Music in the Chamber: 1776-1826

Soloists from the renowned Austin Baroque Orchestra present “Close Encounters of the Colonial Kind,” evoking the sonic world of colonial North America in a commemoration of the first 50 years after American independence. Featuring replicas of instruments from the 18th century and music from the four colonial powers — England, Spain, France, and the Netherlands — listeners will enjoy popular songs by late composers Ignacio Jerusalem, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Alexander Reinagle, and more. Whether sounds from the cathedrals of New Spain, or the Ursuline Convent in New Orleans, or melodies originating in the small settlement of New Amsterdam, or the Revolutionary-War-era streets of Boston, this program invites the audience to consider how musical traditions crossed oceans, transformed cultures, and took root in American soil amid the complexities of colonial life.