Summer 2026
- zhwilder
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
A Season of Pilgrimages
This summer takes me between France and Sweden for a handful of projects I've been looking forward to. It opens at the Festival de Beaune on July 5 with music from Dowland's A Pilgrim's Solace — his last published collection and most autobiographical one. It was his final collection, written late in life, that reflects on his past compositional styles and makes proposals for new radical paths that the english renaissance style could embark upon. It's my debut recital at this iconic festival, and I'll be joined by Thibaut Roussel (archlute), Hyérine Lassalle & Mathilde Vialle (violas da gamba).
Two days later I'm in Perpignan with Ensemble Contraste for our ongoing tour of Brooklyn Suite, before heading north to Stockholm. The concert will be inside of the Eglise des Grands Carmes, which is an open air ruin of a 13th century carmelite church. Free admission!
If you haven't heard the album yet, you can find all of the information on Harmonia Mundi's website here!
The heart of the summer is a residency at Drottningholm Slottsteater for Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea, with Francesco Corti conducting and Benjamin Lazar directing. I've been very fortunate have a continuing collaboration with this extraordinary theatre since 2023. It is one of the only Baroque theatres still in use with all of its original machinery! I'll be singing Lucano and Liberto, two figures who witness the opera's moral unraveling from the edges. On August 14, mid-residency, there's also a performance of Monteverdi's Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, where I'll take the role of the Testo — the narrator who describes the battle unfolding in front of him. Here's a clip below from our production of Purcell's Fairy Queen in 2023:
The summer closes back in France on August 22, with a second performance of Brooklyn Suite at the Rencontres Musicales de Vézelay. It's a free concert situated outdoors behind the Vézelay's beautiful basilique with a stunning view of the valley below.
Tickets and details for each event are linked below. I hope to see some of you along the way!
SCHEDULE
July 5
🇫🇷 Beaune, France · Festival de Beaune
Farewell, Love
Music from Dowland's A Pilgrim's Solace · Salle des Pôvres
July 7
🇫🇷 Perpignan, France · Scènes étoilées
Brooklyn Suite
Ensemble Contraste · mise en scène Benjamin Lazar · Église des Grands Carmes
Aug 1–15
🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden · Drottningholms Slottsteater
Monteverdi · L'incoronazione di Poppea
Lucano / Liberto · Francesco Corti cond. · Benjamin Lazar dir.
Aug 14
🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden · Drottningholms Slottsteater
Monteverdi · Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda
Testo · Francesco Corti cond.
Aug 22
🇫🇷 Vézelay, France · La Cité de la Voix
Brooklyn Suite
Ensemble Contraste · mise en scène Benjamin Lazar · Rencontres Musicales de Vézelay
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