The summer brings lots of things with it, including music for those so inclined, and I thought we'd begin the month of July with a look at one of the finest summer music festivals in Ontario. The Elora Festival begins this Friday for their 44th season and continues until July 16th.
I've had a long history with the Elora Festival going back probably 30 of those 44 years, although due to the pandemic and my own personal situation I had not been back to enjoy a performance since the summer of 2019. It was always a summer destination for Sophie and I for either a day trip or more often than not, a weekend getaway.
I will be attending this year's Festival for part of the opening weekend on a day trip, my first since losing Sophie three years ago. This is something I know I have to do and what's more, Sophie would want me to as well. Last summer I returned to both Stratford and Shaw Festivals, so Elora is next on the list and frankly I am excited about it.
Opening weekend kicks off Friday July 7th with conductor Mark Vuorinen and The Elora Singers and Chamber Ensemble filling the warm acoustic of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Fergus with music by Bach and Brahms. Entitled Spirit and Soul, the concert features the majestic sounds of J.S. Bach's motets "Der Geist hilft unser Schwachheit auf" and "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied", as well as Brahms' hope-filled "Human" Requiem in a special chamber arrangement provided by Joachim Linckelmann. The concert begins at 7:30 pm.
The weekend kicks into high gear on Saturday with three performances scheduled, a morning family concert featuring Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf in a score reduced to five woodwind instruments at 10:30 am at Melville United Church in Fergus; a concert that tells the remarkable life story of 19th-century virtuoso pianist and composer Clara Schumann at 2:30 at St. John's Church in Elora; and a return to St. Joseph's Church in Fergus in the evening at 7:30 pm for a performance of Frank Martin's much-loved 1922 Mass for Double Choir, along with works by Messiaen, Poulenc and others.
Sunday of opening weekend will see a performance by Constantinople with The Elora Singers at 3 pm at St. John's Church in Elora, in a concert entitled "In the Footsteps of Rumi", referring to the great poet and mystic Rumi, born way back in 1207. In the evening the male chamber group Cantus will perform at St. Joseph's Church in Fergus in a performance of music by the likes of Sibelius and Saint-Saens paired with such contemporary composers as Andrea Ramsey, David Lang and Christopher H. Harris. There will also be a new work specially commissioned for Cantus by composer Libby Larson.
Weekend Two of this year's Elora Festival actually kicks off early with a Wednesday evening performance at 9 pm at St. John's Church in Elora entitled "The Elora Singers at Twilight", followed Thursday evening at 7:30 in the spacious Gambrel Barn by the JUNO-nominated Canadian Chamber Choir making their Elora Festival debut with special guest, Cree-Dene singer and composer Sherryl Sewepagaham.
Also Thursday evening at 9 pm there will be an organ recital at St. John's Church in Elora featuring Jonathan Oldengarm featuring everything from rustic 16th-centtury Dutch folk dances to music by young American composer Brenda Portman, along with works by Canadian composer Derek Healey, Sigfrid Karg-Elert and Calvin Hampton.
Friday evening at 7:30 in the Gambrel Barn The Elora Singers present their ever-popular Unplugged programme with a bevy of Broadway classics on tap. Then on Saturday there are two performances scheduled, with The Elora Singers and Larry Beckwith presenting a tribute concert to Larry's father, Canadian composer John Beckwith at 1:30 pm at St. John's Church in Elora and the Art of Time Ensemble joined by Sarah Slean and The Elora Singers perform in the evening at the Gambrel Barn at 7:30 pm.
The final day of Week Two on Sunday, July 16th kicks off with the New Zealand String Quartet at St. John's Church in Elora at 1:30 pm, followed at 4 pm in the Gambrel Barn with the Gryphon Trio celebrating 30 years of music-making in Canada. The season wraps up Sunday evening at 7:30 with The Elora Singers presenting a concert entitled Music of the North in the Gambrel Barn with music from Canada, Iceland, Finland, Estonia and Latvia.
There are also subsidiary performances such as Choral Evensong and the lovely Sunday Services with The Elora Singers at St. John's Church as well as Music in the Village and Music in the Woods.
Want more information and tickets? It's as easy as calling the Elora Festival box office at 1-519-846-0331 or going online to www.elorafestival.ca.
It should be a great festival and I am looking forward to returning this year.
Have a great week!
July 3rd, 2023.
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