After several years of adjustments and contingencies, artistic vision came to full fruition this season for Stratford Summer Music.
This season, Artistic Director Mark Fewer was able to share exactly what he wanted for audiences, said SSM general manager Kendra Fry.
"We are very proud of what we did through COVID but it was always an amended version of what we wanted to do," Fry told StratfordToday.
Fry said they are thrilled with the season, and it is rare that vision becomes reality. Many events this summer at Factory 163 and Revival House were sell outs or nearly full. Also important: performers were able to build a rapport with the audience, which is vital to the performance, she said.
"It is interesting how instantly the audience saw that...the shows where what we wanted, the artists were what we wanted, the venues matched the shows. The marketing matched the venues of the shows and the experiences all delivered more than we promised."
"There is an alchemy to it that involved the audience. Who comes and how willing are they to play? Our events and one-of-a-kind experiences had an element that could only be done live (where) presence and engagement in the piece determines the outcome."
Fry said one of the final weekend performances - Quartet For The End of Time - was a good example of that. It featured four Juno winners collaborating for the first time: Mark Fewer (violin), Angela Park (piano), James Campbell (clarinet) and Thomas Wiebe (cello).
It was written by a prisoner of war while inside a German prisoner of war camp, and it was originally performed there, using only four instruments that were available in the camp.
"Mark has been reluctant to play it because it is a deep, difficult piece."
Musicians built a deep rapport with their guests, she said.
"Audiences felt like they were invited into a deep-dive exploration into the thinking of this long-dead composer. Those kinds of experiences are next level grade and things we haven't been able to do in the last few years."
Fry said the music festival team spent a lot of time thinking about joy and space, after several years of COVID.
"We wanted to make space for people. Creating environments where you are brought into the mental state of what you are experiencing. So that you are outside of your day-to-day and you just settle in."
Thinking outside of the box also continued, with Springworks-Puppetworks back for a second year. The puppet-themed event welcomed families for four days of intriguing shows at various spots around the city.
"Our mission is both to share the love of music and draw people to Stratford to keep the culture and economy of Stratford running."
Fry estimated there were 2,500 people at ticketed events over the Civic Holiday weekend and up to 5,000 around Market Square, for Springworks-Puppeworks.
A walk-around to businesses the next day revealed a massive impact in the downtown core. All the while, Stratford Summer Music's regularly scheduled events were running. People could literally pivot their lawn chairs to take in some music by the Avon River and then see one of the puppetry shows, she said.
Fry estimated about 30 per cent of the SSM audience are from London, Kitchener and Waterloo areas. Another 10 per cent are from further away than that. About five per cent are from the U.S. The rest are locals.
The final event of the season on Sunday, aside from the Fiddles and Food Trucks fundraiser in September, was John Pizzarelli, a world-renowned guitarist/ singer.
It sold out the Avondale, a 500-plus seat indoor facility, and one of the main venues for SSM.
"For John Pizzarelli we had people come who had never heard of us before. You have a brand name, you end up introducing a whole new audience not just to John Pizzarelli but to the whole town."
At a reception at Cafe Bouffon afterwards, Fry was able to meet some Stratford Summer Music first-timers, who were "thrilled and surprised about what Stratford has to offer and how much we punch above our weight."
Though the music festival counts thousands among its fan base, meeting new ones was always a thrill for Fry, a city resident, who is leaving the organization at the end of next month to focus full-time on her church-repurposing consultancy, and other pursuits.
She enjoyed saying her goodbyes over the final weekend but admitted she will remain a big fan and attend shows next year.
"I have loved this time. I took a job to get to know Stratford and bring some joy and connect with people. It has been amazing and people have been so generous."
