Ottawa Chamber Music Festival hits high notes
William Littler, Toronto Star
The world’s biggest chamber music festival may well reside on the banks of the Ottawa River.
Yes, as modest as our nation’s capitol may be in its claims to global distinction, the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival probably has only one major rival for top status in its highly specialized business, and that is the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in faraway Finland.
Last year Ottawa crowded nearly 130 events into 16 days, and although this year’s program is more concentrated – 93 events between last Saturday and next – executive director Glenn Hodgins doesn’t shy away from characterizing the experience as a binge.
After years in Toronto working with Tafelmusik and the Ontario Arts Council, Hodgins arrived in Ottawa a couple of seasons ago to help fill the shoes of founding director Julian Armour, a cellist with a vision of filling Ottawa’s downtown churches with music.
It proved a cleverly economical way of securing a number of atmospheric, low-cost venues in a city outfitted with a generous supply of architecturally interesting places of worship within walking distance of each other.
The walking has come to be an integral part of the festival, since most patrons buy passes admitting them to any or all events, and if the line in front of one church looks dauntingly long, a pass holder can simply stroll over to one of its neighbours.
Full story on TheStar.com: Ottawa Chamber Music Festival hits high notes
Tags: Chamberfest, Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, Ottawa International Chamber Festival, Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival
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