Summer Festival 2026: The Power of Music
July 31 – August 7, 2026
Join Early Music Vancouver as we celebrate the POWER OF MUSIC through the centuries
A Message from Suzie LeBlanc & Alexander Weimann
Alex and I are delighted to invite you to The Power of Music, EMV’s 2026 Summer Festival celebrating music’s unique ability to move, transform, and connect us. Spanning repertoire from the late Middle Ages through the birth of opera and into masterworks by Bach, Vivaldi, Schubert, and Beethoven, this festival traces the rich foundations of Western music.
Woven throughout the festival is the idea that music shapes how we feel, its power to console, inspire, and transform us. Monteverdi’s Orfeo captures this power more vividly than perhaps any other work. Hailed as the first great opera, it unfolds as a timeless fable where music becomes a force capable of charming nature, stirring the hearts of gods, and crossing the boundary between life and death.
We are especially proud to welcome baritone Marc Mauillon as our Artist in Residence. Marc leads the cast of Orfeo and joins harpist Angélique Mauillon for an intimate duo recital of French and Italian songs.
Continuing with the height of songwriting, Schubert’s Die schöne Müllerin reveals how song can shape our inner worlds and illuminate the fragility of being alive. Dowland’s Lachrimæ, or Seven Tears, reflects music’s cathartic power, while Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, performed by guest director and star violinist Rachel Podger leading the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, stands as one of the most vivid celebrations of nature ever set to music—its energy and immediacy nothing short of life-affirming.
Suzie LeBlanc, C.M., Artistic/Executive Director
Alexander Weimann, Director, Pacific Baroque Orchestra
SUBSCRIBER TICKETS ON SALE APRIL 16 | GENERAL ON SALE APRIL 23
To learn more about prices, our ticketing systems and how to purchase, click here.
FREE EVENT – Summer Festival 2026
Baroque in Motion on Granville Island
Returning to Granville Island this July! Experience the refined steps of 17th- and 18th-century dances brought to life through live music. This free outdoor concert transforms the plaza into a vibrant celebration with dancer and early dance expert Marie-Nathalie Lacoursière accompanied by the Gallo Chamber Players. We invite audiences to experience the joyous rhythms of the past in the summer sunshine.
Granville Island – Island Plaza
Summer Festival 2026
Monteverdi’s Orfeo
A bold and ambitious fully staged production of Monteverdi’s landmark opera L’Orfeo. When Orfeo’s beloved wife Euridice dies suddenly on the night of their wedding, he decides to journey deep into the underworld to bring her back, equipped only with the power of his music.
With a dozen singers on stage, an orchestra full of rarely heard 17th century instruments, and the incredible beauty of titular star Marc Mauillon’s voice, L‘Orfeo promises to be a truly special event.
Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
Summer Festival 2026
Bach Dances
Bach Dances is a world premiere contemporary dance production conceived by award-winning choreographer and opera stage director Idan Cohen. A co-production between Ne.Sans Opera and Dance, The Dance Centre and Early Music Vancouver, the work reimagines Bach’s first three cello suites as a powerful theatrical experience of live music and contemporary dance.
The Dance Centre
Summer Festival 2026
Bach with Weimann: The Compass Rose
A recital of Bach’s beautiful solo organ works, performed by PBO Director and acclaimed organist Alexander Weimann.
West Vancouver United Church
Summer Festival 2026
Pien d’amoroso affetto… / With Amorous Affections
Acclaimed vocalist Marc Mauillon and harpist Angélique Mauillon take you on a journey through the music of Renaissance Florence and Paris, to discover the origins and early evolution of the operatic form.
Christ Church Cathedral
Summer Festival 2026
Lachrimae
This concert probes the enduring paradox of love and suffering, pairing John Dowland’s seven iconic pavans with songs from the 17th and even 20th centuries that reflect on music’s cathartic power and its remarkable ability to console, heal, and lift us up.
Christ Church Cathedral
Summer Festival 2026
Florilegium: Songs of Medieval England
Rising medieval ensemble COMTESSA present a program that offers a rare glimpse into the vibrant musical culture of the British isles from 1150 to 1300. The influence of Celtic folk songs and dances, troubadour music, and plainchant is evident in these pieces, which often employ themes of nature and allegory.
Christ Church Cathedral
Summer Festival 2026
Die schöne Müllerin
Bartione Tyler Duncan and pianist Erika Switzer present Franz Schubert’s masterful song cycle Die schöne Müllerin. Within this tragic tale, are some of Schubert’s most beguiling melodies.
Christ Church Cathedral
Summer Festival 2026
Songline: Musical Hike
Songline: Musical Hike, is a unique and intimate opportunity to experience both the inherent music of nature, and the ways in which nature transforms and enriches music. Participants join Artist-in-Residence Marc Mauillon as he sings selections from his album for solo voice, Songline. Audience members journey together through the forest, pausing at intervals to experience the expressive power of the unaccompanied voice among the trees.
Malcolm Knapp Research Forest
Summer Festival 2026
Beethoven & Schubert Trios
Violinist Alan Choo, cellist Jaap ter Linden, and pianist David Breitman present some of Beethoven and Schubert’s most beautiful trio compositions, on period instruments that bring these pieces to new life.
Christ Church Cathedral
Summer Festival 2026
Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons
Guest director Rachel Podger leads the Pacific Baroque Orchestra through Vivaldi’s best-known concertos, which revolutionized ideas about what orchestral music could achieve.
