Music & Tapas with Phantasia (Theorbo, Mandora & Violin)

About

Join us at The Garlic Farm Restaurant for our monthly tapas & music evenings. We are very pleased to be hosting a series of visiting professional musicians for recitals throughout 2025 in collaboration with Wight Proms Wednesdays.

The restaurant will be open from 6pm serving a tapas menu until 7.30pm with 40 minute recital starting at 7.45pm. The bar will be open throughout.

£12 per person, entrance only

Booking is via our restaurant booking page https://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/pages/the-restaurant - select the date of the concert on the calendar

On Wednesday 5th November we welcome Phantasia (Chris Hirst & Emma-Marie Kabanova) - Theorbo, Mandora & Violin

Lute-based classical and folk music fusion

Phantasia was formed in early 2023 by lutenist Chris Hirst and violinist Emma-Marie Kabanova, when both were struggling to find players of period instruments in their area. Individually, Chris and Emma-Marie have performed all over the world with some of the leading period instrument groups and orchestras, and have made many recordings and videos. Phantasia specialise in dynamic performances of music from the 18th and early 19th centuries, using instruments of that era. Baroque and classical violin is combined with theorbo (a type of large bass lute) and mandora (a later type of lute), which can be played alone or in combination for variety.

Chris and Emma-Marie are particularly interested in resurrecting lesser-known music, discovering "forgotten gems" and bringing them to new audiences. They also play a good amount of "period folk" – traditional tunes which were written down or composed in the 18th century, yet sound very much like the airs and reels you would hear in a Dublin or Edinburgh pub today. Phantasia therefore has something to interest aficionados of both classical and folk music. They were recently featured as Phantasia on ClassicFM playing Scottish baroque music, Chris has also been a ClassicFM regular over the last few years with videos going viral multiple times.