BSR Classical Interludes, January 2026

Main Line Early Music: La Bernardina: The Golden Age of Music from the Low Countries
Sunday, January 11, 3pm
Main Line Unitarian Church, 816 South Valley Forge Road, Devon

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the area that is now Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands enjoyed an era of prosperity that created a thriving musical environment. This program features music by Dutch, Flemish, and foreign composers including Sweelinck, Van Eyck, LeClair, and others. The baroque ensemble—Rainer Beckmann (recorder), Donna Fournier (viola da gamba), and Marcia Kravis (harpsichord)—will also be joined by Gretchen Gettes (viola da gamba) and harpsichordist Benjamin D'Annibale. The ensemble will also play portions of the concert at Wilmington’s Market Street Music series in March.

Academy of Vocal Arts: Capriccio by Richard Strauss
January 17, 20, and 22, 7:30pm
January 25, 3pm
AVA/Helen Corning Warden Theater, 1920 Spruce Street

For his final opera, Strauss asked whether music or poetry is the more beautiful art. An elegant countess is wooed by two suitors, a poet and a composer, in a meditation on love and the human condition. Premiered in 1942, the sophisticated comic opera returns to AVA for the first time in over a decade, in “an innovative piano production” (German with English supertitles) with musical direction by Luke Housner, stage direction by Josh Miller, and scenic design by Cameron Anderson.

The Publick Pleasure: The First British Invasion: Musicians of the British Isles in late 18th Century Philadelphia
Sunday, January 18, 3pm
Gloria Dei/Old Swedes, 916 South Swanson Street

This ensemble looks at America’s early concert life, and in the late 18th century, Philadelphia saw a swarm of musicians arrive from London and the British Isles who had performed with Joseph Haydn and others at major London venues, laying the groundwork for organizations like The Philadelphia Orchestra. The ensemble—Anika Kildegaard (voice), Evan Few and Keith Colón (violins), Amy Leonard (viola), and cellist Eve Miller—will include guest Sylvia Berry on fortepiano in music of Haydn and his not-so-well-known contemporaries. The concert in Old Swedes Church (in existence then) is also part of the church’s historical series.

Music at Westminster: Chenault Organ Duo
Sunday, January 18, 3pm
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1502 West 13th Street, Wilmington

Duo organists Elizabeth and Raymond Chenault have been concerting since their first commissioned work in 1979, but this is their debut appearance in Delaware. They’ve commissioned and premiered over 70 organ duets and were given the 2024 Distinguished Artist Award by the American Guild of Organists (AGO). The duo will present a program of transcriptions and commissions for four hands (and four feet!) that should put the church’s three-manual, 53-rank Austin pipe organ through its paces. Featured are works by Charles Callahan, Raymond Chenault, Nicholas White, and excerpts from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera, and a meet-the-artists reception follows.

Philadelphia Bach Collective Midday Concert
Tuesday, January 20, 1pm
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1625 Locust Street

This ensemble continues its free series with one of J.S. Bach’s most beloved secular works, the Wedding Cantata (BWV 202). This virtuosic piece features solo soprano Rebecca Myers and guest oboist Geoffrey Burgess, along with strings and harpsichord. Burgess will open the program with a Concerto in D minor by Venetian baroque composer Benedetto Marcello. The Collective has two future concerts at this location planned for March 24 and May 5; tickets are not required for any concert.

Editor’s note: Before you go, did you know that BSR is celebrating 20 years at our Party with the Critics event on January 15? All are welcome! Get your tickets now.