As tuneful sleigh bells begin to ring faintly in the distance, a joyful anticipation fills the air, and the first Sunday of Advent arrives once more. On December 2 at 2 p.m., “Baroque Sounds of the Season” will touch that essence wherein the soul’s light dwells when Camerata Milwaukee performs in St. Joseph Hall.

The septet of strings, harpsichord, and voice will bring breathtaking music of the 17th century to the south side campus of the School Sisters of St. Francis, 1501 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee (or Greenfield Ave. at S. 27th St.).

Listeners will be exhilarated by the tiered dynamics and buoyancy of Baroque interpretation, in which the bass line’s pulse supports and also drives the other parts. Yet, the quality of expression remains controlled, regardless of whatever story the composer might be intimating. It is within this genre that Camerata Milwaukee primarily invests careful study and practice, and its members do so with an abiding love for both renowned and lesser-known composers and works.

At Camerata Milwaukee’s December 2 offering, the works of Georg Philipp Telemann and Arcangelo Corelli are sure to command an audience, but composers like Isabella Leonarda and Maria Peruchona—women religious of the Ursuline order—will also be given their due. On the program are sinfonias, cantatas, and concerti grossi by all Italian composers, except for the Swiss Johann Melchior Gletle and, of course, the German Telemann.

There is an international breadth to the experiences of Camerata Milwaukee as well. Violinists Tony Perez and Paul Sekulski, violist JoAnn Haasler, cellist Kristian Ring, cellist Alicia Storin, harpsichordist Brendan Fox, and soprano Ruth Brown are a youthful ensemble who, together, have completed decades of study, pedagogy, and performance in the Midwest, New York, the Carolinas, Venezuela, and Germany. Allow the talents of these fine artists to set a tone of grace and inspiration for an experience as resounding as words in an Advent prayer.

The $15 tickets are available now. Write checks to: School Sisters of St. Francis Outreach Events, c/o Donna O’Loughlin; St. Joseph Center; 1501 S. Layton Blvd., Milwaukee, WI 53215. Contact: 414-385-5272 or doloughlin@sssf.org. Convenient free parking is available in the St. Joseph Center lot at 29th St. and Orchard St.