Although the concert society was legally incorporated in 1999, Galiano Island has a tradition of music and arts presentation that dates back much further, and the concert society grew out of these more informal efforts by a committee of island music lovers. Once incorporated the group became eligible for government funding, and the society has consistently received support from both the BC Touring
Council and the Canada Arts Presentation Fund. This support has helped us present music of the highest quality by artists with international reputations at ticket prices islanders can afford. Over the years our season has included performances by pianists Jon Kimura Parker, Marc Andre Hamelin, Ian Parker and Sarah Davis Buechner, vocalists Suzie LeBlanc and Russell Braun, and the Borealis, St Petersburg, and New Orford String Quartets, among many others. Our jazz and world music cabarets have featured the likes of La Candela, Tango Paradiso, Marc Atkinson, Safa and Celso Machado. In co-operation with our local elementary school, we have also scheduled numerous school concerts that give students a chance to hear, talk to and learn from these great musicians. Most of our concerts are held at the South Galiano Community Hall, and each of these concerts now also features an accompanying display by one of Galiano's many fine visual artists. The Galiano Concert Society is an entirely volunteer-run organization. The board of directors, aided by a few additional volunteers, do everything from planning and publicizing the concerts to setting up the hall and providing refreshments.