The Five Cities Baroque Festival

A performance for the ages.

Last night, we closed the Fourth Five Cities Baroque Festival with a performance of "Israel in Egypt" that was, by turns, heart-rending, luscious, gut-punching, rambunctious, fiery, and oh so triumphant. We could not be prouder of the musicians of the Festival Chorus and Orchestra, our incredible soloists, and, of course, the community who made it all possible.

We closed a week of exquisite, accessible performances of some of the best music ever written, showcasing the incredible local talent our region has to offer, the stars of tomorrow, and amazing guest artists. In short, we lived our mission to the fullest.

Stay tuned, as always, for content from this year's Festival. We can't wait to show you some of the incredible moments we got to experience this week.

We are underway! A fantastic concert by the Baroque Artists of Champaign Urbana last night to open The Fourth Five Cities Baroque Festival, featuring:

- Two superb Bach cantatas (18 and 106)
- Two gorgeous Schütz motets ("Der Herr ist mein Hirt" and "Selig sind die Toten")
- Two Renaissance gems (Rossi's "Mizmor l'Todah" and Lobo's "Versa est in Luctum") - Two conductors (Baroque Artists Artistic Director Sarah Riskind and Five Cities Baroque Artistic Director Nate Widelitz)
- Two graduates of the Chapel of St. John the Divine's chorister program (Our fabulous treble soloists Katie Buzard and Emma Kathleen Lloyd)
- A whole lot of beautiful singing and playing

Nature must have known tonight is our night off for the week, giving us "hailstones for rain" and 🌪️ throughout the day! We are back in action tomorrow, though, with The Five Cities Baroque Festival: Resident Artist Recital - 7:30 at Holy Cross in Champaign. Don't miss it!