Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 21, 2010
CONTACT: Kathleen Fay, Executive Director
617-661-1812 | kathy@bemf.org

MEDIA ALERT: THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL PRESNTS ITS THIRD ANNUAL CHAMBER OPERA SERIES: PURCELL'S DIDO AND AENEAS

WHEN:	Saturday, November 27, 2010 at 8pm Sunday, November 28, 2010 at 3pm
WHERE:	New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street, Boston, MA
PROGRAM:	Henry Purcell: Dido and Aeneas Paul O'Dette & Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors Gilbert Blin, Stage Director Anna Watkins, Costume Designer Melinda Sullivan, Choreographer Laura Pudwell, Dido, Queen of Carthage Douglas Williams, Aeneas, Trojan Prince Yulia Van Doren, Belinda, Dido’s sister Caroline Copeland & Carlos Fittante, Featured Baroque Dancers
TICKETS:	Tickets priced at $19, $38, $49, $66, and $125 each can be purchased at WWW.BEMF.ORG and 617-661-1812; a $5 discount for students, seniors, and groups of 10 or more is offered by calling 617-661-1812. Subscription discounts of 10% are available with the purchase of three or more programs.
EVENT DESCRIPTION: The Boston Early Music Festival presents the third installment of its acclaimed Chamber Opera Series, Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas. A familiar landmark in operatic history, Purcell’s music vividly recounts the famous story from Virgil’s Aeneid with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The opera tells the story of the joyous love of Dido, Queen of Carthage, and the Trojan hero Aeneas—and their ill-fated separation, leading to Dido’s famous dying lament. The exquisite drama of this masterpiece will come alive in a semi-staged production featuring superlative singing from a cast of 15, a troupe of five Baroque dancers, lavish costumes, and outstanding performances from the Grammy-nominated BEMF Chamber Ensemble. The BEMF Chamber Opera Series was first presented to a sold-out audience at Jordan Hall in November 2008 with a double-bill of Blow’s Venus and Adonis and Charpentier’s Actéon. Hailed by The Boston Globe for “vivid performances” and as “a highly welcome addition to the local concert calendar”, BEMF encored the productions at the June 2009 Festival. BEMF offered a second production, Handel’s Acis and Galatea in November 2009 to another packed house and will present the opera in five cities in the spring of 2011, including another encore at the June 2011 Festival. ASSOCIATED EVENTS: Free Pre-Concert Talk: Saturday, November 27 at 7pm and Sunday, November 28 at 2pm Join Ellen T. Harris, Class of 1949 Professor of Music at MIT, along with members of the BEMF Directorial Team for an engaging discussion before the performance. CD Release and Signing: Following both performances BEMF celebrates the release of its latest opera recording, Charpentier’s Actéon. Musical Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs along with Gilbert Blin, Stage Director, and Anna Watkins, Costume Designer, will be available to sign CDs following both performances. RESOURCES: Download artist photos http://www.bemf.org/pages/press/images.htm RECENT PRESS RELEASES: 8/30/2010: Boston Early Music Festival Presents its 2010-2011 Concert Series in Boston 7/29/2010: Boston Early Music Festival Announces 2010-2011 Concerts at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City 6/4/2010: Boston Early Music Festival Announces 2011 Festival Operatic Centerpiece ABOUT THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL: Recognized as the preeminent early music presenting organization in North America, the Boston Early Music Festival has been credited with securing Boston’s reputation as “America’s early music capital” (The Boston Globe). Founded in 1981, the Boston Early Music Festival offers diverse programs and activities, including three Grammy-nominated opera recordings, an annual concert series that brings early music’s brightest stars to the Boston and New York concert stages, and a biennial week-long Festival and Exhibition recognized as the “world’s leading festival of early music” (The Times, London). The fully staged operatic centerpiece of the 16th Festival and Exhibition in 2011 will be the North American premiere of Agostino Steffani’s Niobe, Queen of Thebes led by BEMF Artistic Directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, and Stage Director and Set Designer Gilbert Blin. The international cast will include soprano Amanda Forsythe in the title role and countertenor Philippe Jaroussky as Anfione. The 2010–2011 Boston Early Music Festival concert season is presented with support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, National Endowment for the Arts, ConstellationCenter, WGBH Radio Boston, Harpsichord Clearing House, Zuckermann Harpsichords International, The Gregory E. Bulger Foundation, and U. S. Trust/Bank of America Private Wealth Management. Dates, times, venues, artists, and programs are subject to change. For more information, images, press tickets, or to schedule an interview, please contact Kathleen Fay at 617-661-1812 or email kathy@bemf.org ###