Early Music at Saint James
2019-2020 Season
About Early Music at Saint James
Early Music at Saint James was the vision of founder and Director Emerita Kathleen Spencer. Now, over ten years after its inception, Early Music at Saint James is a sought-after venue in the world of historic performance practice. Each season, concerts of music composed before 1800 are presented in the acoustically rich sanctuary of Saint James Church. The performances of primarily Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Classical music are played on faithful reproductions of period instruments. The series offers a venue for small and/or emerging ensembles as well as established artists, presenting a rich repertoire of music not generally available to the Lancaster community.
Tickets available online and at the door.
Adults: $25
Students & Children: $10
Pay by cash, check or credit card
Download the 2019-2020 season brochure
Early Music is a self sustaining concert series that relies on ticket sales, tax-exempt gifts, grants and sponsorships. If you’d like to help support Early Music, click here and select Early Music from the drop-down menu. You may also include a note in the optional memo field.
Friday, September 27, 7:30 PM
Leon Schelhase, harpsichord
J. S. Bach, Goldberg Variations, BWV 988
With its aria and thirty variations, Bach’s unparalleled masterpiece of counterpoint is an icon of Western music here performed by an internationally acclaimed harpsichordist.
Leon Schelhase, harpsichord
Monday, November 4, 7:30 PM
The Philadelphia Baroque Consort
with guests Jessica Beebe, soprano & Simon Maurer, baroque violin
Affetti Musicali – Passionate and Dramatic Music from Baroque Italy
In his Affetti musicali (1617), Biagio Marini suggests that instrumental music can express emotions just as well as vocal music. A dramatic program of Marini’s instrumental works, soprano arias of his contemporary Monteverdi, cantatas, a sonata and a concerto by Vivaldi will render a verdict!
Rainer Beckmann, recorder; Rebecca Harris, baroque violin; Vivian B. Dozor, baroque cello; Leon Schelhase, harpsichord; Jessica Beebe, soprano; Simon Maurer, baroque violin
Sunday, March 29, 4:00 PM
La Bernardinia Baroque Ensemble
With guest Paul Miller, viola d’amore & violin
Resonances: The Art of the Violas d’Amore and Gamba
Rainer Beckmann, recorders
Donna Fournier, viola da gamba
Marcia Kravis, harpsichord
Paul Miller, violin & viola d’amore
German chamber works by Buxtehude, Telemann, Bach, Abel, and the rarely heard Galanteries by Götz and Fuchs, showcase the rich resonances of the baroque string and recorder families.
La Bernardinia Baroque Ensemble
Paul Miller, viola d’amore & violin
Friday, May 8, 7:30 PM
Nota Bene Viol Consort
with guest Jason McStoots, tenor
Ayres in All the Colors
Viola da gamba players Joanna Blendulf, Wendy Gillespie, Sarah Mead and Emily Walhout, with tenor Jason McStoots, present a glittering palette of European music spanning five centuries—sound and text evoke a vast range of colors and moods.
Nota Bene Viol Consort
Jason McStoots, tenor