Performance
Taylor Johnston Early Music Series
Virtuoso guest artists from around the world perform Renaissance and Baroque music in concerts you won’t hear anywhere else in this area. The intimate setting of Fairchild Theatre is home to this exceptional annual series.
This series is generously sponsored by the Taylor Johnston Early Music Series Endowment established by Taylor Johnston.
Click here for details and tickets to these and other upcoming early music concerts.
2023–2024 Season Performances
“The Feast of the Swan,” Cappella Pratensis and the Sollazzo Ensemble
10/17 Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium $$
Two world-class ensembles join forces to recreate “The Feast of the Swan,” a vocal and instrumental celebration of music from the early 16th century. The feast recalls the Zwanenbroeders, a pious lay organization in the southern Dutch city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch (colloquially known as Den Bosch), who annually hosted grand banquets where one or more swans (a rare delicacy) were on the menu. Bringing the music from these feasts to life are Cappella Pratensis, a choral ensemble of more than a dozen singers that regularly perform at international festivals and venues in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Portugal, Germany, and the United States. They are joined by Sollazzo Ensemble, a mix of singers and instrumentalists well known for their highly expressive delivery of repertoire from late Medieval and early Renaissance eras.
“Bach and Before,” Ars Musica Chicago
11/3 Friday, 8:00 p.m.
Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium $$
Ars Musica Chicago is an ensemble that explores groundbreaking works, from the stylus phantasticus trio sonatas of Buxtehude to delectable character pieces by Couperin. In this performance, they focus on J. S. Bach who lived during one of the most dynamic and innovative periods in Western musical history. Repertoire will include pieces by Bach and some of the influential forebears and illustrious contemporaries whose works he heard, studied, and deeply admired. ARTISTS: Hannah De Priest, soprano; Adriane Post, Baroque violin; Anna Steinhoff, viola da gamba; Brandon Acker, archlute; Jason J. Moy, harpsichord.
“Virtuosa,” Infusion Baroque
2/20 Tuesday, 7:30 p.m.
Fairchild Theatre, MSU Auditorium $$
The four women of Infusion Baroque enthrall early music audiences through a truly captivating concert experience, deftly combining seasoned musicianship with theatrical elements. “Virtuosa” celebrates the talent and prowess of women composers and performers of the 17th and 18th centuries such as Ana Bon, Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, Barbara Strozzi, and others. ARTISTS: Alexa Raine-Wright, Baroque flute and recorder; Sallynee Amawat, Baroque violin; Andrea Stewart, Baroque cello; Rona Nadler, harpsichord.
In remembrance of Dr. Taylor Johnston, the College of Music would like to recognize his vision, passion and support for underwriting the Early Music Series.
