BALTIMORE CONSORT
Where: St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 924 Douglas St.
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (doors at 6:45)
Tickets: $30 from earlymusicsocietyoftheislands.ca; students and youth free at the door
Why: Shakespearean-era music of England and Scotland provides the repertoire for the Baltimore Consort, an acclaimed sextet which has two performances in the Vancouver Island area this week. Robbie Burns Day is tonight, so the timing is divine for In Angel’s Wede: Music for Mary Queen of Scots, the program on tap Saturday at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The music — performed on viol, cittern, lute, and other period instruments — will be interspersed with readings by Robert Aubry Davis, a Washington, D.C., radio and TV personality, adding a touch of drama to the proceedings. Note: Baltimore Consort also perform Friday (with Davis in tow) at ArtSpring Theatre on Salt Spring Island.
ISLE OF TEASE BURLESQUE FESTIVAL
Where: Victoria Conference Centre, 720 Douglas St.
When: Friday, Jan. 26 and Saturday, Jan. 27, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $54.58-$107.83 from eventbrite.ca or [email protected]
Why: Vancouver burlesque legend Lorna Schwenk (an 80 year-old burlesque hall of famer) and Lou Lou la Duchesse de Rière of Montreal will join Port Angeles performer Iva Handfull and other acts from across North America for the inaugural Isle of Tease Burlesque Festival, held over two days at the Victoria Conference Centre this weekend. The festival is expected to draw in the neighbourhood of 1,000 attendees, so it’s anyone’s guess precisely what will transpire when the ball gets rolling. But you can be sure it won’t be understated.
BACKSTAGE PASSES
Where: Capital Ballroom, 858 Yates St.
When: Saturday, Jan. 27, 10 p.m.
Tickets: $21.63-$26.27 from thecapitalballroom.com
Why: The set-up at the Capital Ballroom on Saturday is patterned after the infamous 2011 performance in that room by Skrillex (now a Grammy-winning superstar DJ and producer), which devolved into a state of madness, with hundreds in the club assembled around him by the end of his set. That is the spirit behind Backstage Passes, which will position its performers in-the-round with a 360 degree viewing capacity. There’s a track record for these type of DJ sets at the Capital Ballroom — the 2008 performance by Girl Talk (when the venue was known as Sugar) was an anything-goes brouhaha, not unlike the aforementioned Skrillex barrage — so do not miss out. It will memorable, without a doubt.
