Letter from the Directors

“Ars Lyrica’s 2024/25 season celebrates one of music’s principal virtues: across eras and cultures, it creates durable Ties that Bind. Some of our subscription programs highlight shared values or belief systems while others establish links across geographic and temporal boundaries. Each has a distinct focus, with the entire season spanning some four centuries of European and American history.

Early subscribers enjoy a wide range of benefits, including guaranteed renewal of seats, free ticket exchanges, priority seating for programs at St Philip Presbyterian Church and Rice University, and invitations to exclusive post-concert receptions with the artists.

Join us for a spectacular 21st season of world-class, imaginative Baroque music by renewing or purchasing a subscription today!”

Subscribe by 6/30 to receive an additional complimentary ticket to any Zilkha Hall program, plus guaranteed renewal of seats.

In Praise of Virtue

Friday, Sept 20 at 7:30 pm – Zilkha Hall

In Praise of Virtue features soprano Hannah DePriest and countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen in two rarely heard solo cantatas: J. S. Bach’s beautifully reflective Ich bin vergnügt (BWV 84) and G. F. Handel’s glittering Splenda l’alba in oriente (HWV 166). Excerpts from Johann Adolph Hasse’s Marc-Antonio e Cleopatra set this noble love story with luscious melodies and spectacular virtuosity, in arias and duets for both soloists.

Featured artists:
Hannah DePriest, soprano°
Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, countertenor

° Ars Lyrica debut

Madrigals of Love and War

Friday, Nov 8 at 7:30 pm – Zilkha Hall

Claudio Monteverdi’s Madrigals of Love and War transformed a venerable genre—the Renaissance part song—into dramatic scenes that rival the flamboyant art of Caravaggio or Bernini. By updating an old musical form, Monteverdi created a repertoire that is both timeless and singular: few madrigals from any age hold a candle to these masterworks for multiple voices and instruments.

Featured artists:
Erica Schuller, soprano
Amia Langer, soprano
Michael Skarke, countertenor
Steven Brennfleck, tenor
Thomas O’Neill, tenor
Enrico Lagasca, bass

Crossing Borders

Tuesday, Dec 17 at 7:30 pm – St Philip Presbyterian Church

Back by popular demand, Crossing Borders celebrates the rich flowering of music across Hispanic cultures during the Renaissance and Baroque eras, from the “Old” to the “New” World. This festive holiday program includes villancicos and romances for voices and ensemble plus instrumental works that illustrate how music knits together cultures across time and space.

Featured artists:
Camille Ortiz, soprano
Cecilia Duarte, mezzo-soprano

Old Meets New

Sunday, Jan 19 at 4pm – Duncan Recital Hall, Rice University

Old Meets New expands our own favored repertoire to include contemporary as well as Baroque music for period instruments. Featuring core string players with ALH Artistic Director Matthew Dirst at the harpsichord, this program features keyboard concerti by W. F. Bach and Karol Beffa and chamber works by Jean-Marie Leclair, Gregory Spears, and Emma Kent Wine.

Featured artists:
Matthew Dirst, harpsichord
Stephen Redfield, violin
Eric Taeyang Mun, cello

Handel’s Theodora

Saturday, Mar 29 at 7:30 pm – Zilkha Hall

Handel’s final masterpiece tells the story of Theodora, an early Christian martyr, who is persecuted by a corrupt and wicked Roman president. Bacchanal and piety compete in this deeply moving oratorio, which features five soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Its central message, that faith triumphs over death, is common across religious traditions.

Featured artists:
Nola Richardson, soprano (Theodora)
Cecilia Duarte, mezzo-soprano (Irene)
Douglas Williams, bass-baritone (Valens)
Cody Bowers, countertenor (Didymus)°
Brian Giebler, tenor (Septimus)°
The Moores School Concert Chorale

° Ars Lyrica debut

Classical Collaborations

Friday, May 23 at 7:30 pm – Zilkha Hall

Classical Collaborations brings together the central genres of the Viennese classical “school”—concerto, sonata, symphony, and variations—while foregrounding the contributions of women to this fabled musical culture. Featured works include Marianna Martines’s Concerto in G Major for Fortepiano and Orchestra, Mozart’s “Auernhammer” Sonata in F Major (K. 376), Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 48 (“Maria Theresia”), and Josepha Auernhammer’s “Papageno Variations.”

Featured artists:
Patricia Garcia Gil, fortepiano°
Cynthia Roberts, violin°

° Ars Lyrica debut

In Praise of Virtue
Friday, September 20, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Zilkha Hall

Madrigals of Love & War
Friday, November 8, 2024 at 7:30 PM
Zilkha Hall

Crossing Borders
Tuesday, December 17, 2024 at 7:30 PM
St. Philip Presbyterian Church

Old Meets New
Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 4 PM
Duncan Recital Hall, Rice University

Handel’s Theodora
Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Zilkha Hall

Classical Collaborations
Friday, May 23, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Zilkha Hall