Stratford Summer Music stages an annual summer music festival of diverse musical experiences of superior quality, to celebrate music and to enhance the reputation of the Stratford region as an exceptional home for all the arts. Stratford Summer Music, an annual multi-week music festival with over 100 events featuring 350+ individual artists, is set in indoor and outdoor venues throughout downtown Stratford, Ontario. With an artistic vision to produce, to the highest standards possible, an annual program of diverse and exciting musical performances by local, provincial, national and international artists and to provide the widest possible range of musical genres on our stages, Stratford Summer Music exposes audiences to a standard of musical excellence difficult to find outside large urban centres. Visitors can engage in a wide range of musical experiences throughout July & August including:
- Classical performances by organists, pianists, quartets, and orchestras, held in Stratford's historic churches
- Award-winning Jazz singers and ensembles in The Church Restaurant, a venue reminisant of a New York nightclub
- Lectures, demonstrations and discussions around musical genres and the influence of music on our cultural figures
- Intimate concerts in unique settings such as Rundles Restaurant and Revel Caffè
World Music experienced in the beautiful setting of the riverbank, where artists from across Ontario, Canada and the world perform free concerts
- Art Exhibits relating to music
-Past highlights have included appearances by Ben Heppner, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Measha Brueggergosman, Mzansi Youth Choir of South Africa, the Marionette Theatre of Vienna, Molly Johnson, R. Murray Schafer, Marie-Nicole Lemieux, The National Youth Orchestra of Canada, L'orchestre de la franophone canadienne, Thompson Highway, Canadian Brass, Ashley MacIsaac, the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus, Tivoli Boys Guard Band, Bruce Dow, Lally Cadeau, Tom McCamus, Jan Lisiecki, Chor Leoni Men's Choir of Vancouver, Roger Honeywell, Elmer Iseler Singers, Cameron Carpenter, The Nathaniel Dett Choral, Jackie Richardson, Kellylee Evans, John MacLeod's Rex Hotel Orchestra, Peter Appleyard, Len Cariou, and Sylvia Tyson, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Simone Dinnerstein, Gabriela Montero and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, just to name a few.
