Henry Purcell's Dido and Aeneas: Joyce DiDonato; Il Pomo d'Oro tickets

In a true season highlight, star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato returns to Berkeley with the Italian period-music ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro in a program of Baroque music presented with exquisite freshness and flair. This time, DiDonato and company bring tragedy, performing Purcell’s brilliant and beloved opera Dido and Aeneas and Carissimi’s deeply emotive oratorio Jephte in concert. DiDonato has triumphed in opera houses worldwide as the tragic Queen of Carthage in Berlioz’s Les Troyens, but it wasn’t until 2024 that she first performed Purcell’s opera in its entirety. To hear her lend her “astonishing vocal prowess” (The Classical Review) to highlights like Dido’s famous lament, “When I am laid in earth,” with these telepathically sensitive accompanists promises to be a rare treat.