Saturday, February 28th, 3:00 pm
All Saints by-the-Sea Anglican Church
110 Park Drive, Salt Spring Island
Step back in time on February 28th 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 Adam 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.
Roxanne 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. Here and then gone, it's a bit of beauty worked into everyone's busy schedules. You may even recognize a few of your friends and neighbours in the ensemble!
The centerpiece of this 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.
Performers:
Sopranos
Kirsten Grove-White
Celeste Lingas
Roxanne Brydges
Altos
Mary Lou Hess
Emily Whitelaw
Megan Maher
Tenors
Scott Vannan
John Whitelaw
Matthew Robertson
Andrew Ross
Bass
Paul Boughen
David Monkman
Andrew Sly
The Westwind Singers
Tickets can be purchased online through Salt Spring Baroque's TIX site by clicking on the blue button below, or at the door before 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.
PERFORMER BIOS
ADAM DYJACH
Originally from Waterloo, Ontario, Adam is a singer, voice teacher and music director living in Victoria, BC. Adam has a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Victoria, where he studied with Benjamin Butterfield. He has performed as a Tenor soloist and choir member with various ensembles on Vancouver Island and the mainland including Vancouver Island Symphony, Victoria Philharmonic Choir, Victoria Choral Society, Sing the North, Chilliwack Symphony, Pacific Baroque Festival, Bach on the Rock, Linden Singers, Sooke Philharmonic Choir, Via Choralis, Malaspina Choir, North Island Choral Society, Cowichan Consort, Capriccio Vocal Ensemble, Oceanside Concert Choir, Handel Society of Music, Vancouver Island Chamber Choir.
Adam is the new musical director for the Saltspring Singers. He also conducts a new vocal ensemble called the Westwind Singers, which is having its debut concert with Saltspring Baroque in March 2026. On Sundays, Adam directs the music at Fairfield United Church, which worships at United Commons, formerly First Metropolitan United Church. In addition to directing and performing, he teaches music lessons out of his home studio, AD Music and is part of the voice faculty at the Canadian College of the Performing Arts. Adam works with students of all ages and levels of experience. He is also the president of the Victoria Chapter for NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing). To learn more about Adam, go to: adamdyjach.com.
CELESTE LINGAS
Celeste Lingas is a soprano hailing from Oxford, England who travelled to Canada to pursue her undergraduate studies in music at the University of Victoria. Since commencing her studies in voice with Benjamin Butterfield, Celeste has been both chorister and soloist for various university ensembles and played Diane in a semi-staged production of Charpentier's Actéon.
Beyond the university, notable highlights of her time since leaving England include joining the Victoria Symphony for a performance of Mozart's Requiem, participating in the Portland Byrd Festival, and singing as soprano soloist for Bach on the Rock's Messiah.
Celeste also devotes her time to the parallel study of Byzantine Chant. She is the current Protopsaltria (Head Chanter) at Ypapanti Greek Orthodox Church in Victoria, where she runs the cantor's stand and teaches. The intersection of her experience in these different traditions is fundamental to her love of music, and she endeavours always to inform her art with that variety.
Adam Dyjach
Celeste Lingas