"Terrific"

We went to see the Windermere String Quartet at Steinmann Mennonite Church last night.  My son plays a fair fiddle, and he was impressed that the group uses period instruments (old, with gut strings instead of wire).  He had never heard period instruments live before, so it was a terrific introduction. ...Rob Sloan, Kitchener

"I laughed; I wept" - Praise for Bardua, Nafziger, MacGregor, St. Pierre and Bourne

Pictured: Charlene Nafziger, Barry MacGregor, Erin Bardua

For me, a new resident of New Hamburg, discovering the New Hamburg Live!Festival of the Arts has been one of many pleasant and unexpected surprises in this wonderful Town.

New HamburgLive! , now with three years 'in the books', is an amazing accomplishment and a civic treasure to be embraced and cherished.  I had the pleasure to attend every minute of every event this year, over the span of six unforgettable days.  The Festival appeals to all age and tastes, with everything executed at a high standard that New Hamburg can be proud of.

There were many highlights and countless wonderful moments, and it's hardly fair to single out individual performances among such riches, but for me, two events stood out.

On Opening Night,  Songs and Tales of the Theatre was an inspired combination of music and words, an evening that would delight anyone who values the kind of theatre tradition with which this part of Ontario is blessed.  Soprano Erin Bardua and pianist Charlene Nafziger gave us a panoramic and varied selection of songs associated with theatre over the ages, and performed them all with brilliance and panache.  This fine duo is just as comfortable on Broadway as on the operatic or classical stages, equally at home in the contemporary world as in any of the preceding centuries.

The much-loved veteran actor Barry MacGregor then regaled the audience with hilarious, intimate, and often risqué anecdotes collected (and experienced) over his many decades in professional theatre in Britain and Canada.  The whole evening had a warm glow.

On Saturday, mezzo-soprano Vicki St Pierre (the Festival's Music Director) and pianist James Bourne gave a recital that will live in my memory forever.  The program, selected from St Pierre's favourites, covered a wide range of musical styles and eras, but more importantly explored every kind of musical expression and emotion:  mirth, joy, sorrow, longing, love, disappointment ... all sung and played with an artistry that simply cannot be put into words.  I laughed; I wept.

You really had to be there, folks. - David Beattie