“Christmas with the Baroque Masters” Illuminates Evanston with Historic Sounds
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A captivating performance of Baroque Christmas music by the Bella Voce Chorus and the Madison Bach Musicians at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Evanston on December 14, 2025, offered a poignant and beautiful experience, resonating with both past depth and personal nostalgia. The concert, titled “Christmas with the Baroque Masters,” showcased works by composers including georg Frideric Handel, Heinrich Schütz, and Isabella Leonarda, alongside insightful commentary on the era and the challenges faced by musicians – especially women – of the time.
A Program Rooted in History and Scholarship
The collaboration between the Bella Voce Chorus, led by Artistic Director Andrew Lewis, and the Madison Bach Musicians, under the direction of Trevor Stephenson, was built on a foundation of deep scholarly understanding. Lewis, an alumnus of Northwestern University with studies under daniel Barenboim and Asher Fisch, and Stephenson, holding a Doctorate from Cornell in Historical Performance, provided a pre-concert talk that illuminated the intricacies of Baroque music.
The discussion centered on the works of Heinrich Schütz, specifically “Hodie Christus Natus Est,” SWV 456, and “Ein Kind Ist Uns Geboren” SWV 384. These motets, composed at the end of the Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648), were presented within the context of a devastated Germany, which had lost half its population.As one attendee noted, Schütz’s music powerfully reflected “the sorrow and longing for peace” of the period, utilizing techniques like sustained fourths, overlapping voices, and intricate counterpoint to convey emotional depth.
Challenging Conventions and Celebrating Forgotten Voices
The pre-concert discussion also shed light on the challenges faced by female composers during the Baroque era. Isabella Leonarda, a Benedictine nun, was highlighted as a significant figure whose work was frequently enough overlooked. the performance of her compositions, featuring a bass and two recorders – deemed more historically appropriate than flutes for the era – added authenticity to the sound.
Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Mass of Midnight For Christmas H.9, featuring both ensembles, showcased the beautiful tone of the recorder and highlighted the talents of soloists including tenor oliver Camacho and J. Alfredo Jiminez, alongside basses Eric Miranda and Ed Frazier Davis, and sopranos Kirsten Hedegaard and Eleanor Walters. The performance evoked powerful memories for one attendee, who recalled being baptized during Vatican Two while the Mass was sung in Latin, creating a deeply nostalgic experience.
Archangel Corelli’s Concerto Grosso in G Minor “Christmas Night,” On. 6 No. 8,proved to be another standout,particularly for its unusual instrumentation featuring both cello and bass,which one listener felt “deepens its richness.”
A Resounding Success and Hope for Future Collaboration
The two-hour concert, including an intermission, left a lasting impression on those in attendance.The acoustics of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church were praised for their suitability to the music,creating an immersive experience that transported listeners back in time. “Traditional churches are built for music like this,” one attendee observed, adding that the performance evoked the atmosphere of candlelit Midnight Mass.
The musicianship of both the Bella Voce chorus and the Madison Bach Musicians, coupled with Andrew Lewis’s conducting, was lauded as excellent. As the Bella Voce Chorus enters its 43rd season, there is a strong desire for continued success and, particularly, for future collaborations with the Madison Bach Musicians. “An encore of Christmas with the Baroque Masters is a musical treasure that should have a wider audience,” one attendee concluded.
For more information about the Bella Voce Chorus, please visit www.bellavoce.org and for the Madison Bach Musicians, www.madisonbachmusicians.org.
