04 Jul Announcing an Ambitious 2017-18 Season
Now entering their 9th year, Les Délices is looking forward to an ambitious season complete with multiple Ohio premieres, international guest artists, new venues, and a large-scale collaboration with Quire Cleveland. Known for their creative, original programming, Les Délices (pronounced Lay day-lease) has been recognized as “an early music group with an avant-garde appetite,” whose “concerts and recordings are journeys of discovery” (New York Times).
In 2017-18, Les Délices will present four new subscription programs, record their fourth CD, perform four national tours, and present lots of free community programming in and around Cleveland. Their Cleveland concert series will see violinist Julie Andrijeski dazzle with virtuosic music of the Parisian counterculture of 1700 in Inspired by Italy on October 21 & 22, 2017, will transport audiences to another world with Intoxicating on January 13 & 14, 2018, will imagine the legendary queen of Carthage from three emotional and musical perspectives with Dido’s Lament on March 10 & 11, 2018, and will Let the Heavens Rejoice April 27-29, 2018 as Les Délices teams up with Quire Cleveland for gorgeous, rarely-heard works for chorus & orchestra by Rameau and Mondonville.
Artistic director Debra Nagy commented, “I’m thrilled to be presenting lots of “new-to-you” music during the 2017-18 season ÔÇô such as our Inspired by Italy program in the fall and a weird and wonderful new Medieval show in January. We’re also looking forward to performing well-known works (like Purcell’s famous lament from Dido & Aeneas) in March and to our April collaboration with Quire Cleveland. What I love most about Les Délices is our adventurous, exploratory programs; I want to provide as rich and interesting an experience for our audiences as possible.”
Les Délices’ 9th season will also see several new guest artists and new initiatives. Nagy explained, “I’m very excited to bring the incredible Irish harpist Maria Cleary to Cleveland in March, and it will be terrific to feature Cleveland’s own Julie Andrijeski in a violin-centric program in October.”
Les Délices is also moving their Saturday night performances to new venues. Their October 21, 2017 concert will move to Pilgrim Congregational Church in Tremont, a fabulous community resource (and home to the Arts Renaissance Tremont series). In January, March, and April, Les Délices will present Saturday evening concerts at Lakewood Congregational Church, whose warm acoustics also host concerts by CityMusic Cleveland. Nagy commented, “These venues are well-known to concert-goers, will be a great match for our music, allow for easy access and parking, and will enable our audiences to grow.”
Subscriptions ($63-$120) and Single Tickets ($25-$35) for all concerts in the series will go on sale August 1 at www.lesdelices.org. Student Tickets ($5) are always available at the door.