Plans underway for 2010 New Hamburg Live! Festival of the Arts
Media release: May 29, 2009
The first annual New Hamburg Live! Festival of the Arts, May 20-24, was so successful that organizers have immediately begun plans for the 2010 edition of the Festival. Executive director Paul Knowles says the dates for year two have been set as June 2-6, 2010.
"We exceed our attendance objectives at every event," he said. The finale, a bluegrass gospel concert featuring the Ken Whiteley Band, Vicki St. Pierre, Charlene Nafziger and David Sapelak, drew just under 400 people, including a 65-voice mass choir.
The five-day festival also featured a gala with music from Broadway, a concert by Juno-winner David Francey, a "Best of Opera" evening, a night of music and comedy with Mary Lou Fallis, Barry MacGregor and Peter Tiefenbach, a blues concert, art show and Words Alive literary event.
Remarkably, the Festival was run successfully with minimal grant support the sole governmental funding was a $500 economic development grant from the Township of Wilmot. Overall budget for the event was about $30,000.
Producer Nancy Knowles explained that the first year was a "kitchen table" effort by the couple, with volunteer help, but one goal is to establish the Festival as a not-for-profit entity. Organizers will seek funding to cover the costs of incorporation as a not-for-profit.
In all, Festival attendance figures were about 1400, although organizers note that many patron attended more than one event. "A few even managed to be at every event, although that took some special effort on Friday evening, as they moved between opera and blues," said Paul Knowles.
The 2010 Festival will feature a new menu of performers and events, except for the choral workshop and Sunday afternoon bluegrass/gospel concert. Nancy Knowles pointed out, "that was so popular that we simply have to do it again. Ken Whiteley, Vicki St. Pierre and Charlene Nafziger have all agreed to appear again next year, and we expect an even bigger choir." |
