The historic tower of St Paul Center for Music and the Arts (SPCMA 501c3) will be illuminated at the corner of 16th and Grant St each night during the summer of 2026 marking the debut concerts of a radical new ensemble in residence. From its start, Ensemble Gothic has been dedicated to historically informed performance practice—reviving the sound world of the Renaissance and Baroque eras within the vaulted ceiling acoustics for which the music was first composed. Our audiences will feel intense emotions as we recover rubato practices that were lost after the invention of recording put musical performance “in a box” during World War I.
The 100th anniversary celebration of the building in late 2026 also brings one of my long-held dreams to life: a season dedicated to the oeuvres of Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre and Johann Sebastian Bach. During the fall and spring the St Paul Center will be filled with all of La Guerre’s violin sonatas and harpsichord sonatas as well as all of Bach’s violin sonatas and gamba sonatas performed by core members Jennifer Diaz Spera and Jerimiah Otto. Heralding our debut season is a recital series of distinguished guests beginning in June with a concert every Saturday at 2pm. We are thrilled to offer our pay-as-you-wish model for all concerts, making exceptional music accessible to everyone. As a donor-driven organization, your support is vital.
AND YES WE NEED YOUR HELP. Presenting music of this scope is only possible through your generosity. Every gift—large or small—helps bring these treasures to life. Because Colorado lacks the trained baroque-era specialists and the rare instruments required to perform these works, Ensemble Gothic will invite specialists from early music hubs around the world. With historic strings, winds and percussion paired with singers trained in historical performance, these presentations will sound fresh, immediate and revelatory. This endeavor culminates in a performance of an unpublished opera by La Guerre: a collection from 10 of her 30 opera works and Bach’s “Coffee Cantata” operetta.
You’ll not want to miss our season highlights:
June 6 Drag and Harpsichords Jerimiah Otto
June 11 Violin Révolution Jennifer Diaz Spera
June 13 David Korevaar plays Cécile Chaminade and Ludwig v Beethoven
June 20 Tapping the Classics Tap Dance and Piano Common Ground Tap
June 27 Summer Soirée, Gabrielle Razafinjatovo mezzo soprano Ann Marie Morgan gamba
In all our events we prioritize a focus on informed performance practice, education and activism. In late 2026 director Jerimiah Otto will launch a choir for unhoused people in Denver to experience the glory and life changing power of music. In 2027 the group’s core baroque violinist Jennifer Diaz Spera will launch a performance practice infused Suzuki camp for string players.
The seeds for this ensemble were sown 7 years ago when I was profoundly influenced during harpsichord master’s studies with Harvard musicologist Dr. Robert Hill at the University of Colorado Boulder. Hill’s work recognizing that the first musicians to record baroque music 100 years ago were the closest in time to Bach allows insight into how the musical ideas present in these first recordings can be used to reconstruct the performance practices of earlier periods. No one can know exactly how baroque music sounded, but that will not stop Ensemble Gothic from striving to make the audience feel the intense emotions that were vividly described by ancient composers. My own master’s research on the many Frédéric Chopin recordings by controversial pianist Alfred Cortot further confirmed this viewpoint.
I invite you to join us in this extraordinary first season, both in the audience and as a sustaining supporter because these historic performances can only happen with your support. Please make a gift today—$50, $250, $500, or whatever you can—every dollar goes directly toward creating this once-in-a-lifetime performance season.
Send your check to our P.O. Box address shown below, or visit us at EnsembleGothic.org to give securely online. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated.
With gratitude, yours,
Jerimiah Otto
Founder and Artistic Director
Ensemble Gothic
1600 N Grant St
Denver, CO 80021
Jerimiah Otto 