Elora Festival 2008 Highlights
The Elora Festival is now in its 29th year and presents a widely varying program including classical choral and chamber music, jazz and folk over four weeks in July and August. Elora is about roughly an hour and a half northwest of Toronto, half an hour from Kitchener and an hour and a half north east of London.
Elora itself is quite lovely, so there is plenty of eating, shopping and general puttering around to do during the day. More adventurous concert goers may want to hike, swim or tube at the Elora Gorge.
The Festival takes place at several venues throughout the the town of Elora with the two main ones being St John’s Anglican Church and The Gambrel Barn. While St John’s functions as a church when the Festival is not on, The Gambrel Barn does double duty as a salt shed.
Have a look at the complete concert listings or scroll down for Miss Mussel’s picks.
11th July
Handel Solomon;
Karina Gauvin, Robin Blaze, Lawrence Wiliford, James Westman, Elora Festival Singers, Elora Festival Orchestra, Noel Edison, baton.
Venue: The Gambrel Barn
Time: 8pm
19th July
Paganini, Scarlatti, Beethoven, von Weber and others; Duo Affinité (bassoon and trumpet/piano)
Venue: St John’s Church, Elora
Time: 2pm
24th July
Music of Britten, Holst and Vaughan Williams; Elora Festival Orchestra; James Mason, baton.
Venue: Knox Presbyterian Church
Time: 7:30pm
25th July
Britten, Walton, Purcell, Parry, Ugis Praulins; Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge; Stephen Layton, director
Venue: The Gambrel Barn
Time: 8pm
27th July
Vaughan Williams Mass in G minor; Elora Festival Singers; Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge.
Venue: The Gambrel Barn
Time: 2pm
30th July
Organ Recital; Matthew Larkin
Venue: St John’s, Elora
Time: 2pm
Choral Evensong - a rare treat in this corner of the universe.
Thursday evenings throughout the Festival.
6pm at St John’s Church, Elora.
July 17, 2008 (Michael Bloss, organ)
July 24, 2008 (Michael Bloss, organ)
July 31, 2008 (Matthew Larkin, organ)
