Ottawa Chamber Music Festival: 10 festival highlights

July 21, 2010 · Filed Under Festivals in the News, News

From Mozart to throat singing

By Steven Mazey, The Ottawa Citizen

Roman Borys performs Constantinople July 29-30 with the Gryphon Trio.

Photograph by: Julie Oliver, The Ottawa Citizen, The Ottawa Citizen

Stewart Goodyear’s performance of the complete Beethoven sonatas is only one of the notable events at this year’s Ottawa Chamber Music Festival.

In addition to baroque and classical repertoire, the festival’s more than 90 events will present new pieces by Canadian and international composers and music that will include tango, jazz, pop, bluegrass and the Ottawa premiere Aug. 3 of Canadian composer Alexina Louie’s Take the Dog Sled, a piece involving Inuit throat singers.

At one of the late-night concerts, where patrons can order drinks, there will be an appearance by turntable artist DJ P-Love.

“This is a big festival, where you can hear early music, new music, standard repertoire and also get some great insight from composers talking about their music, ” festival director Roman Borys, cellist with the Toronto-based Gryphon Trio, said when he announced the lineup.

“The various programs or mini-series that we have within the festival have been going deeper and deeper. I feel it’s a really muscular range.”