Philly's top early music organizations team up for a holiday special

In one evening, for the price of a single ticket, you can hear the Renaissance band instruments played by Piffaro, the Baroque winds and strings played by Tempesta di Mare, and the voices of the Baroque vocal experts who sing with Choral Arts Philadelphia. Three of Philadelphia’s best early music organizations are joining forces for a holiday special with an upscale pedigree. The program will feature Advent music played in the court chapel of Dresden around 1619 — a time when three of the top composers of the early Baroque wrote for the chapel. The festivities will open with a set of “vocal concertos” composed by Bach’s greatest forerunner, Heinrich Schütz, and continue with music by the other two masters, Michael Praetorius and Samuel Scheidt.

"Christmas in Germany" will take place on Friday, December 18 at 8pm at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 17th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia; Saturday, December 19 at 8pm, at the Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia; and Sunday, December 20 at 3:30pm at Episcopal Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew, Wilmington. Tickets are $49 premium, $39 preferred, and $29 general.