Stratford Summer Music offers a sneak peak at 24th season lineup

As early bird tickets for Stratford Summer Music’s 24th season go on sale, artistic director Mark Fewer and executive director Crystal Spicer are offering a sneak preview of what’s coming to the festival next summer.

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Curated by Fewer, this season’s lineup of live concerts and musical events, which runs from July 18 to Aug. 11, is themed around the idea of ​​legends.

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“Behind the programming next year is the concept of legends, meaning things that would be legends both in terms of performers or ideas,” Fewer said. “An example of that is Angela Hewitt – a legendary Canadian performer and somebody who’s been no stranger to Stratford over the years. I think this is the first time she’ll be here in six years.

“So she’s a living legend, and then there are ideas that have become legend over time. An example of that is the performance by Echo Chamber ensemble, which is about the story of Matthew Shepard, who was a gay student in Wyoming who was basically beaten until he couldn’t move and eventually died of his injuries. But that incident in the United States years ago led to a very public debate about hate crimes and Obama signing into law the hate crime bill, so that’s a legendary story.”

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Hewitt will perform at The Avondale on July 21 and Echo Chamber will perform its A World Transformed concert on Aug. 8 at the same venue.

The season’s opening night gala at The Avondale, set for July 18, has been dubbed Bring The Light, and will celebrate the songs and artists that get us through hard times. Those in attendance can expect to hear a wide range of pieces from musical icons like Johann Sebastian Bach, Johnny Cash, Édith Piaf and more as performed by Fewer and fellow musicians Michael Bridge and Yolanda Bruno, as well as their talented group of friends.

Another point of interest for audiences next season will be award-winning a cappella performers Dylan Bell and Suba Sankaran and their duo act, Free Play, performing at Factory 163 on July 27. Free Play uses innovative live-looping technology to create a truly one -of-a-kind a cappella experience. The pair will take the audience through the concert halls of Europe to the Jazz clubs of Manhattan to the temples of India and back home again.

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“We want to encourage our audiences to get their tickets early,” Spicer said. “We do have our early bird ticket pricing until Feb. 14, so that’s always a great advantage. Stratford Summer Music is Stratford’s music. It is the local music festival. We always bring in fantastic programming from all over the world, and you’re going to see us out and about in the community – you’re going to see some new partnerships, some exciting new programming announced – and I think it’s going to be a really exciting season that’s going to be accessible to all ages, all walks of life and anyone who wants to come out and spend some time with us next summer.”

To see the full listing of early bird offerings and to keep up with the rest of Stratford Summer Music’s 24th season as it’s announced, visit stratfordsummermusic.ca.

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