
BEC continues its theme of a concert celebrating St. Cecilia’s Day, November 22nd. The program celebrates the life and works of Henry Purcell, with a special focus on his odes and operas. The emphasis on St. Cecilia highlights the rise of concert music as a public phenomenon, no longer confined to court or church. Through the emergence of the English Baroque and the development of opera, we glimpse a society awakening to the power of free expression in art. Featuring selections from works spanning Purcell’s career, including Welcome to all the Pleasures, Dido and Aeneas and the Fairy Queen.