Collingwood Music Festival Receives $12,781 'Experience Ontario' Grant

Collingwood Music Festival has received a $12,781 "Experience Ontario" Grant.

"The recent announcement from the Government of Ontario of an "Experience Ontario" grant given to the Collingwood Music Festival (CMF) provides a significant financial boost to our organization", says Daniel Vnukowski, Artistic Director. He continues: "We are extremely grateful for this investment which helps us to present projects such as last summer’s memorable opening night waterfront concert which featured unique music programming, as seen nowhere else in Canada - in keeping with our vision of bringing a dynamicly diverse mix of world-class performers to South Georgian Bay each year."

The extraordinary outdoor event featured Juno and Polaris award-winning singer and composer Jeremy Dutcher as the guest star, sharing the stage with the National Academy Orchestra (NAO). This renowned Canadian orchestra, founded by the late Maestro Boris Brott, consists of 65 gifted young musicians-in-training who are provided with valuable opportunities to perform in an orchestra to benefit their future development. Jeremy Dutcher is a member of the Tobique First Nation in New Brunswick, whose stunning debut album Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa gained him international fame in 2018.
 

At the Collingwood Music Festival inaugural concert, Jeremy Dutcher performed "Skicinuwihkuk", a song from his latest album as well as two breathtakingly beautiful compositions inspired by century-old wax cylinder recordings of traditional songs by his Indigenous ancestors, the Wolastoqiyik people.

Through his music, Jeremy Dutcher sends a powerful message to the public. As he expressed, when accepting the Polaris prize: "You are in the midst of an Indigenous renaissance. Are you ready to hear the truth that needs to be told? Are you ready to see the things that need to be seen?" The Collingwood Music Festival is honoured to have provided the opportunity for Collingwood and South Georgian Bay to experience Jeremy Dutcher’s music and share his important message with the public. 

The Collingwood Music Festival will run next year from July 5–12, 2024. Much of the programming is already completed and a whole new line-up of the highest calibre of performing artists in the fields of classical, world music, Indigenous music and jazz will be presented. Details will also soon be announced for their highly-anticipated annual Spring fundraising event, which sold out well in advance for this year. Visit their website https://collingwoodfestival.com/ for updates. 

Photo Credit: Tjalling Photography