Rochester Early Music Festival Concerts
The Rochester Early Music Festival celebrates Rochester and Western New York's rich and varied culture of Early Music performance and scholarship.
Please note that this page is under construction! Please come back often as the Event Listings will change over the next couple of weeks.
REMF Gala Concert
St. Anne Church
1600 Mt. Hope Ave.
Rochester, NY
Friday, November 14, 7:30 PM
Click the REMF 2025 Info link to the left to read an expanded description of Gala Concert.
Tickets: By Donation in advance (below) or at the door (cash, check, credit card and Venmo!)
General Admission - $20
Senior Admission - $15
Student Admission - $5
Wilmot Recital Hall
Nazareth University
4245 East Ave, Rochester, NY
Sunday, November 2, 3 pm
This concert is free, open to the public.
Margaret Leenhouts, Koki Tanaka and Ciara McGuire violin; Brian Donat, cello; Bonnie Choi, harpsichord
Compline Service with Schola Cantorum
Christ Church
141 East Avenue
Rochester, NY
9 PM, each Sunday
Compline is performed by Schola Cantorum and directed by Stephen Kennedy, Director of Music and Organist of Christ Church Rochester In 1997, he founded the Christ Church Schola Cantorum to perform the Office of Compline each Sunday at Christ Church.
This acclaimed ensemble of voices and Renaissance instruments specializes in the performance of Plainsong, motets of the Renaissance and Romantic eras, as well as contemporary music and improvisation.
Scivias Medieval Ensemble
Dr. Heather Holmquest, Director
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church
25 Westminster Rd
Rochester, NY
Sunday, November 16th, 2025 3pm
We know that Santa Claus, sometimes known as St. Nicholas, delivers gifts on the night before Christmas. But who was this mysterious saint, and how was he known to people in medieval Europe? Back then, Christmas was a solemn feast that honored the Christ child, while St. Nicholas’s feast day, December 6th, was much more the jolly, gift-giving event of the Advent season.
This concert presents music that spans from liturgical chant to informal songs, showcasing that people of all stations in life made merry in honor of St. Nicholas. Music associated with St. Nicholas is tuneful, jubilant, and full of references to the stories and miracles surrounding his life. We will feature some texts that have different melodies associated with them, attesting to the popularity of these stories and the way they transmitted across Europe.
We’ll round out the concert with a few favorite tunes from the Advent and Christmas season. Please join us for this joyous and festive occasion!