2026 marks the 300th anniversary of the death in 1776 of Michel Richard Delalande [de Lalande], who was a French Baroque composer and organist in the service of the “Sun King” Louis XIV. He wrote orchestral music and grand motets. We will certainly be making the most of the opportunities that repertoire offers. Some 77 Grand motets survive. Amongst these are Laudate Dominum, written for 5 & 6 part choir and orchestra, and Super Flumina Babilonis, for similar forces.

2026 also marks the 350th anniversary of the death of Francesco Cavalli. A Venetian composer, organist and singer of the early Baroque period, he succeeded his teacher Claudio Monteverdi as the dominant and leading opera composer of the mid 17th-century. La calisto is perhaps the best known in modern performances. He also wrote Vespero della Beata Vergine Maria (in 1656), in a grand polychoral style in the manner of Monteverdi’s famous 1610 work.