Presented by Opera Lafayette.

Pedro Memelsdorff, a musician scholar whose recent research has focused on music in the French colonies in the Caribbean during the 18th century, conceives and leads a program highlighting French music performed there between 1760 and 1790. The musical life of the colonies involved enslaved, formerly enslaved, and free peoples, and Memelsdorff’s program addresses the extraordinarily complicated dynamics between the musical culture of imperial France and the people of the Caribbean. Well-known French composers from the 18th century and newly rediscovered works are represented in this orchestral concert with vocal soloists and ensemble.