Early Music Vancouver

Early Music Vancouver Early music for modern ears. Celebrating music from the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque eras and more on Canada's West Coast.

Early Music Vancouver brings light and life to artistic treasures that could otherwise be all too easily lost.

06/08/2026

This August, the rising medieval ensemble COMTESSA presents FLORILEGIUM, a captivating program offering a rare glimpse into the rich musical culture of the British Isles between 1150 and 1300.

Watch them perform Quis dabit featuring Len Torrie (voice), Isabelle Douailly-Backman (medieval fiddle), and Maria Gajraj (organetto). Then experience COMTESSA live on August 5 at 1pm at Christ Church Cathedral.

Tickets are available at earlymusic.bc.ca

In Bach Dances, movement and music find gorgeous harmony, represented by the artistic partnership between director and c...
06/04/2026

In Bach Dances, movement and music find gorgeous harmony, represented by the artistic partnership between director and choreographer Idan Cohen and renowned cellist Elinor Frey.

Here is Cohen on his collaboration with Frey:

"Working alongside the remarkable Elinor Frey has been one of the great artistic joys of my career. Elinor's musicianship carries immense intelligence, warmth, sensitivity, and generosity. Throughout the creation process, the music continually inspired new physical and emotional possibilities for the dancers and for myself as choreographer. In rehearsal, we often found ourselves discovering hidden textures and emotional currents within the suites – The rehearsal studio became a place not only of technical exploration but of listening – listening with the body, with memory, with intuition."

Join EMV on August 1 to experience this spirit of collaboration come alive on the stage.

After her nearly sold out performance with Tafelmusik last Fall at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, EMV is thril...
06/02/2026

After her nearly sold out performance with Tafelmusik last Fall at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, EMV is thrilled to have Rachel Podger return to Vancouver as Guest Director of the Pacific Baroque Orchestra. They will join forces to present Vivaldi's immortal The Four Seasons. Her interpretation has been described as one which honours "the humour, invention, good spirits, and marvellous interplay of colours that have made Vivaldi's irresistibly tuneful concerto a perennial classic." (Stereophile)

More Praise for Rachel Podger:

"bewitching virtuosity"
BBC Music Magazine

"In her hands the violin sings like a soprano, blares like a trumpet, whispers and even wheedles like a crying child"
Gramophone

"Her calibration of a playful spontaneity with precision prove[s] beguiling."
The Strad

05/28/2026

On August 4, acclaimed lutenist and specialist in historical plucked string instruments Lucas Harris returns to EMV to direct Lachrimæ, or Seaven Teares as part of our 2026 Summer Festival. This concert pairs John Dowland’s seven iconic pavans with songs from the 17th to the 20th centuries – from Claudio Monteverdi to Joni Mitchell – that reflect on music’s cathartic power and its remarkable ability to console, heal, and lift us up.

Harris will be joined by Chloe and Christi Meyer (violins), Adrienne Hyde and Natalie Mackie (viols), Christina Hutten (keyboard), with Myriam Leblanc & Len Torrie, (sopranos) and Haitham Haidar (tenor).

Tickets are available at earlymusic.bc.ca

EMV's production of Orfeo will include an orchestra filled with rarely heard period instruments. Monteverdi's masterpiec...
05/18/2026

EMV's production of Orfeo will include an orchestra filled with rarely heard period instruments. Monteverdi's masterpiece was composed at a time of transition for the music of Europe, from Renaissance to Baroque. It was also a time of flourishing invention. To create this unique sonic landscape, EMV has brought together some of the finest players of these period instruments to form a 20 piece band. Together, these players will recreate a musical language over 400 years old.

Join us July 31 and August 2 at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts to hear these incredible instruments bring Orfeo to life.

Want to discover more about period instruments? Head to our website where we dive deep into some of the instruments that will be played in Orfeo, such as the lirone, and the theorbo.

This is your last chance to apply for EMV's 2026 Emerging Artist Competition, applications close tomorrow - May 15. Ther...
05/14/2026

This is your last chance to apply for EMV's 2026 Emerging Artist Competition, applications close tomorrow - May 15. There are three possible prizes:

The Future Prize:
Awarded to a project showing clear, innovative ideas and musical excellence.
$3,500 CAD, your project featured on our website, YouTube channel and social media, plus, a 30-minute interview in our Artist Interview Series.

The Spark Award:
Awarded to a project showing strong creative promise.
$1,500 CAD, your project featured on our website, YouTube channel and social media, plus, personalized feedback on your application by the judges.

The Göttingen Prize:
This is a new special prize in collaboration with the Göttingen International Handel Festival. Your project featured on our website, YouTube channel and social media, plus an invitation to perform in the prestigious Göttingen International Handel Festival in May, 2027 (Travel and accommodation covered).

Head to our website to find out more.

Send your application to Sarah Pelzer at [email protected]. The next step in your musical career awaits!

There is only one week left to apply for EMV's Emerging Artist Competition. Head to our website to find out more and app...
05/06/2026

There is only one week left to apply for EMV's Emerging Artist Competition.

Head to our website to find out more and apply today!

Tickets for EMV’s Summer Festival are now on sale to the general public 🎶Swipe through to explore an eclectic and exciti...
04/23/2026

Tickets for EMV’s Summer Festival are now on sale to the general public 🎶

Swipe through to explore an eclectic and exciting lineup, from a fully staged production of Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi, to The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi performed by Pacific Baroque Orchestra with guest director Rachel Podger. These highlights will be presented alongside 8 other events celebrating music from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

All Events:

Monteverdi’s Orfeo | July 31 & August 2
Bach Dances | August 1
The Compass Rose | August 1
Pien d’amoroso affetto… / With Amorous Affections | August 4
Lachrimae | August 4
Florilegium: Songs of Medieval England | August 5
Die schöne Müllerin | August 5
Songline: Musical Hike | August 6
Beethoven & Schubert Trios | August 6
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons | August 7

Head to earlymusic.bc.ca to secure your tickets today.

First Photo Credit: Chelsey Stuyt

04/16/2026

Celebrate the Power of Music with Early Music Vancouver!

EMV’s Summer Festival returns July 31-August 7, featuring 10 vibrant events performed and directed by internationally renowned artists. Journey into the world of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque music, and experience works that continue to resonate across the centuries.

Whether you're a longtime early music lover or ready to discover 1000 years of musical history for the first time, this festival promises something extraordinary.

Subscriber tickets are on sale now, with general public sales opening April 23.

Explore the full lineup at earlymusic.bc.ca.

Trailer Credits:
Videography and Edit | Collide Entertainment
Costume | Alaia Hamer
Model | Sarah Ferguson
Photography | Chelsey Stuyt
Direction | Jordy Matheson

Filmed at Crane Studios

Instrument Credits :
Lirone | John Pringle
Lirone Bow | Harry Grabenstein
Archlute | Michael Dunn

Instruments generously loaned to EMV by Anne Duranceau & Edgar Bridwell

01/21/2026

Kiya Tabassian is the internationally renowned setar virtuoso, composer, and founder of Constantinople.

At 14 years old, Kiya Tabassian emigrated with his family to Quebec, bringing with him a few years of training in Persian scholarly music and his budding career on the Iranian musical scene. Determined to become a musician, composer and, more broadly, a carrier of memory, he pursued his training in Persian music.

In 2001, he cofounded Constantinople with the idea of developing an ensemble of musical creations at the crossroads of multiple encounters; drawing from the heritage of the Middle-Ages and the Renaissance, from Europe to the Mediterranean and to the Middle-East. Since then, he has assumed artistic direction and has developed more than fifty programs with his ensemble.

Join Early Music Vancouver on January 30th to witness him and Constantinople bring together the compositions of Bach with the poetry of Medieval Persian polymath Omar Khayyam.

Address

1254 West 7th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
V6H1B6

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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+16047321610

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