The Toronto Consort | Ensemble Polaris | Baroque Music Beside the Grange

Baroque Music Beside the Grange

Founded by musicians and Artistic Directors Alison Melville and Colin Savage, Baroque Music beside the Grange presented an eclectic series of concerts in the historic Church of St. George the Martyr from 1984 to the spring of 2006. Innovative programming of music from the 14th to 21st centuries, with repertoire both familiar and esoteric, garnered BMBG an enthusiastic and loyal audience and a popularity amongst musicians, for whom BMBG was an organization willing to present concerts of varied and unusual repertoire on period instruments. Described as ‘always immensely enjoyable’ (Montage) and ‘a wonderful forum for people to explore repertoire’ (The WholeNote),  BMBG’s enduring signature was the quality of their performances and programming, and the informality, friendliness and intimacy of their concert atmosphere.

However, after 22 seasons and 178 concerts, the Artistic Direction and Board of BMBG regretfully decided in the spring of 2006 that it could no longer continue to operate a series. Like many smaller arts organisations, BMBG was administered largely on a volunteer basis. For many reasons which will be all too familiar to anyone in the non-profit sector, the operation of a concert series was no longer manageable.