Music in Victoria

Links

This page contains links to various musical organisations here in Victoria. They are listed in strictly alphabetical order, no ranking is implied or should be inferred.

	Aventa is Victoria's very own cutting-edge contemporary music ensemble. Formed in 2003, they have performed a number of world premieres, numerous North American premieres and many BC premieres. Anyone interested in the current state of and future directions in music should investigate Aventa.
	Now in its third decade, the EMSI, as they are known locally, is almost certainly the largest volunteer-run organisation of its kind in North America. The roster of performers they have brought to our city - Nancy Argenta, The Baltimore Consort, Monica Huggett, Tafelmusik, to name but a handful - reads like a Who's Who of the period performance movement.
	The Civic Orchestra of Victoria is a community orchestra. Their Music Director, George Corwin, is one of those rare musicians who is able to follow the composer's directions in the score to the letter, yet his performances never sound bland or dull.
	The Galiano Ensemble is comprised of a number of the finest string players in the region, including the members of the Lafayette String Quartet. Their performances are distinguished by a rich sound and the unerring musical instincts of their Music Director, Yariv Aloni.
	The Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra is currently celebrating 20 years of bringing first-class music to Victoria. Despite an almost constant turnover of musicians, the orchestra has continued to improve and must surely now be ranked as one of the finest youth orchestras in the country.
	The Palm Court Orchestra may well be the only professional ensemble outside the UK dedicated to the performance of Light Music. Melodious and often meticulously-constructed, their repertoire features composers such as Eric Coates and Robert Farnon. In addition to their Music Director, the affable and avuncular Charles Job, the PCO have also invited several notable Light Musicians to guest conduct - most notably Ernest Tomlinson, who made his first trip to North America to conduct here.
	The Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra is a community orchestra based in Sooke, about 30 km West of Victoria. Directed by Norman Nelson, a musician of enormous sensitivity and insight, their performances frequently transcend their technical limitations.
	The University of Victoria School of Music presents are large number of concerts every year. In addition to the various faculty recitals - and there are some very fine musicians teaching at UVic - there are also performances from the University of Victoria Chorus and Orchestra, the UVic Wind Symphony, the UVic Sonic Lab, the UVic Chamber Singers and University's quartet-in-residence, the Lafayette String Quartet.
	The Victoria Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1994 and specialises in the string orchestra repertoire. Most of the players are music teachers and there is always a high percentage of young and attentive listeners at a VCO concert.
	Founded in 1964, the Victoria Conservatory of Music finally achieved a permanent home in 2000, although its main performance space, the Alix Goolden Performance Hall, was inaugurated in 1998 (on Deryk's birthday, as it happens). In addition to teaching, conservatory faculty give regular performances both in the main hall and the smaller Robin & Winifred Wood Recital Hall.
	For over 60 years the Victoria Symphony has been performing orchestral concerts in and around Victoria. Vastly improved in recent years, they have achieved a commendable level of consistency in their playing and, on the right occasion, can deliver a truly inspired performance.
	The six VIVA choirs involve singers aged from 6-16 and provide superb choral training. After passing the age of 16, singers can graduate to the Prima Youth Choir (see above).