2026/27 Season

Join us in our 55th season, “Second Looks,” for a continued focus on the music of J.S. Bach alongside works that reignite the spirit of timeless classics. Our weekly cantatas, Lindsey Chapel Series, and annual Bach Institute are presented together with the New England premiere of Errollyn Wallen's Dido's Ghost, Bach’s brilliant Christmas Oratorio, and a celebration of Schubert's Winterreise with Hans Zender’s “composed interpretation” for tenor and orchestra performed in conjunction with the original version for voice and piano.

CONCERTS

Stewarding The Earth

Tan, Habibi & Beethoven

The Resonance of Our Changing World

Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 4:00pm
Parish Hall, Emmanuel Church

Su Lian Tan: River of the Trunk (text by John Elder) for soprano, violin, cello & piano (2004)
Iman Habibi: Beloved of the Sky for string quartet (2014)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 “Pastoral” for string sextet

Empathy

Amahl and the Night Visitors

The Radical Love of a Neighbor

Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 4:00pm
Sanctuary, Emmanuel Church

Gian Carlo Menotti: Amahl and the Night Visitors
‍J.S. Bach: Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen

Humanity

St. Matthew Passion

300 years of St. Matthew Passion

Sunday, March 21, 2027 at 4:00pm
Sanctuary, Emmanuel Church

J.S. Bach: St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244

Love letters

Schumann, Beethoven, Leiberson & Esmail

Musical Missives to the Adored

Sunday, May 2, 2027 at 4:00pm
Allston Abbey

Clara Schumann: Drei Romanzen for violin and piano, Op. 22
Beethoven: Seven Variations on Bei Mannern welche Liebe fühlen, WoO 46 for cello and piano
Peter Lieberson: Neruda Songs for mezzo and piano (selections) (2005)
Reena Esmail: Even after all this time (SATB) (2016)

SERIES

Weekly Bach Cantata Series

Sunday, September 20, 2026 - Sunday, May 9, 2027

Called “An essential spiritual center of musical life in Boston” (WBUR), Emmanuel Music continues its core mission with the weekly cantata series every Sunday, September through May, as part of the Emmanuel Church service.

Bach Institute Emerging Artist Intensive: Bach’s Humanity

Wednesday, January 6-Sunday, January 17, 2027

J.S. Bach is revered as quasi-divine, even superhuman, among music lovers. However, the great power of his music is rooted in his deep empathy and understanding of what it means to be human and the struggles we face to be better people. The January 2027 Intensive welcomes special guest artist, violinist Vijay Gupta, who has devoted his creative life to bringing music into dialogue with people in all walks of life, to explore this aspect of Bach's cantata literature.

Lindsey Chapel Series: Bach’s Violin Sonatas and Partitas

Thursday, February 11, 2027-Thursday, March 18, 2027

We reprise our extremely successful 2026 Lindsey Chapel Series pairing unaccompanied works by Bach with contemporary composers of the 20th and 21st centuries chosen by the performers.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Breathe with Bach

Breathe with Bach takes our musicians out into the community, partnering with neighborhood branches of the Boston Public Library to present an hour of music, Bach and Bach adjacent, at BPL locations across the city. Listeners can experience Breathe with Bach as they choose, whether that’s pulling up a chair as you would at a concert, passing by for a few minutes to enjoy the sounds, or using the music as a soundtrack to do work, read, or contemplate.

Cantata Conversations

Cantata Conversations are led by Pamela Dellal, Director of the Bach Institute, and other members of our community and are a chance for interested listeners to take a deep dive into the music. Participants will listen to a provided recording on their own time before the discussion, and in addition to Saturday’s rehearsal, will have the opportunity to attend the Sunday cantata presentation either in person or via our livestream. We will be hosting this event both online and in person, at Emmanuel Church. This event it hosted both online and in person, at Emmanuel Church.