Flautist Luke Rivard, originally from Wilson and who studied music composition and earned a number of awards, rehearses a Telemann concerto this week as Dierdre Kennedy-Peacock plays violin in the background. Both are among a handful of musicians who are involved with a Baroque concert of Saturday. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press)

ESCANABA — On Saturday, Esky Baroque will be joined by Keweenaw Historical Music Ensemble for a concert at St. Joseph and St. Patrick Church.

Esky Baroque, formed a handful of years ago, is made up of classical musicians from the local area. They primarily focus on music from the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe, which defines the cultural period from which the group takes their name.

“The Baroque era gave us the earliest concert music that is universally and instantly familiar in popular culture; every western composer since then is indebted in some way to the standards of harmony, form and expression developed during this time,” reads the program for this weekend’s concert.

Though Esky Baroque also sometimes includes vocalists, the concert at the Romanesque church on Saturday will feature only instruments. A group from Dollar Bay, called Keweenaw Historical Music Ensemble, is traveling down to accompany the local talent for a second performance.

The two groups have not only been rehearsing for this show, they have already performed the same program for an audience. Two weeks ago, the Esky Baroque artists journeyed up to Houghton County to play alongside the newer group at the Copper County Suzuki Association in Dollar Bay.

So far, each of Esky Baroque’s concerts have highlighted a different selection of music. The pieces chosen for the May 2 Dollar Bay show and the May 16 Escanaba one is an energetic one — there’s a jubilant concerto from Georg Philip Telemann with impressive flute music, an Antonio Vivaldi concerto with string instruments,and a couple other Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach works in which violins and harpsichords shine.

Together, the group of Copper Country and Delta County area instrumentalists will put on what they are calling “Conderto-Ganza!” at 7 p.m. at the church at 709 First Ave. S. in Escanaba.

Scheduled to perform are Chris Amidon, Jessica Choinard, Dierdre Kennedy-Peacock, Peter Mleko, James Brian Wall abd Bob Yin on violin; Rebecca Bender and Erika Birnbaum on viola; Margaret Ensmiger, Janet McKenzie and Andrew Shaud on violoncello; Sienna Mahoud on violone; Phil Stapert on recorder and bassoon; Luke Rivard on flute; and Kathleen Arten, John Ignatowski; D. Ann Wood and Leonore Hall on harpsichord.

Though not required, a free will offering will be collected. Esky Baroque is raising funds to help with future concerts.