SUBMITTED BY SALT SPRING BAROQUE
Step back in time on Saturday, Feb. 28 as the Westwind Singers fill All Saints by-the-Sea with mesmerizing Spanish sacred music, mischievous Italian madrigals and ethereal Byzantine chant.
This 14-voice ensemble from Victoria is making their debut on Salt Spring, and they’re bringing something special — music that’s been lost to history for centuries.
Westwind Singers was born from a simple road trip. Tenor Adam Dyjach and soprano Roxanne Brydges attended a baroque workshop in 2024, and during the drive, discovered their shared passion for early music and their dream of creating an intimate, focused ensemble. Two years later, that dream is a reality.
Salt Spring audiences will recognize Dyjach from his solo recitals at All Saints and his Messiah performances with Bach on the Rock. He recently became musical director of the Salt Spring Singers, adding conducting to his repertoire alongside his work as an accomplished tenor and voice teacher.
Brydges is a keen amateur with organizational expertise and a talent for growing community. Together they have created a project-oriented choir, designed to be an intensive experience for its choristers.
The centrepiece of their debut program is the Missa Hortus conclusus by Spanish Renaissance composer Juan de Esquivel Barahona (c. 1560–1630). Despite being considered one of the finest composers of Spain’s Golden Age, Barahona’s music vanished for centuries. It wasn’t rediscovered until 1973, when musicologist Robert Snow found it at Santa María de la Encarnación in Ronda. This luminous example of Renaissance polyphony deserves to be heard.
The concert also features madrigals by Maddalena Casulana (c. 1544–1590), the first woman in Western music history to publish an entire book of her own compositions. The Italian composer, lutenist and singer dedicated her expressive music to patron Isabella de’ Medici, offering a rare glimpse into the artistry of a pioneering Renaissance woman.
Victoria soprano Celeste Lingas will perform an interlude exploring her roots in Byzantine chant, adding another unique voice to the afternoon.
Whether you’re an early music enthusiast or new to Renaissance repertoire, you’ll leave enchanted.
The concert begins at 3 p.m.