Early Music Vancouver (EMV) has announced the return of LUMEN Festival, its annual winter concert series powered by the light of music to brighten the dark days of February.
Taking to the stage to end the month, the 2026 festival features two performances: the exuberant ensemble Ruckus Early Music plays Christ Church Cathedral on February 27, 7:30pm, while the Vancouver Playhouse welcomes renowned fortepiano virtuoso Ronald Brautigam on February 28, 7:30pm.
Filling the majestic Christ Church Cathedral, February 27, Ruckus Early Music presents the program, Strawberry Fields: Handel, Sancho, and English Country Dances, a program that pairs Ignatius Sancho’s 12 Country Dances for the Year 1779 with the enduring trio sonatas of George Frideric Handel. The lively English Country dances reflect a vibrant social tradition of communal music-making. As Ruckus Founder and Artistic Director Clay Zeller-Townson explains, it is “the music of the masses – dances that all types of people danced – long into the night, after the elegant and courtly minuets had long been gotten through.” They will end the evening with a renaissance-tinged performance of The Beatles classic, “Strawberry Fields Forever” — a summation of their goal to play the “music of the masses.”
Ignatius Sancho, one of the first Black musicians to publish their compositions, was born into slavery, later celebrated as a composer, writer, and abolitionist. Sancho’s music has seen a powerful resurgence of interest in recent years, fine new contemporary audiences seeking out historical music by a broader range of voices, Ruckus’ arrangements breathe new life into his worthy compositions.
Co-presented with Vancouver Chopin Society on February 28, celebrated Dutch pianist, Ronald Brautigam appears in recital at Vancouver Playhouse, performing his acclaimed interpretations of Beethoven and Schubert. The multi-award-winning Brautigam is one of the leading pianists of his generation, particularly celebrated for his mastery of the fortepiano, a smaller predecessor to the modern piano.
Brautigam notes that the music of these composers “took place in salons rather than bigger halls,” and that “by playing historical instruments I have rediscovered that intimate quality of the music.” He hopes, “by listening to this well-known repertoire on the fortepiano,” that the audience “will hear new aspects of the music – new voicings and a fresh perspective on pieces that have been played for generations.”
In a pre-concert chat hosts Suzie LeBlanc and Patrick May with have a conversation with Ronald Brautigam, ahead of his first ever Vancouver performance.
Early Music Vancouver’s LUMEN Festival featuring;
Ruckus Early Music: Handel, Sancho, and English Country Dances at 7:30pm with a Pre-Concert Chat@ 7pm hosted by Suzie LeBlanc with members of Ruckus Early Music on February 27, 2026 at Christ Church Cathedral, 690 Burrard Street
Ronald Brautigam in Recital at 7:30pm with a Pre-Concert Chat @ 7pm hosted by Suzie LeBlanc and Patrick May with Ronald Brautigam on February 28, 2026 at Vancouver Playhouse, 600 Hamilton Street
For tickets and further information about either concert, visit earlymusic.bc.ca