Summer Music Festivals

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The 16th annual PEC Chamber Music Festival will warm up with a free family-friendly outdoor concert on Saturday September 7 at 2pm, featuring The True North Brass at Macaulay Heritage Park. The Festival takes place over 2 weekends, September 13-22, and will celebrate the piano in Chamber Music. First weekend features the New Orford String Quartet with violist Alosysia Friedman, esteemed pianists Jon Kimura Parker and Jamie Parker (in a rare 2-piano concert) and the famed Gryphon Trio. Second weekend features soloists from the highly-regarded Quebec ensemble Les Violins du Roy, mezzo-soprano and CBC broadcaster Julie Nesrallah, and Charles Richard-Hamelin, silver medallist in the 2015 “Chopin Competition”. Tickets available at the door or online on our website.

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The Prince Edward County Jazz Festival is proud to present a fresh and wide-ranging mix of performances encompassing Newport and Cuba, big bands and small, new faces, recent Juno winners and nominees, and a pivotal year when transcendent albums shook jazz to its foundations. The all-star cast of performers are simply Canada’s best. Wednesday: “Jazz Overture” dinner with the John Sherwood Trio. Thursday matinee: Commodores Big Band featuring Hanna Barstow. Thursday: “1959 Jazz Transformed” - featuring Colleen Allen Quintet. Friday, Jane Bunnett and Maqueque. Saturday matinee: Robi Botos and Jodi Proznick. Saturday evening: Jodi Proznick’s Sun Songs and the Mike Murley Trio. Sunday: Brian Barlow Big Band spotlighting Oscar Peterson’s Canadiana Suite. Free performances throughout several venues in the county.

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SING! TORONTO is Canada’s premier a cappella festival. All the amazing sounds of the unaccompanied human voice come together for ten days of glorious singing featuring pop, jazz, folk, gospel, choral, world, barbershop and live looping music. Featured groups this year include international superstars The Swingles (UK), Mzansi A Cappella Ensemble from South Africa, Cuba’s Vocal Sampling; some of Canada’s leading a cappella groups including Countermeasure, Freeplay, Retrocity, Hampton Avenue, The Watch, and Pressgang Mutiny, a SING! Mass Choir conducted by Kurt Sampson with Toronto’s Juno Award-winning Cadence; celebrated Canadian singers Heather Bambrick, David Sereda, Patricia O'Callaghan; up and coming groups The Ault Sisters, WIBI, Yonge Guns and Turkwaz. Choose from 10 concerts, 4 free outdoor stage events and 7 workshops.

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Zula Presents: Something Else! Tickets: ($20-25 adv.) Passes: ($100/125).
Info: www.zulapresents.org

Something Else! has established itself as one of North America’s most vital exploratory music festivals. Each day offers an adventure in sound, embracing beloved visionaries alongside emerging voices; longtime partnerships alongside spontaneous collaboration. Its sixth year is headlined by virtuoso vocalist/violinist Iva Bittová, clarinet innovator Don Byron, and percussionist Hamid Drake (alongside his trio Indigenous Mind featuring Joshua Abrams & Jason Adasiewicz). The festival’s international cast also includes William Hooker, Sara Schoenbeck, Harris Eisenstadt, Sam Newsome, Joanna Duda, Eucalyptus, Yves Charuest, EAR-CAM (Glen Hall, Tomasz Krakowiak, Christine Duncan, John Oswald), Géraldine Eguiluz Trio & more.

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6th annual South Coast Jazz & Blues – Norfolk County. Beachside Port Dover, rural Lake Erie. Tickets and information at www.southcoastjazz.com. Live music, catered farm fresh food and fun! Saturday August 17 – Main Stage: Port Dover Community Centre, 801 St George Street, 5-11pm – Powder Blues Band, Dave Restivo, Alison Young, Eric St. Laurent, Juliann Kuchocki & more! Sunday August 18 – Brant Hill Inn, 30 John Street, Port Dover, dinner show and river cruise, 5:30-8pm. Email info@southcoastjazz.com or call 519-774-2787 (ARTS). Indoor and outdoor venues. Norfolk County’s official premier event. Past headliners include Holly Cole, David Sanborn, Jane Bunnett, Gene DiNovi and hundreds more! Come stay and play, and make a memory that will last a lifetime!

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Since the first wave of legendary Blues performers crashed ashore in Wasaga Beach in 2010, Stonebridge Wasaga Beach Blues has exploded to become a world class destination embraced by both new and die-hard blues fans. Keep an eye on the Wasaga Beach Blues website for the updated schedule as performers are confirmed. Until then, expect nothing less than an insanely talented lineup of musicians to be burning up the two main stages. Stonebridge Wasaga Beach Blues 2019 is undoubtedly gearing up to outdo itself - once again. For the time being, perhaps it can be best described as a “hidden gem that features world class Blues, with an intimate venue with a casual and relaxed atmosphere.” It does not get better than that.

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A world of music for everyone. Canadian and international musicians of excellence return to Stratford Summer Music for our 19th season of concerts and events with new artistic director, Mark Fewer. Featured artists include Amir Amiri, Tom Allen, Laila Biali, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Rémi Bolduc, James Campbell, Steven Dann, Simone Dinnerstein, Janina Fialkowska, Ben Heppner, Jodi Proznick, Stéphane Tétreault and Dave Young. Returning this year will be the newly branded “Friday Night Live at Revival” (formally the “Cabaret Series”), “Illustrated Musical Lectures” by Robert Harris, “Music for an Avon Morning”, “BargeMusic” and “Musical Brunches” at The Prune. Also, new series added this year include “Music and Health”, “Stratford Originals” and “Musical Families.” Visit our website or call our box-office for more information.

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The popular “Summer Music in the Garden” concert series returns for its 20th season by the shores of Lake Ontario. Treat yourself to 18 free concerts this summer, featuring outstanding artists and a wide range of musical styles. Concerts take place in the Toronto Music Garden on most Thursdays at 7pm and Sundays at 4pm, and are approximately one hour in length. Bench seating is limited, so feel free to bring a blanket or lawn chair - and don’t forget your hat or umbrella and sunscreen as shade is also limited. Concerts proceed weather permitting. Please call our info desk for up-to-the-minute rain call.

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Summer Opera Lyric Theatre (SOLT) continues its tradition of bringing the summer opera mini-festival to the city. This summer, SOLT concentrates on diversity and inclusion, comedy and tragedy, found in the great works for the lyric stage and the lessons we can learn about ourselves and those who we love.
The festival includes 3 operas: Verdi’s La Traviata, Canadian Team Davies and Benson’s Earnest, the Importance of Being, and the double bill of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Vaughn Williams’ Riders to the Sea, performed by aspiring young artists. Music directors: Michael Rose, Suzy Smith and Jo Greenaway.
Tickets are available through the box office of St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts; single tickets are $28.

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This annual music Festival in downtown Waterloo is free and features world class international, national and local jazz performers. Over the 3 days, we will feature a wide variety of music that will appeal to music lovers of all ages and tastes – from intimate solo performers to the high energy of rock/fusion; from traditional small ensembles to dynamic big bands and even electro-funk-rap. There will be something for everyone. After the performance, you can meet the artist and purchase their latest CD. Between sets, there are many interesting food and beverage options available onsite – enjoy a craft beer or your favourite wine with a variety of food from different vendors. Since we are downtown, you can also head to a local restaurant. Come and join us – it promises to be our best Festival yet!