Saint Cecilia, patron saint of musicians, poets, composers and instrument builders, is celebrated on her feast day through the creation of a pastiche ode in her honor. On November 22, 1683, musicians and music lovers of The Musical Society of London started an annual tradition of commemorating Cecilia through newly composed works, with Henry Purcell’s Welcome to all the pleasures headlining the first festival. Purcell’s best known Cecilian ode, Hail! Bright Cecilia (1692), used a libretto from the Irishman Nicholas Brady, who in turn had reworked John Dryden’s poem A Song for St. Cecilia’s Day. Handel’s own cantata Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day (1739) continued in this tradition, returning to this same poem half a century later. Music by Purcell, Handel, Blow, Eccles, and Festing. 

Guest Artists:

Sonya Headlam, soprano
Carmen Lavada Johnson-Pájaro, violin
Ravenna Lipchik, violin

Beware the Ides of March! Repast curates the story of Julius Caesar through the instrumental music of George Frideric Handel and the 1908 silent film Julius Caesar from Brooklyn's own Vitagraph Company of America. Telling tales of Shakespeare, Repast pairs Handel's music with three other films produced in New York City's maverick movie scene (1908-1910). Guest artist Margaret Owens joins Repast on oboe and recorder for an unforgettable pairing of music and New York film history. 

Guest Artist:

Margaret Owens, oboe and recorder

Opening with the famous final scene from Dido and Aeneas, where Dido states, ‘Remember me! but ah! forget my fate’ as roses are scattered over her tomb, Repast’s Rosalia memorializes remembrance. Rosalia, the Roman festival of roses, was a day of rose adornment on the tombs of the dead as mourners reflected on the ways of their ancestors via ‘mos maiorum.’ Roses and violets, the flowers of the Elysian Fields, symbolized rejuvenation, rebirth, and memory, even as their red-to-purple color, ‘purpureus,’ evoked blood and bruising in the epic poetry of Virgil. The madrigal Doulce memoire (Sweet Memories), a often-copied pop song of the 17th century, serves as a joyful farewell — this program acts like a memorial service for listeners to remember loved ones. Music by Henry Purcell, Isabella Leonarda, Barbara Strozzi, Marieta Prioli, Pierre Sandrin, Diego Ortiz, Albert de Rippe, and Hernando de Cabezón. 

Guest Artists:

Margot Rood, soprano
Rebecca Nelson, violin
Adam Cockerham, theorbo