon
Robert & Barbara Schneider
Clem Schoenebeck, in memory of Bill Schoenebeck
R. Scholz & M. Kempers
Lynn & Mary Schultz
Michael Schwartz
Alison M. Scott
David Sears
Jean Seiler
David Seitz & Katie Manty
Aaron Sheehan & Adam Pearl
Michael Sherer
Kathy Sherrick
Susan Shimp
Rena & Michael Silevitch
Hana Sittler
John & Carolyn Skelton
Elliott Smith & Wendy Gilmore
Jennifer Farley Smith & Sam Rubin
Richard Snow
William & Barbara Sommerfield
Scott Sprinzen
Gail St. Onge
Esther & Daniel Steinhauer
Barbara Strizhak, in memory of Elliott Strizhak
Richard Stumpf
Margaret Sulanowska, in memory of Jacek Sulanowski
Robert G. Sullivan & Meriem Pages
Richard Tarrant
John & Barbara Tatum
Lisa Terry
Meghan K. Titzer
Janet Todaro, in honor of Kathy Fay
Edward P. Todd
Peter Townsend
Pierre Trepagnier & Louise Mundinger
Carol Tsang
Ruth W. Tucker
Konstantin & Kirsten Tyurin
Barbara & John VanScoyoc
Richard & Virginia von Rueden
Susan Walters
Cheryl S. Weinstein
The Westner Family
The Rev. Roger B. White, in memory of Joseph P. Hough
John C. Wiecking
Susan & Thomas Wilkes
David L. Williamson
Phyllis S. Wilner
John Wolff & Helen Berger
Paulette York & Richard Borts
David Yutzler
Ellen L. Ziskind
Lawrence Zukof & Pamela Carley
($45 or more)
Anonymous (4)
Anonymous, in memory of Cheryl Parkhurst
Claudia Amodeo & Roberto Collao
Maja Anderson
Anne Azéma & Joel Cohen
Antonia L. Banducci
Lois Banta
Douglas Baskett
Iris Bass
J. Robert Beatty
Leslie Becker & William Loomis
Michael & Susan Bennett
Lawrence Berman
Martha Birnbaum
John Bishop
Judith Mary Bloomgarden
Dr. Emile L. Boulpaep, in memory of Elisabeth Boulpaep
Rhys Bowen & Rebecca Snow
Todd A. Breitbart
Margaret Brewer
Edgar Bridwell
Jane K. Brown
Caroline A. Bruzelius
Carolyn Bryant-Sarles
John Caldwell
Shannon Canavin & Kevin Goodrich
Nancy L. Cantelmo
R. Cassels-Brown
Joan Christison-Lagay
Walter Collins
Virginia Hammond Conmy & Family, in memory of Thomas Kemper Roney
Jeanne Conner
Jane Connolly
Marjorie & Andrew Cooke
Steve & Suzanne Cooper
Elizabeth Cousins
Francine Crawford
David Cronin
Mary & Jeremy Curtis
William David Curtis
Robert Dennis
Sarah Dillon & Peter Kantor
David Doolittle
Diane L. Droste
Wendy Ebeling
Jan Elliott
Jane & Robert Evans
Noel Fagan, in honor of Amy Fagan
Russel Feldman & Anne Kane
Martha Ferko
Katherine Fick
Helaine Fingold
Frances Conover Fitch
Louise Forrest-Bowes
Edward W. Freedman
Robert Freeman
Cameron Freer
Joseph Gaken
Hans Gesell
Joseph Grafwallner
Peter Hainer
Jimmy Hamamoto
Margaret Hanley
Laurence Hannan
Charles Haverty & Alexandra Glucksmann
Donatus Hayes
Christopher Heigham
Marie C. Henson
Martin Herbordt
Carole Hilton
Kalon Ho
Patricia G. Hoffman
Margaret Hornick
Jay Jacobson
Dian Kahn
Lynn Kearny
Kevin Kellogg
Suzanne Berger Keniston
David & Alice Kidder
John N. Kirk
Jim & Claudette Klimes, in memory of Tom Roney
Dean Kolbas
Betty Landesman
Jane Lappin
Charles E. Larmore
Normand & Margaret LeBlanc
Fred Lemmons
Liz Loveland
Ky Lowenhaupt & Daniel Sullivan
Ted Macdonald & Yuan Wang
Elizabeth McNab
Dennis Lee Milford
Kathleen Moore
Martha Morton
Peter & Mary Muncie
Prof. Myrna Nachman
Jennie Needleman
Avi Nelson
John & Marianne Nelson
Paul Neuhauser
Ruth Nisse
Stephen H. Owades
Gene & Cheryl Pace
William Packard
Dr. Lewis J. Patsavos
Ruth Peacock
Rebecca Pechefsky & Erik Ryding
Britta Pennypacker, in memory of Hella Benge
Andrea Phan
Pamela Posey
Marian Rambelle
Professor Julia Williams Robinson
Martha Ronish
Lisa & Gary Rucinski
Freda Salatino
Gregory Salzman
William Schaefer
Raymond Schneider
Karl-Heinz Schoeps-Jensen
Peter Schulz
Peter Schuntermann
Kathryn Scott
Deborah Shulman
Susan & Joseph Silverman
Linda Simpson
Carol Steinberg
Jean Stewart
Katie Stewart, in memory of Thomas K. Roney
Rita Teusch
Nicoleta Theodosiou
Michael Thompson
JoAnn Udovich
Sonia Wallenberg
John Wand
Phil & Mary Warbasse
Kincade & Elizabeth Webb
Esther Weinstein
Bob & Binney Wells
Joe Winn
Mary Beth Winn
Robin Zora † deceased
Anonymous (2)
Aequa Foundation
American Endowment Foundation
Appleby Charitable Foundation
Applied Technology Investors
BNY Mellon Charitable Gift Fund
Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund
The Barrington Foundation, Inc.
The Bel-Ami Foundation
The Boston Foundation
Boston Private Bank & Trust Company
Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, Inc.
Gregory E. Bulger Foundation
Burns & Levinson LLP
The Catherine and Paul Buttenwieser Foundation
Cabot Family Charitable Trust
Cambridge Community Foundation
Cambridge Trust Company
Cedar Tree Foundation
Cembaloworks of Washington
City of Cambridge
The Columbus Foundation
Combined Jewish Philanthropies
Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
Connecticut Community Foundation
Constellation Charitable Foundation
The Fannie Cox Foundation
The Crawford Foundation
CRB Classical 99.5, a GBH station
Daffy Charitable Fund
The Dusky Fund at Essex County Community Foundation
Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation
Fidelity Charitable
Fiduciary Trust Charitable
French Cultural Center / Alliance Française of Boston
Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation
GlaxoSmithKline Foundation
Goethe-Institut Boston
The Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund
The Florence Gould Foundation
GTC Law Group
Haber Family Charitable Foundation
Hausman Family Charitable Trust
The High Meadow Foundation
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
The Isaacson-Draper Foundation
The Richard and Natalie Jacoff Foundation, Inc.
Jewish Communal Fund
Key Biscayne Community Foundation
Konstantin Family Foundation
Maine Community Foundation
Makromed, Inc.
Massachusetts Cultural Council
Mastwood Foundation
MLE Foundation, Inc.
Morgan Stanley
National Endowment for the Arts
Newstead Foundation
Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation
The Packard Humanities Institute
Plimpton-Shattuck Fund at The Boston Foundation
The Mattina R. Proctor Foundation
REALOGY Corporation
Renaissance Charitable
The Saffeir Family Fund of the Maine Community Foundation
David Schneider & Klára Móricz Fund at Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
Schwab Charitable
Scofield Auctions, Inc.
The Seattle Foundation
Shalon Fund
Kathy & Alexander Silbiger Fund of the Triangle Community Foundation
TIAA Charitable Giving Fund Program
The Trust for Mutual Understanding
The Tzedekah Fund at Combined Jewish Philanthropies
The Upland Farm Fund
U.S. Small Business Administration
U.S. Trust/Bank of America
Private Wealth Management
Vanguard Charitable
Walker Family Trust at Fidelity Charitable
Archie D. & Bertha H. Walker Foundation
Marian M. Warden Fund of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities
The Windover Foundation
Women On The Move LLC
21st Century Fox
Allegro MicroSystems
Amazon Smile
AmFam
Analog Devices
Aspect Global
Automatic Data Processing, Inc.
Biogen
Carrier Global
Dell, Inc.
Exelon Foundation
FleetBoston Financial Corporation
Genentech, Inc.
Grantham, Mayo, van Otterloo & Co. LLC
John Hancock Financial Services, Inc.
Community Gifts Through Harvard University
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
IBM Corporation
Intel Foundation
Investment Technology Group, Inc. (ITG)
Microsoft Corporation
Natixis Global Asset Management
Novartis US Foundation
NVIDIA
Pfizer
Pitney Bowes
Salesforce.org
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Takeda
Tetra Tech
United Technologies Corporation
Verizon Foundation
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Xerox Foundation
The virtuous Empress Octavia is betrayed by her increasingly erratic husband, Nero, putting all of Rome on the brink of rebellion in Keiser’s monumental work for the famed Hamburg Opera in 1705.