Community Music Center: Inside Baroque: The Sound, Style, and Stories Behind the Music

A New 4-Part Adult Education Course in partnership with Philharmolnia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale What makes Baroque music sound and feel the way it does? Join us for four evenings of listening and discovery as Philharmonia’s program notes annotator Scott Foglesong offers a practical introduction to the music, the composers, and the ideas and stories behind it. Part 1: What is Baroque? (Sept 16) Not just a set of dates, but a period of striking artistic invention. From Galileo and Newton to Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Bach, and Handel, discover the forces that shaped the era’s sound and style. Part 2: Orchestral Music (Sept 23) The orchestra takes shape. Hear how early ensembles supported opera and evolved into something inventive, and at times spectacular. Part 3: Choral and Vocal Music (Sept 30) A golden age of singing. From Bach’s sacred works to Handel’s operas and oratorios, music written for voices at their most agile and expressive. Part 4: Baroque and the Now (Oct 7) How this music lives on—from Stravinsky to today’s composers, and through historically informed performance. Final session includes a live performance by Philharmonia musicians. Clear, engaging, and designed for curious listeners—no prior study required. Dates: Wednesdays, September 16, 23, 30, and October 7 | 6:30–8:00 PM Location: Community Music Center Mission Campus, 544 Capp St, San Francisco, CA 94110 Price: $100 for the full course (four sessions). This includes a $20 voucher toward a Philharmonia Baroque concert in the 2026/27 season.* REGISTER HERE philharmoniabaroqueorchestra.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FPc000003jUt3MAE