BEMF SYMPOSIUM, Boston Ballroom, The Colonnade Hotel, 10:00am - 12:30pm:
Producing and Performing Keiser’s Octavia:

An engaging conversation about the evolution of BEMF’s North American premiere production of Reinhard Keiser’s Octavia, Ellen T. Harris, Class of 1949 Professor Emeritus, MIT, moderates a panel of specialists—including John H. Roberts, Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley; Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs, Musical Directors; Gilbert Blin, Stage Director; Robert Mealy, Orchestra Director; Hubert Hazebroucq, Choreographer; Anna Kjellsdotter, Costume Designer; and Alexander McCargar, Set Designer—as they explore the meticulous research that has been undertaken to bring this operatic masterpiece to the stage.

Exhibition, NEW VENUE FOR 2025: The Colonnade Hotel, 120 Huntington Avenue, 10:00am - 5:00pm:

The heart of the Boston Early Music Festival is our world-famous Exhibition. As the premier early music trade show in North America and among the largest in the world, the BEMF Exhibition features Early Music tradespeople from across the globe, with makers of period instruments, music publishers, dealers in rare books, prints, and manuscripts, and representatives from the world’s leading conservatories and schools of music. The Exhibition is visited daily by hundreds of amateur and professional musicians, students, scholars, and enthusiasts from around the world seeking to purchase instruments, restock their libraries, renew old friendships, and immerse themselves in an unparalleled opportunity for enrichment and discovery.

With an inviting new venue – the Huntington Ballroom and Foyer at the Colonnade Hotel – only blocks from New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall where most of the evening concert take place, the 2025 BEMF Exhibition is sure to be a hub of activity. Nearby restaurants, cafés and fringe venues make this Back Bay location the perfect new home for the BEMF Exhibition.

Registration for the 2025 BEMF Exhibition is now open! Download a registration form below or contact Exhibition Manager Elizabeth Hardy at [email protected] for more information.

FAMILY DAY, Boston Ballroom, The Colonnade Hotel, 1:00PM - 3:00PM:

Participate in fun-filled Early Music activities for all ages, followed by a scavenger hunt at the world-famous BEMF Exhibition. Find old and unusual instruments and meet the people who make them—with special prizes and treats for all!

MASTERCLASS, 1:30 - 4:30PM:

Boreas Quartett Bremen, recorder solos and consorts
New England Conservatory’s Williams Hall, 30 Gainsborough Street

MASTERCLASS, 1:30 - 4:30:
Emma Kirkby, Paul O’Dette, and Stephen Stubbs: 17th-century accompanied solo song
New England Conservatory’s Burnes Hall, 255 St. Botolph Street


FILM, Boston Ballroom, The Colonnade Hotel, 2:30 - 3:30pm:

The Making of BEMF’s Circé: A Documentary Film:
Image

Saturday, June 14, two showings at 2:30pm & 3:30pm
Boston Ballroom, The Colonnade Hotel
The Making of BEMF’s Circé: A Documentary Film
The centerpiece of the June 2023 Boston Early Music Festival—A Celebration of Women—was the North American premiere of Henry Desmarest’s 1694 opera, Circé. First performed in 1694 at the Paris Opera, Desmarest’s Circé features a libretto by renowned poet Louise-Geneviève Gillot de Saintonge.

Recapture the glories of our extraordinary Circé journey in this documentary film by BEMF videographer Kathy Wittman, containing footage from the recording studio in Bremen, Germany, interviews with participating BEMF directors, designers, and artists, excerpts from the rehearsal studio as we prepared for our fully staged performances, and footage from the live production! Be captivated, once again, as we relive this epic adventure from Homer’s Odyssey and bring back to life our critically acclaimed performances complete with period-inspired costumes, elegant Baroque dance, magnificent sets, and utterly gorgeous music.

Click here to buy tickets