Events

The Cincinnati Early Music Festival takes place in February each year. The ultimate goal is for this list to include any early music performance in Cincinnati whose organizers want to share it. You can also see events in calendar form instead of as a list or add the full schedule to your Google Calendar or iCal.

Early Keyboard Day
Apr
25

Early Keyboard Day

Explore early keyboards, including clavichord and harpsichord as well as the modern piano. The day will be led by Dr. Micaela Schmitz and Dr. Michael Unger and is open to players of all levels.

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Towards the Piano Trio: Violin Sonatas of the 16-1700s
Apr
26

Towards the Piano Trio: Violin Sonatas of the 16-1700s

7HB closes their fifth season, Chamber Reflections, with a program that is as engaging as it is illuminating: the evolution of chamber music featuring the violin from the 17th and 18th centuries. Beginning with the virtuosic early- to mid-Baroque violin sonatas of Castello and Biber, and later, a young J. S. Bach, audiences will hear how these earlier traditions gradually gave rise to a new chamber form still beloved today: the piano trio.

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Musical Delights of the 17th Century Germanic Courts with Arms Perpetuum
May
24

Musical Delights of the 17th Century Germanic Courts with Arms Perpetuum

Ars Perpetuum performs virtuosic music from the Germanic lands of the 17th century on period instruments. The program draws from the manuscript Partiturbuch Ludwig, which preserves pieces by composers working in the Germanic lands, among them Valentini, Oswalt, and Bertali. The program is rounded out with pieces by Mattias Weckmann, Johann Schmelzer, and Daniel Speer.

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Ensemble Con Fuoco Presents Buxtehude & Shaw
Mar
1

Ensemble Con Fuoco Presents Buxtehude & Shaw

Ensemble con Fuoco, under the direction of David Castillo Gocher, presents two powerful works that speak across centuries to themes of suffering, compassion, and renewal: Dieterich Buxtehude’s “Membra Jesu Nostri” (1680) and Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Caroline Shaw’s “To the Hands” (2016).

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Ensemble Con Fuoco Presents Buxtehude & Shaw
Feb
28

Ensemble Con Fuoco Presents Buxtehude & Shaw

Ensemble con Fuoco, under the direction of David Castillo Gocher, presents two powerful works that speak across centuries to themes of suffering, compassion, and renewal: Dieterich Buxtehude’s “Membra Jesu Nostri” (1680) and Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Caroline Shaw’s “To the Hands” (2016).

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Sacred Music Series: A Mother’s Sorrow
Feb
27

Sacred Music Series: A Mother’s Sorrow

At the outset of Lent, this contemplative musical meditation featuring acclaimed mezzo-soprano Christina Hazen and string orchestra centers on two strikingly contrasting settings of the Stabat Mater, the ancient 13th-century hymn that recalls the suffering of the Virgin Mary at the foot of the cross.

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Music Live at Lunch: Sephardic Medieval and Renaissance Music
Feb
24

Music Live at Lunch: Sephardic Medieval and Renaissance Music

Moyen Age and Cantus Florens will collaborate to present Sephardic songs from the 14th through 17th centuries. In addition, some scintillating songs and dances of Spring (wishful thinking by late February...) will magically occur in order to put an end to all the cold and snow we have experienced the last three months.

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A Saint of Our Time: A Concert Celebrating Carlo Acutis
Feb
22

A Saint of Our Time: A Concert Celebrating Carlo Acutis

Harpsichordist Dr. Micaela Schmitz is celebrating both the Blessed Carlo Acutis (Saint from spring, 2025) and an instrument baptism of her new Pentagonal Virginals (similar to a harpsichord). The program features pieces from the Renaissance that link to Carlo’s devotion to the Virgin Mary, to the Eucharist and to God. Composers include Byrd, Cabezon, Picchi, Frescobaldi, Rossi, Froberger, and more. It can be heard as a concert or treated as a meditation.

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Ars Audax Presents Salt of the Earth
Feb
21

Ars Audax Presents Salt of the Earth

Join Ars Audax for a performance of the trios "Aita, Amanti" and " La Speranza vuol cosi" by Marco Marazzoli, "The Denial of St. Peter" by M.A Charpentier, selections 2, 5, 7, and 9 from Concerti Ecclesiastici by Giovanni Paolo Cima and "La Mort D'Hercule" by Louis-Nicolas Clérambault.

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Solemn Vespers & Organ Recital
Feb
15

Solemn Vespers & Organ Recital

  • Mount St. Mary's Seminary & School of Theology (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology will celebrate Solemn Vespers at 7pm, preceded by an organ recital by Matthew Geerlings, Director of Music at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains. The Vespers will conclude with choral pieces featuring baroque music from the Americas, and the Chorale will be accompanied by an ensemble of specialists playing historical instruments: lute, baroque guitar, viola da gamba, and organ.

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A Saint of Our Time: A Concert Celebrating Carlo Acutis
Feb
15

A Saint of Our Time: A Concert Celebrating Carlo Acutis

Harpsichordist Dr. Micaela Schmitz is celebrating both the Blessed Carlo Acutis (Saint from spring, 2025) and an instrument baptism of her new Pentagonal Virginals (similar to a harpsichord). The program features pieces from the Renaissance that link to Carlo’s devotion to the Virgin Mary, to the Eucharist and to God. Composers include Byrd, Cabezon, Picchi, Frescobaldi, Rossi, Froberger, and more. It can be heard as a concert or treated as a meditation.

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Postcards from Paris with Cincinnati Camerata
Feb
15

Postcards from Paris with Cincinnati Camerata

Join Cincinnati Camerata and organist Dr. John Deaver in a performance featuring choral and solo organ works by Parisian composers throughout history—including François Roberday, Pierre Certon, Charles Racquet, and François Couperin—and culminating in Louis Vierne's Messe Solennelle for choir and two(!) organs.

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Ronn McFarlane in Concert!
Feb
14

Ronn McFarlane in Concert!

GRAMMY-nominated lutenist, Ronn McFarlane brings the lute—the most popular instrument of the Renaissance—into today’s musical mainstream making it accessible to a wider audience. Hosted by the Greater Cincinnati Guitar Society.

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Early Music Sing-A-Long
Feb
14

Early Music Sing-A-Long

Love singing early music? Let’s do it together! All are welcome to join. Bring a smartphone or tablet if you have one, and be sure to RSVP so we can have enough music and coffee to go around.

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Collegium Performs Motets of J.S. Bach
Feb
13

Collegium Performs Motets of J.S. Bach

Collegium Cincinnati will perform four of J. S. Bach’s landmark motets mixed in with solos from our phenomenal instrumentalists. Do not miss this rare opportunity to hear some of the greatest choral pieces ever written in one concert.

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Augustin Pfleger, Passionsmusik of 1670
Feb
11

Augustin Pfleger, Passionsmusik of 1670

The Laudate Pueri Children’s Schola Cantorum will join forces with the Oratory Singers of Old St. Mary’s Church and period instrumentalists in presenting a performance of Augustin Pfleger’s Passionsmusik of 1670, a moving Passion-oratorio centered on the Seven Last Words. This is one of the precursor works to J.S. Bach’s great Passions and a poignant preparation for Lent.

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CANCELED - Secular French Baroque Dance Rhythms in J.S. Bach’s Sacred Soprano Arias: Doctoral Voice Recital with Maren Hrivnak
Feb
10

CANCELED - Secular French Baroque Dance Rhythms in J.S. Bach’s Sacred Soprano Arias: Doctoral Voice Recital with Maren Hrivnak

This is a Doctoral Voice Recital focusing on the analysis and comparison of Bach's soprano arias in relation to French Baroque dance traditions. In each aria, Maren will trace and highlight elements of French Baroque dance style and explore how these features inform interpretation and performance.

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A Saint of Our Time: A Concert Celebrating Carlo Acutis
Feb
8

A Saint of Our Time: A Concert Celebrating Carlo Acutis

Harpsichordist Dr. Micaela Schmitz is celebrating both the Blessed Carlo Acutis (Saint from spring, 2025) and an instrument baptism of her new Pentagonal Virginals (similar to a harpsichord). The program features pieces from the Renaissance that link to Carlo’s devotion to the Virgin Mary, to the Eucharist and to God. Composers include Byrd, Cabezon, Picchi, Frescobaldi, Rossi, Froberger, and more. It can be heard as a concert or treated as a meditation.

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L'Egisto (Opera d’Arte undergraduate production)
Feb
7

L'Egisto (Opera d’Arte undergraduate production)

A fine example of Venetian Baroque opera, this fable of two couples having their fidelity tested by capricious gods provokes many misunderstandings and adventures in the name of love. Kidnappings, threats, magic and madness all find their way into this ultimately charming Baroque masterpiece. Don't miss this rarely performed work!

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2026 Tapestry Concert
Feb
7

2026 Tapestry Concert

The 2026 Tapestry Concert will feature a variety of musicians from around Cincinnati performing early music sets of their choosing. We’ll have a mix of vocalists and instrumentalists for your listening pleasure. Join us to celebrate the diverse talents of our Cincinnati early music community!

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L'Egisto (Opera d’Arte undergraduate production)
Feb
6

L'Egisto (Opera d’Arte undergraduate production)

A fine example of Venetian Baroque opera, this fable of two couples having their fidelity tested by capricious gods provokes many misunderstandings and adventures in the name of love. Kidnappings, threats, magic and madness all find their way into this ultimately charming Baroque masterpiece. Don't miss this rarely performed work!

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L'Egisto (Opera d’Arte undergraduate production)
Feb
5

L'Egisto (Opera d’Arte undergraduate production)

A fine example of Venetian Baroque opera, this fable of two couples having their fidelity tested by capricious gods provokes many misunderstandings and adventures in the name of love. Kidnappings, threats, magic and madness all find their way into this ultimately charming Baroque masterpiece. Don't miss this rarely performed work!

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Sacred Music Series: Harpsichord Recital by Christopher Holman
Jan
30

Sacred Music Series: Harpsichord Recital by Christopher Holman

Christopher Holman presents a solo harpsichord recital exploring the expressive depth and exuberant brilliance of baroque keyboard music. This intimate concert centers around the master composers who comprised the golden age of the harpsichord: the 16th-century Dutch virtuoso Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, early 17th-century Vatican organist Girolamo Frescobaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, and the 18th-century African-British abolitionist and composer Ignatius Sancho.

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An Evening of Sacred Art and Music
Jan
14

An Evening of Sacred Art and Music

Join the Oratory Singers of Old St. Mary’s Church and community friends for a multimedia experience of sacred art paired with live performances of sacred music. Musical selections are contemporary with or otherwise relevant to the artworks, including medieval plainsong and sacred polyphony from the Renaissance and early Baroque.

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Splendors of the Baroque
Nov
16

Splendors of the Baroque

  • Madison Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Come enjoy an afternoon of gorgeous Baroque music in the historic sanctuary at Madison Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The program will consist of instrumental and/or vocal works by Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Corelli, Purcell, Strozzi, Alessandro Scarlatti, and Royer.

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Ars Perpetuum: Sacred Motets, Brilliant Sonatas
Nov
9

Ars Perpetuum: Sacred Motets, Brilliant Sonatas

Beautiful and lively, the Sacred motets from Giovanni Cima's Concerti Ecclesiastici, anchor this program with various combinations of voice, violin, sackbut, harp and organ.  The violin, sackbut, and organ play nimble instrumental sonatas of Dario Castello and are joined by the voice for two virtuosic motets for soprano and instruments by Nicolò Corradini.

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A Saint of Our Time: A Concert Celebrating Carlo Acutis
Oct
5

A Saint of Our Time: A Concert Celebrating Carlo Acutis

Harpsichordist Dr. Micaela Schmitz is celebrating both the Blessed Carlo Acutis (Saint from spring, 2025) and an instrument baptism of her new Pentagonal Virginals (similar to a harpsichord). The program features pieces from the Renaissance that link to Carlo’s devotion to the Virgin Mary, to the Eucharist and to God. Composers include Byrd, Cabezon, Picchi, Frescobaldi, Rossi, Froberger, and more. It can be heard as a concert or treated as a meditation.

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