* Meet-the-Artist Reception at Castle Street CafŽ
Friday, June 21 after the show
$50 (reception ticket does not include event seating, and must be purchased separately).

Boston Early Music Festival presents Almira, the first opera by the celebrated and beloved Baroque composer George Frideric Handel, in its first fully staged and historically-conceived production in modern times.

Written when Handel was only 19, Almira tells a story of intrigue and romance in the court of the Queen of Castile, in a dazzling parade of entertainment and delight, which Handel would often borrow from during his later career. One of the world's leading Handel scholars, Professor Ellen T. Harris of MIT, has said that BEMF is the "perfect and only" organization to take on Handel's earliest operatic masterpiece, as it requires BEMF's unique collection of artistic talents: the musical leadership, precision, and expertise of BEMF Artistic Directors Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs; the stimulating and informed stage direction and magnificent production designs of BEMF Stage Director in Residence Gilbert Blin; "the world's finest continuo team"; the highly skilled BEMF Baroque Dance Ensemble to bring to life Almira's substantial dance sequences; the all-star BEMF Orchestra; and a wide range of superb voices.

Starring in the title role of Almira and making her Boston Early Music Festival debut, will be soprano Veronica Cangemi. The Argentinean singer began her musical career as the principal 'cellist of her hometown symphony before winning Argentina's National Singing Competition and the Francisco Vinas Contest in Barcelona. With Amanda Forsythe, Colin Balzer, Christian Immler, Zachary Wilder, Tyler Duncan, Ulrike Hofbauer, and Jason McStoots.

This lush, innovative and truly breathtaking production promises a rare glimpse at a very different Handel from the wealthy London virtuoso so familiar to modern audiences.

Aston Magna makes a special appearance at the Mahaiwe in this dynamic program with soprano extraordinaire Dominique Labelle and the combined forces of Laura Jeppesen, viola da gamba; Catherine Liddell, theorbo; and Josh Cohen, baroque trumpet; with an orchestra led by Daniel Stepner.

Two grand works of J.S. Bach - the second Brandenburg concerto and the cantata Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen - will be paired with the gamba music of Marin Marais, featured in the award-winning film Tous Les Matins du Monde.

We invite you to a free pre-concert lecture by Daniel Stepner at 7pm, and to "Meet the Artists" following the performance.

Pink Martini draws on diverse influences to weave a seamless musical fabric that defies immediate classification, but has been lauded by critics throughout the world for its international flavor and ability to entertain.

The Boston Globe commented, "The recipe for a Pink Martini would read something like this: One part French chanson, one part Argentine tango, one part soft merengue beat, and a dash of gin-joint jazz. Combine ingredients and shake vigorously over old Hollywood glamour. Pour into a glass and garnish with a paper parasol."

First attaining recognition during the lounge music revival of the mid- and late-1990s as exemplified by such acts as the Cherry Poppin' Daddies and bands of that ilk, Pink Martini sought a wider variety of styles, from Japanese torch songs to Maurice Ravel's "Bolero." According to the group's musical leader, Thomas Lauderdale, "Pink Martini is like a romantic Hollywood musical of the 1940s or 50s - but with a global perspective which is modern," he wrote on the band's official Web site. "We bring melodies and rhythms from different parts of the world together." Describing themselves as a "pop orchestra" and as "music archaeologists," Pink Martini was described in the Washington Post as "digging up neglected treasures and styles from the past and reinventing them for the 21st century.

But there's nothing pedantic about the result: This is rich, hugely approachable music, utterly cosmopolitan yet utterly unpretentious."

BY POPULAR DEMAND!
The world-famous Sing-a-long-a format has been delighting audiences since 1999. The important thing about Sing-a-long-a is that it's completely inclusive - you join in as much or as little as you want. It's not compulsory to dress up but many people do and it really adds to the fun. There's a 30-minute pre-film show during which the host leads you through a vocal warm-up, prepares you for special moments throughout the film and judges the fancy dress competition. Everyone receives a free goody bag with special props for the "magic moments" that make the evening go with a bang.

2011 saw the addition of Sing-a-long-a Grease, to its successful Sing-a-Long Sound of Music - a film that audiences have been asking for since the very beginning. It has been running in London since May 2011 and will tour the UK from January 2012.

Come dressed up as your favorite character! Bring the kids! Bring your friends! Plan a sing-a-long party before the show and get ready to sing your hearts out!!

With a commitment to the accurate reproduction of The Beatles' repertoire, The Fab Faux treat the seminal music with unwavering respect, and are known for their painstaking recreations of the songs (with emphasis on the later works never performed live by the Beatles).

Far beyond a cover band, they play the music of The Beatles so impeccably that one must experience it to believe it. Imagine hearing complex material like "Strawberry Fields Forever" or "I Am the Walrus" performed in complete part-perfect renditions; or such harmony-driven songs as "Because", "Nowhere Man", and "Paperback Writer", reproduced not only note-for-note, but with extra vocalists to achieve a double-tracked effect.

The musical virtuosity of The Fab Faux - in actuality five of the hardest working musicians in NYC - completely up-ends the concept of a Beatles tribute band. Far beyond being extended sets of cover versions, their astounding shows are an inspired re-discovery of the Beatles' musical magic, as The Fab Faux tackles the group's most demanding material live onstage in a way that has to be experienced to be believed.

Calling them, "the greatest Beatles cover band - without the wigs," Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke wrote, "the Faux invigorate the artistry of even the Beatles' most intricate studio masterpieces with top chops and Beatlemaniac glee."

Approaching the songs with the intent of playing them live as accurately in musical reading and in spirit as possible, The Faux's breathtaking performances tend to dispel all concert goers' previous notions of a Beatles tribute act. "The Fab Faux have the hardest job in the history of R & R and they pull it off damn well. All rock bands want to be like the Beatles; these guys have the nerve to BE the Beatles. Amazingly, they're so good at it you learn new things about the originals" - Dave Marsh, legendary Rock Critic and Sirius Radio Host.

In conjunction with her next orchestral recording (release planned for this spring), Natalie Merchant will undertake an extensive touring project performing with symphony orchestras throughout the world, including a stop at the Mahaiwe to play with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. Over Natalie Merchant's 30-year career, she has earned a distinguished place among America's most respected recording artists. With her latest and highly acclaimed Nonesuch recording entitled, Leave Your Sleep, which debuted on the Billboard Top 200 at No. 17, Merchant embarks on a new artistic path, creating songs from literary inspiration which are composed for expanded musical ensembles and orchestra.

Merchant began her musical career as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the pop music band 10,000 Maniacs and released two platinum and four gold records with the group between 1981 and 1993 (The Wishing Chair, In My Tribe, Blind Man's Zoo, Hope Chest, Our Time in Eden, and MTV Unplugged). Together with artists like R.E.M., they defined college rock and created the first wave of alternative rock bands and what became known as the alternative rock format on FM radio.

In 1994, Merchant began her solo career with a self-produced debut album, Tigerlily. In the years following, she released Ophelia (1998), Natalie Merchant Live (1999) and Motherland (2001). In 2003, Merchant independently released an album of American and British folk music, The House Carpenter's Daughter, on her own label, Myth America Records.

Live performances of her new music have been enthusiastically received by her long-time fans and new audiences. Following her symphonic debut with the Boston Pops Orchestra, critics observed, "Merchant has found her medium . . . but Merchant's woody quaver has never sounded quite so right as it did framed by flutes, a weaving clarinet, and a gentleharp." (The Boston Globe).

"Quietly spellbinding... the music of Ms. Carpenter is an unclassifiable hybrid of pop, folk and country" - The New York Times

" Cohn has one of rock's most soulful croons?a rich immediately recognizable tenor that makes these songs his own. " Rolling Stone

Acclaimed songwriters Mary Chapin Carpenter and Marc Cohn will share the stage for a series of special shows this summer. The duo will perform material spanning their vast catalogues as well as some of their favorite songs at the Mahaiwe on July 25th.

2012 and 2013 have been landmark years for Mary Chapin Carpenter. In addition to releasing her latest album, Ashes and Roses, to widespread critical acclaim, she was recently inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and won an Emmy award for her work on Nashville Public Television's No Going Back: Women and the War. Over the course of her career, Carpenter has recorded 12 albums and has sold over 13 million records. With hits like Passionate Kisses and He Thinks He'll Keep Her, she has won five Grammy Awards (with 15 nominations) , two CMA awards and two Academy of Country Music awards for her vocals.

With his Grammy-award winning ballad Walking in Memphis, Marc Cohn is one of his generation's most compelling singer / songwriters. After taking a decade-long sabbatical, Cohn returned in 2007 with Join The Parade. Inspired by the events following Hurricane Katrina and his own near fatal shooting just weeks before, Parade is his most moving and critically acclaimed record to date. His most recent album, Listening Booth; 1970, was released in 2010.

The Mahaiwe proudly presents 10-time GRAMMY Award winning group THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER!

The group that just keeps on harmonizing is famous for mixing jazz and popular music styles. The Manhattan Transfer is Cheryl Bentyne, Tim Hauser, Alan Paul and Janis Siegel. The Manhattan Transfer will perform with their touring band in a concert that will feature many of their hit songs such as Birdland, Operator, Tuxedo Junction, Chanson d?Amour, The Boy from New York City and many more.

Fairview Hospital is thrilled to bring local legend Arlo Guthrie to the Mahaiwe stage.

Join us at the Fairview Hospital Gala celebrating 100 Years of Caring.

Generally considered the most accomplished master of the instrument, Bela Fleck will be joined by fellow pickers Tony Trischka, Bill Keith, Richie Stearns, Eric Weissberg, and Noam Pikelny in a concert that will find the banjo being performed in both conventional and unexpected ways. In performances ranging from solos and duets to full-tilt banjo blowouts with all the players and an acoustic band, the concert stage will range from the traditional backdrop of bluegrass and old-time country music to the more unconventional banjo genres including jazz, classical and rock music.

Bela Fleck - born and raised in Manhattan - began making waves with a series of progressive banjo-centric recordings in the 1970s and as a member of the Newgrass Revival in the 1980s. As leader of the genre-busting Bela Fleck and the Flecktones since 1989, he has used the banjo to define the band's one of a kind fusion of jazz, rock, bluegrass and world music. His collaborations with a wide diversity of artists such as jazz piano icon Chick Corea, Indian tabla master Zakir Hussain, classical bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer, and African artists Toumani Diabate and Oumou Sangare, have brought the banjo even further into unchartered territories.

Bela Fleck has been nominated for Grammy awards in more categories than any artist in history, and has won 15 to date, with 30 nominations.

You could call him a singer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, ethnomusicologist, two-time Grammy-winner, world-class musical collaborator, musicians' advocate, world traveler, fisherman, or cigar aficionado. These titles are all accurate, yet none convey the warmth, humor, and soulfulness of Taj and his music.

Taj Mahal was born in Harlem, in New York City, but grew up in Springfield, Massachusetts. His father was a jazz pianist/composer/arranger of Jamaican descent, while his mother was an African American schoolteacher from South Carolina who sang gospel.

Taj has been playing his own distinctive brand of music -- variously described as Afro-Caribbean blues, folk-world-blues, hula blues, folk-funk, and a host of other hyphenations -- for more than 40 years. Caribbean, Hawaiian, African, Latin, and Cuban sounds and rhythms mix with folk, jazz, zydeco, gospel, rock, pop, soul, and R&B, all layered on top of a solid country blues foundation.

Broadway veteran Jessica Molaskey joins jazz guitarist and singer John Pizzarelli in a special night of music. The pair is joined by very special guest, jazz guitarist and banjoist Bucky Pizzarelli.

"As always, Mr. Pizzarelli and Ms. Molaskey play a sophisticated game of push me, pull you, in which Ms. Molaskey is a kind of empathetic therapist with a playful imagination, and Mr. Pizzarelli, in both his guitar playing and singing, is an irrepressible optimist." The New York Times, Stephen Holden

"Mr. Pizzarelli is both jazz virtuoso and a skilled interpreter of the Great American Songbook. What sets him apart are his skills as an entertainer and a firm belief the Songbook is an ever-evolving work in progress." Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Rich Kienzle