Early Music Vancouver Events

Friday, July 28, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.Christ Church Cathedral

Artists: Marco Beasley, tenor and Constantinople directed by Kiya Tabassian

Marco Beasley, a leading figure in Renaissance music, joins Constantinople under the direction of Kiya Tabassian, to immerse us in the audacious, imaginative world of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings. In 1502 da Vinci drafted the plans for a bridge in Constantinople (now Istanbul) that was to span the Bosporus, but it was never built. A continuation of their journey tracing the footsteps of great visionaries, this concert celebrates the originality of an artist and scientist who left a profound mark on the history of humankind and builds the bridge he envisioned between East and West. 

This concert is generously sponsored by Fran Watters & Paul Devine

Tuesday, August 1, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.Christ Church Cathedral

Artists: Servir Antico, directed by 2023 Artist-in-Residence Catalina Vicens

Founded and directed by Catalina Vicens, Servir Antico breathes new life into European vocal and instrumental music from the age of Renaissance humanism. With Our City of Ladies, the ensemble continues to explore The City of Ladies, an allegorical city conceived by Christine de Pizan  (1364-1430) to defend and protect women and their right to education. Servir Antico’s journey is to expand the walls of the City started five centuries ago and to invite everyone to take part in its existence.

“In this program, we want to tell you about a revolutionary woman from the Renaissance, Christine de Pizan (1364 – ca.1430), who questioned the place, role and treatment that society had given to women for centuries. Whereas many men harshly criticized her, we want also to tell you about a man who championed her cause. This is the poet Martin Le Franc, who defended Christine, and with his work Le Champion des Dames, he brought awareness to the importance of women as active and multifaceted citizens in history. In this book dedicated to the Burgundian duke Philip the Good, Martin le Franc (ca. 1410 – 1460) tells the story of women from antiquity to the present day. Governors, lawyers, warriors, muses, artists, musicians and poets are part of the many women whose story was often forgotten and left in oblivion by historians. In this defense of womankind, he also describes the arts in society, where music and rhetoric had reached its greatest perfection through the works of various 15^th Century musicians, especially of those at the court of Burgundy. They also tell about women from a different perspective. Not only divine; she is an active agent and an inspiration for composers like Dufay, Binchois, Solage and Grenon.” – Catalina Vicens, founder and music director, Servir Antico

This concert is generously sponsored by Pam Ratner & Joy Johnson and Dr Katherine Paton

Wednesday, August 2, 2023 | 1:00 p.m.Christ Church Cathedral

Artists: Jessica Korotkin, cello and director; Majka Demcak, violin; Elana Cooper, viola, & Diederik van Dijk, cello

While the concept of ‘parody’ is today associated with humour and satire, in the context of music composition, it refers to the creative process of recycling musical material. This program pays homage to Bach, showcasing an eclectic variety of Bach-inspired musical parodies. The concert includes works by J S Bach, Mozart, Gounod, and Korotkin.

You can read more about Jessica Korotkin and Bach Parodies in this article from Early Music America Magazine.

This concert is generously sponsored anonymously

Wednesday, August 2, 2023 | 7 p.m.Christ Church Cathedral

Artists: Nadine Balbeisi, Myriam Leblanc, Jane Long, Ellen Torrie, Lieselot de Wilde, sopranos Liz Hamel, Emma Parkinson, Vicki St-Pierre, Krisztina Szabo, altos with members of Elektra Women’s Choir and the EMV Festival Players, directed. by Alexander Weimann

Festival Players: Chloe Meyers, violin 1; Christi Meyers, violin 2; Margaret Little, viola da gamba; Erin Headley, lirone and viola da gamba; Natalie Mackie, violone; Matthew Jennejohn, cornetto; Ellen Marple, sackbutt; Alex Fisher, sackbutt; Jeremy Berkman, sackbutt; Lucas Harris, theorbo; Antoine Malette-Chénier, triple harp; & Alexander Weimann, music director, keyboard

During the 17th century, women composers were most often either nuns educated in convents or the daughters of musical families such as Florence’s Caccini clan. The works presented in this concert come from both the secular and sacred worlds of 17th-century Italy, written for celebration in the cloister and private devotion in the home. This music abounds with all the inventiveness, refinement, and energy of the age of Monteverdi. 

“Being active in the so called ‘Early Music’ field means to me the never-ending process of learning something new – be it instruments, performance practice, history, styles and genres, but first of all composers which I had no idea about. A fruit of this continuous exploration over many years has been a list of women composers making it to the top of my to-be-performed-asap agenda. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity of this Summer Festival in honour of women, and the sweet occasion to put together a somewhat encyclopedic panorama of female composers in the 1600’s. I chose the form of solemn Vespers for Mary, and all female saints, not unlike Monteverdi’s legendary collection in 1610. This is very much a programme from my heart and I can’t wait to start rehearsals,” Alexander Weimann.

This concert is generously sponsored by Agnes Hohn