Ensemble Affect features instrumental and vocal music of female composers from the 16th to 18th centuries, interwoven with works by women poets of the time (such as Louise Labé, Aphra Behn, and Gaspara Stampa).

Female composers in the Baroque era were not unheard of but were certainly not common, and many who did compose stuck to the more acceptable path of writing religious music. This concert explores instrumental works and secular vocal music, highlighting the talent of these women and their boldness to operate outside the few “safe” spheres expected of them at the time - namely, those of marriage and family life, or the Church.

An exciting component of this concert will be a children’s poetry contest, which invites students from local schools to submit their own poems to be featured in the concert.

More information on how to enter the poetry contest can be found here.

A tax-deductible suggested donation of $25/adult and $10/youths 15 and under is encouraged. Please click the button below and make a general donation in the amount corresponding to the number of attendees in your party.

In this concert specially designed for young people ages 4-10, Ensemble Affect explores the music of 17th-century Venice through the eyes of Harlequin, the playful and witty dancer known for their checkered costume.

This family-friendly interactive pantomime incorporates movement and art for all children involved!

Visit the Northbrook Public Library event page here: https://visit.northbrook.info/event/12016890

Join us for our unique and wildly popular meditation and flow event, led by our very own Kiyoe Matsuura, Baroque violinist and yoga instructor extraordinaire. Music by Corelli, Marais, and Telemann transport the audience in this meditative, candlelit concert experience. Breaking away from the traditional concert mold, audience members are invited to take a seat, lie down on mats, or gently work through their own flow to the calm, soothing music.

Space is limited to 25 attendees for this event!
Please note that the yoga studio does not allow chairs. Yoga mats, blocks, and bolsters will be provided for floor sitting or lying down.

This hour-long event will be held at The Collective Yoga Co-Op in Uptown, Chicago.

Suggested donation of $20. To make a donation, click the button below and select “Baroque Flow”.

17th-century Venice was a place where anything and everything seemed possible, and music played a lead role in the city's thriving art culture. Ensemble Affect explores the works of Venetian composers during the Carnival season with a program capturing the excitement and voluptuous beauty of the Floating City.

An all-Italian program of Legrenzi, Marini, Gentili, Steffani, and more. Ensemble Affect is delighted to partner with pmdance company in this multidisciplinary concert to showcase this athletic and emotive music. Learn more about pmdance here: https://pmdance.org/

Ensemble Affect’s most unique experience returns, led by our very own Kiyoe Matsuura, Baroque violinist and yoga instructor extraordinaire. Music by Marais, Telemann, de la Guerre, Buxtehude, and Charpentier played on baroque violin and viola da gamba transport the audience in this meditative, candlelit concert experience. Breaking away from the traditional concert mold, audience members are invited to take a seat, lie down on mats, or gently stretch to the calm, soothing music.

Space is limited to 25 attendees for this event!
Please note that the yoga studio does not allow chairs. Yoga mats, blocks, and bolsters will be provided for floor sitting or lying down.

This hour-long event will be held at The Collective Yoga Co-Op in Uptown, Chicago.

Suggested donation of $20.

To make a donation, click the “Donate” button below and select “ Baroque Flow ”.

The Venice of the 17th century was a city where anything and everything seemed possible, and music played a lead role in the city's thriving art culture. Ensemble Affect explores the works of Venetian composers during the Carnival seasons with a program capturing the excitement and voluptuous beauty of the Floating City. The concert of opera vignettes, secular arias, and dances is presented in historically-informed style, performed on historical brass, string, and voice.

An all-Italian program of Monteverdi, Ferrari, Fantini, Strozzi, and more.

3:30pm: Pre-concert children’s show featuring a visit from “Harlequin” exploring how music and dance are used in expressing yourself. (All ages are welcome!)

To make a donation that will secure your spot at the show, click the button below!

Back in its favorite place to play, Ensemble Affect performs a collection of music from esteemed composers such as Charpentier, Marais, de la Guerre, Schmelzer, and more.

Featuring EA members Phoebe Gelzer-Govatos on baroque violin, Kiyoe Matsuura on both baroque violin and viola, and Sun Chang playing viola da gamba.

This concert is open to the public with a suggested donation of $20.

The concert takes place in Indian Boundary Park’s field house, and parking is easily accessible on the street.

A unique concert experience in collaboration with The Collective Yoga Co-op in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, space dedicated to uplifting local marginalized and under-resourced communities. Music by Marais, Schemlzer, de la Guerre, Buxtehude, and Charpentier played on baroque violin and viola da gamba transport the audience in this meditative, candlelit concert experience. Breaking away from the traditional concert mold, audience members are invited to take a seat, lie down on mats, or gently stretch to the calm, soothing music.

Space is limited to 25 attendees for this event!
Please note that the yoga studio does not allow chairs. Yoga mats, blocks, and bolsters will be provided for floor sitting or lying down. If you require a chair, please consider attending our concert on January 28 at Indian Boundary Park!

Click the link below to purchase tickets. On the following page, make a “Baroque Yogi donation" at the bottom right of the page.

The Imperial family of the Habsburgs promoted the arts under the reigns of Ferdinand III and his son Leopold I. Both emperors were lovers of music and fine composers! Because of their keen interest in the arts, operas and grand musical productions developed into new trends. 

Join us in our musical adventure at the Viennese court, and come discover the beautiful music of Baroque composers from all over Europe.

Entry will be offered at $25 a person, or $15 per device for livestream viewing. Children under 14 may attend at no cost. For multiple tickets, please give the corresponding amount.

The Imperial family of the Habsburgs promoted the arts under the reigns of Ferdinand III and his son Leopold I. Both emperors were lovers of music and fine composers! Because of their keen interest in the arts, operas and grand musical productions developed into new trends. 

Join us in our musical adventure at the Viennese court, and come discover the beautiful music of Baroque composers from all over Europe.

Entry will be offered at $25 a person, or $15 per device for livestream viewing. Children under 14 may attend at no cost. For multiple tickets, please give the corresponding amount.

Ensemble Affect is back with an intimate string quartet concert highlighting chamber music from the Baroque and Classical eras. The show will feature some of the most celebrated female composers of the first half of the 18th century, including the first set of string quartets ever to be published by a woman.

Program includes:

• Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Concert pour 4 parties de violes

• Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre: Trio Sonata No. 2 in B-flat Major

• Baldassare Galuppi: String Quartet No. 2 in G Major

• Francesco Durante: String Quartet No. 1 in F minor

• Maddalena Laura Lombardini Sirmen: String Quartet Op. 3 No. 3

Program duration: 55 minutes in total

Free Admission

A concert celebrating the beloved concerto in all its forms, from solo, to double, to grosso!

Join us as we explore the rise of the concerto as a powerful tool to inspire emotion and showcase individual virtuosity. From its humble beginnings in the late 17th century, we follow this musical form into the early 18th century and showcase multiple landmark pieces. Hear the first concerto ever written for solo viola, and experience the thrill of Vivaldi’s double concerto for violin and cello. We’ll conclude by bringing in the holiday season with a fan favorite: Corelli’s Christmas Concerto.

Free Admission

Register for the in-person or livestreamed concert by following this link and clicking on “Musica Viva”

A concert celebrating the beloved concerto in all its forms, from solo, to double, to grosso!

Join us as we explore the rise of the concerto as a powerful tool to inspire emotion and showcase individual virtuosity. From its humble beginnings in the late 17th century, we follow this musical form into the early 18th century and showcase multiple landmark pieces. Hear the first concerto ever written for solo viola, and experience the thrill of Vivaldi’s double concerto for violin and cello. We’ll conclude by bringing in the holiday season with a fan favorite: Corelli’s Christmas Concerto.

Free Admission.

RSVP recommended

UPDATE: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this concert will be postponed until next season. New dates will be posted soon.

Ensemble Affect presents an experience highlighting monumental female composers of early music. The concert explores women's influence on music beginning in medieval times through the baroque, culminating in the classical period with the first string quartets ever published by a woman. Significant composers like Hildegard von Bingen and Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre will be featured by the band of historical stringed instruments, along with soprano soloist Bahareh Poureslami singing the beautiful works of Barbara Strozzi.

Ensemble Affect is delighted to accompany the Northwestern Camerata and conductor Jeremy Edelstein in a performance of Johann Hasse’s Misere in C.

Our first concert of 2020 is centered around Valentine’s Day and the theme of love. British love songs will be featured as well as early instrumental music from across the pond.

Ensemble Affect, Chicago's newest early music ensemble, will have its very first performance at 8pm on November 9 at Vail Chapel in Evanston. The concert will feature J.S. Bach's magical cantata arias and the exciting Concerto for Two Violins.