2023 - 24 Season

Simone Dinnerstein performing

Simone Dinnerstein: Bach | Mozart | Glass

Sept 23, 2023, 7.00 pm

Simone Dinnerstein with Emmanuel Music
Laurie Olinder, Video Installation
Distler Hall at Tufts University

Bach        Keyboard Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052
Mozart     Piano Concerto in C Major, K. 467 
Glass       Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra

Join us for a special evening of music as we explore the lasting influence of Johann Sebastian Bach. Following the resounding success of Emmanuel Music's collaboration with Simone Dinnerstein in June 2022, we are delighted to welcome her back to present these three keyboard concerti by Bach, Mozart, and Glass with visual counterpoint in the form of an abstract video journey by artist Laurie Olinder. We will trace the ways in which Bach's music has influenced and been interpreted in dialogue with other composers across space and time.

Bach's Keyboard Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052, is a soaring and majestic work that showcases the composer's mastery of counterpoint. Mozart's Piano Concerto in C Major, K. 467, is a sparkling and elegant work that regularly delights audiences of all ages. A rare treat, Philip Glass' Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra is a seldom-performed work based on traditional Austrian folk music, Volkslied.
A performance of the cantata series

Cantata Series

Sept 24, 2023 - May 12, 2024

Sunday Mornings at Emmanuel Church

The core of our founding, Emmanuel Music presents a different cantata each Sunday, typically by J.S. Bach, as part of the worship service at Emmanuel Church. All are welcome to attend the church service which starts at 10:00am, and/or the cantata presentation which usually begins around 11:00am.
View Cantata Schedule
A photo from Christmas at Emmanuel Church

Christmas at Emmanuel

December 17, 2023, 4.00 pm


Britten    Saint Nicolas, op. 42 - Charles Blandy, Nicolas
Bach       Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, BWV 65
Woody   as thou on snow - Commissioned motet premiere

Join Emmanuel Music, along with Cambridge Common Voices and the Boston Children's Choir, for an opulent celebration of the holiday season, centered around Benjamin Britten’s dramatic cantata, inspired by Saint Nicolas’ legendary care for the poor and oppressed. Set against the lush horns and arias of Bach’s Epiphanytide cantata, Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen, BWV 65, we link holiday traditions old and new with a newly commissioned motet by Jonathan Woody, inspired by its accompanying program.
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A performance at the Bach Institute

The Bach Institute Intensive: Bach's Time

January 4 - 15, 2024


Emmanuel Church

During the BI January Intensive we invite a group of auditioned talented young musicians for a 10-day exploration of Bach's marvelous cantata repertoire, including lectures, masterclasses, open rehearsals, and stimulating conversations. Bach's music is fully alive at Emmanuel Music; come watch us play in our living laboratory, testing and examining sound, text, and structure to discover the underlying messages in the music.
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A performance at the Lindsey Chapel

Lindsey Chapel Series

February 15 - March 21, 2024


Emmanuel Church

Our popular Lindsey Chapel Series provides free performances by solo musicians and small ensembles from 12:00–1:00pm on Thursdays, both in-person and streaming live, throughout Lent. This year we present the complete Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin of J. S. Bach performed by six extraordinary Boston violinists.  Experience the architectural beauty and intimate acoustics of one of the most beautiful Lady Chapels in the country.
A photo featuring Nina Simone and J.S. Bach

Nina Simone and Bach:

A Connection of Two Geniuses

Thursday March 7th, 2024 at 6:30pm

Emmanuel Church

Emmanuel Music is committed to finding new and creative ways for our audiences and musicians to engage with artistic, spiritual, and humanistic aspects of the music of J.S. Bach as a living laboratory of his music through our performances, teaching, mentoring, and scholarly activities. We will be premiering in Boston in March a performance mixing the jazz sounds of Nina Simone and the classical music of Bach “A Connection of Two Geniuses.”
St. Matthew Passion artwork

St. Matthew Passion

March 23, 2024, 4.00 pm

Bach  St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244

Jonas Budris, Evangelist
David McFerrin, Jesus
with St. Paul's Choir School

Emmanuel Music presents  Bach’s towering masterpiece, considered by some to be the greatest achievement in Western music: the St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244. Profoundly beautiful, dramatic, and compelling, the Matthew Passion expresses our human condition and our capacity for hate, love, and transcendence like no other work.
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A photo from BachFest

Bachfest in Boston

June 5, 2024, 7.00 pm

A Bachfest Leipzig Sendoff Concert

Bach         Was frag ich nach der Welt, BWV 94
Epstein     commissioned prelude motet

Bach        Nimm von uns, Herr, du treuer Gott, BWV 101
Harbison  commissioned prelude motet Fadensonnen

Bach         Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gut, BWV 113
Ruehr       commissioned prelude motet Your Healing Word  

Bach         Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren, BWV 137
Wallen     commissioned prelude motet

Emmanuel Music goes to Leipzig! We’re deeply honored to have been invited to participate in this global celebration of Bach, and wish we could take all our Boston friends with us. Before we head to BachFest in Germany, we want to share the experience of BachFest — with some added benefits — for our local audience. Experience our program of four Bach cantatas, accompanied by newly commissioned motets inspired by each of the Bach works. Emmanuel Music continues our mission of serving as a living laboratory of Bach, both at home and abroad.

Conversation: Simone Dinnerstein & Ryan Turner