Handel's Acis and Galatea
Saturday, August 22nd, 2026 @ 2:30 pm
Fulford Hall
The Salt Spring Baroque Music Society is thrilled to announce its debut baroque opera production: Georg Frideric Handel's timeless masterpiece, Acis and Galatea.
This performance marks the culmination of an intensive week of rehearsals led by the renowned Spanish violinist and conductor Enrique Gómez-Cabrero Fernández—Director of the Handel Opera Academy.
Experience the vibrant sounds of the 18th century as a full baroque orchestra performs on authentic period instruments. Featuring vocal soloists alongside a choir comprised of talented Salt Spring Islanders, this production promises an immersive afternoon of music that will enchant seasoned opera lovers and newcomers alike.
A pastoral tale of passion and tragedy:
Drawn from the vivid pages of Ovid's Metamorphoses, this 1718 English-language gem tells a haunting story of "doomed love". The opera follows the romance between the nymph Galatea and the shepherd Acis, a bond shattered by the jealous giant Polyphemus. Handel masterfully weaves a tapestry of sensuality, wit, and pastoral tragedy that remains as poignant today as it was three centuries ago.
Acis and Galatea is Handel's only dramatic work that has never left the repertoire. During Handel's lifetime, it received more performances (about 70) than any of his other works. Called variously a masque, an oratorio, and an "English pastoral opera" with music "after the Italian manner," its popularity in Handel's time and ever since is not difficult to understand: it has the youthful lightness and freshness that we hear in his earlier Italian works, it is short enough that it can fit different kinds of programs — and it is in English. It is in fact, his earliest dramatic work in English, coming just before a great run of Italian operas and long before his final shift into writing English oratorios.
Tickets can be purchased online through Salt Spring Baroque's TIX site by clicking on the blue button below, or online through the ArtSpring box office by clicking on the red button. Tickets are also available in person at the ArtSpring box office, or at the door the night of the performance.
Note: to purchase tickets on the Salt Spring Baroque's TIX site, click on the blue button above which will take you to the TIX website. Once on the TIX website, click the green button to select your tickets – prior to checking out you will need to set up a TIX account prior to checking out. This can be done by clicking on the person icon in the top right next to the shopping cart. If you have purchased tickets from TIX before you will already have an account.
If you don't wish to purchase tickets online, send us a note at info@saltspringbaroque.com and we will gladly reserve seats for you and you can pay by cash or card at the door.
ENRIQUE GÓMEZ-CABRERO FERNÁNDEZ (director)
Born in Spain, Enrique Gómez-Cabrero Fernández graduated in 2010 from the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, where he studied under renowned early music experts such as Ryo Terakado, Enrico Gatti, Elisabeth Walfisch, and Ton Koopman. This strong foundation in historically informed performance practice has shaped Enrique's flourishing career as both a conductor and violinist in the baroque music scene. Acclaimed as one of today's most vibrant and flamboyant artists, he breathes new life into baroque music through his innovative and engaging interpretations.
Enrique has previously served as conductor of the Lausitzer Baroque Ensemble and Accademia Ars Augusta, and he is currently the conductor of the Handel Opera Academy and the La Villanesca Baroque Ensemble. His extensive opera repertoire includes over 20 productions, featuring works such as Handel's Agrippina, Giulio Cesare, and Alcina, as well as Monteverdi's Orfeo, Mozart's Così fan tutte, Cherubini's Médée, and Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. Enrique has also revived and conducted forgotten operas like Lotti's Giove in Argo and Bioni's Issipile for theatres such as the Opera Theatre of Szczecin and Gerhart Hauptmann Theatre in Görlitz.
He has collaborated with world-class musicians such as Paul McCreesh, Marcel Beekman, Luca Giardini, and Jakub Józef Orliński, and performed with renowned ensembles like La Ritirata, Sezione Aurea, and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra. Enrique has been concertmaster and soloist for the Bach Orchestra of the Netherlands and Contrasto Armonico, with whom he has recorded over 15 CDs. Additionally, he has performed as guest concertmaster for various groups and is a member of the Soloists of the Capella Enrico Stuart in Rome.
In addition to his work in baroque music, Enrique has collaborated on film projects that have earned multiple nominations and awards at international festivals. His broad expertise as a musician and conductor continues to elevate the art of early music across Europe, America, and the Middle East.
Enrique's website www.enrique-gomez.com
