Past Performances

December 6, 2025 at 4pm
Saint James Place
Great Barrington, MA

December 7, 2025 at 4pm
Trinity Church
Lakeville, CT

Bach’s Christmas Cantata “Sweet Comfort“ BWV 151, his Mass in G minor BWV 235, and festive 16^th century double choir motets. In this program we explore the convergence of vibrant Italian polychoral splendor and the venerable German chorale tradition in works by Johann Sebastian Bach’s German predecessors Schröter, Weissensee, Otto, and Schein. At the heart of this program lies the profound genius of Johann Sebastian Bach, whose innovative and deeply moving vocal compositions embody the pinnacle of these magnificent styles.

Crescendo Chorus, soprano Jennifer Tyo, countertenor Nicholas Tamagna, tenor Pablo Bustos, baritone Will Doreza, Crescendo Period Instrument Orchestra (Edson Scheid, concertmaster) directed by Christine Gevert

November 22, 2025 at 4pm
Trinity Church
Lakeville, CT

Step into the world of internationally acclaimed countertenor, Nicholas Tamagna, as he presents a unique recital featuring highlights from his distinguished career. Through a carefully curated program including opera arias by Purcell, Handel, Vivaldi, Porpora, Caldara, and Sances, Tamagna shares the story of his artistic evolution, from his beginnings as a young piano student to his flourishing career as a Baroque opera soloist across Europe and the U.S. The recital, aptly titled “From Frost to Flame,” explores the vast and dynamic landscape of human emotion. Tamagna guides the audience on an emotional journey, moving from the most extreme affects to moments of profound serenity.

The program opens with the “shivering invocation of winter’s spirit” found in Henry Purcell’s haunting “Cold Song,” a stark contrast to the “heated, fierce burst of pride” in Tolomeo’s aria “Domerò la tua fierezza” from Handel’s Julius Caesar. The journey continues with the dramatic storytelling of a hunt and the wiles of a “barbarous” woman named Clori in Vivaldi’s vigorous secular aria “Alla caccia,” followed by other famous Baroque arias by Handel, Sances, Caldara and their contemporaries.

Tamagna notes, “This program is designed to showcase the incredible spectrum of expression within the Baroque repertoire. I wanted to offer something completely different, highlighting not just the drama and passion, but also a transcendence of these extreme emotions.” This transcendence is found in pieces like Nicola Porpora’s “Alto giove,” described as a “celestial prayer of awe and serenity,” and Henry Purcell’s luminous “Evening Hymn,” a “meditation that releases all striving into peace”.

You are invited to join the performers after the concert for a brief reception.

Performers: Nicholas Tamagna (Oldenburg, Germany), countertenor, Christine Gevert, harpsichord

October 18, 2025 at 4pm
Saint James Place
Great Barrington, MA

October 19, 2025 at 4pm
Trinity Church
Lakeville, CT

South America’s Colonial music was characterized by a profound fusion of indigenous, European, and African musical elements, combining to create new sounds and styles. Featured in a unique ensemble with Andean and traditional classical instruments, we present transcriptions and arrangements of early compositions and folk themes of the New World to contemporary fusion of Andean and European music, from Manuel de Zumaya and Antonio Sarrier, to 20th cent. themes by the Chilean folk ensemble Illapu, and the Bolivian band Los Kjarkas.

Gonzalo Cortés, quena, zampoña, and flute, Carlos Boltes, charango and viola, Christine Gevert, virginal and percussion

Virtual Concerts On-Demand NOW

Recorded: May 11, 2025
Body & Soul: Cavalieri’s Rappresentatione

Recorded: December 29, 2024 
Bach-Circle: Christmas Oratorios and Contemporary Female Voices

Recorded: October 6, 2024
Nature in Vivaldi’s Sounds: Concertos for Violin, Flute, and Two Mandolins