Free show: Symphony Under the Stars
Creemore will be part of this year’s Collingwood Music Festival, hosting a free outdoor concert on July 12 at the Creemore Village Green. Symphony Under the Stars will feature about 20 musicians from the Kindred Spirits Orchestra performing an appealing mix of music, including popular movie themes and a few Taylor Swift favourites.
“We wanted to do something family- friendly and easily accessible. If you make it easy and fun, it will bring people together,” said general manager Liesbeth Halbertsna. She describes the concert as an entry point to classical music for people who may not think of themselves as classical music fans.
Representatives of the festival were at the Creemore Farmers’ Market earlier this season promoting the concert. Halbertsna says response from the community was very positive.
Festival organizers are hopeful that the central location of the Village Green will make the concert more convenient than previous outdoor events. For the past two years, the festival has held concerts at Millennium Park at the north end of Heritage Drive in Collingwood, a scenic but more remote site. “We’d love to see 300 to 400 people in the park for Symphony Under the Stars,” said Halbertsna.
The Collingwood Music Festival began six years ago with a free concert to raise money for homeless youth and has grown into a 10-day celebration. According to Halbertsna, it gets better every year.
“This year we have lots of really big names, including many Grammy and Juno nominees and winners,” she said.
The festival opens July 9 with a concert by Canadian Brass and wraps up with the Gershwin Gala on July 18.
The artistic director is pianist Daniel Vnukowski, who grew up in Canada and studied music in Amsterdam and Vienna.
A highlight of the festival will be the two-day master class on July 10-11, bringing together up to 20 students in piano, violin, cello and voice. They will work under the guidance of five internationally renowned teachers.
To ensure the opportunity is accessible, there is no fee for participants. Halbertsna says some students are in high school, others are studying music at the university level.
“They all say it is an incredible experience to collaborate and have fun in this nurturing environment, without competition.”
A few openings remain in the master class, and Halbertsna encourages interested students to apply as soon as possible. Visit collingwoodfestival.com for details.
Tjalling Photography: Jeremy Dutcher and the National Academy Orchestra of Canada with Maestro Alain Trudel on July 8, 2023.
