Once upon a time – back in the Baroque era of the 17th and 18th centuries – there were no strict divisions between musical genres.
Classical operas were pop music; court composers drew on folk themes – and if it wasn’t church music, practically everything else musicians played was intended for dancing.
In that context, a group like the U.S.-based Ensemble Galilei – which makes its only Canadian appearance during a west coast tour next Friday (April 1, 8 p.m.) at First United Church, 15385 Semiahmoo Ave. –might not seem that unusual.
But nowadays what this must-hear group is doing – and has done for more than two decades – is little short
of revolutionary:bringing together renowned musicians from different worlds in an ongoing adventure that utilizes their expertise and virtuosity to create new dimensions of music.
The current edition of the ever-evolving ensemble features Ryan McKasson on Scottish fiddle, Jackie Moran on bodhran and tenor banjo, and Sue Richards on celtic harp – all multiple award-winning exponents of Scottish and Irish traditions. Also featured are violinist Ginger Hildebrand and viola da gamba player Carolyn Surrick – both with decades of experience in Renaissance and Baroque music.
Surrick, a Maryland resident and co-founder and “navigatrix” of the group, said the name – with all its exploratory implications – was not chosen lightly.
“In 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope went up and we thought the world was going to be changed by what it saw as remarkably as it was changed by Galileo and what he saw through his telescope,” she recalled.
“And Galileo’s father, Vincenzo, was actually a musical theorist and composer whose work changed the outlook for music at that time.”
What unifies Ensemble Galilei’s diverse musical adventurers is that they are always ready to
jump into another style or another world – which has brought critical acclaim to a group that has been described as one of the U.S.’s “most exciting crossover bands.”
The upcoming concert is a blend, arrived at by the strictly democratic methods of the group, which includes traditional Swedish, English, Scottish and Irish pieces, works by Telemann and Purcell and original pieces that explore the unusual dynamics of the ensemble.
“Ensemble Galilei was founded on a premise that how we played was more important than what we played,” Surrick said, adding that she likes to think of the combination of her viola da gamba, Richards’ harp and Moran’s drums as being like “the rhythm section of a jazz band.”
The very parochial nature of music these days, Surrick acknowledges, sparked the creation of the project.
She and other musicians of her acquaintance were looking for opportunities that were more exciting and rewarding than simply turning out professional performances within their own idioms.
“It was an opportunity for us to play at a higher level that was not afforded us by gigging around.”
Local producer Geoff Giffin – a longtime champion and collaborator of Ensemble Galilei from his days as a Maryland resident – is using the concert to launch his new production company, Peninsula Productions, with co-producer Wendy Bollard.
Their aim is to bring different, high-quality concerts to the White Rock and South Surrey scene, he said.
The size of First United Church – and a seating limit of 350 – well suits the nature of Ensemble Galilei’s music, Giffin added.
“It’s a lovely venue acoustically,” he said.
Tickets ($25) are available from Tapestry Music, First United Church, Surrey Arts Centre box office 604-501-5566, or online at https://tickets.surrey.ca