Commissioned by St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, and Washington National Cathedral, where it premiered in 2023, Secret Byrd honors the English Renaissance master William Byrd. Why “secret”? Because Byrd converted to the Church of Rome when open Catholic worship was illegal in England. Performed in period costume by candlelight, this immersive reenactment of a hush-hush, at-home religious service combines the gilt-edged talents of the vocal ensemble Gesualdo Six and the viol consort Fretwork. Roam free (no pun intended) among the artists if you like. Partake if you will of soup and bread prepared and shared on site. Impresarios love neatly packaged, manageably scaled novelties with antique flair, especially when they set critics raving, as Secret Byrd has done. It seems safe, therefore, to predict a long life on the road for this attraction. The current tour stops in the U.S. in Los Angeles (July 16), San Francisco (July 17-18) , and Chicago (July 20-21), and then goes to Kilkenny, Ireland (August 12-13). The unseen prime mover was the composer, writer, and director Bill Barclay, for many seasons director of music at Shakespeare’s Globe. Though they may not know his name, fans of Farinelli and the King and the sublime all-male Twelfth Night starring Mark Rylance as Olivia may discern his fingerprint. —Matthew Gurewitsch