New Musical Organization Announces the First Annual Burlington Baroque Festival, September 26-29, 2024
Burlington Baroque presents five performances featuring internationally-acclaimed festival Artists-in-Residence L’Harmonie des saisons Baroque Orchestra, with the Burlington Baroque Festival Singers.
Burlington, VT — Burlington Baroque, a new musical organization founded and directed by Eric Milnes, announces the first annual Burlington Baroque Festival featuring the Montréal-based period instrument orchestra, L’Harmonie des saisons, internationally-acclaimed vocal soloists, and the Festival Singers. The festival concerts will all take place at The Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington, from September 26-29, 2024.
“We are delighted to share with our community the great repertoire of the Baroque period presented in an informed style and with the historical instruments which were intended by the composers, offering listeners a rare occasion to experience this incredible music anew – and from a fresh perspective. The opportunity to introduce Burlington to one of North America’s most acclaimed baroque orchestras, and to invite Vermont singers as collaborators in this new initiative, is something about which I am very excited,” said Milnes, founder and Artistic Director of Burlington Baroque.
The Festival will present sixty artists hailing from Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Quebec City, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Rochester, Cleveland, Chile, France, Spain, Bolivia, and all across Vermont, performing twelve masterworks by seven composers.
The Burlington Baroque Festival Singers are an auditioned vocal ensemble of Vermonters who share a particular passion for early music and historical performance style. The Festival Singers have been constituted by Burlington Baroque specifically for the purpose of collaborations with Ensemble-in-Residence L’Harmonie des saisons. In March of 2024, The Festival Singers presented their debut with the ensemble, a sold-out performance of J. S. Bach’s monumental St. John Passion. The festival in September will present an exciting further opportunity for this international collaboration.
“We are privileged to bring the beauty and richness of Baroque music to the Green Mountain State,” said Laura Labrie, Burlington Baroque’s Executive Director. “Burlington Baroque is excited to offer an opportunity to assemble artists from across North America and Europe in the pursuit of presenting exceptional music in an authentic, informed manner, with an emphasis on the dramatic! Burlington audiences have shown that they recognize and appreciate the difference in our style of music-making.”
The Festival Program will include:
Thursday, September 26, 7:30 p.m.
Claudio Monteverdi: Vespers of 1610
Performed as Monteverdi first conceived it – for one-on-a-part solo singers and an ensemble of historical instruments – a rare opportunity to experience the work in this way.
Friday, September 27, 7:30 p.m.
George Frideric Handel: Acis & Galatea, A Masque in Two Acts (concert performance).
A delightful, pastoral musical drama performed in concert style without losing any of the theatrics – featuring international soloists and the Festival Singers.
Saturday, September 28, 2:00 p.m.
Beatles Baroque!
Eric Milnes’ internationally critically-acclaimed arrangements for Baroque ensemble and vocalists. Hear the music of Lennon & McCartney in a unique and remarkable way – audience participation will be invited!
Saturday, September 28, 7:30 p.m.
Concerti Stravaganza!
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Four Violins in B minor
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Baroque Guitar in D Major
Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Two Cellos in G minor
George Frideric Handel: Concerto for Harp in Bb Major
Alessandro Marcello: Concerto for Oboe in D minor
S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #2
The members of the L’Harmonie des saisons Baroque Orchestra display their virtuoso talents in this brilliant program of baroque concerto favorites.
Sunday, September 29, 4:00 p.m.
Festive Music of Johann Sebastian Bach
Magnificat in D Major
Brandenburg Concertos #4 and #5
Piéce d’orgue – Fantasie in G Major
Brilliantly celebratory works by Bach close the Festival with a bang, featuring international soloists and the Festival Singers.
For more information, visit Burlington Baroque.
For tickets, please visit Seven Days Tickets.
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About Burlington Baroque
Burlington Baroque was founded in 2024 to present concerts of historically informed performance to Burlington, Vermont and its region. Performances feature Montréal’s critically-acclaimed period-instrument orchestra L’Harmonie des saisons, vocal soloists of international distinction, and The Burlington Baroque Festival Singers, a select ensemble of vocalists from across the state of Vermont, which has been constituted specifically to collaborate on Burlington Baroque projects.
MEDIA CONTACT
Alexandra Tursi
Cultivate
alex@cultivatepr.co
802.777.6737