Music by the Sea

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Thursday, July 25th, 2019
Evening and matinee concerts

The 14th edition of Music by the Sea gets underway July 20, 2019, presenting ten concerts that offer a unique and diverse selection of classical and contemporary solo and chamber music, sophisticated jazz, and alternative music.

“Music by the Sea may be among the least probable and most picturesque of all Canada’s music festivals” (Toronto Star)

Professional musicians from around the globe gather in Bamfield, a speck on the map of Vancouver Island, to make music surrounded by boundless nature. Their music residency culminates in a series of concerts that attract a growing number of adventurous music lovers to the beautiful Rix Centre for Ocean Discoveries on the edge of the Pacific, where the “idyllic setting complements the musical menu” (Victoria Times Colonist).

Music by the Sea 2019 (MBTS) welcomes virtuoso artists from across Canada, the UK, USA, Latvia, and Austria. They include violinist Ernst Kovacic whose repertoire contains major works of the baroque, classical and romantic periods up to the avant-garde, foremost Canadian musician David Louie, hailed as a “pianistic sensation” (Rhein-Zeitung, Germany), and Steinway Artist John Stetch, a 6-time Juno Nominee who pushes the edges of his jazz and classical training to fuse melodies from all around the world.

Collaboration, musical exploration, and spontaneity are hallmarks of MBTS. Unlike other music festivals, Music by the Sea creates a “company” of artists who collaborate to create a unique programme. Generally, a typical concert contains a short piece or two from a variety of artists in the company, in a variety of collaborations, both jazz and classical. All the artists remain in residence for the duration of the Festival, forming new ensembles and rehearsing works which are added to the programme during the Festival. “Open” rehearsals provide more opportunities for Festival attendees to be immersed in the musical culture of MBTS.

Classical programming takes place in the first half of each concert. Jazz and other programming is offered in the second half of each concert and is announced from the stage. “The 24 artists who comprise the company are especially excited by the strength of the strings programme this summer”, declared MBTS Executive Artistic Director Christopher Donison. “We have a large number of fantastic string players this year, and at some concerts the first half of a programme is strings overload!”

2019 classical programming includes:

Bach  Brandenburg Concerto No.3 and Chaconne from Partita in D minor for solo violin 

Leoš Janácek  Suite from On the Overgrown Path

Smetana Strings Quartet No. 2

Jerzy Fitelberg String Quartet No. 1

Beethoven  String Trio in G major Op.9 No. I

Mozart String Quartet No. 23 in F major KV590 and Sonata for violin and keyboard KV376 in F major

Haydn Piano Trio in C major, Hob XV:27 and String Quartet Op. 20 No. 2 in C

Vaughan Williams Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 1 (1907)

Brahms  String Sextet in G major, Op. 36 and Two Songs for Voice, Viola and Piano, Op. 91.

Handel  Laschia Ch’io Pianga Mia Cruda Sorte from the opera, Rinaldo

Luigi Boccherini  Sonata in A Major, G. 4 and Cello Sonata in G Major, G. 5

Samuel Barber  Dover Beach Op. 3 (1931)

Telemann Gulliver Suite in D Major for 2 violins

Caroline Shaw Cant Voi l’Aube

Szymon Laks String Quartet No. 4 (1962)

Individual concert tickets start at $40 but Festival passes are also available. Both are on sale now at http://musicbythesea.ca/tickets/ or by phone at 250-728-3887.

The village of Bamfield is in a protected inlet on the south shore of Barkley Sound, Vancouver Island, on the traditional lands of the Huu-ay-aht First Nation. Music by the Sea is grateful for the opportunity to create and perform here in mutual respect and appreciation.

Though a small community, Bamfield offers a remarkable variety of lodgings, galleries, guided tours and eco-adventures for Festival attendees. Full information about the Festival, including transportation and accommodation options, all artists and programming, can be found at www.musicbythesea.ca.