ELORA – The sun is mostly shining, temperatures are rising and festival season is nearly upon us.
The 2024 Elora Festival is coming up in a few months, running over three weekends from July 5 to 20.
“The festival is actually celebrating its 45th anniversary this year,” said artistic director at the Elora Festival Mark Vuorinen.
“We have a couple of events that will play towards that history and celebration, our opening night being one of them.”
The festival opens with Joseph Haydyn’s The Creation in its principal venue: the Gambrel Barn.
Haydn 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 Vuorinen.
The Elora Singers also collaborate with guest ensembles Constantinople, Corsican singing group A Filetta, and Juno-winner Laila Biali.
“That’ll be the first time [Biali’s] been to the festival,” said Vuorinen.
“We had engaged her in 2020 for the festival, and of course we had to cancel that festival due to covid. So, really excited to bring her back.”
Also to celebrate its anniversary, the Elora Festival will be teaming up with the Parry Sound’s Festival in the Sound on its closing day on July 20.
That festival is also celebrating its 45th anniversary this year.
“We have a history of sharing music and sharing our programs with Festival in the Sound already, and because we’re celebrating this anniversary together, we thought ‘let’s do something big,’” said Vuorinen.
A 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 the Elora Singers.
The following day, the concert will be repeated at Parry Sound’s Festival of the Sound.
More information and the full listing of the Elora Festival program, and tickets, can be found at elorafestival.ca.
