About EMV
Under the leadership of Artistic/Executive Director, and internationally acclaimed soprano, Suzie LeBlanc, C.M., Early Music Vancouver (EMV) has been a vibrant contributor to Vancouver’s cultural scene for 55 years. With a full season of concerts, an annual Summer Festival and a large selection of digital concerts, EMV features the most renowned artists of the international early music scene. It also presents concerts in Victoria on Vancouver Island.
Early Music’s outreach and educational activities include an Artist-in-Residence Programme, an Emerging Artist Competition, and a Baroque Mentorship Orchestra (BOMP) in collaboration with the University of British Columbia. EMV also presents intimate concerts and lectures at Green College (UBC) and Hodson Manor.
The phrase ‘early music’ often refers to European music from the Medieval Period through to the Baroque (about 1800). At EMV it also encompasses music from outside the western European tradition to that of other cultures within the same period – Tang Dynasty China and the Ottoman and Persian empires for instance. EMV also explores music from the 19th century with historically informed performances on its restored fortepianos – recreating the original sound of the music as the composer heard it.
EMV concerts offer a platform for cross-cultural dialogue and exploration of diverse perspectives and relationships with the past. Live performances take place in Vancouver at venues such as Christ Church Cathedral, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, (UBC), St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church, and the Vancouver Playhouse. In Victoria, concert venues include Christ Church Cathedral Victoria and First Church of Christ Scientist.
Vision
A world in which the power of music inspires all people to engage with and value the arts.
Mission
To engage, enrich and educate through music
Values
We promote historically informed performance practices.
We deliver inspirational experiences.
We foster collaborative relationships.
We generate opportunities that support local early music professionals.
We commit to inclusivity in all our activities.
We strive for excellence and sustainability in everything we do.
EMV’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Early Music Vancouver’s mission is to engage, enrich, and educate through music. In alignment with this mission, the Board of Directors, management and staff of Early Music Vancouver are committed to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This extends to the consideration of who is in the audience, whose music is heard, who performs that music, and how we operate as a leading performing arts organization. We make these commitments in recognition that discrimination and exclusion in all their forms are realities in our society, and we endeavour to use the power of music to promote understanding and change.
EMV is committed to providing a productive, professional and collegial work environment based on the principles of fairness and respect. Read our Discrimination and Harassment Policy here.
To read EMV’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, click here.
For our latest Annual Report, click here.
EMV acknowledges that we operate on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples – the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations.
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