• Welcome to EMSI’s 37th Season!

    Join us as we bring back live concerts in a beautiful performance space.

    ConcertsTickets

  • EMSI is On the Move!

    New venues for the 2021-22 season.

    Venue Info

  • Now live!

    A new initiative from EMSI to support our local amateur and professional musicians.

    more information
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Upcoming Concerts

  • Aug 14 | Reeding in the Garden
    • Reeding in the Garden

    • Chamber Music among the trees and beds of an extraordinary garden, with a guided tour after the concert. Join us for a program of 18th C. music in the Italian […]

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  • Aug 15 | Reeding in the Garden
    • Reeding in the Garden

    • Chamber Music among the trees and beds of an extraordinary garden, with a guided tour after the concert. Join us for a program of 18th C. music in the Italian […]

    • Read More
  • Dec 18 | Wassail, Wassail! Music for the Yuletide Season
    • Wassail, Wassail! Music for the Yuletide Season

    • SPECIAL EVENT! The Baltimore Consort (USA) José Lémos countertenor Danielle Svanavec soprano With its always festive cornucopia of instruments — lute, cittern, viols, crumhorns, recorders, rebec and percussion—the Baltimore Consort […]

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  • Jan 8 | The (Very) First Viennese School
    • The (Very) First Viennese School

    • Quicksilver (New York) Music in Vienna had its first great flourishing long before Mozart and Haydn. The Emperors of the 17th century were great connoisseurs and brought together virtuosi from […]

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  • Feb 5 | Wind Quintets: the Origin Story
    • Wind Quintets: the Origin Story

    • Canova Winds (USA) Canova Winds explores the emergence of one of classical music’s most loved ensembles. Concertgoers may be familiar with well-known wind quintets by Nielsen, Hindemith and Barber, but […]

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  • Mar 5 | Dancing in the Isles
    • Dancing in the Isles

    • Musica Pacifica (CALIFORNIA) This high-energy program of rousing folk and dance music from eighteenth-century England, Ireland and Scotland has something for everyone. Soulful tunes and merry jigs are juxtaposed with […]

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  • Apr 9 | Bach’s Easter Oratorio
    • Bach’s Easter Oratorio

    • SPECIAL EVENT! Ensemble Caprice (MONTREAL) On the Saturday before Palm Sunday, EMSI is pleased to present one of Bach’s towering achievements performed by one of the world’s most sought-after early […]

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  • Apr 30 | Imaginario: the Making of an Imaginary Songbook
    • Imaginario: the Making of an Imaginary Songbook

    • Armonia Concertada (SPAIN)  María Cristina Kiehr soprano Ariel Abramovich vihuela de mano Two of Europe’s leading performers of Early Music showcase the work of Juan Vasquez (c. 1500 – 1560) […]

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  • May 14 | Music for Two Flutes
    • Music for Two Flutes

    • Soile Strakauskas baroque flute (Victoria) Janet See baroque flute (Seattle) Caroline Nicolas viola da gamba and cello Kevin Payne lute The eighteenth century was the golden age of the flute […]

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Next concert

Reeding in the Garden
August 14

Chamber Music among the trees and beds of an extraordinary garden, with a guided tour after the concert. Join us for a program of 18th C. music in the Italian […]

Read More
Past Concerts

Welcome

to The Early Music Society of the Islands!

Founded in 1985 and based in Victoria BC, the Early Music Society is a non-profit, volunteer-run society dedicated to offering  accomplished performances of music composed prior to 1800.

EMSI embraces the idea that early music deserves to be heard with close to its original intent. To that end, our concerts feature period instruments, accurate scores, and historical performance practices.

Renowned artists, both international and homegrown, have graced our stage.

Sponsors

The list of soloists and ensembles presented by EMSI is a who’s who
of the international early music scene:

Anonymous 4 Ensemble Clement Janequin Monica Huggett Orlando Consort Stile Antico Boston Early Music Festival Nancy Argenta Fretwork Dame Emma Kirkby Red Priest Tafelmusik Baltimore Consort The Harp Consort Ton Koopman Jordi Savall Daniel Taylor Concerto Koln John Holloway London Baroque Sequentia Collegium Vocale Gent

EMSI News

Membership renewals available soon!

The Early Music Society of the Islands is gearing up for an exciting new series of concerts for our upcoming 37th season. Annual memberships for the 2021-22 season will be available beginning in June, so please check back soon, or subscribe…
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You are invited to a Vivaldi Party!

In these times of isolation in our homes and bubbles, EMSI invites you to a Vivaldi party on Sunday January 24th, 2021 at 7 pm. Here is how to attend: 1 Plan ahead. Get a ticket for The Dark Side of Vivaldi here. If needed, update your…
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Now online: The Dark Side of Vivaldi

Vivaldi is well-known for his many concertos, particularly The Four Seasons, but much of this prolific composer's work is rarely programmed, and so, like the dark side of the moon, remains out of sight. Join us online for an enlightening performance…
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