Musikandagt
Wednesday, September 3rd at 3:00 PM – Helligaandshuset (Church of the Holy Spirit)
Join use before the evening’s festival opening concert for a performance from musicians from this year’s Copenhagen Baroque Festival Talent Academy, the baroque musicians of tomorrow.
Free entrance.
Aftensang
Wednesday, September 3rd at 4:15 PM – Trinitatis Church
The Copenhagen Baroque Festival welcomes Dutch counter-tenor David van Laar for a performace with Arte dei Suonatori. An amuse-bouche before the opening of the festival that very evening.
Free entrance.
Celebration of friendship: Handel-Telemann
Wednesday, September 3rd at 7:00 PM – Trinitatis Church
The festival’s opening concert pays tribute to two powerful ambassadors of baroque music. The friendship between Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759) and Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767) remains one of the most remarkable in Baroque music. They met as teenagers, and despite pursuing separate careers in different cities – Handel in London and Telemann in Hamburg – their friendship endured for over half a century. Posterity has long favored Handel and his works, but in their own time, it was Telemann who was considered the most influential and important German composer of the era.
Performers:
Members of both LuX Vocal Ensemble and Vokalharmonin conducted by Fredrik Malmberg (Sweden)
Joachim Becerra Thomsen, flute
Bolette Roed, recorder
Baroque orchestra Arte dei Suonatori (Poland)
Music by G. F. Händel and G. P. Telemann
Brief history of the cello
Thursday, September 4th at 5:00 PM – Kanalhuset
Join us for a captivating musical lecture exploring the rich history of the cello, led by baroque cellist and lecturer Laura Trujillo (Spain/Denmark). Developed in the 16th century, the cello quickly became a cornerstone of Baroque music, prized for its deep, expressive tone and versatility. In both solo and continuo roles, it brought warmth and depth to the music of composers like Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel. This event offers an introduction to the instrument’s evolution and its essential place in the Baroque soundscape.
Performer:
Laura Trujillo (Spain/Denmark), baroque cello and lecturer
Tickets 50dkk. (through the Kanalhuset website)
The amazing history of Vor Frelsers Kirkes church organ
Thursday, September 4th at 7:00 PM – Church of Our Saviour
This evening’s program centers on the beautiful organ of the Church of Our Saviour, a remarkable instrument that stands as a modern witness to the music of its era. Commissioned by King Christian V and inaugurated in 1698, the organ is a distinguished example of 17th-century organ craftsmanship from Northern Germany and Scandinavia. It was built by the Botzen brothers—two master organ builders granted a monopoly by the Danish king—and became a European sensation from the moment it was first heard.
The instrument has stood the test of time, surviving major fires in the 18th century and the British bombardment in 1807. Its gold-gilded façade pipes were silenced in 1889, only to be revived in 1965 by organ builder Poul-Gerhard Andersen. The rediscovery of the original Botzen pipes influenced not only the restoration of this organ but also the sound of newly built Danish organs in the years that followed.
Performers:
David van Laar (Netherlands), countertenor
Reiko Ichise (UK/Japan), viola da gamba
Peter Navarro-Alonso, organ
Baroque orchestra Arte dei Suonatori (Poland)
Joachim Becerra-Thomsen, flute
Bolette Roed, recorder
Music by Charpentier, Schmierer, Couperin, and Torelli – all composed around 1698, the year the original Baroque organ pipes date from.
Another Dimension
Thursday, September 4th at 9 PM – Vor Frelsers Kirke
Pianist Carsten Dahl returns to the Copenhagen Baroque Festival for a solo piano performance, fully improvised.
Musical Alliance
Friday, September 5th at 4:30 PM – Trinitatis Church
Experience the power of voices united across time and borders in Musical Alliance, a special concert featuring the renowned Gonville & Caius College Choir from Cambridge, conducted by Matthew Martin (UK). Held in the historic Trinitatis Church, the program offers a rich selection of choral masterpieces by J.S. Bach, Purcell, Mozart, and others. These works showcase the enduring beauty of the choral tradition, brought to life by one of the UK’s most distinguished collegiate choirs.
Performers: Gonville & Caius College Choir, Cambridge, conducted by Matthew Martin (UK)
A selection of choral compositions by J.S. Bach, Purcell, Mozart, among others.
Free Entrance.
”The Nightingale” by H. C. Andersen
Friday, September 5th at 6pm – Kanalhuset
Step into the magical world of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Nightingale in this unique performance blending music and storytelling. Acclaimed actress Ellen Hillingsøe brings the timeless tale to life through narration, while Poul Høxbro weaves a rich tapestry of flute music from both East and West. The program features 17th-century European compositions alongside traditional Chinese melodies, mirroring the cultural journey in Andersen’s story. A poetic and contemplative event that celebrates the beauty of nature, music, and the spoken word.
Performers: Poul Høxbro, flutes & Ellen Hillingsøe, narration
Tickets 100dkk (Through the Kanalhuset website)
Talentakademiet – Making New Friends
Friday, September 5th at 8:00 PM – Den Reformerte Kirke
Celebrate new musical friendships at Talent Academy – Making New Friends, an evening concert showcasing the next generation of baroque musicians. Young talents from the 2025 Talent Academy share the stage with seasoned performers, including viola da gamba player Reiko Ichise. This informal and inspiring event highlights the power of collaboration, mentorship, and shared passion across generations and cultures — all in the spirit of discovery and artistic growth.
Performers: Young talents from the Talent Academy 2025, Reiko Ichise, viola da gamba, and others.
The Beauty of Friendship
Saturday, September 6th at 3:00 PM – Trinitatis Church
The Beauty of Friendship invites you into the heart of 18th-century Venice, where music blossomed within the city’s charitable institutions. This afternoon’s concert features works composed for the Ospedale degli Incurabili and the Ospedale della Pietà – renowned hospitals that also served as exceptional music schools for orphaned and abandoned girls. With music by Johann Adolf Hasse and Antonio Vivaldi, including Vivaldi’s Magnificat for girls’ choir and orchestra, the program celebrates the friendship between these composers and the remarkable artistic legacy of these Venetian institutions. Performed by the Frederiksborg Castle Girls’ Choir under Cille Buch and the Polish ensemble Arte dei Suonatori led by Aurelius Goliński.
Performers:
Frederiksborg Castle Girls’ Choir conducted by Cille Buch
Arte dei Suonatori conducted by Aurelius Goliński
Music by Vivaldi and Hasse – including Vivaldi’s Magnificat for girls’ choir and orchestra.
The deepest of friendships
Saturday, September 6th at 5:30 PM – Rosenborg Castle, Knight’s Hall
Flutist Pierre Hamon and percussionist Ananda Brendão take us on a spiritual and musical journey through time and across continents. The program weaves together sounds from medieval Europe and pre-Columbian America, combining historical instruments like the double recorder, pan flutes, and the paleolithic vulture bone flute with traditional Indigenous music from the Andes and North America. With improvisation at its heart, this concert offers a deeply moving exploration of friendship, ritual, and humanity’s shared breath through music.
Performers: Pierre Hamon (France), flutes & Ananda Brendão (France/Brazil), percussion
Cantata Service
Sunday, September 7th at 10:30 AM – Trinitatis Church
Experience a musical church service in the spirit of the Baroque era, as Trinitatis Church Choir joins forces with the renowned ensemble Arte dei Suonatori and organist Axel Gryspeert. The centerpiece of the service is Johann Sebastian Bach’s cantata Geist und Seele wird verwirret (BWV 35), a deeply expressive work that blends virtuosic instrumental writing with spiritual reflection. Other music by Bach completes this uplifting Sunday morning program, where faith and artistry meet.
Performers: Trinitatis Church Choir, Arte dei Suonatori, Axel Gryspeert (organ)
Music by J.S. Bach, including Geist und Seele wird verwirret (BWV 35), among others.
Free Entrance.
HJERTELIG TAK TIL
Copenhagen Baroque Festival er støttet af Polens Ministerium for Kultur og Kulturarv gennem deres Culture Promotion Fund.