Arcangelo announces 2025-26 Season

First published 30 May 2025

Arcangelo is proud to announce its international 2025-26 Season, led by Artistic Director Jonathan Cohen and including Arcangelo's first European tour of Bach's St Matthew Passion and second season at the London Handel Festival as Principal Ensemble in Residence.

Highlights of the season include:

• Arcangelo’s first European tour of Bach's St Matthew Passion including major venue debuts at Palau de la Música Barcelona, Teatro de la Maestranza Seville and Konzerthaus Dortmund, and returns to Barbican Centre and DeSingel Antwerp;
• Arcangelo's second season as Principal Ensemble in Residence at the London Handel Festival, with three appearances including the festival’s flagship oratorio concert, a chamber recital, and a young artist showcase;
• A prestigious appearance at the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam's season opening concert, by invitation of the Amsterdam Cello Biennale, in a programme of Boccherini and contemporaries with star soloist Nicolas Altstaedt;
• A major new studio recording of Handel's oratorio Saul, building on the international success of the 2024 release on Alpha Classics of the composer's Theodora;
• The planned release on 30 November of the next film in Arcangelo's 'extraordinary music in extraordinary places' series, featuring music by 'The Italian Scotsman' Francesco Barsanti filmed at Rosslyn Chapel;
• The second year of activity for the 2024-26 cohort of Arcangelo’s New Ensemblists young artists programme and auditions for the fourth cohort, to be announced later in the year.

Arcangelo General Manager Julian Forbes said:

“This is a proud season for Arcangelo in which we confirm our status among the world's leading period ensembles. We are grateful to everyone who has brought us to this point, especially our agency partners for whom this season represents the product of patient work over recent years. We are thrilled at the opportunities the coming months will afford us to bring Jonathan Cohen's 'chamber ethos' to audiences across Europe, and to work with a great cast of talented musicians including our third cohort of Arcangelo New Ensemblists."

The season announcement coincides with the release of a first single from Arcangelo's forthcoming album release. "Praised be the Lord" is the sixth movement from Handel's anthem 'Let God Arise' HWV 256a, one of four Anthems for Cannons featured on the full album releasing on 4th June on Alpha Classics.