GRAMMY-winning Boston Early Music Festival presents the North American premiere of Henry Desmarest's 1694 opera, Circé

The fully staged production is the centerpiece of a weeklong celebration of Early Music, June 4–11, 2023 in Boston, MA

BOSTON, May 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The GRAMMY-winning Boston Early Music Festival takes audiences on an epic adventure drawn from Homer's Odyssey with the full staged North American premiere of Henry Desmarest's 1694 opera, Circé. After the divine sorceress Circé welcomes Ulisse and his weary companions to her island home, the forces of love, magic, and fate clash and threaten to ensnare them all. First performed in 1694 at the Paris Opera, Circé features a libretto by renowned French poet Louise-Geneviève Gillot de Saintonge. BEMF will offer four fully staged performances, June 4, 7, 9, and 11, 2023 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre (219 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, USA).

The production is part of a weeklong festival—themed A Celebration of Women—in Boston, June 4–11, 2023. "I am thrilled to welcome Festival audiences back to Boston for our highly anticipated return to an in-person gathering," says Executive Director Kathleen Fay. "Our Festival will be an inspiring week honoring the work of women musicians both living and departed, reminding us that women have been an integral part of classical music all along!"

Musical Directors Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs and Stage Director Gilbert Blin lead the production featuring Orchestra Director Robert Mealy, Dance Director Melinda Sullivan, choreography by Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière and Pierre-François Dollé, costumes designed by Jérôme Kaplan, and sets designed by Gilbert Blin. BEMF has assembled an outstanding cast of 20 singers, including many critically acclaimed favorites from past BEMF productions, with 3-time GRAMMY-nominated soprano Karina Gauvin in the title role, and GRAMMY-winning tenor Aaron Sheehan as Ulisse.

Tickets are priced at $30, $60, $80, $110, $145, and $250. Ticket packages are available through the BEMF Box Office at 617-661-1812 or BEMF.org; individual tickets are available through the Box Office at the Cutler Majestic Theatre at EmersonTheatres.org or 617-824-8000.

Festival Press Release: https://bemf.org/about-us/press-room/pr-2023-festival/

ABOUT THE BOSTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL:
Recognized as the preeminent early music presenter and Baroque opera producer in North America, the Boston Early Music Festival offers diverse programs and activities, including Award-winning opera recordings, an annual concert series in Boston and New York, and a biennial week-long Festival and Exhibition recognized as the "world's leading festival of early music" (The Times, London).

Media Contact:
Brian Stuart
[email protected]

SOURCE Boston Early Music Festival