Photo by Josh Reynolds available in high resolution here.
GRAMMY®-Nominated A Far Cry Continues 20th Anniversary Season
with A Baroque Holiday on December 19 and 20, 2026
Two Neighborhood Chamber Concerts
Curated by A Far Cry Violinist Jae Cosmos Lee
Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 3:00pm
St. John’s Episcopal Church | 1 Roanoke Avenue | Jamaica Plain, MA
Tickets and More Information
Sunday, December 20, 2026 at 3:00pm
First Church Cambridge | 11 Garden Street | Cambridge, MA
Tickets and More Information
Boston, MA – GRAMMY®-nominated chamber orchestra and “world-wide phenomenon” (WBUR) A Far Cry (AFC) continues its 20th anniversary season with A Baroque Holiday, its second set of Neighborhood Chamber Concerts of the season, on Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 3:00pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church (1 Roanoke Avenue, Jamaica Plain) and Sunday, December 20, 2026 at 3:00pm at First Church Cambridge (11 Garden Street, Cambridge).
Curated by A Far Cry violinist Jae Cosmos Lee, A Baroque Holiday is an afternoon of radiant baroque music to celebrate the holiday season. A Far Cry hosts a warm reception and performs a festive concert on the brink of the winter solstice. Highlighting J.S. Bach’s beloved, exuberant Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048, the program also includes Antonio Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos in G minor, RV. 531, Antoine Dauvergne’s elegant and charming Concert de Simphonies No. 4 in A major, Op. 4/2, and Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8, Christmas Concerto, which captures the mystery of a 17th century midnight mass in Rome.
J.S. Bach’s famous Brandenburg Concertos were dedicated to Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg on March 24, 1721. Bach wrote these six iconic works with great care, working diligently to live up to the enthusiastic interest and expectations of the royal dedicatee. Bach conveyed his hopes and aspirations for the works to the Margrave, saying, “I have then in accordance with Your Highness’ most gracious orders taken the liberty of rendering my most humble duty to Your Royal Highness with the present concertos, which I have adapted to several instruments; begging Your Highness most humbly not to judge their imperfection with the rigor of the fine and delicate taste that the whole world knows Your Highness has for musical pieces; but rather to infer from them in benign consideration the profound respect and the most humble obedience that I try to show Your Highness therewith.” Despite Bach’s apprehensions, the concertos have stood the test of time as some of the most enduring examples of concerto writing from the Baroque era, unparalleled in their complexity, structure, and melodic and harmonic vibrancy.
Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos in G minor, RV 531 stands out among the composer’s roughly 500 surviving concertos because of its turn away from conventional concerto form and as the only concerto for two cellos that he wrote, out of his 30 for the instrument. The work’s three movements oscillate between the frenetic and the calm, with a somber Largo movement set between two fast and acrobatic movements. The result is one of Vivaldi’s most dramatic works.
While Antoine Dauvergne’s Concert de Simphonies No. 4 in A major, Op. 4/2 suggests the grandiosity of a symphony, the Concert de Simphonies aligns more closely with the style of the traditional French suite. Each “concert” presents an overture and a series of dance movements. The music has a delicate energy – vibrant but graceful, and more evocative of music from the early Classical era.
Of the twelve concertos, Corelli’s sixth Opus, No. 8 in G minor is the best known. The “Christmas Concerto” nickname is drawn from the work’s inscription: “Fatto per la notte di natale” (made for Christmas Night). Corelli does note that the work can be performed without the final Pastorale, writing “Pastorale ad libitum” in the score. However, 17th-century Italy viewed the pastorale as something associated with the Christmas season, calling to mind the shepherds who bore witness to the birth of Jesus, making it extremely rare for the work to be performed without it. Corelli is believed to have performed the work in 1690 in a church in Rome, though the music itself was not designated for liturgical purposes.
“Perhaps it’s the fickle and sensitive nature of the gut strings that force the string instruments to be played in cozy, temperate rooms indoors during a cold winter but, I grew up near traditions of Handel’s Messiah & Bach’s Brandenburg concertos being performed often during the Christmas holidays,” says Jae Cosmos Lee “And to my ears, the sound of a harpsichord, cello and a bass playing the continuo feels like receiving a warm glass of mulled wine sitting around a fire, and contrapuntal melodies of the violins remind me of putting my favorite ornaments on the Christmas tree. If all the audience who come to these concerts feel such warmth and comfort listening to these works, then it would certainly be a very merry holiday season indeed!”
A Far Cry’s 20th anniversary season includes nine thoughtfully curated programs presented throughout the Boston area including a grand finale anniversary celebration, from September 2026 through June 2027 at venues including New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain, Old South Church in Boston, First Church in Cambridge, and the Boston Center for the Arts Cyclorama. See schedule below.
A Far Cry was founded in 2007 on the belief that every voice deserves to be heard; so instead of one artistic director, the collective of musicians curate and submit program ideas inspired by individual curiosities, the greater musical community, and what is happening in the world at large. The result is a dynamic representation of music and collaborators across genres and backgrounds. The Criers believe it is this core value and sense of curiosity and mission that led The Boston Globe to write that, “even though A Far Cry has decisively established itself as a mainstay of the Boston musical community, something about it feels perpetually fresh with every performance.” In addition to its home season in Boston, the ensemble tours nationally, collaborates regularly with other world-class musicians throughout the country, and has twice been nominated for GRAMMY® Awards in the Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance category. The group’s recording of Rounds by Jessie Montgomery with pianist Awadagin Pratt on his album Stillpoint garnered Montgomery the GRAMMY® Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition in 2024.
A Far Cry’s national tours have taken the ensemble to leading venues including The Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, Kaufman Music Center, the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, Caramoor, the Ravinia Festival, Rockport Chamber Music Festival-Shalin Liu, Groton Hill Music Center, Newport Classical Music Festival, and many more. The Criers are proud to call Boston home, and maintain strong roots in the city. Collaborating with local students through educational partnerships with the New England Conservatory and Project STEP, A Far Cry aims to pass on the spirit of collaboratively empowered music to the next generation.
More about A Far Cry: www.afarcry.org/group-bio
A Far Cry Season 20: At-a-Glance Concert Schedule
September 19: Goldberg Variations with Simone Dinnerstein, piano
October 24-25: Folie à deux
November 7: Mighty Fortress with Boston Children's Chorus, Ariadne Greif, soprano; Clare McNamara, alto; Brian Giebler, tenor; and Paul Max Tipton, bass
December 19-20: Brandenburgs (12/19), (12/20)
January 9-10, 2027: Coming to Boston: From Haiti with Charlot Lucien, Haitian poet (1/9), (1/10)
February 12, 2027: Heartstrings: The Most Beautiful Music in the World with Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah, Boston Poet Laureate
March 13-14, 2027: The Greatest (3/13), (3/14)
April 10, 2027: Side by Side: Absolute Cinema with Students from New England Conservatory and Project STEP
June 5, 2027: Season 20 Celebration - Mix Tape for Boston: Costumes Change, Pulse Remains
A Far Cry’s full performance calendar: afarcry.org/all-concerts
For Calendar Editors:
Description: GRAMMY®-nominated chamber orchestra and “world-wide phenomenon” (WBUR) A Far Cry continues its 20th anniversary season with a set of Neighborhood Chamber Concerts on Saturday, December 19 at St. John’s Episcopal Church and Sunday, December 20 at First Church Cambridge. Curated by A Far Cry violinist Jae Cosmos Lee, Brandenburgs is an afternoon of radiant baroque music to celebrate the holiday season. The festive concert program features two of J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Antoine Dauvergne’s Concert de Simphonies, and Arcangelo Corelli’s Christmas Concerto.
Concert details:
Who: GRAMMY®-nominated chamber orchestra A Far Cry
What: A Baroque Holiday – A Neighborhood Chamber Concert
When: Saturday, December 19, 2026 at 3:00pm
Where: St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1 Roanoke Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130
Tickets and More Information: www.afarcry.org/all-concerts/brandenburg-jp
Who: GRAMMY®-nominated chamber orchestra A Far Cry
What: A Baroque Holiday – A Neighborhood Chamber Concert
When: Sunday, December 20, 2026 at 3:00pm
Where: First Church Cambridge, 11 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Tickets and More Information: www.afarcry.org/all-concerts/brandenburg-cambridge