Arcadia Players - New England's Period Instrument Ensemble
Arcadia Players embraces
historical performance practice to illuminate and invigorate the great Western heritage of vocal and instrumental music. |
Next ConcertVicente Lusitano and his Circle
Saturday November 15, 2pm Music Room, Wistariahurst Museum, Holyoke Motets for 4, 5 and 6 male voices by Lusitano, Gombert, Willaert, and Cristóbal de Morales. Lusitano, a 16th-century Portuguese cleric, is considered the first classical composer of African ancestry ever to be published. His beautiful vocal music has only recently become known to modern performers and audiences. The sacred polyphony from this era is extraordinarily rich but is seldom performed. In addition to Lusitano's own works, this program offers music by three of the most influential composers of the day, masters whose music Lusitano certainly knew. Please join us for a pre-concert talk at 1pm. Andrus Madsen will discuss Lusitano’s life, times, and the re-discovery of his music. The Music Room at the Wistariahurst Museum is one of the region's finest concert venues, ideally suited for this repertoire.Seating is limited and advance ticket purchases are advised. There is ample free parking on the street and at the nearby Senior Center. Presented in cooperation with Newton Baroque. A German Holiday: Works for Advent and Christmas by Bach and Zelenka
Saturday December 20 3pm Grace Episcopal Church, Amherst The showpiece of this concert will be the Missa Dei Filii (Mass for the Son of God) by Jan Dismas Zelenka, this distinctive and often overlooked composer's most ebullient choral work. Zelenka's music is original, distinctive, and offers dazzling rewards to the listener. Accompanying the Mass on the program are selections from the Cantatas for Advent and Christmas by Zelenka's admirer, Johann Sebastian Bach. Music for Good Friday for viols and voices
Saturday March 28, 2026 3pm Abbey Chapel, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley This concert will feature the profoundly moving Karfreitag Lieder (Good Friday Songs) by 17th-century Czech composer Samuel Capricornus, along with Tenebrae Lessons by Giovanni Paolo Colonna. Sopranos Tess Wakim and Agnes Coakley Cox will sing with Arcadia Viols in a concert that promises to move your heart. Presented in cooperation with Newton Baroque. Making Overtures
Saturday May 2, 2026 2:30pm Wesley Methodist Church, Hadley Overtures and Overture Selections by Telemann, Bach, Zelenka and Fischer The centerpiece of this joyous concert will be Telemann's own "Water Music," the glorious Hamburger Ebb' und Fluth (Hamburg Ebb and Flow), a musical homage to the city where the composer lived and worked for over 40 years. Telemann's tribute captures various moods of the Elbe River as it makes its way through the city, while also honoring a variety of water-deities and even celebrating the local boatmen with some boisterous sailors' dances. Arcadia Players seeks new President
The early music ensemble's current leader, Jon Solins, will be stepping down by the end of the current concert season and the Board hopes to begin working with a new President as soon as possible. The President oversees the artistic, financial, administrative and promotional activities of the organization. Expertise in early music is helpful but not required; enthusiasm for classical music, good organizational skills and experience in non-profit governance are strong pluses. This is a volunteer position requiring 5-15+ hours per week, depending on the season and on the President's areas of expertise. For more information, contact: Walter Denny at [email protected] 
Arcadia Players performing Monteverdi at
St. Mary's Church, Northampton Photo by Walter Denny |
Arcadia Players’ 2025-2026 concert season is made possible through the support of our patrons and donors,
by our media sponsor New England Public Media, and by the Cultural Councils of Amherst, and South Hadley,
local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Arcadia Players is Ensemble-in-Residence at the Arthur F. Kinney Center for Interdisciplinary Renaissance Studies.
by our media sponsor New England Public Media, and by the Cultural Councils of Amherst, and South Hadley,
local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.
Arcadia Players is Ensemble-in-Residence at the Arthur F. Kinney Center for Interdisciplinary Renaissance Studies.
We are proud to participate in Mass Cultural Council's Card to Culture program in collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Public Health's WIC Nutrition Program, the Massachusetts Health Connector, and hundreds of organizations by making cultural programming accessible to those for whom cost is a participation barrier.
EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders can purchase general admission tickets for $10 each.
See the complete list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.
EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders can purchase general admission tickets for $10 each.
See the complete list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.
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Arcadia Players
New England's Period Instrument Ensemble
160 Main St. Suite 27
Northampton, MA 01060
413 586-8742 (413 58-MUSIC)
New England's Period Instrument Ensemble
160 Main St. Suite 27
Northampton, MA 01060
413 586-8742 (413 58-MUSIC)