Thanks to a neighbor’s recommendation, I discovered the period chamber orchestra Relic and attended their concert, “Enchanted Forest,” which included pieces by Corelli, Purcell, Couperin, and other 17th/18th century composers, each work introduced by a brief relevant poetic reading. The concert was aptly named: on a cold wintry night, the audience was transported by Relic’s gorgeous and haunting music to a place of enchantment. Relic’s mission is to make the music they love easily available to a wide and diverse audience. This particular venue was, appropriately, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, which has a parallel mission and long history of welcome and inclusiveness. But you can experience Relic in many other locations as they travel the country in 2024. Eventually they hope to reach all fifty states.
(There were actually nine musicians performing, but I only managed to sketch five and a half of them during the concert)