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July 18: Weekend summer music festival highlights in and around Toronto

By Michael Vincent on July 17, 2014

Tenor Richard Margison (seen here as Herod in the Canadian Opera Company’s recent production of Salome) brings operatic punch to Westben on Saturday (Michael Cooper photo).
Tenor Richard Margison (seen here as Herod in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Salome) brings operatic punch to The Elora Festival on Saturday (Michael Cooper photo).

Judging by the multitudes of t-shirts, short-shorts, and oversized sun hats around town, everyone is getting used to the idea of summer. And after an eventful first week of festival events, hopes are high for a strong flow of new faces to our musical province. From one mojito to another, let’s hope it’s a good one.

ELORA FESTIVAL

Saturday: At 7:30, the great Richard Margison and his daughter, Lauren, will present a kaleidoscopic program ranging from pop and jazz to Broadway and opera at the Gambrel barn. And before you ask, yes, Richard will be singing Nessun Dorma.

Sunday: The Gryphon Trio have been busy this summer on their annual festival circuit. Tonight they will be joining Canadian bass, Robert Pomakov, in a program featuring Mussorgsky’s Songs and Dances of Death and Tchaikovsky’s Piano Trio in A Minor.

The Elora Festival runs to July 27. You’ll find all the details here.

MUSIC NIAGARA

Saturday: In an all Schubert program starting at 5 pm:  Norbert Heller, (piano),  Atis Bankas, (violin), and Alex Dobson (baritone) will perform in the beautifully resonant St. Mark’s Anglican Church in picturesque Niagara on the Lake.

Sunday: At 50 years, the National Youth Orchestra of Canada is going strong as Canada’s unofficial orchestral finishing school. They will be performing at the Jackson-Triggs Amphitheatre at 8 pm.

Music Niagara runs to Aug. 16. Details here.

FESTIVAL OF THE SOUND

Friday: For those willing to make the trek up north to Parry Sound, The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge, easily one of the best choirs in the world, will be celebrating the festival’s opening night (!) at 7:30 pm at Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts.

Sunday: Come meet festival performers, including rising star and all around great guy Peter McGillivray, on a classically themed cruise aboard the Island Queen at 7 pm. Other festival musicians include Gene DiNovi, Drew Jurecka, Guy Few, the Cheng2Duo, and the Tiberius Quartet.

Festival of the Sound runs to Aug. 10. Programme events here.

WESTBEN

Saturday: If you missed  The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge on Friday at the Festival of the Sound, you can catch them again for the final performance of their summer tour. They will be singing at 7 pm at the Barn near Campbellford. With a choir like this, you really can’t go wrong.

Sunday: In a concert originally schedule to feature Ben Heppner – who pulled out after announcing his retirement last April – one of Canada’s premiere coloratura sopranos, Tracy Dahl has stepped in. She will be performing with pianist and music director of the Canadian Opera Company Studio Ensemble Liz Upchurch.

Westben runs to Aug. 3. You’ll find all the details here.

STRATFORD SUMMER MUSIC Opening week continues on Friday with Torq percussion at 2 pm at Tom Patterson Island on the Avon. Things pick-up again on Saturday morning with singer songwriter Anna Atkinson at Rundles Restaurant, and, for the Jazz lovers, the Oliver Jones Trio at The Church Restaurant. Never a dull moment at this festival.

Stratford Summer Music runs to Aug. 24. Details here.

Michael Vincent

Michael Vincent
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