"The Woods Are Burning" is a celebration of Tom Thomson in words and music.

Anne Michaels, poet laureate of Toronto, joins david sereda and a stellar ensemble to celebrate the remarkable life, art and passion of one of Canada's most gifted painters. On July 8, the 100th anniversary of Tom Thomson's death, come honour his life! The Woods Are Burning is a concert of words and music, featuring original songs by david sereda, woven together with text by Anne Michaels and music of Tom's era. This one-of-a-kind evening will be performed in the beautiful acoustics of the Leith Church, the church Tom and his family attended, just up the road from their house.

The ensemble features Keira McArthur on cello and voice, Tyler Wagler on bass and voice, Sandra Swanell on violin and voice and Terry Young on mandolin and voice.

Tom Thomson was a painter who died in his prime. He created iconic work and as importantly, challenged us to see and celebrate the splendour and colour of this place we call Canada. He grew up in Leith, and the woods, fields, streams and the lake were irresistible to him. This love of nature, seeded here, carried him in later years to Algonquin Park, where he found his muse.

The Woods Are Burning contains new work by internationally acclaimed poet and writer Anne Michaels, whose work has won dozens of awards including the Orange Prize, the Commonwealth Poetry Prize for the Americas and the Guardian Fiction Prize. She has a new book of poetry coming out in the fall.

The music is from a variety of sources: original songs by sereda, the Brush workshops (community arts workshops by Sheatre) that explored Tom's local connections as well as his paintings, the musical TOM (co-written by Joan Chandler and sereda, 2007), traditional sources and popular songs of the last 160 years. "Sometimes a song has no place in the musical you are writing," says sereda, "but it can be like a little musical on its own." sereda's range as a songwriter has been called "breathtaking" (The Chronicle-Herald, Halifax) and his music "rich in both sound and meaning" (Southern Voice, Atlanta).

The Woods Are Burning, a Celebration of Tom Thomson in words and music is being held on Saturday, July 8 at 7:30pm in the historic Leith Church, on Tom Thomson Lane in Leith. Tickets are $25 in advance through the Roxy Theatre (519-371-2833, tickets.roxytheatre.ca) or at the door if still available at showtime.