Perhaps you might remember that, for twenty years now, my wife and I have been regular attendees at the Stratford Festival in Ontario, Canada. This week, we’re off to the north (and east) for another adventure in world-class theatre! But this time around, there’ll be additions to an already ambitious arts-going itinerary:

Now in its 45th season, the Elora Festival has established a reputation as Canada’s international choral festival, presenting world-class choirs and vocal ensembles over two weeks in July in the artists village of Elora, “Ontario’s most beautiful village”.

We’re looking forward to experiencing the Elora Festival for the first time, taking in these mouth-watering programs:

• Choral Evensong with the Elora Singers, featuring settings of psalmody and canticles by Herbert Howells and William Mathias
• Clair-obscur, a collaborative suite from Baroque/world music fusionists Constantinople and Corsican polyphony specialists A Filleta
• A closing gala performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana for mass choir, duo pianos and percussion

Then we’ll double back to Stratford – but before we settle into our theatre seats we’ll catch world-renowned Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt as she performs Bach, Beethoven, Scarlatti and Brahms (no pressure!) under the auspices of Stratford Summer Music.

And the plays on tap?

• Something Rotten, a Tony Award-winning musical comedy about – Shakespeare? Apparently, “It’s Hard to Be the Bard”. . .
• Romeo & Juliet, a period production directed by Shakespeare In Detroit mover and shaker Sam White
• Get That Hope, a world-premiere directed by veteran Festival actor Andre Sills

Watch this space for reviews and impressions, beginning later this week!

— Rick Krueger