Though the sarabande and the chaconne were stylized sections of courtly suites by Baroque composers such as Scarlatti and Bach, their origins are far removed from any European court, stemming instead from New Spain. At least one surviving song — a villancico for Christmas — links it with enslaved Africans, suggesting that both populations were involved in the creation of the genre. This program, which is related to one Ensemble Origo presented in 2023, a dancer joins the ensemble’s instrumentalists to demonstrate both the seventeenth-century courtly dances in relation to early dances from New Spain. The program aims to bring what is known of the genres’ lost—or suppressed—histories to light, thus rethinking Eurocentric notions of these distinctive musical genres, their history, and their trajectory.

Join some of New England’s best dance callers for a welcoming and fun evening of dancing—all dancers, from beginner to experienced, are welcome! Music provided by Dan Meyers (winds) and Catherine Miller and Marnen Laibow-Koser (fiddles).

Zafarán crosses time and boundaries, and incorporates musical traditions from around the Mediterranean, weaving together such diverse threads as Southern Italian chants, Sephardic love songs, Romani laments, and Turkish and Greek folk tunes. With driving rhythms, virtuosic improvisation, and the powerful voice of award-winning Italian singer Carmen Marsico, Zafarán bridges languages and cultures with their own eclectic blend of musical styles, combining deep traditions with original songs and ideas. 

City of Fools explores age-old themes of justice and corruption as told through ancient minstrel songs. Satirical works from medieval France, Provençe, and Germany provide a sharply-etched and astonishingly contemporary perspective on our own nation’s current travails. “Be prepared for a surprise or two along the way!” shares Camerata Artistic Director Anne Azéma. The concert will include songs of the great Provençal troubadour and satirist Peire Cardenal, as well as pungent excerpts from Carmina Burana and the Roman de Fauvel.

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Enjoy good food, a great pint of Guinness, and a rollicking traditional Irish session led by members of ISHNA, including Dan Meyers, David McGrory, Ciarán Nagle, Tara Novak, and Björn Wennås.

EME explores Josquin’s secular songs and ingenious and beautiful mass movements based on them, as well as music of his contemporaries, including Mouton and Isaac. For violas da gamba, lute, sackbut, recorders, harp, flute, harpsichord, krummhorn, and voices. Jane Hershey, director, and Dan Meyers, special guest