Period Music Returns at This Year's Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration Weekend

Published on September 4, 2026

Top artists from the Champlain Valley — and one special guest performer from Delaware — present masterworks in existence at the time of the Battle of Plattsburgh, from Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos to choral creations by Mozart to chamber music by Beethoven, Telemann, and more.

Four standout concerts in two days in the Trinity Episcopal Church sanctuary

For the second consecutive September, this year’s Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration Weekend will feature four special programs showcasing music that would have been heard by audiences in Europe and in North America in September 1814, the month and year when the battle was fought.

All four concerts will feature standout Champlain Valley performers whose professional credits range from Carnegie Hall to Broadway, from the Boston Symphony Orchestra to the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, from the Crane School of Music to Yale University, and from several other top-level venues across Japan, Canada, and multiple European nations — plus a special appearance by veteran stage and screen actor Steven Mumford, who will travel from Delaware to deliver an exclusive performance of his original monologue portraying Battle of Plattsburgh hero Commodore Thomas Macdonough.

Each concert is free of charge with the purchase of a Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration button, with all performances taking place in the sanctuary of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Plattsburgh at 18 Trinity Place.

The schedule of this unique Battle of Plattsburgh period music series includes:

Bach's Brandenburg Concertos by Champlain Strings. Sept. 12, 4 p.m.

The Plattsburgh-based string orchestra that delighted listeners last year with The Four Seasons returns to present three of Johann Sebastian Bach's masterpieces: the immortal Brandenburg Concertos No. 3, No. 5, and No. 6! Likely the first time that all three of these melodious works have been performed in the same program anywhere in the North Country! Featuring Champlain Valley-based professional soloists Marilyn Reynolds (violin), Robin Cameron-Phillips (flute), and John Curtis (harpsichord).

Beethoven's Chamber Music For Wind Instruments by The Adirondack Wind Ensemble. Sept. 12, 5:30 p.m.

Ludwig van Beethoven's Octet for Winds and Sextet for Winds were popular classics at the time of the Battle of Plattsburgh, and both works remain gems of the wind instrument repertoire today. Daniel Gordon leads musicians from the Adirondack Wind Ensemble in presenting these two compositions by a composer who was still dazzling the Western world when the turning point of the War of 1812 occurred in our community.

McCarty & Macdonough: The Violist & The Commodore. Sept. 13, 1 p.m.

Violist Patricia McCarty, whose professional credits range from the Boston Symphony Orchestra to an impressive globally celebrated array of solo recordings, presents a program of solo viola classics by Georg Philipp Telemann, Johann Sebastian Bach, Alessandro Rolla, and more.

Joining her will be award-winning actor and playwright Steven Mumford, who is traveling from Delaware to present an exclusive performance of his original monologue in the character of Commodore Thomas Macdonough, the hero of the Battle of Plattsburgh, telling this dramatic story through spoken episodes that intertwine with the music!

Battle of Plattsburgh Vespers. Sept. 13, 3 p.m.

Helen Demong, Artistic Director of the Northern Lights Choir, leads a chamber chorus of North Country vocalists in a program of choral classics, joined by beloved collaborative pianist Jennifer Moore. Sacred and secular works by Mozart, Palestrina, William Billings, Michael Haydn, Tomas Luis de Victoria, and many more -- plus some stunning vocal solos -- will bring this commemoration weekend to a deeply moving conclusion.

The four concerts are produced by Plattsburgh resident Benjamin Pomerance and are made possible through the generosity of the Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration Committee.

Seating for each concert is first-come, first-served. Attendees are encouraged to come early to secure their seat of choice.

For more information, please contact Benjamin Pomerance at pomerance.benjamin58@gmail.com