An exciting, unusual concert with a journey inspired by early music
Chamber Music Kelowna brings an exciting and unusual concert to the Rotary Arts Centre on Feb. 23 with a journey inspired by early music, “From Seville to Isfahan.” The concert is a collaboration of the Montreal-based Ensemble Constantinople, cofounded by esteemed Iranian-born musician Kiya Tabassian; and Fahmi Alqhai, a virtuoso of the viola da gamba, and his Accademia Del Piacere, a leading early-Spanish music ensemble.
Born in Seville, Fahmi Alqhai is artistic director of the Early Music Festival of Seville, Spain’s oldest and most important early music fest.
Accademia Del Piacere has received considerable recognition for its performances on many of the most prestigious classical music stages in Europe and world-wide, including the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Konzerthaus of Vienna, and the Early Music
Festival in Bruges.
The ensemble’s concerts are regularly transmitted live by the European Broadcasting Union’s associated broadcasters.
Constantinople founder, setar virtuoso, and acclaimed composer Kiya Tabassian is highly regarded on the international music scene both as a soloist and with the Montreal-based ensemble.
He has collaborated with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the CBC, and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. He has shared his extensive knowledge as a member of a research group on the history and the repertoire of Mediterranean music, and acted as a contributor to several publishing and recording projects.
The Constantinople Ensemble, founded in 2001, promotes the creation of new works incorporating musical elements of diverse musical traditions around the world. Constantinople is regularly invited to perform in international festivals and prestigious concert halls and has recorded 21 albums.
The Kelowna concert promises to be an intriguing and entertaining evening, transporting the audience to the shores of the Mediterranean and beyond. Seven musicians will fill the stage to present an enthralling program of Spanish and Persian Renaissance music. Far from a concert with the usual sounds of Western chamber music instruments, the program will feature the viola da gamba, tombak, percussion, and setar, among others.
The concert is the third of five in Chamber Music Kelowna’s 2023-24 season. Tickets are available online through the RCA website atrotarycentreforthearts.com, or at the RCA Box Office.
All CMK Main Series performances begin promptly at 7:30 p.m.