When we talk about a “stay-home” musical summer, we’re not recommending you hunker down in your domestic cocoon (home or cottage, air-conditioned or otherwise) and wait for music to come to you already digitized. Quite the opposite is what we’re proposing.
This year in particular, maybe we should all apply the same criteria for how we choose our live music as we do when buying our groceries. So for our current “buy local” purposes, “home” means Ontario. The next few sections that follow offer a healthy sample of choices that we hope will stimulate your appetite.
Summer music in Ontario offers new music in the familiar places, and familiar music in new places. Either way these are fresh opportunities to hear and see, and to support our local cultural community and economy while doing so. Bon appetit!
1. Fruitful juxtapositions: Aqua’s Red Rhythm and Blues at Guild Park and Gardens
David Perlman
Oddly juxtaposed symbols influence audiences to have new perspectives by challenging their habits of thinking. — Kenneth Burke
A perfect example of what literary theorist Kenneth Burke called “perspectives by incongruity” was a recent announcement by Guild Festival Theatre that their 14th summer will commence July 3 with a special concert: Aqua’s Red Rhythm & Blues – “an innovative musical ensemble that fuses traditional Indigenous sounds with contemporary blues, creating a unique genre known as IndigiBlues – bringing stories of Indigenous hope and resilience to the Greek Theatre through music and dance.”
Aqua’s Red Rhythm & Blues is led by Aqua Nibii Waawaaskone, a Métis artist of mixed Anishinaabe, Irish, and French ancestry, who describes themself as “an IndigiQueer artist, activist, mover, and shaker, …inspired by their life stories of overcoming intergenerational trauma, mental health, addictions, homelessness, and violence as an IndigiQueer person of mixed ancestry,” and accompanied by their Queer guitarist Valentina Morelli, talented violinist Alex George, and fancy shawl dancer, Nichole Leveck.
By contrast, Guild Park and Gardens has an imperturbably, if somewhat quirky, colonial and post-colonial pedigree, dating back to 1914, when Colonel Harold Bickford built Ranelagh (later Ranleigh) Park, a 33-bedroom villa with stables and acreage on a 50 acre site, immediately adjacent to the Scarborough Bluffs in easternmost Toronto. Ranleigh was purchased by heiress Rosa Hewetson in 1932. She and her husband, Spencer Clark, renamed and repurposed it as “The Guild of all Arts” artists’ colony and inn, inspired by the Roycroft colony in New York, converting their home into a workplace for artists in many media, and providing space and even homes for artists who would otherwise have nowhere to work.
The property’s so-called “Greek Theatre” had its roots in another idealistic Rosa and Spencer Clark initiative, commencing in the late 1950s, when older buildings in Toronto were being bulldozed at an alarming rate, and the thing we now call “heritage status” was still two decades down the political road. The Clarks’ response to this wholesale demolition was to acquire remnants from more than 60 demolition sites and have them re-erected in and around the Guild gardens.
The “Greek Theatre” was constructed in the early 1980s, at Spencer Clark’s expense, after the property had been purchased from the Clarks by Metro Toronto and the government of Ontario. It was anchored by eight marble columns (replete with Corinthian capitals and arches, that had been previously recovered during the demolition of the Bank of Toronto at Bay and King where the TD Centre now stands.
First theatrical performance (folk music by the Good Time Rolling Folk Music Medicine Show) was in 1984. Between 1998 and 2003, Cliffhanger Productions took over production, specializing in adaptations of world mythology for family audiences. And since 2011, Guild Festival Theatre has carried the Greek Theatre torch, presenting plays, concerts and other live events.
Aqua’s Red Rhythm & Blues embodies the transformative power of music, blending cultural heritage with contemporary artistry to inspire, entertain, and heal,” they say. All the more so, in a context where two strands of heritage, one long acknowledged and one long denied, are juxtaposed in a way that can challenge long-entrenched habits of thought.
Aqua will also perform at Sudbury Pride on July 12 (2pm) www.sudburypride.com, and at Vibrant Brampton Summer Fest, on July 18th (5pm) www.vibrantbrampton.ca.
2. Old Friends and New Acquaintances
Stephanie Conn
Southern Ontario is awash with live music this summer, as always, and this season brings some old favourites, festivals and performers, as well as some intriguing new offerings. These are some that stood out for me.
Jul 01 10:00am to 9pm is the second day of the Aga Khan Museum’s Rhythms of Canada 2025 mini-festival. Although the Aga Khan Museum’s focus is on Islamic art of the Middle East, for this two-day festival their lens is opened to the wider world of music. The Eagleheart Singers are Indigenous performers who come together from a diversity of nations including Cree, Ojibway, and Mohawk. Toronto Klezmer Society and African dance workshops will please fans of traditional genres, while artists such as Achanté (born in Mumbai, based in Toronto) and Lahore-based Natasha Noorani bring the edge and electronica of urban music and retro-pop. A perfect festival for Canada in 2025!
Jul 10 7:30: Toronto Summer Music’s opening night at Koerner Hall features Cappella Mediterranea’s in-concert presentation of Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea with Sophie Junker (Poppea); Nicolò Balducci (Nerone); and Mariana Flores (Ottavia / Virtù); led by Swiss-Argentine conductor Leonardo García Alarcón. A champagne reception for the entire audience after the concert adds to the appeal.
Monteverdi is always worth going out for, as far as I’m concerned— but combine that with a champagne reception and the lush acoustics of Koerner Hall and you have the makings of a lovely evening. The Coronation of Poppea was composed for a general audience during carnival season, so some might find it one of Monteverdi’s more appealing and approachable works. Note that this production is not staged, which makes it a bit less colourful —but perhaps also shorter! #summeradhd
Jul 11 7:30: Georgian Bay Concert Choir’s Organ Recital caught my eye because of the repertoire: Bach’s Organ Trio Sonata No.1 in E-flat BWV 525; Franck’s Chorale No.2 in B minor; Arvo Pärt’s Spiegel im Spiegel; and Messiaen’s “Dieu parmi nous” from La Nativité. Norman Reintamm, the choir’s artistic director is the organist; guest soloist is Chris Burton on piano.
Many people only hear the organ playing as they dash out of church after a service or wedding, but here’s a chance to sit and relax in the coolness of a church and listen with intention to a well-chosen and eclectic program. The hypnotic Spiegel im Spiegel by Arvo Pärt was a hit when it was first recorded in the ‘90s, and I’d welcome a rendition on the organ; this chosen movement of Messaien’s La Nativité de Seigneur uses the organ’s kaleidoscopic possibilities with great effectiveness; and Bach played on the organ is always welcome. The concert is PWYC, with all proceeds going to the choir, so bring the whole family and cool off after your beach day.
Elora Festival: Friday, July 11 - Sunday, July 27
This summer, “celebrating 46 years as Canada’s international choral festival,” the festival promises us “three weeks of world-class choirs and vocal ensembles. A stunning lineup of concerts and music experiences …including intimate chamber performances, immersive musical experiences, and fun events for the whole family.”
The Elora festival is always a treat: great singing is at its heart, and you experience it in an utterly charming southern Ontario town. This year there are two male vocal ensembles: Chanticleer, vocal virtuosi from San Francisco, presents a concert of medieval works by Landini (crunchy medieval harmonies!), di Lasso (silky renaissance lines), and a new work by Ayanna Woods, whose vocal works explore the vowels and sonorities of the voice as can be seen in performance by Chanticleer. The Gesualdo Six, a British group, have crafted a concert inspired by the service of Compline, meant to be a time of peace and reflection at day’s end. They will include renaissance music by Tallis, Palestrina and Gesualdo, but also 20th-century Estonian composer Veljo Tormis and Canadian composer Gerda Blok-Wilson.
Two more hot Elora Festival tickets you should not hesitate to buy: Jeremy Dutcher will perform a concert of his one-of-a-kind music that draws on his Wolastoqiyik roots, operatic training, and playful imagination. And I’ve said before that no opportunity to hear cellist Elinor Frey play should be missed; she’ll be featured in an Elora Festival Singers Baroque Music by Candlelight concert.
3. Musicals Everywhere, New and Renewed
Jennifer Parr
As the summer officially begins, musicals are, as usual, popping up on stages all around the province, while at the same time holding their own in Toronto, particularly as the annual Toronto Fringe Festival, beginning on July 2 has more musicals in its program than ever before.
New alliance: Part of this abundance is due to the new Alliance for Canadian Musicals, which is taking over Theatre Passe Muraille, creating a Fringe musical hub. Producer Derrick Chua (whose brainchild this is) explained:
“The inspiration behind the creation of Alliance for Canadian Musicals came about from two separate conversations on the same day: one about my firm continued belief in the importance of Fringe festivals as a platform for artists to realise their visions, and the other about my firm continued belief that Canadian musicals and Canadian musical theatre artists are among the best in the world. And so the idea of a Fringe Satellite Venue, dedicated solely to Canadian musicals, was born.”
Eight wildly different musicals will play in rep at TPM with two immediately standing out for me; a revamped version of People Suck, an award winning hit in 2015 and including the fabulously funny Ashley Comeau in the cast, and Iron Mask, a resetting of the classic Dumas swashbuckling tale to Prohibition Era 1920s Toronto complete with gangsters, speakeasies and a fight against tyranny.
Another seven musicals can be found around the other venues of the Fringe including a new modern tale Almost Ever After from Andrew Seok who has given us several sold out fairy tale musicals over the past few years. This new show he says is a modern story with songs inspired by the Beatles, Bruno Mars, and Adele among others and features a strong cast including the always good Kelly Holiff, and Julia Pulo who seems to be everywhere these days.
The Blyth spirit: Outside Toronto the Blyth Festival famous for its championing of new Canadian plays has commissioned a new musical from Irish/Canadian playwright Emma Donoghue best known for her dark play with music Room (based on her novel of the same name ) that played to packed houses at the Grand Theatre in London, Ontario and at Toronto’s Princess of Wales a few years ago, and almost had a production on Broadway. The new show The Wind Coming Over the Sea (which sounds like a much happier tale) is inspired by the true story of Irish immigrants Henry and Jane Johnson who fled the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840’s to find a new home in Canada. Henry set out first and while waiting 18 months for Jane and their small child to join him sent yearning letters home which Jane echoed with her own. The play draws upon the letters (some of which still exist) and interweaves the family’s story with traditional Irish folk ballads to bring their story to life.
The Great Comet returns: As well as new musicals, there is a remount this summer that I won’t miss: the return of Crow’s Theatre and the Musical Stage Company’s hit of 2024: Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812— this time under the Mirvish banner in the glamorous (much larger) setting of the Royal Alexandra Theatre. Set and staging will be adjusted to fit the new venue but most of the superb cast will be back including the luminous Hailey Gillis as Natasha, and uber suave George Krissa as Anatole.
4. Water, Water (almost) everywhere
Andrew Scott
Summer in Toronto and its outlying regions is with some justification better known as the season called roadwork and construction. It is however a truly fine time of year if you can somehow weave together the strands of live music, water’s edges, and beautiful island destinations.
Parry Sound: No Ontario summer festival season would be complete without a trip to Parry Sound to hear what clarinetist James Campbell has pulled out of his artistic director’s hat this year. Festival of the Sound (July 25 to August 9) features chamber music, jazz, opera, and more, with engaging music both on land (in the renowned Charles W. Stockey Centre) – or on the water as your music-filled cruise languidly putters among some of the 30,000 Islands of Georgian Bay.
Markham Jazz: Putting water and Markham, Ontario in the same sentence may be a bit of a stretch, but not when reggae artist and dynamic performer Jay Douglas is on the bill, bringing the musical sounds of his homeland of Jamaica to this year’s Markham Jazz Festival (August 16 to 17). Sharing top festival billing with the Juno Award winning Caity Gyorgy, as well as the Shuffle Demons, Douglas & His All-Stars will turn the quaint setting of Unionville into an island paradise, well musically anyway, across three-plus stages for what is bound to be a wonderful summer weekend.
Amherst Island: By contrast, there will be no avoiding the water, if you want to attend this year’s Waterside Summer Series at St. Paul’s Church on Amherst Island in Stella, Ontario (July 3, July 12, July 17, August 11 and August 19, 2025). The ferry ride is short and direct from the Millhaven dock, however, and the welcome return of the great Gryphon Trio will make the whole thing worth it for those who want to help celebrate the festival’s 30th Anniversary season. Bring the kids too: the oboe–bassoon–piano Poulenc Trio is offering a free children’s concert.
Finally, should you want something with easy access to the Gardiner Expressway and terrific waterside views, look no further than the always genre-expansive programming offered at Harbourfront Centre’s Summer Music in the Garden. With an appropriate focus on all things Canadian, the Garden offers a swath of music this summer designed to expand listeners’ conception of what it means to be Canadian. For example, Sounds of Stories: Dhaivat Jani Trio, promises to fuse Indian classical music with jazz improvisation on tabla and synthesiser, performed by a terrific cast of new and established Canadians musicians (July 3 at 7:00pm). And if traversing musical geography is indeed your thing, the beat goes on! You will be pleased to know that the same venue is showcasing Celtic and Canadian: Lo & The High Road, a performance that blends myth and folklore while finding the shared points of intersection between Celtic music and new Canadian compositions (August 10 at 4:00pm). Best of all, all concerts are free!
So, whether your interest be music or water, both await you in abundance this summer across Ontario!
