CSEM Presents:

A Schubertiade!

O Sweetest Art: A Schubertiade of Songs and Impromptus

CSEM is proud to present a program of beloved Schubert Lieder with acclaimed musicians Sylvia Berry, Teresa Wakim, and Aaron Sheehan.

Join us for an unforgettable evening of Schubert’s music performed by acclaimed musicians Teresa Wakim, soprano, Aaron Sheehan, tenor, and Sylvia Berry, fortepiano. Perennial favorites will come alive for audiences in new ways when heard on a fortepiano like the ones Schubert knew, instruments that are capable of realizing the softest dynamic he notated (ppp) as well as the thunderous sforzandos that often punctuate his work. Experience the intimacy of the concerts Schubert gave with his friends in private homes in Vienna, and be transported to a different world.

Tickets

Ticket sales alone do not begin to cover concert expenses. We hope you will consider making a purchase at a higher ticketing level if you’re able, to support us in bringing acclaimed ensembles and musicians to intimate Greater Boston venues, providing engaging public programs, and welcoming audiences of all means. For music lovers on a tighter budget, we are proud to continue offering a Pay-What-You-Can tier.

Sustainer – $75
The best seats in the house, for those able to afford a little more: this ticket secures you a seat in the front 1-2 rows, and sustains high-level presentations by meeting concert expenses

Patron – $50
Great seats for audiences with a mid-range budget: this ticket secures you a seat in the front section, and supports some concert expenses

Supporter – $30
Our suggested donation for music lovers on a tighter budget: this ticket supports small concert expenses

Pay-What-You-Can
You choose the amount you are able to give

Program:

To be announced…

Performance times:

Thursday, April 8, 2027 at 7:30pm
St. John’s Episcopal Church
705 Hale Street, Beverly Farms
A co-presentation with the St. John’s Concert Series

Friday, April 9, 2027 at 7:30pm
Goethe-Institut Boston
170 Beacon St, Boston

Saturday, April 10, 2027 at 4:00pm
Village Church in Weston
130 Newton Street, Weston

Questions?
Email us or contact 617-468-8273

Reserve Your Tickets

Musicians:

Sylvia Berry
Fortepiano

Philadelphia native Sylvia Berry is one of North America’s leading exponents of the fortepiano and is a frequent harpsichord soloist. Hailed by Early Music America as “a complete master of rhetoric, whether in driving passagework or [in] cantabile adagios,” she is known not only for her exciting performances but for her engaging commentary about the music and the instruments she plays. Her disc of Haydn’s London Sonatas on the Acis label, recorded on an 1806 Broadwood grand restored by Dale Munschy, received critical acclaim. Fanfare enthused, “To say that Berry plays these works with vim, vigor, verve, and vitality, is actually a bit of an understatement.” Based in the Boston area, Berry has appeared as a soloist, chamber musician, and art song collaborator on a wide variety of instruments, and held masterclasses at The Curtis Institute of Music, Temple University, The Academy of Fortepiano Performance (Hunter, NY), and Longy School of Music of Bard College. As a scholar, Berry has written and lectured on the instruments and performance practices of the 18th and early 19th centuries, presenting lectures and lecture recitals at The Center for Beethoven Research (The College of Fine Arts, and the School of Music at Boston University), the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Princeton University Art Museum, among others. Berry coaches chamber music and teaches harpsichord at Harvard University’s Mather House. She attended the New England Conservatory and holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory, and the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands.

Teresa Wakim
Soprano

With a voice of “extraordinary suppleness and beauty” (The New York Times), GRAMMY-Nominated soprano Teresa Wakim won First Place in the International Competition for Early Music in Brunnenthal, Austria and has performed under the batons of Roger Norrington, Harry Christophers, Martin Haselböck, Ton Koopman, and Nicholas McGegan. She has recorded numerous albums with the Boston Early Music Festival (BEMF), including Charpentier’s Les Plaisirs de Versailles and their GRAMMY-Award Winning album of Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphee aux Enfers. Other solo recordings include BEMF’s Acis & Galatea in the title role, Handel’s Almira, Charpentier’s Acteon, Mozart’s Exsultate Jubilate and Coronation Mass with the Handel and Haydn Society, and the GRAMMY-Nominated recording of Brahms’ German Requiem with Seraphic Fire. She has performed as soloist with The Cleveland Orchestra, The San Francisco Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic, Iowa Symphony, Houston Symphony, Charlotte Symphony, Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, Wiener Akademie, Apollo’s Fire, the Handel and Haydn Society, Musica Angelica, Festival Bach Montreal, Boston Baroque, and Mercury Baroque.

Aaron Sheehan
Tenor

Aaron Sheehan made his professional operatic debut with the Boston Early Music Festival in  the 2005 world premiere staging of Mattheson’s Boris Gudenow, winning praise from Opera  News for his “sinuous and supple” voice, and went on to further roles with BEMF in Lully’s  Psyché, Charpentier’s Actéon, Monteverdi’s Orfeo, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, and  L’incoronazione di Poppea, Steffani’s Orlando, Desmarest’s Circé, and Handel’s Acis and Galatea. 

Sheehan appears on over 40 recordings, which include Handel’s “Acis & Galatea” with Boston  Early Music Festival, Rameau’s “Le Temple de la Gloire” & Handel’s “Saul” with Philharmonia  Baroque, and Monteverdi’s “Il ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria” with Boston Baroque. He sang the title  role in BEMF’s recording of Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers, which won Best  Opera Recording at the 2015 Grammy Awards. 

Aaron’s worldwide operatic and concert appearances include venues as diverse as the Royal  Opera at Versailles, Tanglewood Festival, New Zealand Festival of the Arts, Lincoln Center,  Concertgebouw, Kennedy Center, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Gran Teatro Nacional del  Perú, Beethoven Festival Warsaw, Boston Symphony Hall, Musikfestspiele Postdam’s  Sanssouci, Handel Halle Festival, and the early music festivals of Boston, San Francisco, and  Vancouver. 

Recent performances include Handel’s Messiah with the San Francisco Symphony and  National Symphony, Bach’s St. Matthew Passion with the Armenian Philharmonic, Winterreise in recital at the Smithsonian Museum, Bach’s B minor Mass with American Bach Soloists. Solo  performances with Handel & Haydn Society, Music of the Baroque, Philharmonia Baroque, and  Boston Baroque. The first Bach St. Matthew Passion in Peru with the National Symphony  Orchestra of Peru. Featured performances and recordings with Pacific Music Works, Blue  Heron Choir, Bach Collegium San Diego, and Paul Hillier’s Theater of Voices. 

Raised in Minnesota, Aaron received his bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance from Luther  College and a master’s degree in historical vocal performance from Indiana University. He  currently is on the voice faculty of Boston University.