The Early Music Society of the Islands (EMSI) has brought leading early music artists from around the world to Victoria audiences for over 40 years.
For EMSI, “early music” captures 800 years of music, encompassing the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical eras. Travel back in time as you listen to music as it was heard hundreds of years ago.
SIGNATURE SERIES:
October 1 – Il Gioco della cieca (Blind Man’s Bluff)
Playing with themes of sight and visibility, Concerto di Margherita (Italy) — singing and accompanying themselves on their instruments—perform music by Caccini, Gabrieli, and Monteverdi.
October 24 – Cornucopia: An Autumnal Musical Feast
A cheeky menu of Baroque musical delicacies by Island Temperament (Canada), featuring internationally renowned Andrew Clark (horn) and Katrina Russell (bassoon).
November 27 – Amazone
Led by lutenist Thomas Dunford and featuring soprano Lea Desandre, the illustrious Jupiter Ensemble (France) explores the Ancient Greek myth of the Amazons in the Baroque period.
December 20 – Stella Nova (The New Star)
A holiday concert of medieval Advent and Christmastime European music by multi-instrumentalists and vocalists, laReverdie (Italy).
January 23 – Tormento Seicento
Star soprano, Amanda Forsythe, in a program of music exploring music of the 18th century. Viola da gamba virtuoso Cristiano Contadin leads renowned ensemble, Opera Prima (Italy).
February 21 – Moonlit Mozart
Les Délices (New York), performs Mozart’s wind octets, some of the most beautiful music ever written for wind instruments.
April 24 – The King’s Music and Tavern Songs
From Purcell to Handel, Ensemble Caprice (Canada) enters the musical world of the British Isles, where the elegance of the court, the brilliance of the theatre, and the vitality of popular tradition were never far apart.
SPECIAL EVENT:
March 13 – Notre Dame: Laying the Cornerstone of Western Music.
It’s the year 1179 and a young monk from Canterbury travels to Paris to witness the building of Notre Dame Cathedral and participate in the genesis of
