Festival Evening Events

All events are part of the Amherst Early Music Festival, July 12-26, 2026. Festival Concerts and Lectures are in the Empie Theater on the campus of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, at 7:30 p.m. and are open to the public. Guests are asked to register for the Opera, no tickets to other evening concerts is required. Entrance is general admission. Events that are not Evening Concerts or Lectures are open to Festival participants only.

Monday, July 13, The Ice Cream Social

Following dinner, outside weather permitting. (Participants only)

Tuesday, July 14, 7:30 p.m.
Festival Lecture by Loren Ludwig Nothing New Under the Sun!

Early Music and Early Music Revivalism in the American Experiment Before the post-WWII early music revival (which birthed the Amherst Early Music Festival and is, for many, _the_ early music revival), early music revivalism was something of a recurrent phenomenon in the history of the United States (both before and after Independence). At key points over the last several hundred years, musicians have drawn on “ancient" music to bolster their sense of community and belonging and to help tell the most pressing stories about what “America” means and to whom. The big anniversary offers an opportunity to consider some of the moving, melodious, and sometime bizarre revivalism of earlier eras and to reflect on what early music means to us and the current moment.

Wednesday, July 15, 7:00 p.m. - The Amherst Early Music Festival Week 1 Auction

An entertaining evening of bidding by the fabulous AEM auctioneers, to help raise funds for AEM. (Participants only).

Thursday, July 16, 7:30 p.m. - Festival Concert: Baroque Academy Faculty - Les Goûts réunis

Empie Theater, open to the public, no tickets required.

Friday, July 17, 7:30 p.m.
Festival Concert - Baroque Academy Opera Project: Platée by Jean-Philippe Rameau

Empie Theater, open to the public, advance tickets required.

Saturday, July 18, Student Concerts: Central Program, Historical Dance, and Ensemble Singing Intensive Concerts

Times and locations tba.

Saturday, July 18, 7:30 p.m. - Festival Faculty Concert

Empie Theater, open to the public, no tickets required. Followed by All-Workshop Party (Festival participants only)

Monday, July 20, The Ice Cream Social

Following dinner, outside weather permitting. (Participants only)

Tuesday, July 21, 7:30 p.m.
Festival Lecture by Rotem Gilbert - Susanne un jour: French and English Stories about Susanna and the Elders in
Music, Poetry, Painting, and Culture

The story of Susanna and the Elders inspired a rich tradition of sixteenth-century dances, madrigals, chansons, and Mass settings. The 1548 poem by Guillaume Gueroult Susanne un jour, tells the story of the biblical Susanna, a woman who stood up against evil men.
This lecture demonstration follows a selection of musical settings on Susanna, including the famous chanson by Orlando di Lassus, Susanna fair by English composer William Byrd, and the dance Susanna Galliard by John Dowland and includes depictions of Susanne in Renaissance painting.

Wednesday, July 22, 7:00 p.m. - The Amherst Early Music Festival Week 2 Auction