ACRONYM performs at 2021 Boston Early Music Festival. Jeff Weeks photography
Something you’d never expect to hear from a live-concert presenter:
“Moving to virtual was spectacularly successful.”
For decades, Kathleen Fay has directed one of the linchpin events in early music—the biennial Boston Early Music Festival.
Thousands of musicians, instrument builders, scholars, publishers—and listeners—pour into Boston from all over the world. Artists and craftspeople spend their days in the exhibition hall, examining and demonstrating instruments and ideas. Concerts happen day and night—some of the most popular, and most unusual, start in the late evening. Boston morphs into an international music hub.
The pandemic ended that. But a virtual festival, “Solace & Joy,” debuting Sunday, testifies to the ability of BEMF to pivot during the shutdown, and reach its audience even more efficiently.
Throughout 2020–21, BEMF aired free virtual performances, and dipped into its unique operatic archives. Fay turned an inability to perform live into the ability to stay connected.
“This year was a wild card,” she says. “We learned so many new tricks. The increase in access, the awareness of who BEMF is—and the gain internationally—has been staggering.
“We presented a number of beautiful artists and ensembles from around the world,” she says, “and I made a point to offer everything for free. That business model is not sustainable, but I didn’t think it was right to charge.”
Audiences responded—much larger, farther-flung audiences than would fit into Jordan Hall to see Jordi Savall, for instance.
“There is no turning back,” Fay says. “We’re in a new world, where we will promote concerts on two platforms—in person, and virtually. Far too many people are coming out of the woodwork.”
Restrictions on public gatherings have relaxed in past weeks, but not in time for a festival of this magnitude. “Solace & Joy” still features its usual top-flight artistic team, led by music directors Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs.
“This year’s concert success led to this virtual festival,” she says. “We’ve been able to hire and pay more than 150 artists. They were able to perform responsibly, and safely, in beautiful venues near where they live. It’s a much more focused experience.”
“Music of Solace & Joy” starts with a reprise of 2017’s “Le Carnaval de Venise”—André Campra’s lyric comedy opera “that ends with a smile,” Fay says.
Tenor Aaron Sheehan commands centerstage in André Campra’s “La Carnaval de Venise,” revived for the 2021 Boston Early Music Festival.
The virtual festival remains available for a month. Concerts include Doulce Mémoire, Cinquecento, ACRONYM and L’Achéron. Soprano Amanda Forsythe sings Handel’s Italian repertory with the BEMF chamber ensemble. A collection of early-music stars join with BEMF’s vocal and chamber ensembles to perform Monteverdi.
There are organ and keyboard mini-festivals, the Fringe concerts return, along with archival presentations of two Pergolesi operas, and free concerts from Ensembles Correspondances and Juilliard415. Programs originate from captivating venues in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Troy, NY.
“You can watch the entire week for $150—as many times as you want,” Fay points out. “That would normally be more than $1000. Audiences can attend safely from their own home, at a far lower cost, at a schedule that suits them, as many times as they like.”
The 2021 Boston Early Music Festival opens Sunday, June 6 with Campra’s “Carnaval de Venise.” The festival, entirely virtual, debuts concerts through June 13, and all events are available online through July 11. For tickets and information visit bemf.org or call 617 661-1816.
Keith Powers covers music and the arts for Gannett New England, Leonore Overture and Opera News. Follow @PowersKeith; email to keithmichaelpowers@gmail.com.