ISLAND CHAMBER WINDS
Vancouver Island's premier chamber wind ensemble,
making contemporary music surprisingly accessible.Let's stay in touch! Follow us on Facebook or Instagram to see concert updates and video clips, or email us at [email protected].
Upcoming Shows
Our fall 2026 concerts, featuring music based on folksong, will take place Nov 20-22 in Sooke, Sidney, and Victoria. Details will be confirmed very soon!Our spring 2027 concerts are planned for April 16-18, locations to be announced. This program will be about water, environmental conservation, and climate anxiety.
Past shows
Since 2023, we've performed in Victoria, Sooke, Port Alberni, and on Pender and Salt Spring Islands.
About us
A unique travelling wind ensemble focusing on making living composers and unfamiliar music accessible to all
support us
Upcoming Shows
Our fall 2026 concerts will take place Nov 20-22 in Sooke, Sidney, and Victoria. The program features music based on folksong from many different places, including a very special piece by local Haida composers, Nang guláa k’aldangaas Alana-Joy Parrish and Sk’ing lúudas Natasha Parrish. Details will be confirmed very soon!Our spring 2027 concerts are planned for April 16-18, locations to be announced. This program is about water, environmental conservation, and climate anxiety, and features a brand new commission by Cree composer Virginia Jessica Sparvier-Wells.
Past Shows
Summer 2026: Audience Favourites
A social concert with food, drinks, a silent auction, and a fun selection of audience favourite pieces from previous shows.
VictoriaMatthijs Kruik: Inquietus (2004)
EKR Hammell: Sandcastles (2022)
Gao Hong: China Breeze (2025)
Gordon Jacob: Divertimento in E Flat for Wind Octet (1968)
Kimberley Osberg: Our Little Secrets (2018)
Derek Bourgeois (ad. Brand): Serenade (1965)
Eleanor Daley (arr. MacInnes): In Remembrance (1993/2024)
Ruth Gipps: Wind Octet Op. 65 (1983)
Stephanie Berg: We Are Not Birds (2025)
Roger Zare: Mare Tranquillitatis (2007)
Florence Price (arr. Litzcke): Rainbow Waltz (1939/2026)
Patrick Glenn Harper: Excursion (2014)Spring 2026: Still Bravely Singing
Music inspired by birds and birdsong
Victoria, SookeClément Janequin (arr. Ben Litzcke): Le Chant des Oiseaux
Clare Howard: Above the Final Fields*
Ingrid Stölzel: Echo of the Past*
Erin Lilliefors: Flight
Maya Angelou: Caged Bird, performed by Tenyjah McKenna
Olivier Messiaen: Abime des Oiseaux, performed by Le Lu
Caroline Shaw (arr. Danielle Fisher): and the swallow
Stephanie Berg: We Are Not Birds**Canadian premieres from the Women in Harmoniemusik commissioning consortiumFall 2025: Stormy Seas
Music about wind and water
Victoria, Pender IslandGaetano Donizetti: Sinfonia for Winds (1817)
Ruth Gipps: Seascape (1958)
Michael Henry: ANIMA -- Aajej, Coromell, Rok (1998)
EKR Hammell: Sandcastles (2022)
Roger Zare: Mare Tranquillitatis (2007)
Anna Clyne: Overflow (2020)
George Enescu: Dixtuor à vents -- II. Modérément (1901)
Ralph Vaughan Williams (arr. Ed Huckeby): Sea Songs (1924)Spring 2025: A Spring Breeze
Victoria, Pender IslandFranz Krommer: Octet Partita Op. 57, movement III (1806)
Svend Schultz: Divertimento (1961)
Nancy Galbraith: Dos Danzas Latinas (2002)
Eleanor Daley (arr. MacInnes): In Remembrance (1993/2024)
Yunfei Li: Five Elements (2021)
Igor Bázlik: Four Pieces for Wind Octet (1991)
Derek Bourgeois (ad. Brand): Serenade (1965)Fall 2024: Autumn Colours
Port Alberni, Salt Spring IslandJudith Bailey: Theme & Variations (1998)
Gordon Jacob: Divertimento in E Flat for Wind Octet (1968)
Yunfei Li: Five Elements (2021)
Ruth Gipps: Wind Octet Op. 65 (1983)
Ludwig van Beethoven: Rondino (1793)
Igor Bazlik: Four Pieces for Wind Octet (1991)Summer 2023: Excursions
Our first ever show
Victoria, Pender Island, Salt Spring IslandKimberley Osberg: Our Little Secrets (2018)
Matthijs Kruik: Inquietus (2004)
Aidan M. C. Taylor: Circe (2023)^
Lior Navok: Tetris (2009)
Ruth Gipps: Seascape (1958)
Patrick Glenn Harper: Excursion (2014)^World premiere, commissioned by Island Chamber Winds
About Us
Island Chamber Winds, founded in 2023 by conductor Ben Litzcke, is a non-profit organization based in Victoria. We tour Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands with ensembles of 8+ wind and brass players, bringing unusual music to communities across the region. Our repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary, with a focus on living composers and underperformed music.We want to connect you with music that you won’t hear anywhere else, and we hope you’ll find something to fall in love with!---We are available to tour throughout BC and would love to hear from presenting organizations that are interested in hosting us! We have a variety of programs available and can perform with anywhere from 9-18 musicians. Get in touch with us by email at [email protected].---Island Chamber Winds is based on the territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ Peoples, who have been stewarding this land and making music here since time immemorial. We work continuously towards reconciliation by lifting up Indigenous voices that have long been excluded from classical music spaces, and by working to uproot pervasive colonial and elitist values in this industry.
SUPPORT US
We rely on grants, donations, and sponsorship in order to continue creating affordable concerts. Your support goes primarily towards professional wages for our musicians, as well as venue rentals, sheet music, and commissioning new works.You can make a donation to support our work here.If you would like to make a donation toward a specific part of our work, or inquire about a sponsorship arrangement, please reach out to us at [email protected].We are grateful for all the community support we've received so far from the following people and organizations:
- CRD Arts & Culture Support Service
- Egon Baumann Music Foundation
- Kristina Stevens
- Ann Coombs
- Wildwood Health & Performance
- Long & McQuade Musical Instruments
- Pacific Opera Victoria
- Thrifty Foods Hillside Mall
- Fernwood Coffee
- Ptarmigan Arts
- Rachel Lenkowski Photography