“Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul.”

― Johann Sebastian Bach

Our Mission

Bloomington Early Music is committed to our mission to enrich, educate, and inspire audiences and performers through historically informed performance in south central Indiana. We support emerging and established talent that is local, regional, national, and international and the performance of early music that is multicultural, multi-genre, and inclusive of our diverse community. We aim to engage audiences in ways that invite them to connect to history and to each other through this music.

Early Music is defined by BLEM broadly, encompassing musics from the medieval period through the early 19th century, across regional and cultural traditions within and outside of canonical boundaries.

Bloomington Early Music is an equal opportunity organization and will not allow discrimination or harassment in its activities or operation based on age, ethnicity, race, ancestry, national origin, disability, size, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender expression, marital status, socioeconomic background, and any status prohibited by applicable law.

Values

  • We support music of the past millennium to the early nineteenth century in a way that is historically informed

  • We support emerging talent that is local, regional, national, and international

  • We are committed to being societally engaged

  • We support diversity through early music that is global, multicultural, and multi-genre

  • Collaborations form the core of our activities

Goals

  • To develop a strong board and staff structure, ensuring that the organization continues on a firm footing for the benefit of our artists and audiences

  • To sustain, support, and grow the annual Bloomington Early Music Festival

  • To promote and support early music programming throughout the year

  • To be a source of life-long educational activities

  • To develop new audiences through media production and dissemination of performances

Projects We Support

  • Partnerships include nonprofit fiscal sponsorship of local ensemble Alchymy Viols as well as collaborations with the IU Historical Performance Institute and Latin American Music Center.

  • The Bloomington Bach Cantata Project presents J.S. Bach's cantatas in performances modeled on his own. Under the direction of Daniel R. Melamed, the BBCP is a joint effort to share this repertory with students, professional musicians, and Bloomington audiences.

  • Educational and enrichment programs in local schools communities.

​“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

-Martin Luther King, Jr.