VIDEO SPOTLIGHT
Superstar soprano Amanda Forsythe sings the aria “Tönt in seinen Lobgesang” from George Philipp Telemann's cantata Ino, recorded LIVE in Boston in November 2021. Our studio recording of Ino has been shortlisted in the Voice & Ensemble category of the 2025 Gramophone Classical Music Awards!
Amanda Forsythe returns to BEMF this October alongside Opera Prima and Director Cristiano Contadin for a sparkling program of music exploring the Galant style, Friday, October 17 in Boston and streaming virtually October 31 to November 14.
"Arguably the most important and influential
Early Music event in the world." —BBC Radio 3
25/26 Season NOW ON SALE!
Secure your seats for our 25/26 Season starting this fall! BEMF has assembled some of the finest artists and ensembles from around the world to bring you the most captivating in-person AND virtual performances. Secure your seats for concerts featuring Jordi Savall, Paul O'Dette, The Tallis Scholars, Philippe Jaroussky, and more!
Opera Prima: October 17
Our 25/26 Season opens with the return of Opera Prima with magnificent soprano Amanda Forsythe. Join them in Boston for an exploration of the Galant style that swept across Europe in the middle of the 18th century.
Stile Antico: November 7
BEMF favorites Stile Antico celebrate the undisputed master of the style which gives the group its name: Palestrina. Explore the music he would have sung himself in the Sistine Chapel, his adaptations to the Counter-Reformation, his tragic personal life, and his lasting influence on his successors.
Save the dates for our next biennial Festival: June 6–13, 2027.
Who We Are
Since 1981, the Boston Early Music Festival has established itself as an international leader in the field of Early Music. BEMF presents a wealth of diverse programs and activities, including superb productions of Baroque opera, award-winning recordings, an annual concert season that brings the field’s brightest stars to Boston and New York City, and North America’s leading festival for Early Music.
Celebrated Concerts
Our annual concerts feature some of the world's most exciting and engaging Early Music artists!
Award-Winning Recordings
In 2004, BEMF initiated a series of recordings to preserve its groundbreaking Baroque opera creations and attempt to fill the gaps in the current discography of Western opera. The series features one GRAMMY Award-winning and five GRAMMY-nominated recordings.
NEW CD!
Lully: Idylle sur la Paix and Charpentier: La Fête de RueilThe genius of Charpentier and Lully raises these formal tributes to musical masterpieces where dazzling singing combines with charming dances in a vivid depiction of the people’s desire for peace.
LEARN MORE!“One of the nation’s foremost Early Music organizations.” —The New Yorker
Meet Our Artistic Leadership
BEMF Opera productions 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. Leading the Artistic Team are GRAMMY-winning Artistic Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs alongside Opera Director Gilbert Blin, Orchestra Director Robert Mealy, and Dance Director Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière.
