Medieval bear playing viol to a boar

Signature Series 2025/2026

Become an EMSI member and use your concert vouchers for any two or more Signature Series concerts.

Saturday October 25 2025
Treasure Trove: Cantigas de Santa Maria
BOURDONS (CANADA)

Victoria ensemble Bourdons will present some of the 420 songs of the massive 13th century collection of Galician/Portugese songs known as the Cantigas de Santa Maria. Tuneful, rhythmic, exquisite musical gems from a distant past, brought to life with voice and a panoply of exotic instruments.

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Friday November 14 2025
Brilliant Baroque
TAFELMUSIK BAROQUE ORCHESTRA (CANADA)

The brilliant Toronto ensemble Tafelmusik, a perennial favourite with EMSI audiences, returns with a program of Baroque Music by Bach, Handel, Purcell and others. Featuring the multi-award-winning British violinist Rachel Podger as Prinicipal Guest Director and Soloist.

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Sunday December 7 2025
Yule
TRIO MEDIÆVAL (NORWAY)

This highly acclaimed, prolificly recorded ensemble from Norway brings their distinctive sound and flawless musicality to a program of music that harkens back to the transition from ancient Pagan culture to the spirituality of the newer Christian rite. The ensemble consists of three singers and organetto.

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Saturday January 31 2026
Bach & Khayyam
CONSTANTINOPLE (CANADA)

In their inimitable way, the ever-popular, ground-breaking ensemble Constantinople examines two great musical geniuses, presenting arrangements of some of the most beautiful spiritual songs and arias of JS Bach in dialogue with poems of Omar Khayyam sung in Persian.

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Saturday February 28 2026
Strawberry Fields
RUCKUS (USA)

This dynamic Baroque ensemble is indeed creating a ruckus, with their visceral and playful approach to early music. They will bring us a rousing concert featuring instrumental music of Handel and his contemporary, the English former slave Ignatius Sancho, a remarkable figure in late 18th Century London and prolific composer of dance music.

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Saturday March 14 2026
Vivaldi on Fire
ENSEMBLE CAPRICE (CANADA)

Back by popular demand, Ensemble Caprice always gives us an energetic and exciting performance. This time, they will be presenting a program that puts the fascinating music of the 1730 Uhrovska collection of traditional Eastern European music side by side with the concertos of Antonio Vivaldi.

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Special Events 2025/2026

In cooperation with with Early Music Vancouver

Friday September 26 2025
Amanda Forsythe sings Handel
PACIFIC BAROQUE ORCHESTRA (CANADA)
AMANDA FORSYTHE (USA)

This exceptional concert features the return of internationally acclaimed soprano Amanda Forsythe with the Pacific Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Alexander Weimann. The performance is built around Handel arias originally written for Elisabeth Duparc (‘La Francesina’).

Special dinner and performance event

Friday April 17 & Saturday April 18 2026
Artemisia: Light & Shadow
ARTEK (USA)

Following up on our successful opera this season, we are presenting dinner followed by a staged account of the most celebrated female artist of the Italian Baroque. Brilliantly and dramatically portrayed by singer/actor Sarah Chalfy, Artemisia Gentillesci tells the story of her remarkable life with music by Barbara Strozzi and Francesco Cavalli.