Join us for the opening 2024 Salish Sea Early Music Festival and an unusual and expansive journey through the music for guitar, lute and flute of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, including elaborate jazzed-up versions of well known songs of the time, published by the incredible wind instrument virtuosi of the late 16th century, along with canzonas, sonatas and suites from Spain, Italy, England and France. The instruments include the renaissance guitar, which is considerably smaller and more mellow-toned than its modern descendant, theorbo (an extremely long-necked lute), the one-piece cylindrical renaissance flute along with the bass renaissance flute, and the one-keyed baroque flute.

  • • •  ONLINE PERFORMANCES  • • •
—  To be released    —

CANZONAS Trios, Duos and Solos Anna Marsh ~ dulcian (renaissance bassoon) John Lenti ~ theorbo Jeffrey Cohan ~ renaissance flute   To be released someday soon: an unusual and extensive exploration of the fabric of early 17th-century music in Italy (mostly) through the perspective of the  players of the dulcian, the renaissance transverse flute, the theorbo and renaissance lute, their.         The program includes a solo lute Fantasia by Giovanni Battista Dalla Gostena (1540-1593), a Canzona (1636) by Giovanni Battista Buonamente (c1595–1642), a Sonata as well as Cantantibus organis by Giovanni Paolo Cima (c1570–1630) from his Concerti Ecclesiastici (Milan 1610), five wonderful canzonas by Tarquinio Merula (1594/5-1665) from his Opus 12 (1637) and Opus 17 (1651), a Fantasia for dulcian solo as well as divisions on Vestiva e colli for flute and dulcian, both published in 1638 by Bartolomé de Selma y Salaverde (~1595-1638), diminutions by Girolamo Dalla Casa on Petit Jacquet after the chanson by jean Courtois for flute and lute, a  Sonata Concertante by Dario Castello (1602-1631) from 1631, and two duos for flute and dulcian: Beaux yeux by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621) and a setting of Le rossignol plaisant & gratieux by Didier le blanc.

Fantasia 11 by Giovanni Bassano (1585)
January 11, 2021


Fantasia 3 (1585) by Giovanni Bassano
December 29, 2020

Please see links in the left column above for specific dates for each location.
~ last updated January 15, 2024 ~
Suggested Donation for all concerts:
$20 to $30
(a free will offering - everyone is most welcome)
•  18 and under FREE  •
Do you receive our email announcements and flyers?!
Please sign our MAILING LIST (specify concert location)
by sending your address and any other comments to
salishseafestival@aol.com ~ thank you!
SSEMF banner: detail from "The Last Time it Reached Zero" by James C. Holl.

SSEMF presents outstanding
early chamber music thanks to your support.

The Salish Sea Early Music Festival is proud to be an affiliate organization of Early Music America, which develops, strengthens, and celebrates early music and historically informed performance in North America.

The Salish Sea Early Music Festival is a 501(c)3 organization and all donations are fully tax deductible in accordance with the law. Your donations are welcomed at https://www.salishseafestival.org/donate .