Jupiter 2026–2027: from Dowland to Baroque heroines

For its 2026–2027 season, Jupiter continues to favour programmes conceived as narratives, moving between early music and more unexpected paths. Led by Thomas Dunford, the ensemble will mark the 400th anniversary of John Dowland’s death, return to Amazone with Lea Desandre and unveil Manifest, a new programme devoted to some of the great female figures of Baroque opera.

The season opens with Dowland, as Jupiter explores his songs, dances and more melancholic works on an extensive European tour bringing together voices, lute and viol consort. Following an opening date in Scotland on 20 September, the programme will travel to Metz on 23 September, the Philharmonie de Paris on 9 October and London’s Wigmore Hall on 4 November.

With Lea Desandre, the ensemble will then revive Amazone for a North American tour from Schenectady to Vancouver, including a stop in New York, before continuing its exploration of female figures with Manifest. Circe, Armide, Alcina, Medea and Agrippina appear alongside music by Telemann, Handel, Lully, Desmarest, Arne, Torri and others, in a programme devised with musicologist Yannis François around themes of magic, seduction, power and transformation.

Jupiter will also continue to venture beyond strictly Baroque territory with The Other Side, in which Thomas Dunford brings the lute into dialogue with pop, jazz and his own compositions, from Dowland to Leonard Cohen and the Beatles. The ensemble will also reunite with Kristian Bezuidenhout in London on 1 February for a programme devoted to Bach. A season that reflects the spirit of this flexible ensemble, combining a deep commitment to early repertoire with a determination to push its boundaries.

Official website: https://www.jupiter-ensemble.com/