Experience the Magic of the Burlington Baroque Festival
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For an unforgettable cultural experience in Burlington this September, mark your calendars for the third annual Burlington Baroque Festival, running Thursday, September 17, through Sunday, September 20, 2026.
This year’s festival has grown. What began at a single downtown church now spans five performances across three Burlington venues, bringing together a 60-plus-member ensemble of internationally acclaimed artists for one weekend only.
This is a rare chance to hear world-class musicians perform on the period instruments for which this music was originally written, right here in Vermont.
Whether you are a longtime lover of Baroque music or new to the genre, this festival offers something special: historically informed performances, creative artistry, and a spirit of cross-border collaboration that celebrates music’s power to bring people together.
Under the direction of founder and artistic director Eric Milnes, the Burlington Baroque Festival brings together a renowned ensemble of specialists performing in historically informed style, on the Baroque instruments for which the music was written.
The festival’s Artists-in-Residence, the award-winning L’Harmonie des saisons Baroque Orchestra, return again this year, joined by the Burlington Baroque Festival Singers and, new for 2026, Boston’s celebrated Blue Heron under director Scott Metcalfe.
These are artists who regularly perform across North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. For one week, they are performing in Burlington.
In the spirit of Burlington Baroque’s close ties with its Canadian neighbors, the festival welcomes 35 Canadian artists from Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver to collaborate with American musicians traveling from across the United States and with Vermont’s own vocal artists.
In a moment when it feels harder than ever to gather people across the border, a festival built entirely on that collaboration is a small act of optimism, collaboration, and community.
If you came last year, you already know the intimacy of College Street Congregational Church. This year, two of those five performances move to new rooms, each chosen to suit the music.
2026 Festival lineup
Five performances, three venues, one long weekend. Here is the full schedule.
Thursday, September 17 at 7:30 pm: Music, Drama & Dance in the Kingdom of France. Music by Charpentier, Lully, Rebel, and Brossard College Street Congregational Church
Friday, September 18 at 7:30 pm: The B Minor Mass, Johann Sebastian Bach, College Street Congregational Church
Saturday, September 19 at 2:00 pm Divine Song: Renaissance Chansons & Motets Boston’s Blue Heron, Scott Metcalfe, Director The Cathedral Church of St. Paul
Saturday, September 19 at 7:30 pm Concerti Stravaganza! Music of Antonio Vivaldi, College Street Congregational Church
Sunday, September 20 at 2:00 pm: Oratorio: Israel in Egypt, George Frideric Handel, The University of Vermont Recital Hall. A co-production with The Lane Series
Note that Saturday offers two very different concerts in a single day: an afternoon of Renaissance vocal music at the Cathedral, then an evening of Vivaldi’s most exuberant concertos back at College Street.
If you can only make it to town for one day, that is the one that gives you the widest sweep of the festival.
The venues
- College Street Congregational Church, 265 College Street, Burlington. The heart of the festival, and a beautifully intimate room whose soaring acoustics bring this centuries-old music to life. Hosts three of the five performances.
- The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington. Home to Saturday afternoon’s Renaissance program with Blue Heron.
- The University of Vermont Recital Hall, Burlington. Home to Sunday’s Handel oratorio, co-produced with The Lane Series.
Why you should go
- Hear the music of Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, Charpentier, and Lully performed by some of the world’s top Baroque and Renaissance musicians.
- Experience three of Burlington’s most atmospheric rooms, each paired with the music it hosts.
- Catch Boston’s Blue Heron, one of the country’s finest Renaissance vocal ensembles, without the drive to Boston.
- Support a cultural tradition that bridges borders, centuries, and communities.
For tickets and further information, visit www.BurlingtonBaroque.org.
Come celebrate the timeless beauty of Baroque music in Burlington this fall. You do not have to travel far to be transported.
Also Read: The Best Things to Do in Burlington, Vermont: A Four-Season Guide
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