I make no secret of our love for the village of Elora, just north of Guelph. It is one of the prettiest places in Ontario to visit, nestled next to picturesque Elora Gorge, a haven for nature lovers and hikers alike.
It was 37 years ago the Elora Festival was founded, providing an excuse for music lovers to discover the lovely village for a couple of weeks in July every summer. It has grown considerably over the years, with Artistic Director Noel Edison leading the "home team", the Elora Festival Singers on tour to great acclaim several times, most recently to New York's Carnegie Hall earlier this year.
The singers still perform during the Festival several times, but they are joined by a host of performers in many musical genres to provide a wide musical palette for audiences to choose from. Everything from classical to vocal to popular to jazz, it's all part of the Elora Festival each summer.
For the first weekend of this year's Festival, things kicked off in the heat Friday night at the Gambrel Barn with an Opening Night Gala featuring the Elora Festival Singers and Orchestra along with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. The concert featured the ever-popular Mozart Requiem along with the premiere of Canadian composer Tim Corlis' River of Life.
We didn't arrive for our weekend getaway in Elora until early Saturday evening, and in spite of the much-needed rain when we arrived, the welcome mat was out wherever we visited in town before the concert.
This year we chose one of the new additions to the Festival, the Starlight Jazz Series under the tent at the nearby Grand River Raceway, the first of which featured jazz singer Elizabeth Shepherd and local fave, guitarist Kevin Breit. The so-called Mixtape Session was a loosely-woven pastiche of jazz and popular tunes cobbled together almost as they went along, so the feeling of discovery was very much evident from the beginning.
I particularly liked what Kevin did with Roger Miller's classic "King of the Road", although it was surprising in a way to hear Elizabeth was not aware of Miller nor his music, apparently. Not hear of Roger Miller? Imagine that...
Anyway, despite the late start of the concert, 9:45 under the tent, all went well and the concert was very well attended, with many I suspect coming over from the Gambrel Barn following the end of the Barra MacNeils concert about 10 pm.
The venue itself is on the track side of the Grand River facility, but signage to that effect was not around that we could see, so perhaps some work needs to be done on that for the remainder of the series. Once there, however, the venue is excellently laid out and very elegant in a rustic, outdoorsy sort of way. It was a little chilly that late in the evening, however...
The OLG slots provide the wine and menu, which is small but sufficient, and our cranberry brie plate was large enough to share with a couple of glasses of exceptional 20 Bees wine.
Sunday afternoon at 4 we attended the Elora Festival Singers presentation of The Glory of Bach at Knox Presbyterian Church, performed without intermission.
Noel Edison programmed Bach's Motet I, followed by The Wedding Cantata and the delightful Mass in G Minor, all featuring soloists and/or the Elora Festival Singers and Chamber Orchestra, and as an instrumental break the orchestra performed Bach's Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C Minor with soloists Julie Baumgartel on violin and James Mason on oboe. They, incidentally, were the concert sponsors, so that was a nice touch.
The choir was in fine form, as were the soloists and instrumentalists. And although we were situated in the balcony with only a partial view of the stage, the sound was perfectly acceptable in Knox church. The warm environment, however, meant many resorted to using their programmes as makeshift fans during the concert. Wise move on Mr. Edison's part to dispense with the intermission...
I often try to make time for the Elora Festival Singers performing in their home church of St. John's in Elora at the 11 am Sunday service. Noel Edison and the Singers provide a rich tapestry of sacred music for the choral mattins service, which is always very well attended. If you have never experienced the singers in their home church, I urge you to make time on your Sunday morning if you are in Elora during the Festival.
Aside from the exceptional performances at the Elora Festival itself every year, my wife and I always make plans to explore the village and engage in some constructive retail therapy, so we both did our part to support the local economy both days we were in town.
Another of the pleasures while staying in Elora is the dining, and both days we explored both familiar and unfamiliar gastronomic territory. Our final dinner after the Bach concert, for example, took us to familiar territory and the lovely outdoor deck at the Mill Street Bistro, overlooking the river. We have dined at Mill Street several times before and always find the service attentive and the food well-prepared and presented. There is always a wide variety of choices to suit just about every taste.
Sophie and I were both in burger mode on Sunday, so she chose the bean & vegetable burger; I went with the pork burger sourced from local farms. Both were well worth waiting for.
The unfamiliar territory came in the afternoon when we decided to take a break and try out a brand-new cafe in The Mews section off Mill Street near the still-closed Elora Mill Inn. The Lost & Found Cafe opened only a month ago and is run by a young, ambitious group of entrepreneurs who know their way around a kitchen.
While small, the menu caters to a wide range of tastes including both vegetarian and vegan. My wife had the vegan chili and was mightily impressed; I chose the sweet potato and almond-crusted non-dairy quiche, with a garden salad on the side. It was wonderful!
Next time we'll check out the dessert section, but for now we'll just say we hope many find their way to The Lost & Found Cafe this summer season.
Incidentally, speaking of the Elora Mill Inn it has been closed for renovations for several years now, with building permits holding up work apparently for part of that time. But things are well underway now and the rebranded Elora Mill Hotel & Spa is scheduled to reopen in 2018. I am sure it will be quite different from when I last visited in the spring of 1985 to attend a concert and do an interview as part of the late, lamented Guelph Spring Festival.
The Elora Gorge is just off Metcalfe Street in the centre of town, and is one of the most picturesque areas for a relaxing walk or picnic. Lots of trees provide ample shade for your visit.
So have I whet your appetite for a trip to Elora? Check out the Elora Festival website at www.elorafestival.ca for more details on the many upcoming concerts over the next two weeks, and you'll find information on what else to see and do while in Elora as well.
My wife and I have often mused about retiring to Elora when the time comes; don't know if we would actually do it, but if we do, we know we'll be well entertained and amongst friends we never knew we had.
Have a great week!
July 12th, 2016.
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