Remembering James Nicolson: A Fundraiser and Relaunch Celebration for the Cambridge Society for Early Music

Sunday, September 21, 2025 | 5 pm

Join us for a late afternoon gathering in cafe style with musical and edible treats to celebrate CSEM’s legacy and support its future as a beacon for the Greater Boston early music community. In honor of CSEM’s late president James S. Nicolson, we gather several of his friends to perform favorites from Handel, Beethoven, and more.

Margaret Jewett Hall, First Church Cambridge
11 Garden Street
Cambridge, MA 02138 | Map

Program
Include works by Marin Marais, G.F. Handel, Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata

Artists
Akiko Sato, harpsichord
Emily Walhout, viola da gamba
Sylvia Berry, fortepiano

Harmonious Rivals: The Harpsichord & Fortepiano in an Age of Innovation

Ars Antiqua with soloists Sylvia Berry, fortepiano, and Rebecca Pechefsky, harpsichord

Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 7:30 pm

While the piano was invented around 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori, it took more than fifty years for it to come into its own as a popular instrument that rivaled the long-established harpsichord. Many composers and performers, including talented women who held concertos at home. opted to have both instruments at their disposal. This program features a Concertante by Jean-François Tapray that was written expressly for harpsichord and fortepiano, as well as a Concerto for two unspecified keyboard instruments by C.P.E. Bach that could have played on “mixed” instruments as well. Get a glimpse into this fascinating period when the harpsichord and fortepiano were harmonious rivals, and revel in the endless variety of color and contrast brought by quills and hammers. Buffet of French & German Pastries & Coffee to follow.

The Church of St. Mary the Virgin
191 S Greeley Ave.
Chappaqua, NY 10514 | Map

Program
C.P.E. Bach: Concerto for Two Keyboards in F Major Wq 46
Jean-François Tapray: Symphonie Concertante in D Major for Harpsichord & Pianoforte
Solo and duo pieces for Fortepiano & Harpsichord

Artists
The Ars Antiqua Baroque Orchestra
Francis Liu & Theresa Salomon, Baroque Violin
Annie Garlid, Baroque Viola / Mark Kramer, Baroque ‘Cello

The First British Invasion: Musicians of the British Isles in Late 18th century Philadelphia

Sunday, January 18, 2026 | 3pm

In the late 18th century Philadelphia saw a large influx of musicians from London and other areas of the British Isles - many coming at the personal invitation of the theater impresario and composer, Alexander Reingale. Musicians who performed with Joseph Haydn and Johann Peter Salomon, who played at the Drury Lane and Saddler’s Wells Theatres, church musicians, and musicians of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens converged on the capital of the new nation, bringing skill, grit and an entrepreneurial spirit that changed the face of Philadelphia’s musical life. They founded the Musical Fund Society and cultivated musical culture, laying the groundwork for later organizations, such as The Philadelphia Orchestra. Music of Joseph Haydn, Rayner Taylor, Benjamin Carr, JGC Schetky, Hugh Reinagle, and Ignace Pleyel.​

Gloria Dei, Old Swedes’ Church
916 South Swanson Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147 | Map

Program
Includes songs, solo keyboard works, a string quartet by Schetky, and piano trios by Pleyel (B. 435 in E minor) and Haydn (Hob. XV: 27 in C major).

Artists
Anika Kildegaard, soprano
Evan Few and Keith Colón, violin
Amy Leonard, viola
Eve Miller, cello
Sylvia Berry, fortepiano

Tickets
$30 general, $15 student with ID

The Art of the Viennese Fortepiano

Sunday April 12, 2026 | 3:00 PM

The five-octave Viennese fortepiano of the late 18th century was a pivotal inspiration for Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, who all came to it at different points in their lives. For Haydn, born during J.S. Bach’s lifetime, it was a later revelation. For Mozart, raised at the harpsichord and clavichord, it became his preferred concert instrument as a young man. For Beethoven, this was the first piano he encountered, and for which he composed many major works. This program celebrates the inspiration they all found in this colorful and expressive instrument, which is by turns powerful and plaintive, thunderous and intimate.

RIVAA Gallery (Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association)
527 Main Street
New York, NY 10044 | Map

Program
Mozart: Sonata in C major, K. 330
Mozart: Fantasia in C minor, K. 475
Haydn: Sonata in E-flat major, Hob. XVI: 49
Beethoven: Sonata in C-sharp Minor, Op. 27, No. 2, “Moonlight”

REVOLUTION!

Early American Music from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the Civil War

Thursday, May 7, 2026 | 7:30 PM

Pre-concert talk at 6:45 PM

As the United States reaches its 250th anniversary, The Newberry Consort performs a program of music that shaped the founding of our nation. Using early American instruments such as the square piano, keyed bugle, fiddle, percussion, as well as an ensemble of vocal specialists, this concert connects America’s musical past and present through early American styles and composers. The music spans from the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the start of the Civil War, and comes from a wide variety of American cultures and traditions, including choral and sacred harp music, Moravian sacred music, solo salon and cotillion music, military music, spirituals, and abolitionist music.

The culmination of the program features an original composition for American period instruments and voices written by composer and bass-baritone Jonathan Woody. The Newberry Consort is excited and proud to present the world premiere of Woody’s piece in Chicago.

First Presbyterian Church of Evanston
1427 Chicago Avenue
Evanston, IL 60201 | Map

Program
An assortment of early American music and a new work by Jonathan Woody

Artists
Kimberly Jones (soprano), Patrick Dailey (countertenor), Matthew Dean (tenor/alto), Jonathan Woody (bass-baritone)
Leighann Daihl Ragusa, historical flute
Brandi Berry Benson, period violin
Jeffrey Stockham, keyed bugle and period brass
Shawn Keener, projection art
Brandon Podjasek, historical percussion
Sylvia Berry, fortepiano (original 18th-century square piano John by Broadwood)

REVOLUTION!

Early American Music from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the Civil War

Friday, May 8, 2026 | 7:30 PM

Pre-concert talk at 6:45 PM

As the United States reaches its 250th anniversary, The Newberry Consort performs a program of music that shaped the founding of our nation. Using early American instruments such as the square piano, keyed bugle, fiddle, percussion, as well as an ensemble of vocal specialists, this concert connects America’s musical past and present through early American styles and composers. The music spans from the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the start of the Civil War, and comes from a wide variety of American cultures and traditions, including choral and sacred harp music, Moravian sacred music, solo salon and cotillion music, military music, spirituals, and abolitionist music.

The culmination of the program features an original composition for American period instruments and voices written by composer and bass-baritone Jonathan Woody. The Newberry Consort is excited and proud to present the world premiere of Woody’s piece in Chicago.

First Unitarian Church of Hyde Park
5650 S Woodlawn Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637 | Map

Program
An assortment of early American music and a new work by Jonathan Woody

Artists
Kimberly Jones (soprano), Patrick Dailey (countertenor), Matthew Dean (tenor/alto), Jonathan Woody (bass-baritone)
Leighann Daihl Ragusa, historical flute
Brandi Berry Benson, period violin
Jeffrey Stockham, keyed bugle and period brass
Shawn Keener, projection art
Brandon Podjasek, historical percussion
Sylvia Berry, fortepiano (original 18th-century square piano John by Broadwood)

REVOLUTION!

Early American Music from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the Civil War

Saturday, May 9, 2026 | 5:00 PM

Presented by Early Music Now

As the United States reaches its 250th anniversary, The Newberry Consort performs a program of music that shaped the founding of our nation. Using early American instruments such as the square piano, keyed bugle, fiddle, percussion, as well as an ensemble of vocal specialists, this concert connects America’s musical past and present through early American styles and composers. The music spans from the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the start of the Civil War, and comes from a wide variety of American cultures and traditions, including choral and sacred harp music, Moravian sacred music, solo salon and cotillion music, military music, spirituals, and abolitionist music.

The culmination of the program features an original composition for American period instruments and voices written by composer and bass-baritone Jonathan Woody. The Newberry Consort is excited and proud to present the world premiere of Woody’s piece in Chicago.

Saint Joseph Chapel
515 South. Layton Boulevard
Milwaukee, WI 53215 | Map

Program
An assortment of early American music and a new work by Jonathan Woody

Artists
Kimberly Jones (soprano), Patrick Dailey (countertenor), Matthew Dean (tenor/alto), Jonathan Woody (bass-baritone)
Leighann Daihl Ragusa, historical flute
Brandi Berry Benson, period violin
Jeffrey Stockham, keyed bugle and period brass
Shawn Keener, projection art
Brandon Podjasek, historical percussion
Sylvia Berry, fortepiano (original 18th-century square piano John by Broadwood)

REVOLUTION!

Early American Music from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the Civil War

Sunday, May 10, 2026| 4:00 PM

Pre-concert talk at 3:15 PM

As the United States reaches its 250th anniversary, The Newberry Consort performs a program of music that shaped the founding of our nation. Using early American instruments such as the square piano, keyed bugle, fiddle, percussion, as well as an ensemble of vocal specialists, this concert connects America’s musical past and present through early American styles and composers. The music spans from the signing of the Declaration of Independence through the start of the Civil War, and comes from a wide variety of American cultures and traditions, including choral and sacred harp music, Moravian sacred music, solo salon and cotillion music, military music, spirituals, and abolitionist music.

The culmination of the program features an original composition for American period instruments and voices written by composer and bass-baritone Jonathan Woody. The Newberry Consort is excited and proud to present the world premiere of Woody’s piece in Chicago.

Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University
430 S Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605 | Map

Program
An assortment of early American music and a new work by Jonathan Woody

Artists
Kimberly Jones (soprano), Patrick Dailey (countertenor), Matthew Dean (tenor/alto), Jonathan Woody (bass-baritone)
Leighann Daihl Ragusa, historical flute
Brandi Berry Benson, period violin
Jeffrey Stockham, keyed bugle and period brass
Shawn Keener, projection art
Brandon Podjasek, historical percussion
Sylvia Berry, fortepiano (original 18th-century square piano John by Broadwood)