Academy of Sacred Drama – Past Concerts

The Academy of Sacred Drama seeks to revive one of humanity's great art forms present in rituals, in liturgy, and on stage: the sacred drama. We do research and make editions and translations in order to present moving performances of theatrical musical works for our community. The Academy's work is made possible by our members, volunteers, musicians, and other performing arts professionals.

In past seasons, we presented oratorios to critical acclaim that have not been heard in around 300 years. The Academy was featured in an article in Commonweal Magazine, and our artistic decisions were declared "striking" by the New York Times. Our work was also featured in Early Music America online.

We perform without sets or costumes, and our performances tell a story through emotive gestures and subtle movement-based staging. The style of singing and instrumental music is unique and poignant. After seeing one of the Academy's performances, an audience member remarked, "Opera has never appealed to me, but I think that oratorio is my thing!"

Our area of focus is on the sacred dramas of the Baroque era—which draw upon the legendary stores of the Judeo-Christian tradition and combines them with poetic verse and classical references. Much of the genre has yet to be explored in our time.