Early Music Society of the Islands

10/06/2026

CORNUCOPIA: AN AUTUMNAL MUSICAL FEAST 🍂 🍽️

Celebrate the abundance of the harvest season with an incredible evening of 17th- and 18th-century Baroque music!

The Early Music Society of the Islands invites you to a unique "musical banquet" featuring resident ensemble, Island Temperament with internationally renowned local musicians Katrina Russell and Andrew Clark.

This special program serves up a diverse array of masterful works by Vivaldi, Telemann, Charpentier, and more, highlighting the bassoon and horn in rarely heard solo roles.

📅 Date: Saturday, October 24, 2026
⏰ Time: 7:30 PM (Doors open at 6:45 PM)
🏛️ Venue: First Church of Christ, Scientist

Treat your ears to a rich, historical autumn feast. Secure your seats today by purchasing a membership package, redeeming your membership vouchers, or by purchasing single tickets.

👉 Learn more and secure your tickets at the link below:

An opportunity to hear bassoon and horn, in the rarely heard roles as solo instruments and featuring internationally renowned local musicians Katrina Russell and Andrew Clark.

10/01/2026

Videos are stunning, but they can't capture the magic of a live room. ✨

Tomorrow night is finally the night. Before you head out, watch this breathtaking video of Concerto di Margherita as a little teaser.

A screen simply cannot replicate the acoustic power or the goosebumps of witnessing Il Gioco della cieca live in historic St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.

Don't look back tomorrow wishing you had been there!

📺 Watch the preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtxf_P_3mmIhttps://youtu.be/TdxqxekEcv8?si=VCGBSXPhC2IJ9D-I

🎟️ Secure last-minute tickets or join us at the door (7:30 PM): EMSI Tickets 👇
https://earlymusicsocietyoftheislands.ca/.../concerto-di.../

Release date → February 2022Stream//Download//Buy → https://lnk.to...

09/29/2026

🎯 The game is on, but the clock is ticking.

If you’ve heard the buzz about Concerto di Margherita coming to Victoria but haven't locked in your plans, this is your sign.

On Thursday, October 1, 2026, at 7:30 PM, Il Gioco della cieca (The Game of Blind Man's Bluff) takes over St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, presented by the Early Music Society of the Islands.

Why you can't miss it:

• Transportive Music: Experience a captivating journey through the emotional highs, shadows, and chaos of blind love in the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

• Masterful Sounds: Immerse yourself in tuneful compositions by Monteverdi, Caccini, de Wert and more.

• Pure Virtuosity: Watch five brilliant musicians sing while simultaneously accompanying themselves on theorbo, viol, baroque guitar, harp, and lute.

Don't get left in the dark.

🎟️ Get Info & Tickets Here 👇
https://earlymusicsocietyoftheislands.ca/concert/concerto-di-margherita-italy/



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtxf_P_3mmI

Giovanni Giacomo Gastoldi (1554-1609)Quarto Libro de' Madrigali - ...

09/28/2026

Want to escape the routine of the modern workweek?

Step back in time to 16th-century Italy this Thursday. ⏳✨

On October 1st, renowned international ensemble Concerto di Margherita will transform St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church into the private chambers of a Renaissance noble, performing live music the way it sounded 400 years ago.

Taking inspiration from a famous late-Renaissance Italian play, Il Gioco della cieca ("Blind Man's Bluff") is a playful, live concert experience themed around desire and blind love.

The musicians do something rarely seen today: each artist sings while playing a rare historical instrument simultaneously. This practice of self-accompaniment was a defining artistic feat of the Renaissance era, requiring musicians to navigate complex, interwoven musical lines with their hands while telling a story with their voice.

It’s an impressive, theatrical feat that feels less like a formal classical concert and more like being a guest in a private palace court.

If you are looking for a unique Thursday night out in Victoria or simply want to experience a different side of live music, join us for this special performance.

Tickets are limited—secure your space today! 🎫🔹

When: Thursday, October 1 at 7:30 PM🔹
Where: St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church (Victoria, BC)
👇 Learn more and secure your tickets here:

https://earlymusicsocietyoftheislands.ca/concert/concerto-di-margherita-italy/

09/24/2026

🎭 What happens when love leads you into darkness?

The title of our upcoming concert, Il Gioco della cieca, translates to "Blind Man's Bluff." It pulls its inspiration directly from a famous late-16th-century Italian play where a blindfolded character accidentally wanders straight into the arms of the one who secretly desires her.

On October 1st, the acclaimed ensemble Concerto di Margherita uses this historic game to explore the treacherous, beautiful, and dizzying nature of blind love.

Through the spellbinding music of Monteverdi, Caccini, and d'India, you will follow a story born in innocence, blinded by love, and lost in disorientation. To make it even more magical, every musician on stage sings and accompanies themselves simultaneously.

Don't stay in the dark about this performance—tickets are limited! 🎫

🔹 When: Thursday, October 1 at 7:30 PM
🔹 Where: St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
👇 Secure your tickets here: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/emsivictoria/6653/event/1471563

08/15/2026

We're at the Moss Street Market with our "Instrumentarium" today and next Saturday as part of our outreach activities. If you're out and about, drop by and say hi.

07/03/2026

We can't wait to share our 2026-27 season concerts with you!
Head to our website to purchase membership packages and tickets today.

Learn more about our season here: https://earlymusicsocietyoftheislands.ca/2026-27-season/

04/11/2026

On April 11, we will be hosting a talk on the impact and significance of Artemisia Gentileschi’s art and how her life story informed her paintings. The talk is being presented by Vithória Konzen Dill, a PhD researcher in Art History at the University of Victoria, whose research focuses on Baroque Italian art – with a particular focus on women artists, including Artemisia Gentileschi.

Tickets: https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/emsivictoria/6653/event/1467506

04/11/2026

With the success of our opera and dinner production last September, we will once again be presenting a staged production with dinner at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre.

ARTEK presents an account, in drama and music, of the life of 17th-century painter and feminist heroine Artemisia Gentileschi.

"A life more dramatic than an Italian opera: trained in art by her father, sexually assaulted as a teenager, Artemisia survived a sensational trial to become an internationally renowned painter, and the secret lover of a Florentine nobleman."

Two nights: 6:00pm-9:30pm, Friday, April 17, 2026 & Saturday, April 18, 2026

Tickets and more information: https://earlymusicsocietyoftheislands.ca/concert/artek-early-music/

03/11/2026

Don't miss Ensemble Caprice this Saturday, March 14, 2026
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

First Church of Christ, Scientist
1205 Pandora Avenue
Victoria, BC V8V 3R3 Canada

Back by popular demand, Ensemble Caprice, under the direction of dynamic Artistic Director Matthias Maute, returns to Victoria.

A whirlwind of fiery passion and dazzling virtuosity, Vivaldi on Fire sets the stage ablaze with music by Antonio Vivaldi and vibrant, anonymous works from the Eastern European Uhrovska zbierka collection (1730).

Ensemble Caprice’s signature energy brings to life Vivaldi’s double recorder concerto RV 535 and the dramatic motet In furore iustissimae irae, showcasing both instrumental brilliance and vocal intensity. The beloved La Follia sonata radiates wild invention, while rarely heard cantatas offer moments of intimacy and elegance. Interwoven throughout the program, spirited dances and preludes from the Uhrovska zbierka evoke a nomadic soundscape—raw, rhythmic, and irresistible. This unique dialogue between Baroque Italy and the folk traditions of Eastern Europe invites listeners into a musical journey of contrasts and connections, where refinement meets rustic fire.