Berkeley Festival & Exhibition by The San Francisco Early Music Society

Welcome to the 19th biennial Berkeley Festival and Exhibition—or as we like to refer to it, BFX! Founded in 1990 and produced by the San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS), the Festival has become one of the world’s largest and most important early music conclaves, deemed “a remarkable institution on the American musical scene” by The New York Times. This summer, enjoy 21 main stage concerts—including two in Palo Alto and San Francisco—as well as special events, a three-day exhibition, community workshops, and dozens of Fringe presentations. There is truly something for everyone! From Boethius and Bach to gamelan and Gershwin, this year’s lineup promises to entice and enthrall.

Join us for an incredible week of performances this June. Subscription options are now available. Stay tuned for individual concert tickets later this month.

Highlights of this year’s main stage presentations include opening concerts featuring Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble and Cantata Collective performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion under the baton of legendary conductor Nicholas McGegan. Internationally-acclaimed local luminaries such as Chanticleer, Voices of Music (as Voice of the Viol), Philharmonia Baroque Chamber Players, Musica Pacifica, and Cut Circle will demonstrate the depth and breadth of the Bay Area’s early music scene. We’ll also celebrate the diversity of historically informed performance with presentations from Studio for the Early American Musical, Gamelan Sekar Jaya, and Melody of China. From further afield, we will welcome Music of the Regiment and New York Baroque Dance Company in a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, as well as Pacific MusicWorks in a scintillating cabaret production. Medieval legends Sequentia will return to BFX after eight years, and keyboard lovers will enjoy presentations from organ virtuoso Jonathan Dimmock and harpsichordist Lillian Gordis, now based in France but originally from Berkeley. The newly-formed Berkeley Youth Choir—a project of SFEMS—will also make its debut. Finally, the Festival will feature an opera for the first time in over two decades, with a semi-staged production of George Frideric Handel’s Alcina, co-produced by Festival Opera and conducted by Festival director Derek Ta