From Quebec to British Columbia, from Maine to California, Canada and the United States reveal another geography of early music. Between Baroque festivals, summer academies, major urban venues and more intimate settings, Bach, Handel, Monteverdi, and Purcell meet North American musical energy, through a blend of tradition, rediscovery, and historically informed performance. 
By Lucas Hung
The 20 festivals are presented in order of their opening dates, from May to July. The table of contents below lists them and provides direct access to each festival profile, where you can discover the dates, venues, artists, and main highlights. Have a wonderful summer of music!
Contents
July
June
CANADA
May 22-June 14 – Festival Classica (Quebec)
Festival Classica (Montérégie)
Democratizing classical music
From May 22 to June 14, 2026
Founded in 2010, the Festival Classica is the only large-scale classical music event in the Montérégie region, in the southwest part of Quebec. The festival, which runs May 22 to June 14, aims to democratize classical music and to make a lasting contribution to Quebec’s cultural landscape. Festival Classica fosters encounters between classical music in its broad definition, artists, emerging musicians and the public, while prioritizing the hiring of Quebec and Canadian artists. Though the festival is not strictly baroque, artistic director Marc Boucher has included some early music events such as Songs of the Mayflower featuring Duo Ménestrel, and Ensemble Caprice performing Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos.
Official website: www.festivalclassica.com
June 7-June 20 – TBSI & TBSF
Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute & Toronto Baroque Summer Festival (Ontario)
Tafelmusik Academy Performances
From June 7 to 20, 2026
The Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute (TBSI) has developed into one of the foremost early music intensives worldwide since its inception in 2002, with faculty comprised of both Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra members and various guests. And as with previous years, the public is invited to attend no less than four free concerts at various venues around the city, under the banner of the Toronto Baroque Summer Festival (TBSF). Two of these are faculty concerts, with English baritone Peter Harvey joining the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre (June 8), as well as an informal chamber recital by faculty members (June 13). In addition to a small-ensemble concert (June 17), participants will combine with faculty and the Tafelmusik Chamber Choir to close out the institute on July 20 in a series of large-scale orchestral and choral works.
Official website: www.tafelmusik.org
June 18-21 – Montréal Festival
Festival Montréal Baroque (Quebec)
Bach, Couperin, Rameau and Mouret
From June 28 to 21, 2026
Combining star-studded masterworks concerts with street performance and intimate shows in cafés, the 2026 edition of the Festival Montréal Baroque offers excitement for everyone. The festival kicks off on June 18 with a public parade along the cobblestone streets of Old Montreal, before Matthias Maute leads the Ensemble Caprice along with renowned tenor and festival regular Charles Daniels in a performance of Bach’s Ascension Oratorio. Solo instrumentalists also prominently feature this year, with a debut recital by Norwegian lutenist Jadran Duncumb dedicated to the works of Sylvius Leopold Weiss, as well as a recital by harpsichordist Luc Beauséjour exploring keyboard works and writings by François Couperin and Jean Philippe-Rameau. The festival concludes on June 21 with a performance of Jean-Joseph Mouret’s staged opéra-ballet Le triomphe des sens.
Official website: www.montrealbaroque.com
July 3-August 2 – Lanaudière Festival
Festival de Lanaudière (Quebec)
“Music in the Open Air”
From July 3 to August 2, 2026
The Festival de Lanaudière welcomes a star-studded cast of musicians to the roomy auspices of the Amphithéâtre Fernand-Lindsay in Joliette, just 50 kilometres northeast of Montréal. Although this festival spans centuries in its musical coverage, baroque music lovers won’t want to miss the performance of Charpentier’s Les arts florissants & La descente d’Orphée aux enfers by France’s Les Arts Florissants under the direction of William Christie on July 11. The following day, mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital will perform works by Bach, Vivaldi, and Paisiello among others with the Montreal ensemble I Musici. There isn’t just fun to be had outdoors, with a host of concerts taking place in historic churches in the region. On July 13, William Christie joins forces with Justin Taylor for an evening of French baroque music entitled Symphonie de clavecins.
Official website: www.lanaudiere.org
July 4-July 17 – Music and Beyond
Music and Beyond (Ottawa, Ontario)
Music and more
From July 4 to 17, 2026
Founded in 2010 by artistic director Julian Armour with a mission to highlight connections between classical music and other art forms, the 2026 Music and Beyond festival once again features a host of exciting programs and world-class talents converging on Canada’s capital. Featured early music concerts include a performance by The King’s Singers (July 11) and a Bach-focused (but not bound) program by mandolinist Avi Avital (July 11). The Montreal-based group Ensemble Caprice will perform two concerts: an all-Vivaldi affair with soprano Janelle Lucyk (July 8), and a collaboration with the Ensemble ArtChoral juxtaposing the music by J.S. Bach with Cree composer Andrew Balfour (July 14). Finally, Les Boréades de Montréal perform a host of English Renaissance and Baroque works along with works from Chiel Meijering and Philip Glass (July 14).
Official website: www.musicandbeyond.ca
July 9-August 1 – Toronto Summer Music
Toronto Summer Music (Ontario)
A Voice for the New Generation
From July 9 to August 1, 2026
Toronto Summer Music fuses a concert series with an academy for the next generation of chamber music and art song performers in the heart of downtown Toronto. Held from July 9 to August 1, the 2026 festival marks newly appointed Artistic Director William Fedkenheuer’s first season. The opening concert promises to be a delight for early music lovers: under the direction of William Christie, French ensemble Les Arts Florissants will perform Charpentier’s Les arts florissants & La descente d’Orphée aux enfers at Koerner Hall (July 9).
Official website: www.torontosummermusic.com
July 23-August 2 – Ottawa Chamberfest
Ottawa Chamberfest (Ontario)
A Tribute to Jeanne Lamon
Du 23 juillet au 2 août 2026
Marking its 32nd year alongside Ottawa’s civic bicentennial, Ottawa Chamberfest features an array of concerts with early music having a meaningful presence in this year’s proceedings. The festival opens with a semi-staged performance of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas starring Canadian legend Measha Brueggergosman-Lee in co-production with Toronto’s Opera Atelier, a music and film-screening double bill on July 29 entitled “Dear Jeanne: A Tribute to Jeanne Lamon” celebrating the life and legacy of the iconic Tafelmusik leader, by violinist Yolanda Bruno; and Isaac Chalk and Mélisande McNabney’s recital exploring the works of Handel, J.S. Bach, and C.P.E. Bach.
Official website: www.chamberfest.com
July 3-August 1 – Lamèque Festival
Festival International de Musique Baroque de Lamèque (New Brunswick)
An Island Festival
From July 30 to August 1, 2026
Centered at the Romanesque Église Sainte-Cécile on Lamèque Island, the Festival International de Musique Baroque de Lamèque, under the artistic direction of Vincent Lauzer, has been a beacon for Baroque music since 1975. Now celebrating its golden jubilee, the 2026 edition of the festival pays tribute to both the Baroque music inspiring the festival as well as the Acadian roots of the surrounding region. Highlights of this 50th edition festival include a concert version of Handel’s Acis and Galatea with the Montreal ensemble Arion Orchestre Baroque & artistic director Mathieu Lussier (July 30), a recital by France’s Jocelyn Daubigney (flute) and Bertrand Cuiller (harpsichord) on August 1, and a performance of Handel’s Water Music Suites and Coronation Anthems as a grand finale (August 1).
Official website: www.festivalbaroque.com
July 31-August 7 – Vancouver Festival
Early Music Vancouver’s annual Summer Festival (British Columbia)
“The Power of Music”
From July 31 to August 7, 2026
Early Music Vancouver’s annual Summer Festival serves as Western Canada’s premier gathering for historically informed performance, and under Artistic Director Suzie LeBlanc and Pacific Baroque Orchestra Director Alexander Weimann, the 2026 edition sets out to showcase The Power of Music. Accordingly, the festival’s centrepiece is a two-performance, fully staged production of Monteverdi’s Orfeo with French baritone and Artist-in-Residence Marc Mauillon in the title role (July 31/August 2). Following a series of solo and chamber performances, including Bach’s solo organ works performed by Weimann (August 1) and the Montreal medieval ensemble COMTESSA (August 5), guest director and renowned violinist Rachel Podger leads the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in a closing night performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.
Official website: www.earlymusic.bc.ca
UNITED STATES
May 28-June 7 – Charlotte Bach Festival
Charlotte Bach Festival (North Carolina)
Purcell and Handel Take Centre Stage
From May 28 to June 7, 2026
The 2026 edition of the Charlotte Bach Festival features a host of standout performers. On May 30, Avi Stein leads the Bach Charlotte Chorus and Orchestra in a program of Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi. Among various recitals and masterclasses, two large-scale works are not to be missed: the June 3 concert version of Dido & Aeneas by Purcell, and the June 6 performance of Handel’s Theodora that completes the festival. Both performances are directed by Ian Watson with the Bach Charlotte Chorus and Orchestra.
Official website: www.bacharlotte.com
May 31-July 12 – Indianapolis Festival
Indianapolis Early Music Festival (Indiana)
A Double Anniversary Celebration
From May 31 to July 12, 2026
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2026 as well as Artistic Director Mark Cudek’s 20th festival, America’s oldest continuous early music series will take place at the Indiana History Center from May 31 to July 12. The 2026 festival features four standout concerts: the May 31 opening concert featuring Mark Cudek, a tour of sonatas and songs across Europe by Ensemble Caprice (from Montreal, Canada) under director Matthias Maute on June 14, the Israeli vocal ensemble Profeti della Quinta on June 21, and the final round of the Blakeman Gerber Indianapolis International Baroque Competition on July 21 showcasing emerging soloists on historical keyboard, wind, and string instruments.
Official website: www.indyearlymusic.org
June 2-23 – New York Bach Festival
Orchestra of St. Luke’s Bach Festival (New York)
Bach at Carnegie Hall
From June 2 to 23, 2026
The Orchestra of St. Luke’s returns to the hallowed throes of Carnegie Hall for its highly anticipated annual summer series in June. The five concerts in this year’s edition dive into Bach’s most celebrated works: the opening night production of Bach’s cantata Vergnügte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust pairs countertenor Reginald Mobley with renowned British guest conductor Paul McCreesh on June 2, while Dutch cellist Pieter Wispelwey takes on Bach’s six cello suites on June 7. Concertos dominate the remaining three concerts, with Wispelwey playing Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 on June 10, French violinist Renaud Capuçon tackling Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor, and French harpsichordist Jean Rondeau leading J.S. and C.P.E. Bach’s keyboard concerts in D minor on June 23 to bring the series to a close.
Official website: www.oslmusic.org
June 6-June 14 – Berkeley Festival
Berkeley Festival & Exhibition (California)
Chanticleer, McGegan and Gordis
From June 6 to 14, 2026
The 19th biennial Berkeley Festival & Exhibition will serve once again as a major performance hub and meeting point for lovers of early music, with concerts in Berkeley, Palo Alto, and San Francisco, workshops, an exhibition, and self-produced Fringe concerts taking place from June 6-14. Highlights include the June 6 opening concert by Chanticleer & Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble singing Renaissance, Baroque, and spiritual songs; performances on June 5 and 7 of Bach’s St. John Passion by Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble and Cantata Collective led by Nicholas McGegan; a June 11 performance exploring early medieval songs by international ensemble Sequentia; internationally recognized harpsichordist Lillian Gordis playing an all-Bach program on July 12, and two staged performances of Handel’s Alcina in co-production with Festival Opera on July 13 and 14.
Official website: www.berkeleyfestival.org
June 8-14 – Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival
Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
“Creative Inventions”
From June 8 to 14, 2026
Now in its 34th year, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival’s (SVBF) 2026 theme “Creative Inventions” celebrates J.S. Bach’s creativity and imagination alongside broader human-driven innovation, like the Voyager I [NASA space probe, 48 years old and still operational, designed to study the outer planets of the Solar System]. The opening concert features pianist Eric Fung performing Bach’s Goldberg Variations and Inventions (June 8), while musicians of the Virginia Baroque Academy led by Daniel Lee play works by Bach, Haas, and Geminiani (June 9). The concert “Golden Aspirations” will present the musical masterpieces (among which a few were composed by Bach) selected for the time capsule found in the 1977 Voyager space mission (June 10). Finally, the closing concert on July 13 will assemble the musicians of the SVBF Orchestra under conductor Daniel Myssyk alongside vocalists Penelope Shumate, Sheila Dietrich, Kristen Dubenion-Smith, Jordan Davidson, and David Newman in a program that includes Handel’s Dixit Dominus.
Official website: www.svbachfestival.org
June 16-June 23 – Bach Virtuosi Festival
Bach Virtuosi Festival (Portland, Maine)
Bach according to Lewis Kaplan
From June 16 to 23, 2026
Led by Juilliard violin faculty Lewis Kaplan since its inception in 2016, the Bach Virtuosi Festival’s 2026 series brings listeners closer to Bach’s music in a variety of venues, from the newly opened Crewe Center for the Arts to the Etz Chaim Synagogue and St. Luke’s Cathedral. After an opening orchestral concert led by Kaplan on June 16, Arthur Haas performs Bach’s Goldberg Variations interpreted by at the Etz Chaim Synagogue on June 18. On June 22, Bach by Candlelight spotlights soprano Emily Donato in a performance of Schlummert ein, ihr matten Augen, and on June 23, a staged performance of Bach’s Coffee Cantata directed by Annette Jolles will bring the festival to a close.
Official website: www.bachvirtuosifestival.org
June 21-June 28 – Corona del Mar Festival
Baroque Music Festival of Corona del Mar (Newport Beach, California)
“Bright Cecilia: The Power of Harmony”
From June 21 to 28, 2026
The Baroque Music Festival in Corona Del Mar convenes in 2026 with the theme “Bright Cecilia: The Power of Harmony,” paying homage to the patron saint of music. The series opens with a concert led by Artistic Director Elizabeth Blumenstock, a June 22 recital featuring works by Bach and Johann Caspar Kerll, an outdoor concert with recorder virtuoso Judith Linsenberg on June 24, and the June 28 festival finale on St. Cecilia’s Day featuring tenor Nicholas Phan, soprano Hannah De Priest, and the Festival Chorus and Orchestra performing works by Handel.
Official website: www.bmf-cdm.org
June 27-July 12 – Oregon Bach Festival
Oregon Bach Festival (Eugene, Oregon)
The United States at 250
From June 27 to July 12, 2026
Since its inception in 1970, which was sparked by a masterclass visit by German conductor Helmuth Rilling, the Oregon Bach Festival has grown into a major mainstay of the West Coast early music circuit. The eclectic 2026 program pays equal tribute to the baroque period and America’s semiquincentennial. On June 27, the opening performance featuring violinist Augusta McKay Lodge includes works from J.S. Bach, James MacMillan, Lili Boulanger, and Dolly Parton. Other highlights include a chamber session on July 3rd entitled Bach’s Living Room that pairs composer and pianist Dan Tepfer with flutist Emi Ferguson as they reinterpret and reinvert works by Bach, Grammy-winning organist Paul Jacobs replicating Felix Mendelssohn’s 1840 all-Bach program on July 6, and the grand choral finale of Haydn’s The Creation led by Dutch conductor and OBF artistic partner Jos van Veldhoven on July 12.
Official website: www.oregonbachfestival.org
July 11-July 25 – Carmel Bach Festival
Carmel Bach Festival (Carmel-by-the-Sea, California)
“The Nature of Sound”
From July 11 to 25, 2026
The Carmel Bach Festival features an expansive 2026 program under the theme “The Nature of Sound.” On July 12 and 19, world-renowned singers Clara Rottsolk, Reginald Mobley, Thomas Cooley, Jesse Blumberg and Edward Nelson unite to perform works ranging from Purcell’s Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary to Saariaho’s Nuits, Adieux. On July 11 and 18, Rottsolk, Cooley, and Nelson will join forces to perform selections from Haydn’s oratorio The Seasons in addition to the newly commissioned Muohta – Language of Snow by Nils Henrik Asheim. July 17 and 24 both feature two cantata concerts: in the afternoon, hear works by French composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier which were also inspired by the seasons, while Bach’s Cantatas No. 7 and 187 follow shortly thereafter.
Official website: www.bachfestival.org
July 12-July 26 – Amherst Festival
Amherst Early Music Festival (Allentown, Pennsylvania)
Music Workshops and Recorder Playing
From July 12 to 26, 2026
As North America’s largest presenter of early music workshops in North America, the Amherst Early Music Festival hosts both masterclasses and concerts at Muhlenberg College from July 12 to 26. The 2026 edition looks closely at the medieval and baroque eras on both sides of the Channel. Standout concerts include faculty concerts on July 16, 18, and 25, a staged production of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Platée by the Baroque Academy Opera Project on July 17, and a guest recital on July 23 by recorder player Sarah Jeffery and friends.
Official website: www.amherstearlymusic.org
July 12-July 18 – Blue Hill Bach
Blue Hill Bach (Maine)
Bach in Downeast
From July 12 to 18, 2026
Founded in 2011, the Blue Hill Bach Summer Festivals brings historically informed performance into churches, libraries, barns, and inns across Downeast Maine from July 12-18. The 2026 festival itinerary features a solo recital by cellist Sarah Freiberg on July 14, a performance of choral works by Johann Christoph and Johann Sebastian Bach on July 15, and the festival finale performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 among other works.
Official website: www.bluehillbach.org
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