ELORA – Officials have unveiled the schedule for this year’s Elora Festival, which is moving online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a June 11 announcement on Zoom, artistic director Mark Vuorinen also announced the festival, which in the past has taken place in July, is being postponed this year until late summer.
Vuorinen noted that planning anything for 15 months, with ever changing regulations is somewhat of a challenge, but a solid conclusion was finally achieved.
“This is a shift of course, but we are confident – as confident as one can be – that this is the plan that we’re going to execute, and it is a very exciting plan,” he said.
The festival will run from Aug. 5 to 28, with nine concerts total broadcasting online every Thursday and Saturday – four featuring the Elora Singers and five with guest performances.
The performances will be at 7:30pm, except one late-night concert, and all will be recorded and made available online afterwards.
The Elora Singers
The Elora Singers are featured in four concerts, the first one with cellist Katie Schlaikjer on Aug. 5, called Reflection: Music for Choir and Solo Cello.
An Aug. 14 performance at 9pm, Elora Singers at Twilight, Music for the End of the Day, is meant to be a relaxing late-evening performance.
Aug. 21 is the Elora Singers: Cover Story, a concert of various covers, including the Beatles and Carly Simon.
Finally the Elora Singers will have an Aug. 28 performance, Poetry and Song, featuring Stratford actor Colm Feore narrating and the premiere of new pieces composed by Stephanie Martin.
Guest performances
Vuorinen stated one positive of the online format is not having geography as an obstacle, meaning a wider range of performers can participate.
Aug. 7 is New Beginnings, The Jason Max Ferdinand Singers.
Russell Braun and Carolyn Maule perform in Out to Sea on Aug. 12.
Aug. 14 is Classic Vienna from the Festival of the Sound, by Rolston String Quartet and Friends.
On Aug. 19 it will be Estonian Calendar Songs from the Estonian Phil Harmonic Chamber Choir, with songs composed but Veljo Tormis.
“This was a choir that had an enormous impact on me as a musician, and introduced me to wonderful music,” Vuorinen said of the Estonian chamber choir.
Aug. 26 is Choral Dances, from VOCES8, a vocal group from the United Kingdom.
Tickets are now available at elorafestival.ca, with special pricing available for students and arts workers. Tickets purchased before July 4 will receive a 15 per cent early bird discount.
The Elora Festival has partnered with Festival of the Sound, and those who purchase their tickets before July 4 will receive a promo code for a 15% discount for that festival as well.
“We want to make this as easy a process as possible because we know the online concert world has been new to all of us,” said festival executive director Laura Adlers.
