Vancouver Bach Festival Celebrates EMV's 50th Anniversary with Stellar Lineup of World-Class Artists

Early Music Vancouver (EMV) presents the return of the Vancouver Bach Festival, July 30 - August 9, 2019 at Christ Church Cathedral and the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

This year's festival celebrates EMV's 50th anniversary with performances by many of the top West Coast artists specializing in period performance, as well as gifted artists from across Europe and North America. EMV is particularly delighted to welcome Montreal's internationally acclaimed Ensemble Les Boréades to participate in their second annual ensemble-in-residence program, which will see members of the ensemble perform in multiple concerts throughout the festival.

"For our 50th anniversary we have spared no expense in order to bring our audiences a truly world-class offering of some of the finest artists working in period performance today," says Matthew White, Executive and Artistic Director of EMV. "I think the personal, aesthetic, and intellectual connections one can make during a festival are the happy result of a 'total immersion' - multiple events in a shorter window of time provide a perspective and engagement that is otherwise near impossible to achieve. By offering concerts from a wide range of exciting composers like Strozzi, Shostakovich, Purcell, Faure, Poulenc, Chopin, Handel, Mozart, and of course, Bach, the opportunities to explore links and parallels are limitless."

The 14-concert festival commences with EMV's ensemble in residence, Les Boréades, in a spectacular two-night performance of J.S. Bach's Complete Brandenburg Concertos. The Vancouver Bach Choir will also partner with the festival for the first time to perform a programme featuring Faure's beloved Requiem with a professional core of twenty of the region's best professional singers, accompanied by award-winning organist Christina Hutten.

Further highlights include the return of audience favourite soprano Amanda Forsythe with Pacific MusicWorks, in a performance of Handel's early cantatas, as well as sopranosSuzie LeBlanc and Dorothee Mields' dramatic interpretations of female composer Barbara Strozzi's 17th century musings on love and loss. This year, the Vancouver Bach Festival also boasts a record number of partnerships with organizations including the Vancouver Chopin Society, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra (PBO), Pacific MusicWorks, and the Vancouver Bach Choir.

The festival's popular weekday afternoon concert series also returns, offering diverse and delightful selections including Byron Schenkman sharing Chopin Preludes on a 19th century fortepiano; David Jalbert performing Shostakovich's Preludes and a Bach Toccata; an eclectic array of 17th Century chamber music for early wind and string instruments; Bach Sonatas for flute and violin; excerpts from the Clavierübung III (known as the German Organ Mass)performed by acclaimed musical director and organist Alexander Weimann; Mozart String Trios featuring gifted local violinist Marc Destrubé; and more. The festival will come to a grand conclusion with the presentation of Purcell's Hail Bright Cecilia at the Chan Centre, starring six internationally renowned vocal soloists and the PBO led by Alexander Weimann.

All concerts at Christ Church Cathedral unless otherwise noted.

To complement the artist lineup, EMV will offer an array of thought-provoking film screeningsand expert talks, which audiences can enjoy with wine and refreshments in a relaxed atmosphere. To learn more, please visit: earlymusic.bc.ca/education-community/free-documentary-screenings/

Enjoy any four concerts at the Vancouver Bach Festival for the price of three. Purchases of more than four concert packages will also receive a 25% discount.

For tickets and complete details of all Vancouver Bach Festival events, please visit: earlymusic.bc.ca #VanBachFest

For 50 years, Early Music Vancouver (EMV) has dedicated itself to fostering an understanding and appreciation of musical treasures from the Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical periods. Currently under the leadership of Matthew White - renowned countertenor and founding director of the Québec-based ensemble Les Voix Baroques - EMV continues to garner international acclaim as the largest presenter of early music in Canada, and as one of the most active and innovative organizations in its field in North America. EMV is proud of its educational outreach initiatives that include its popular, annual summer festival at UBC's School of Music; a new Baroque Mentorship Orchestra; community lectures; and instrument instruction and preservation.

Photo Credit: Hugo Lefort