Live performance of Holborne’s ‘In Peascod Time’ Ian Gammie, arr.
Hammer Baroque performance video clip link
For well over a decade, the Cardinal Consort of Viols has been bringing exquisite music of the 16th and 17th centuries to Southern Ontario audiences, performing on the type of instrument for which this music was written, the viola da gamba.
The consort has presented its own annual Thanksgiving Eve concerts and has been hosted by several concert series including Hamilton’s Hammer Baroque, Music Mondays, Toronto Early Music Centre’s Musically Speaking, and the concert series of the Associates of the Toronto Symphony. Cardinal Consort has also performed with several choirs, among them the Grand Philharmonic Chamber Singers, Toronto Chamber Choir, and Tallis Choir. The consort has twice been the guest ensemble of the Toronto Continuo Collective and has also given many popular and engaging performances and demonstrations at the Toronto Early Music Fair.
Recent Cardinal performances include multi-concert tours with the gifted and versatile countertenor Daniel Cabena featuring a plague-themed programme, To Our Great Joy, and A Nest of Byrds, a project in honour of the 400th anniversary of the 1623 death of composer William Byrd. In 2024, Daniel and the Consort performed with the vocal ensemble Dead of Winter in Winnipeg, and performed and recorded Buxtehude’s Membra Jesu Nostri with ANIMA. Cardinal Consort performed their programme Exiled on a mini-tour of Southern Ontario in the fall of 2025 with the riveting soprano Meredith Hall.
“The Cardinal Consort of Viols is a delight to hear in concert! Their programs are imaginative and beautifully played! They engage their audience, with little known repertoire and with anecdotes and history of the instrument. The timbre of four viols together is a sweet and magical sound!” ~Mark Vuorinen, Artistic Director and Conductor, Grand Philharmonic Choir, Elora Festival, and Elora Singers
“I finally had an opportunity to attend a concert by the Cardinal Consort of Viols. What a wonderful experience it was to be in the presence of this extraordinary group of players as they called forth their passion and employed their art! I came mainly for the viol music of John Jenkins – but was beguiled by several other offerings in their program. We are fortunate indeed to have an ensemble of such high calibre devoted to keeping this music alive through public performance.” ~With gratitude, Jim Parrott, Waterloo
“Sensitive & energetic playing by this group; varied & entertaining repertoire; a most civilized way to spend a wintry Sunday afternoon.” ~M.S. (Toronto Friends of Classical Music)