Relic
Friday, October 2, 2026 · 7:30 pm
Dalton Center Recital Hall, Western Michigan University
The Shirley and Michael K. Bach Memorial Concert
“...a musical experience where mood and emotion were paramount...”
New York Classical Review
Fontana’s season opens with the acclaimed period instrument chamber orchestra Relic.
Described as “stylish and innovative” by New York Classical Review, Relic is known for its intimate, dramatic, and boldly imaginative approach to early music. Cofounded in 2022 by Kalamazoo native Cullen O’Neil, the ensemble has gained national attention for its unique narrative-driven approach to programming.
Program
In 1701 Peru, Tomás de Torrejón y Velasco’s La Púrpura de la Rosa became the first opera ever performed in the Americas. The libretto, written by a renowned Spanish poet Pedro Calderón de la Barca, recounts the tragic love story of Venus and Adonis.
Relic’s newly-curated program, “The Blood of the Rose,” celebrates the rich tradition of Baroque music in 1700s Latin America through an instrumental adaptation of the Venus and Adonis myth. In musical chapters punctuated by poetry, this dramatic program depicts Venus and Adonis’s blossoming romance, Mars’s vicious attempts to destroy their love, and the couple’s ultimate tragic demise.
Program subject to change.
Ticket Information
$35
General Admission
$15
Ages 25 & Under
(In Advance)
$5
Ages 25 & Under
(At-the-Door)
$120
4-Concert Subscription