Mostly Baroque
Thursday, Feb 26, 2026 at 7:00 PM - English
Mostly Baroque presents an intimate three-concert series from Feb. 26 to March 1, 2026, in Carnival Studio Theater, making its debut during the Adrienne Arsht Center's 20th anniversary season. The South Florida-based instrumental ensemble is dedicated to historically informed vocal concerts and instrumental performances of the music of Bach, Handel, Telemann and Vivaldi among other Baroque composers.
A Baroque orchestra is more intimate in both size and sound than a modern symphonic orchestra, featuring violins, violas, celli, double bass, harpsichord, flute, oboe and trumpet. The musicians perform on period instruments or faithful reproductions, using Baroque bows that produce a warmer, softer and more nuanced tone than modern orchestral ones. This historically informed approach allows audiences to experience the music much as it would have been heard in the 18th century with clarity, balance and a natural expressiveness that highlights the beauty and detail of the compositions.
Mostly Baroque concert series schedule:
- Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, at 7 p.m. -
The festival opens with J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 2, 3 and 4, and a performance of G.P. Telemann's Don Quichotte suite. - Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at 7 p.m.
- Rising bass-baritone concert artist and composer Johan Hartman will perform Gerald Finzi's Let Us Garlands Bring (a setting of five Shakespeare songs), along with the Don Quixote songs of Jacques Ibert (written for the 1933 film), performing works in English, French, German and Italian. The program will also feature several original song cycles from Hartman's debut EP album, Blood and the Moon, recently released on Constitution Records. - Sunday, March 1, 2026, at 3 p.m.
- The festival concludes with the ensemble's critically acclaimed production of Pergolesi's La Serva Padrona, a light and charming comedic chamber opera about a servant's plan to become the master of the house, starring Johan Hartman and soprano Yi-Chun Sarah Tsai. Special guest stars include the Miami Oratorio Society, an African American chorus performing Black spirituals by pioneering composer Florence Price and choruses from Handel's Messiah with the Mostly Baroque Chamber Orchestra.
Performing on both period and modern instruments depending on the repertory and circumstances of the performance, Mostly Baroque's programming often pairs cornerstone Baroque repertoire with rarely heard works, offering South Florida audiences fresh perspectives on the period's music. The organization has consistently supported emerging composers and performers, enriching the musical landscape through innovative presentations. Chamber music is regarded as classical music at its most human - small in scale but vast in depth, a private conversation that somehow speaks universally.
The Carnival Studio Theater, the Arsht Center's black-box space, offers audiences an intimacy made for small gatherings and refined listening. The up-close experience draws guests into the tension, humor and tenderness of the concert series.
Location
Adrienne Arsht Center 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33132 (Map)
Contact Information
Box Office
305-949-6722
www.arshtcenter.org/tickets/2025-2026/arsht-presents/mostly-baroque/
