Viols at Court: Purcell & Locke

Step into the world of early English consort music, flourishing in Restoration England under Charles II. Curated by Principal Cellist Joanna Blendulf, this year’s Podium concert presents a rare combination of instruments: tenor and bass viols, violas, violins, violone, theorbo, organ, and harpsichord, creating a sound that is intimate and reedy. Purcell’s celebrated Chacony is underpinned by a hypnotically repeating bass line that yields to the Fantasia upon One Note, where a single unchanging pitch anchors the music while the ensemble spirals around it. William Lawes’ Consort Sett No. 6 (a personal favorite of Joanna’s) is dramatic, unpredictable, and ahead of its time. Music by Matthew Locke adds theatrical flair with stormy scenes from The Tempest, before the concert culminates in John Jenkins’s Newark Siege: a musical battle that pits bass viols against one another in a riveting finale.

More about the 2026/27 Season

Check out the 2026/27 Season Brochure.
Download the season order form and mail it in for the earliest access to the best seats in the house.

Join us one hour before the performance for a pre-concert talk about the program. Learn more here.

Concert Sponsors:

Susan Bach in memory of Doug Egan

Featured Artists