Choral Evensong
- Aug 8
- 2 min read
The 2026 Pacific Baroque Festival is just a few days away! We begin with a recital of Spanish organ works played on the mighty Hellmuth Wolff instrument in Christ Church Cathedral on Wednesday, February 25th and continue for the following three days with music of Baroque Spain for strings, guitar, keyboard and voice in concert at Alix Goolden Performance Hall of the Victoria Conservatory of Music.
The Iberian Peninsula was heavily influenced by the musical trends of 17th Century Italy and France, while drawing on its own folk influences to create a unique musical environment. Important in this was the inclusion of the Spanish guitar, with its idiomatic strumming and plucking. These sounds were emulated in writing for keyboard and string instruments. Prominent Spanish composers who travelled to Italy brought back the forms and styles current there. At the same time, Italian musicians such as Domenico Scarlatti and Luigi Boccherini were drawn to the rich musical life and royal riches of 17th and 18th Century Spain, and the influence of Spanish Baroque music extended to the colonies in America.
Tickets for all four Pacific Baroque Festival concerts are available now at pacbaroque.com. Individual tickets are priced at $35 ($30 for seniors and students). A four-concert Festival pass represents a 25% saving at $105 ($90 for seniors and students). The three evening performances start at 7:30 pm, with pre-concert talks at 7:00. Thursday’s event is a morning matinee at 11:00 am, with a complimentary coffee hour beginning at 10:00.
As always, the 2026 Pacific Baroque Festival will close with a special service of Choral Evensong, in the inspiring architectural and acoustical surroundings of Victoria’s Christ Church Cathedral. The Cathedral choirs will join the Pacific Baroque Festival Ensemble and organist Mark McDonald for Baroque music from the lands of the House of Hapsburg, which at the time encompassed not only Spain and its Empire, but much of Italy, Austria, the Low Countries, and the Holy Roman Empire.
A highlight of the afternoon will be a performance of the Magnificat, or “Song of Mary,” by Antonio Vivaldi.
New - Organ Masterclass with Abraham Ross
Tuesday, February 24th, 7:30pm @Christ Church Cathedral - FREE
Watch guest organist Abraham Ross lead the next generation of organists in a masterclass of baroque performance style and technique!
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