The Muskoka Music Festival is a non-profit organization
governed by a volunteer Board or Directors. The Festival's objective
is to initiate, organize and conduct an annual music festival
in various communities within the Muskoka Lakes region, thereby
enriching and expanding the musical and artistic opportunities
in Muskoka. Through live performances by renowned Canadian
artists the Festival creates an environment to cultivate and
encourage new and established musical talent by providing a
forum to perform concerts with professional musicians from
around the globe. The Festival uses intimate venues set in
the natural beauty of Muskoka that provides for interaction
with musicians in an informal atmosphere. To celebrates and
promotes our rich culture and heritage the Festival provides
a variety of music styles in addition to our strong classical
roots bringing performances and education to the public at
an affordable price.
Muskoka Music Festival, formed in 1996, was incorporated on December
19, 1996 and subsequently received charitable status. In its inaugural
season the Muskoka Music Festival offered 31 concerts in five locations
- Windermere, Rosseau, Bracebridge, Port Carling and Gravenhurst.
The 1998 Seasons built on past success and offered approximately
the same number of events with more variety and several more locations.
Family events, marionettes, picnics and outdoor events have been
added along with several more small community venues, i.e. churches
and community centres bringing the total number of venues to twelve.
In addition to the cultural enrichment it provides for area residents, cottagers
and visitors alike, the Festival plays an important role in the rural economy
and vitality of Muskoka. It has a very positive impact on quality of life
in Muskoka. Many people have been introduced to world-class classical music
and other art forms that would otherwise not have been through local availability
and low ticket prices. We have provided music for many art shows and for
other local fundraising groups, in the area of arts and heritage specifically
and other non-for-profit groups. As the Festival grows it is attracting audiences
from all over the province and beyond, significantly increasing tourism and
adding immeasurably to the local economy.
By its nature, a community festival, the Muskoka Music Festival
uses many of Muskoka's existing facilities, including churches,
community centres and resorts. Windermere House has been the venue
for a number of soirees and a 'violin tasting' and the Sherwood
Inn hosted candlelight soirees and another of the lecture series
events. The Cranberry Marsh Cove Resort and Enricos hosted the
Festival's fall Encore event.
The Festival provides leadership and excellence in the arts and assists in
promoting, strengthening and unifying all of the arts in the Muskoka region
with a unique focus on building strategic alliances, collaboration, research,
accessibility and outreach.
Muskoka Music Festival has established excellent and on-going partnerships
with organizations such as the National Academy Orchestra, Port
Carling Dinner Theatre, the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, the
Avenue Road Art School - Summer School, Nipissing University, Georgian
College, Muskoka Business Development Corporation, Muskoka Hotel,
Navigation and Steamship Company and a number of resorts in the
area to assist in promoting, strengthening and unifying arts and
culture in the Muskoka region. We plan to continue to build our
partnerships, including the business sector, particularly resorts
(value-added) and heritage-related institutions and events, and
are currently working on co-productions with young people's theatre.
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