Piffaro, The Renaissance Band Announces 2025–2026 Season

Piffaro, the Renaissance Band will return for its 41st season with a rich slate of concerts celebrating early music and community partnerships across Philadelphia, Wilmington, and New York City.

The 2025–2026 season will feature live performances and professionally produced streams to reach global audiences. Concert highlights include collaborations with TENET Vocal Artists, a tribute to the musical legacy of colonial Mexico, and a deep dive into the Renaissance instruments that define Piffaro’s sound.

Tickets and streaming details are available at www.piffaro.org/tix.

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

October – Tools of the Trade: Exploring the Renaissance Musicians' Arsenal
The season opens with a lively showcase of Piffaro’s wide-ranging period instruments—including shawms, dulcians, krumhorns, sackbuts, lutes, hurdy-gurdies, and more. After the concert, audiences are invited onstage to get a closer look at the rare instrument collection.

December – Ein Kind Geborn: A German Christmas
Piffaro reunites with TENET Vocal Artists for an evening of festive Renaissance music by Michael Praetorius and his contemporaries. Directed by Jolle Greenleaf, TENET joins Piffaro in Philadelphia, Wilmington, and New York City for this seasonal celebration.

March – Ferrara: Splendor of the Renaissance
This all-instrumental program evokes the musical brilliance of Renaissance Ferrara under the patronage of the d’Este family, celebrating its legacy as a hub for composers and humanists alike.

May – Eagle & Empire: Music of Colonial Mexico
The season concludes with a cross-cultural exploration of colonial-era Mexican music, blending European and Indigenous traditions. Piffaro welcomes guest vocalists Nell Snaidas, Estelí Gomez, Cecilia Duarte, Jonatan Alvarado, and Andrew Padgett. The May 8 concert at Esperanza Arts Center will also feature Aztec dance and food by Ollin Yoliztli Calmecac co-founder Brujo de la Mancha.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Piffaro will expand its partnership with Esperanza Arts Center this season, launching a free flauta dulce (recorder) after-school program led by Piffaro board member and music educator Miriam Arbelo. The initiative is supported by The Presser Foundation and the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia.

Also returning this year is the free, family-friendly Recorder Fest, taking place March 7 in Philadelphia.

Under the artistic direction of Priscilla Herreid, Piffaro continues to bring the vibrant sounds of the Renaissance to contemporary audiences through historically informed performance, award-winning outreach, and educational initiatives.