NEWS RELEASE
ELORA FESTIVAL
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The Elora Festival, led by Artistic Director Mark Vuorinen, is a beloved summer tradition, now in its 45th year. We’re proud to announce our summer season with over 20 events presented over three weekends from July 5 – 20.
The Elora Festival opens with Joseph Haydn’s The Creation in our principal venue, the unique and storied Gambrel Barn. Haydn’s masterpiece will feature Canadian soloists Claire de Sévigné, Isaiah Bell and Tyler Duncan, The Elora Singers and Musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, under the direction of Mark Vuorinen.
Ensemble-in-Residence, The Elora Singers perform in ten additional concerts including a program featuring the music of Benjamin Britten, a candle-lit Twilight program of music for the end of day, a tribute to the legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach and the always popular, Unplugged! The Elora Singers also collaborate with guest ensembles Constantinople, Corsican singing group A Filetta, and Juno-winner Laila Biali.
British a cappella sensation, The King’s Singers, make a Canadian stop for a recital on July 7. The Gryphon Trio and clarinetist James Campbell will give a performance of one of the most significant pieces of 20th Century chamber music Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. And star cellist, Cameron Crozman has invited several A-list friends to perform chamber music by Gabriel Fauré.
Family programming this year includes a performance of Shoestring Opera’s The Magic Flute and a return of the Elora Festival Barn Dance with the Barrel Boys and the Elora Singers. “Music in the Woods,” an early morning hike with musical performances by The Elora Singers starts the day on July 11.
Free programming includes the “Music in the Village” series in the Village Green Space, beginning on July 5 with a performance by the University of Waterloo Balinese Gamelan Ensemble.
This year’s festival closes on July 20 with a joint birthday party for the Elora Festival and Festival of the Sound (Parry Sound), both of which are celebrating their 45th anniversaries this year. A bombastic performance of Carmina Burana will feature soloists Leslie Fagan, Andrew Haji and Russell Braun, piano duo James Anagnoson and Leslie Kinton, percussionists led by Bevereley Johnston, the Elmer Iseler Singers and, of course, the Elora Singers. The following day, the concert will be repeated at Parry Sound’s Festival of the Sound.
A full listing of the Elora Festival program can be found on our website at elorafestival.ca.
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