Bella Voce with Artistic Director Andrew Lewis (Photo: Joe Mazza)
Bella Voce has announced its 43rd season. The baroque and early music-focused Chicago-area choral ensemble returns for a year of programming around the theme Lost and Found, spanning four programs.
The season opens in October with a modern-day, Baroque-inspired oratorio by Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe. Lost Objects will be performed at UChicago’s Logan Center for the Arts as part of the Ear Taxi Festival.
Next up is a seasonal staple: Handel’s Messiah. The program will feature two performances — November 22 in Milwaukee and November 23 in Evanston. Artistic director Andrew Lewis will conduct.
Another yuletide program comes in December, with Bella Voce re-teaming with the Madison Bach Musicians for Charpentier’s Midnight Mass for Christmas. As with the Messiah, one performance will be held in Wisconsin, and one will be in Evanston.
In May, the season will conclude with a program in its Expanding the Canon series, dedicated to showcasing and exploring works by disenfranchised composers. Expanding the Canon: Central American Polyphony will be held in two performances in Chicago and Evanston. This entry in the ongoing project highlights music from Mexico and Guatemala.
The season features one more event. In February 2026, Bella Voce will bring back its Polyphony Camp, a series of workshops to teach polyphony to singers of all experience levels. The program will culminate with a free public performance.
For more information, visit bellavoce.org.
