The ensemble La Modestine - Marc Destrub茅 (baroque violin), Natalie Mackie (viola da gamba), Marco Vitale (harpsichord) - will be performing two concerts in the Comox Valley in March, featuring baroque-era compositions.

鈥業n Modern Style鈥� is a concert dedicated to the historically-informed performance of a wealth of music beyond mainstream classics. This special event shines a light on the beautiful and intimate music of 17th century Italy, a time and place considered to be the cradle of baroque music, referred to as 鈥橲tile Moderno.鈥�

The concerts will take place on Wednesday, March 6, on Denman Island, and Thursday, March 7, at St. George鈥檚 United Church in Courtenay.

The 17th century ushered in a new 鈥榤odern鈥� musical style in Italy, where individual instruments reflected a new vocal style which emphasized simplicity and directness of expression, as exemplified in the music of composers such as Frescobaldi and Cima.

鈥淭he beginning of the 17th century ushered in the baroque style in music; composers, notably in Italy, made a radical departure from the complex polyphony of the late 16th century in favour of more directly expressive music,鈥� explained Destrub茅. 鈥淭his concert鈥檚 goal is to create an immersive experience that transports audiences to the blossoming infancy of the Baroque era, sharing our appreciation and passion for the music of this innovative period.

鈥淪tile Moderno provides an intimate dip of the toes into the beautiful world of 17th-century baroque music. This was a period in which composers such as Frescobaldi had free reign to explore and experiment in a new 鈥榤odern鈥� musical style, writing short instrumental pieces with a strong visceral impact, sometimes named after favourite people or places. Merula鈥檚 La Monteverde pays homage to Monteverdi. This period of musical adventure culminated in the publication, notably on Jan. 1, 1700, of Arcangelo Corelli鈥檚 Op. 5 sonatas, heralding a new age of virtuosic writing for string instruments.鈥�

Destrub茅 said the musical style allows for creative interpretation on the part of the musicians.

鈥淭he written music is but a skeleton, there鈥檚 so much to flesh out and decide in the way of shaping the music,鈥� he said. 鈥淒oing this with two wonderful colleagues is pure joy, and so much can happen spontaneously in the performance when, aside from good preparation, the trust that has built up from playing many concerts together can translate into happy risk-taking.鈥�

Tickets for the concerts are $25; $20 for seniors/students.

Tickets for the Denman performance can be obtained through the Denman Baroque Festival website at

Tickets for the Courtenay performance can be purchased in person at Laughing Oyster Bookshop; Blue Heron Books; and at the door (based on availability).

Courtenay show tickets can also be purchased online at (fees + taxes added).

There will be no intermission.