Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Boston Early Music Festival announces the full schedule for the 2025 Festival & Exhibition: June 8–15, 2025 in Boston
“Arguably the most important and influential Early Music event in the world.”
—BBC Radio 3
Cambridge, MA – The Boston Early Music Festival announces the full schedule for the 2025 Festival and Exhibition – Love & Power – taking place from June 8 to June 15 in Boston, Massachusetts. The 23rd biennial Festival and Exhibition features the North American premiere of Reinhard Keiser’s 1705 opera Octavia, a revival of the BEMF Chamber Opera Series production of George Philipp Telemann’s Pimpinone and Ino, 18 Festival Concerts showcasing the finest artists in the field today, the world-famous Exhibition, and so much more. Subscription packages and individual tickets are available now from the BEMF Box Office at BEMF.org or 617-661-1812.
“A constant delight of anticipation.”
—The Wall Street Journal
CENTERPIECE OPERA: Keiser’s Octavia
The virtuous Empress Octavia is betrayed by her increasingly erratic husband, Nero, putting all of Rome on the brink of rebellion. Written for the famed Hamburg Opera in 1705, Reinhard Keiser’s Octavia brings lavish spectacle and brilliant orchestration to a nuanced tale of the corruption of power and the resilience of love. GRAMMY-winning Musical Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs and acclaimed Stage Director Gilbert Blin lead the fully staged North American premiere of this monumental work in a production replete with opulent stagecraft and impeccable musicianship. Breathtaking sets, sumptuous, period-inspired costumes, exquisite Baroque dance, and beautifully evocative music combine in an operatic feast sure to delight. BEMF will present four performances, June 8, 11, 13, and 15, 2025 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre (219 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, USA). Tickets are available through the BEMF Box Office at 617-661-1812 or BEMF.org.
Tiridates, the King of Armenia, has come to Rome to pledge his allegiance to the Empire. Emperor Nero officially restores the king to his throne while growing infatuated with Tiridates’ wife, Ormœna, much to the dismay of Empress Octavia. Tensions rise as the Roman citizens grow restless over Nero’s lavish attempts to court the Armenian Queen and rid himself of his own bride. As Rome breaks out in open rebellion, a fantastical parade of philosophers, clowns, ghosts, and despots comes alive on the stage as noble Octavia struggles to survive the turmoil and cruelty swirling around her.
Rounding out the directorial team will be Orchestra Director Robert Mealy, Dance Director Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, Choreographer Hubert Hazebroucq, Set Designer Alexander McCargar, Costume Designer Anna Kjellsdotter, Lighting Designer Kelly Martin, Assistant Stage Director Ellen Hargis, and Executive Producer Kathleen Fay. BEMF has assembled a truly outstanding cast of 11 singers, including many critically acclaimed favorites from past BEMF productions, with stunning soprano Emőke Baráth in the title role, BEMF favorites bass-baritone Douglas Ray Williams as Nero and soprano Amanda Forsythe as Ormœna, dazzling soprano Sherezade Panthaki as Clelia, GRAMMY-winning tenor Aaron Sheehan as Piso, Hannah De Priest as Livia, Christian Immler as Seneca, Michael Skarke as Tiridates, Richard Pittsinger as Fabius, Marc Molomot as Davus, and Jason McStoots as Lepidus. Joining them will be the 31-member Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra led by Concertmaster Robert Mealy, 6 Baroque dancers from the Boston Early Music Festival Dance Company under the direction of Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, Dance Director, and 6 singers and 1 dancer from the BEMF Young Artists Training Program under the leadership of Gilbert Blin, Founder & Director, Jason McStoots, Associate Director, 2025, and Jeffrey Grossman, Musical Director, 2025.
CHAMBER OPERA: George Philipp Telemann’s Pimpinone and Ino
Explore the depth of Telemann’s genius with a fascinating pairing of stylish slapstick and scintillating drama for an evening of show-stopping virtuosity from the GRAMMY-winning Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Opera Series! Inspired by Italian comic intermezzi, Pimpinone approaches social class and seduction with brilliant humor and evocative humanity as the narcissistic Pimpinone is stung by the beauty and barbs of his charming chambermaid, Vespetta. The cantata Ino is a true hidden gem with a thrilling story drawn from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Written late in Telemann’s life, this miniature masterpiece is a bridge between the Baroque and Classical eras, full of dynamic theatricality and gorgeous music.
This groundbreaking work is brought to life in a magnificent production featuring gorgeous costumes and elegant period staging. Led by BEMF’s GRAMMY-winning Musical Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs and Stage Directors Gilbert Blin and Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, the directorial team also features Orchestra Director Robert Mealy, Choreographer Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière, Costume Designers Gilbert Blin & WERIEM, Lighting Designer Kelly Martin, and Executive Producer Kathleen Fay. The magnificent cast features soprano Amanda Forsythe as Ino, bass-baritone Christian Immler as Pimpinone, soprano Danielle Reutter-Harrah as Vespetta, and dancer Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière alongside the 19-member BEMF Chamber Ensemble. The performance will take place at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall on Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 8pm. Tickets are available now through the BEMF Box Office at BEMF.org or 617-661-1812.
BEMF On Tour
A tradition for twenty years, BEMF follows its triumphant Festival week in Boston with a weekend of performances in the Berkshires at the splendid Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington. The BEMF Chamber Opera Series will present two encore performances of Telemann’s Pimpinone and Ino on Friday, June 27, 2025 at 8pm and Saturday, June 28, 2025 at 3pm at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Tickets ($25–$85) are available now through the Boston Early Music Festival Box Office at BEMF.org or 617-661-1812 or from the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center Box Office at mahaiwe.org or 413-528-0100. BEMF will also bring the production to the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts on Sunday, June 29, 2025 at 4pm. Tickets ($79–$119) are on sale now at caramoor.org or 914-232-1252.
“If you are interested in early music, this is the place to be.”
—The New York Times
FESTIVAL CONCERTS
Hailed as “Heaven… for early music fans” by The New York Times, the June 2025 Festival boasts a series of 18 concerts and 2 Mini-Festivals showcasing the most accomplished artists and ensembles in Early Music. With performances in the morning, afternoon, and evening, music lovers can enjoy an array of thrilling concerts from some of the world’s most engaging artists.
The Festival Concert week opens with three blockbuster programs on Monday, June 9, 2025 at NEC’s Jordan Hall in Boston. At 5pm, American chamber ensemble ACRONYM returns to BEMF for the 4th consecutive Festival. Made up of some of North America’s most engaging instrumentalists, these musicians offer a grand program of masterworks commissioned by (or dedicated to) the noble families of the Holy Roman Empire. Then at 8pm, BEMF presents a stellar collaboration between two of the world’s most accomplished ensembles as The Tallis Scholars join with The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble for a program that celebrates the 500th anniversary of Palestrina’s birth and honors his artistic friendship with his greatest contemporaries, Orlandus Lassus and Nicholas Gombert. Finally, at 10:30pm, two GRAMMY-winning superstars—lutenist Paul O’Dette and tenor Aaron Sheehan—close the evening with an intimate and invigorating recital that celebrates love, laughter, and drinking!
Throughout the Festival week, BEMF’s 8pm evening concerts will showcase some of Early Music’s most dynamic and acclaimed ensembles, including The Boston Camerata exploring Medieval music written for and about powerful kings on Tuesday, June 10; the crystalline voices of Trio Mediæval make a long-awaited return to BEMF alongside stunning organetto virtuoso Catalina Vicens in music by Hildegard von Bingen and Leonel Power on Wednesday, June 11; the all-star BEMF Orchestra presents two exuberant masterpieces with Handel’s and Telemann’s Water Music on Thursday, June 12; and Gramophone Award winners Vox Luminis explore Carissimi’s sacred oratorios on Friday, June 13.
More incredible performances will occur during 5pm afternoon concerts throughout the week. Stunning soprano Sherezade Panthaki joins forces with the outstanding Austrian chamber orchestra Ensemble Castor for a program brimming with expressive theatricality in music by Keiser, Handel, Bach, and Telemann on Tuesday, June 10. Peter Phillips and The Tallis Scholars make a second appearance on Wednesday, June 11 in a program of music inspired by the Sistine Chapel. The distinguished duo of violinist Enrico Gatti and his brother, flutist Marcello Gatti lead a program featuring works from Telemann’s celebrated Paris Quartets on Thursday, June 12. Kiya Tabassian leads his ensemble Constantinople in their BEMF début with a musical dialogue between Johann Sebastian Bach and Persian polymath Omar Khayyam featuring soprano Hana Blažíková on Friday, June 13. Christel Thielmann leads the BEMF Viol Collective in ExtravaGamba!, a richly varied program of musical gems by Byrd, Purcell, and others on Saturday, June 14. The Festival Concert Week comes to a glorious conclusion on Sunday, June 15 with Boreas Quartett Bremen alongside recorder virtuoso Kathryn Montoya in a beautiful program exploring love in the writing of Shakespeare.
The daily Festival Concert offerings conclude with a series of late-night concerts at 10:30pm that keep the music going until almost midnight! GRAMMY-winner Stephen Stubbs brings Pacific MusicWorks to Boston for their BEMF début in a program of “Broadside Ballads” inspired by the English Civil War featuring sensational soprano Danielle Reutter-Harrah on Tuesday, June 10. The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble return for a solo outing in a sumptuous recital of songs without words on Wednesday, June 11. Two of Early Music’s most exciting young virtuosos—violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte and harpsichordist Justin Taylor—unlock a treasure trove of Baroque gems on Thursday, June 12. Tenor Luca Cervoni and Concerto Romano serve up an uproarious showcase of the nurses and nannies of 17th-century opera on Friday, June 13. Finally, on Saturday, June 14, the BEMF Chamber Ensemble and Musical Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs join a roster of 7 exceptional singers from our opera casts to offer a late-night party featuring some of their favorite showpieces.
In addition to the schedule of Festival Concerts, BEMF will offer two Mini-Festivals as part of the week’s schedule of events. The Organ Mini-Festival on Thursday, June 12, 2025 at First Lutheran Church of Boston—home to the Richards, Fowkes & Co. Opus 10 organ—presents recitals by internationally celebrated virtuosos with Kola Owolabi at 9am, Catalina Vicens at 11:30am, and Erica Johnson at 2pm. The Keyboard Mini-Festival follows on Friday, June 13, 2025 with a 9am clavichord recital at First Church Boston with Yi-Heng Yang followed by two recitals at First Lutheran Church of Boston: fortepianist Federico Ercoli at 11:30am and harpsichordist Justin Taylor at 2pm.
“One stop shopping for the…historical-performance set.”
—The Wall Street Journal
EXHIBITION AND CONCURRENT EVENTS
The world-famous Exhibition, “one of the largest showcases for early instruments in the country” (The Boston Globe), is host to some of the top tradespeople from across the globe, with makers of period instruments, music publishers, dealers in rare books, prints, and manuscripts, and representatives from colleague organizations and instrument societies. Now at The Colonnade Hotel at 120 Huntington Avenue in Boston’s Back Bay, these specialists will be on hand Wednesday, June 11 through Saturday, June 14 to display their products and share information about their work with Festival attendees.
The one-of-a-kind BEMF CD Store returns for the 2025 Exhibition with hundreds of CDs from the field’s most distinguished labels all in one place. Also returning will be the Exhibition’s Family Day on Saturday, June 13 where children and parents alike can enjoy a scavenger hunt among the Exhibition’s instrument makers. Family Day admission is FREE for parents and children.
On Friday, June 13 at 3pm, BEMF will present a special performance at First Church Boston featuring members of the BEMF Young Artists Training Program. This program, which is free and open to the public, will be an abridged concert performance of Handel’s Agrippina, conceived by the 2025 program’s Associate Director, Jason McStoots, and led by the 2025 program’s Musical Director Jeffrey Grossman.
On Sunday, June 15 at 10am at NEC’s Jordan Hall, the BEMF Youth Ensemble, BEMF Beyond Borders—including ensembles from Boston, Brazil, and Tawain—and A String Fort Smith from Fort Smith, Arkansas join forces for a fascinating program of Folk Music and music of the High Baroque. This program is FREE and open to the public!
Other concurrent events for the 2025 Festival include a free Emerging Artists Showcase Concert presented by Early Music America and BEMF; Performance Masterclasses by distinguished Festival musicians; Dance Workshops; Symposia and Lectures on a variety of topics, including Producing and Performing Keiser’s Octavia, which will feature members of the Octavia directorial team; Pre-Opera and Pre-Concert Talks; and a remarkable array of Fringe Concerts throughout the Festival week. 2025 Exhibition Passes ($10) provide admission to the Exhibition, Symposia, Performance Masterclasses, and Dance Workshops for the entire week and may be purchased in advance or at various BEMF events during the Festival week.
FESTIVAL TICKETS AND SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES
Concert tickets range from $25 to $70. Chamber Opera tickets range from $25 to $105, while Centerpiece Opera tickets range from $30 to $250. Tickets are available from the BEMF Box Office online at BEMF.org or by calling 617-661-1812. Subscription Packages of four or more concerts are also available with discounts up to 20% off. Ticket sales for Keiser’s Octavia will be available from the Emerson Theatres Box Office ONLY during the week of the Festival at EmersonTheatres.org or by calling 617-824-8400.
RESOURCES
2025 Festival Press Ticket Policy: http://bemf.org/press-tickets/
Press Images: http://bemf.org/2025-festival-press/
ABOUT THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Recognized as the preeminent early music presenter and Baroque opera producer in North America, the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF) has been credited with securing Boston’s reputation as “America’s early music capital” (The Boston Globe). Founded in 1981, BEMF offers diverse programs and activities, including one GRAMMY Award–winning and five GRAMMY Award–nominated opera recordings, an annual concert series that brings early music’s brightest stars to the Boston and New York concert stages, and a biennial week-long Festival and Exhibition recognized as the “world’s leading festival of early music” (The Times, London). The 23rd Boston Early Music Festival will take place from June 8 to 15, 2025, and will feature a fully staged production of Reinhard Keiser’s Octavia. BEMF’s Artistic Leadership includes Artistic Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Opera Director Gilbert Blin, Orchestra Director Robert Mealy, and Dance Director Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière.
The Boston Early Music Festival is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Constellation Charitable Foundation, and WCRB Classical Radio Boston, as well as a number of generous foundations and individuals from around the world.
For more information, images, press tickets, or to schedule an interview, please contact Kathleen Fay at 617-661-1812 or email kathy@bemf.org.
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