The 16th SweetWater Music Festival (September 20-22) offers classical, jazz, and contemporary music performed by some of the world’s top performers. This extra-special Festival (four concerts and numerous free events over three days) marks the final Festival overseen by SweetWater’s founding Artistic Director Mark Fewer.
It’s likely to be a very emotional Festival as Fewer prepares to pass the SweetWater baton to his successor, violinist Edwin Huizinga. Huizinga will also be a featured performer during this year’s Festival. Festival Passes and tickets for the Opening Night Gala and Late Night Jazz concerts are sold out but single tickets are still available for two concerts.
The Saturday Early Evening concert, Beginnings & Endings, at Owen Sound’s Roxy Theatre features a new version of multi-Juno winner David Braid’s Liuyang River Fantasy for string and jazz quartets. It will be performed by an all-star line up including Mike Murley, Mark Adams, Mark Fewer, Edwin Huizinga, Keith Hamm, Julie Hereish, and Joseph Phillips. The concert also features percussionist Aiyun Huang and Fewer performing a new work by Canadian composer Michael Oesterle. Plus, flutist Rachel Brown and harpsichordist Kenneth Slowik will perform Bach’s Sonata in B Minor for Flute and Harpsichord.
Reasons to Celebrate, the Sunday Matinee Finale at the Roxy, concludes SweetWater 2019 with a performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria featuring world-famous countertenor Daniel Taylor and the University of Toronto’s Schola Cantorum Choir. Fewer and Edwin Huizinga, cellist Julie Hereish, and violist Keith Hamm will also perform Haydn’s String Quartet Opus 77, No 2.
SweetWater will also have fun, free interactive music activities for all ages at Owen Sound’s Harmony Centre on Saturday during Festival Weekend. The family fave Mozart for Munchkins at 10:30 a.m. features Edwin Huizinga and Graham Campbell. Kids will also have a chance to play some instruments. The String Instrument Showcase returns featuring 10 of Canada’s top luthiers. Edwin Huizinga leads local players and some SweetWater headliners in a performance of Greig’s Holberg Suite during the community play along Classical Jam.
The highlight will be the Luthier Performance & Talk featuring Mark Fewer and CBC radio host and Globe & Mail music critic Robert Harris. Fewer will perform on violins made by the exhibiting luthiers, partially re-creating his concert from the early 2000s when SweetWater was born. Harris will also moderate a talk with outgoing and incoming Artistic Directors.
Tickets are available for Saturday Early Evening and Sunday Matinee Finale at the Roxy Theatre Box Office (call 519 371 2833) or online via sweetwatermusicfestival.ca. Single tickets are $40 each. All student tickets are $10.
SweetWater 2019 is supported by Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, the Eva Leflar Foundation, The Medley Family, Clarksburg Thornbury Jazz Collective, Murray & Ruth Cathcart, Bruce & Mary Hutchinson, the Municipality of Meaford, Classical FM 102.9, and TG Group.
For more about SweetWater 2019, go to sweetwatermusicfestival.ca . Keep up on the latest SweetWater news via Facebook, Twitter (@SweetWaterNotes), and Instagram.
For more information contact Paul Eichhorn, SweetWater Music Festival Manager at [email protected] or 519 477-1403
source: media release
