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This past weekend was packed with virtual and hybrid events, all part of Early Music America’s 2025 Summit. In Montréal, delegations from the European Early Music Network (REMA) and EMA gathered with leaders from the Canadian early-music scene to discuss how we can collaborate and support one another. On Friday, we attended sessions at McGill Univ., including a moving Land Acknowledgment concert (pictured) and a dazzling, mostly-Vivaldi performance highlighting McGill’s stellar historical performance students and faculty. We are grateful to McGill for hosting these events, along with watch parties on Saturday and Sunday.
Nearly 350 people attended the Summit, both virtually and in person, making this our biggest event yet! The best news is that it’s not too late to watch (or rewatch) sessions you’re interested in. Even if you didn’t attend the Summit, you can register now to access videos of all sessions and performances. The full collection of sessions should be available by the end of this week.
Many thanks to the staff and volunteers who helped make this happen. Save the date for our next EMA Summit, October 22–24, 2026, in Seattle!
| | | Can AI Decipher a Manuscript Better than You? | |
By Kivie Cahn-Lipman
Stuck on sloppy handwriting from the 17th century, a musician recently turned to artificial intelligence to help solve a motet's textural problems. Despite many negative impressions, 'the process of exploring ChatGPT opened my eyes to its potential' as a valuable research partner.
Read the article
| | | Baroque Violinist Wins Barbash Bach Competition | | |
Baroque violinist Danqi Zeng, born in China and currently a doctoral student at Indiana Univ., won the 2025 Barbash J.S. Bach Competition. The prize includes $10,000 and at least five concert engagements in the coming seasons. 'Zeng's Bach spoke profoundly,' remarked one juror, 'and with an immediacy made more palpable by the unforced resonance of her Baroque instrument.'
Read the article and watch Danqi Zeng's prize winning performance
| | | Discovering Graupner on the Old Post Road | |
Recording Review by Aaron Keebaugh
Boston's Musicians of the Old Post Road have again uncovered music by known composers whose works have been neglected. Their latest album is centered on Christoph Graupner (and a few contemporaries). Here the music is 'so vividly shaped and shot through with energy that the composer’s unique play of rhythm, texture, and harmony remain difficult to ignore.'
Read the review
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Filipino-American bass-baritone Enrico Lagasca performs oratorio, opera, chamber music, and recitals, spanning repertoire from early to contemporary music as a soloist and chorister across the United States and abroad. He regularly appears with ensembles including the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, the Cathedral Choir of St. John the Divine, TENET Vocal Artists, Clarion Music Society, the Metropolitan Opera Chorus, Bach Collegium San Diego, Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble, and Seraphic Fire. His solo credits include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Haydn’s The Creation, Bach’s Mass in B Minor, and Mozart’s Requiem. He has recorded with ACRONYM, the American Symphony Orchestra, Conspirare, Skylark Vocal Ensemble, the Choir of Trinity Wall Street, and the Santa Fe Desert Chorale. A finalist in international competitions in Berlin and Clermont-Ferrand, Enrico studied at the University of the Philippines and Mannes College of Music.
Learn more about Enrico Lagasca
| | | EMA Events Calendar Highlights: October 21-27 | |
Wednesday, October 22
Relic presents The Spheres
Baltimore, MD
Thursday, October 23
Gotham Early Music Scene presents Midtown Concerts: Midnight Viols
New York, NY
Friday, October 24
Portland Baroque Orchestra presents Cupid’s Arrow: Strozzi, Frescobaldi & Scarlatti
Portland, OR
Saturday, October 25
Amherst Early Music presents CityRecorder Workshop in NYC
New York, NY
Blue Heron presents A Celebration of German Poetry & Song, c. 1150-1450
Cambridge, MA
Arizona Early Music Society presents Kathryn Cok, Harpsichord
Tucson, AZ
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Join early-music lovers and leaders, and take advantage of unique benefits, by supporting Early Music America’s service to the field.
Join EMA or renew your membership today!
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