Armonia Concertada (ARGENTINA)  María Cristina Kiehr soprano Ariel Abramovich vihuela   In the long tradition of songbooks over the ages, there is a significant gap: songbooks of the Spanish Renaissance for voice and vihuela, a relative of the guitar. Instrumentalist Ariel Abramovich has filled in that gap with an imagined songbook, encompassing songs from the […]

Soile Strakauskas baroque flute (Victoria) Janet See baroque flute (Seattle) Caroline Nicolas viola da gamba and cello Kevin Payne theorbo The eighteenth century was the golden age of the flute and some of the best baroque musicians from the Pacific Northwest present a varied selection of beautiful music from around Europe. The featured composers include […]

Internationally renowned Grammy award winner, Kayhan Kalhor is joined by Ensemble Constantinople co-founder Kiya Tabassian in a program of improvised music on the ancient Persian instrument, the setar, in a joint presentation by EMSI and Early Music Vancouver. ”Rather than a duel, the two setarists’ ninety or so uninterrupted minutes onstage turned out to be […]

Please check back soon for the new date! EMSI has been the grateful recipient of a donation of over 500 good quality Early Music CDs. We want you to have them, so we will be holding a one-day sale event to raise funds for the society. It will be a lively and fun event, with […]

A Great Noyse is Victoria's only Renaissance wind ensemble. Performing on authentic reproductions of instruments used over 400 years ago, the five-person ensemble creates a unique sound that you simply won't hear anywhere else on the Island. From elegant masques in the stately gardens of royalty to lively dances on the village green, the haut, […]

A Great Noyse is Victoria’s only Renaissance wind ensemble. Performing on authentic reproductions of instruments used over 400 years ago, the five-person ensemble creates a unique sound that you simply won’t hear anywhere else on the Island. From elegant masques in the stately gardens of royalty to lively dances on the village green, the haut, […]

Join us in an exquisite garden for a tour of medieval Europe, from 13th Century Scotland, to the trouvères of France, the dance music of Italy and the pilgrim songs of Spain. Banquo Folk Ensemble has been performing in Victoria for over 20 years. Vocalists and multi-instrumentalists, they take early music from the written and […]

Join us in an exquisite garden for a tour of medieval Europe, from 13th Century Scotland, to the trouvères of France, the dance music of Italy and the pilgrim songs of Spain. Banquo Folk Ensemble has been performing in Victoria for over 20 years. Vocalists and multi-instrumentalists, they take early music from the written and […]

Baroque music for two violins, recorder, bassoon, recorder and cello, performed in a beautiful garden. Music by Boismortier, Marais, Corette, Handel and more.   Performers: Carolyn Hatch, violin Elyssa Lefurgey-Smith, violin Kerry Graham, bassoon and recorder Martin Bonham, cello and viola da gamba   The program will draw from: Sonata Sesta, Sonata in Imitation of […]

Baroque music for two violins, recorder, bassoon, recorder and cello, performed in a beautiful garden. Music by Boismortier, Marais, Corette, Handel and more.   Performers: Carolyn Hatch, violin Elyssa Lefurgey-Smith, violin Kerry Graham, bassoon and recorder Martin Bonham, cello and viola da gamba   The program will draw from: Sonata Sesta, Sonata in Imitation of […]

Hélène Brunet soprano Rodolfo Richter violin and direction Ensemble Castor (AUSTRIA) BUY TICKETS NOW A light-hearted alternative to the familiar Four Seasons, this programme includes concerti and cantatas by Vivaldi related to nature, its sounds and its powerful events: bird song, tempests, rural life and the hunt. One of Italy’s leading exponents of the baroque […]

Diabolus in Musica (FRANCE) In the twelfth century, in the famous words of George Duby, “a new world blossomed on the old Latin stump.” This new world witnessed the composition by troubadours of the first secular songs on themes of courtly love. Musicians were joyfully reinventing beauty for a new age. Diabolus in Musica present […]

700 quality gently used Early Music CDs for sale A fun, lively event to chase away the winter doldrums Live music while you shop Come in your best periwig, doublet-and-hose or wimple Get great bargains on top-notch CDs Progressive sale – as the afternoon wears on, the prices come down! Saturday, November 12, 2:30pm, St. […]

Thomas Dunford lute (FRANCE) Thomas Dunford has quickly established himself as the most exciting and acclaimed member of the new generation of lutenists. In his Victoria debut, he will bring his unrivaled virtuosity to masterpieces of the Renaissance and to the unparalleled masterpieces of J.S. Bach, including an arrangement for lute of the famous Chaconne […]

SPECIAL EVENT Sinéad White soprano (TORONTO) Victoria Baroque Marco Vitale harpsichord and direction EMSI’s Christmas concert is always the musical highlight of the season. This year, one of Canada’s most exciting sopranos joins Victoria Baroque for a festive programme of seasonal music from around Europe, including familiar carols and seldom-heard masterpieces. Lively, sensitive, and stylish. […]

Raritan Players (USA) Rebecca Cypess & Yi-heng Yang keyboards It is commonly thought that musicians abandoned their harpsichords and took up the fortepiano quickly and suddenly around 1780. In fact, the two instruments coexisted happily for decades. Throughout the eighteenth century, instrument makers explored novel ways of producing sound through experimentation with keyboard technologies. As […]

Consone Quartet (UK) EMSI is thrilled to host this exciting young British string quartet that is taking the world of early music by storm. The featured works are Mozart’s Quartet KV156, Haydn’s “Joke” Quartet, Fanny Mendelssohn’s Quartet in E♭ Major and the String Quartet Op. 1, No. 3 by the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. The first […]

We are offering a Choral Workshop on the day of our Vivaldi: Gloria! concert with Ensemble Caprice and Ensemble ArtChoral from Montreal. Choristers who attend the workshop will invited to participate in three of the movements of the Vivaldi Gloria in the concert that evening. The workshop has been expanded this year to a longer […]

SPECIAL EVENT Ensemble Caprice (MONTREAL) Ensemble ArtChoral (MONTREAL) The music making by Ensemble Caprice was first rate. – New York Times Vivaldi and His Angels In the early years of the eighteenth century, music lovers from all over Europe traveled to Venice to hear performances by orphan girls in the Ospedale della Pietà. Among the […]

La Rêveuse (FRANCE)  "Concert of Birds" Frans Snijders, 1579 - 1657 Composers have long been inspired by the beauties of birdsong, among them Caix d’Hervlois, Couperin, Rameau and Purcell. Performing on recorders, flageolets, flutes with viola da gamba and theorbo one of France’s leading early music ensembles brings to life this charming music. An absolutely […]

** CANCELLED ** We regret that we have had to cancel this event, due to an unresolvable scheduling conflict on the part of the artists. We hope to reschedule the event some time in the future. SPECIAL EVENT Constantinople (MONTREAL) Jonatan Alvarado (ARGENTINA) Federico Tarazone (PERU) This concert explores the juxtaposition of indigenous South American […]

Join us in a spectacular private garden in Oak Bay for a relaxing hour of music. Click HERE to register to attend. The local ensemble, Magdalena Consort, will present a concert of broken (mixed) consort music from the Renaissance. Music by Lassus, Guererra, Lobo, Negri, Praetorius and many more . . . . Note that […]

Join us in a spectacular private garden in Oak Bay for a relaxing hour of music. Click HERE to register to attend. The local ensemble, Magdalena Consort, will present a concert of broken (mixed) consort music from the Renaissance. Music by Lassus, Guererra, Lobo, Negri, Praetorius and many more . . . .   Musicians: […]

Join us once again in a spectacular private garden in Oak Bay for a relaxing hour of music. Click HERE to register to attend. An ensemble of local musicians will be joined by the wonderful Canadian soprano, Erin Bardua, for a program of lively Baroque music. Featured composers include Purcell, Biber, Strozzi and Jacquet de […]