“Our theme this year is dare to dream. There is a lot of dreamers involved this season,” says Co-founder and Artistic & Managing Director of the Westben Centre for Connection and Creativity through Music, Brian Finley.
The Westben Festival kicks off June 13, with 37 concerts between June 13 and August 3.
As Finley points out, the Festival opens with a fully staged production of The Wizard of Oz, as adapted from the classic movie by John Kane for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and ends with Phantom of the Opera In Concert — both of them stories about dreamers, albeit of very different kinds.
“It’s a season dedicated to dreaming what the world could be like,” he adds, “which is a good topic.”
Westben: Music in the Great Outdoors
“It’s the setting that really makes it special here in Westben,” Finley says.
The environment for the Festival is definitely part of its draw. The venues are located in the Trent Hills region in Kawarthas Northumberland and Quinte Hastings County, offering green fields and forests, near Cambellford and the Trent River. It’s the best of bucolic small town Ontario. Brian points out the bird songs, and many native species of plants and animals that populate the area.
“When you drop Beethoven or Bach into that, it’s really special.” He notes that Beethoven and many other composers were inspired by the natural world.
“It’s a different way of experiencing the music from the rest of the year. It has a different access point,” he says, “a refreshing and intimate way that’s devoid of bow ties and black boxes.”
The venues integrate the outdoors with the concert experience, including The Barn, a 400-seat venue in a field with state of the art acoustics. The Willow Hill Amphitheatre makes use of a nature amphitheatre beside a pond and willow tree, and The Campfire area seats 50 in lawn chairs for a sunset concert complete with s’mores, drinks and the chance to connect with the artists.
“I think the artists really feel it as well as the audience,” he says.
Along with concerts, there’s a focus on outdoor activities like forest bathing, cycling, Tai Chi, tea tastings, culinary events and more.
“A lot has to do with health and wellness,” he says. It’s why he moved to a rural community, and a greater connection to nature, years ago. “It makes your body relax, and it makes it open to new experiences.”
Previous festivals have seen concerts in the woods themselves. “It’s weird and wonderful, but it makes you just make you see the world differently.”
The friendly atmosphere that the surroundings naturally create is an integral part of the Westben Festival experience.
Westben offers an eclectic mix of musical genres. Here’s a quick look at the classical music offerings.
Classical Music at Westben 2025
Brian Manker, cello & Brian Finley, piano (July 17)
“I had an interesting career as a pianist and a composer,” Finley says, “I always love to make music with our guests.” It’s one of the perks of running a festival, after all.
Finley will be performing with cellist Brian Manker, a frequent guest of the Festival.
“He is the principal cellist of the Montreal Symphony,” Finley says of Manker. “He’s a fantastic musician, a beautiful storyteller — he’s also the cellist with the New Orford Quartet.”
The cello is a favourite solo instrument. “It really captures that amazing tessitura that can be so profound,” Brian says.
They’ll be performing a program that includes the Beethoven Sonata No, 3 in A, Op. 69, the Rachmaninoff Sonata in G minor, Op. 19, and Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23 (1893) by American composer Amy Beach.
Manker will talk about the pieces before each is played.
“It’s so engaging,” Finley says. It brings the audience into the music and instrument.
Illia Ovcharenko, piano (July 20)
Ukrainian pianist and 2022 Honens winner Illia Ovcharenko performs a repertoire similar to the one he recently played for Toronto audiences.
“He’s such a brilliant piano player,” Finley says. “Talk about a dreamer.”
He’ll be playing Chopin’s Polonaise in A Flat, Liszt’s Sonata in B minor, and works by fellow Ukrainians Bortkiewicz, Lyatoshinsky and Revutsky. Ovcharenko follows in a long list of pianists who’ve performed at Westben over the years, including Angela Hewitt, Louis Lortie, and many others.
“I’m really happy that he’s a guest of ours this summer.”
Choral: Chanticleer (July 11) & That Choir (July 12)
Choral music is a natural choice for a festival that’s looking to connect people, audience and musicians, and build a sense of community.
“Nothing does that like choral repertoire.”
Toronto based That Choir is a professional a cappella ensemble currently in its 16th season. That Choir draws its singers from diverse backgrounds in culture, study and work, and presents a three-concert season of contemporary and traditional choral works. They are known for their collaborations as well as their own performances, including performances with artists like Sir Christopher Plummer and Louise Pitre, among many others.
American classical ensemble Chanticleer was formed back in 1978 as a Renaissance music choir. They have since branched into performing a variety of genres from jazz and gospel to contemporary classical music. The GRAMMY Award-winning vocal ensemble is known for their virtuosity and audience appeal.
“It’s a real honour to welcome a fine ensemble like that here.”
Rhapsody in Blue – A Gershwin Celebration (July 27)
Featuring Canadian opera singer Adrianne Pieczonka, pianist Daniel Vnukowski, soprano Jonelle Sills and baritone Justin Welsh, accompanied by Stéphane Mayer, it’s a Gershwin powerhouse recital.
“Adrianne was a guest of ours several years ago,” Brian recalls. “What a superb artist.”
He notes her gracious personality as well.
“I so admire her exploration into other genres and other aspects of music,” he says. “This journey that she’s exploring with Gershwin is going to be just amazing.”
Vnukowski will play Gershwin’s iconic Rhapsody in Blue, and Jonelle Sills and Justin Welsh will perform selections from Porgy and Bess.
Nahre Sol & Ben Finley (July 10)
Julliard and Glenn Gould School-trained pianist and composer Nahre Sol, (whose YouTube series has garnered more than 780,000 subscribers) teams up with Westben Associate Artistic Director Ben Finley, also a bassist and composer, to perform original music. Their compositions are informed by everything from chamber music to ambient soundscapes and improvisation with a playful edge.
“Nahre is an experimental classical pianist. Her concert’s going to be very, very interesting.”
Michael Kaeshammer (August 2)
“Another one that always sends me is Michael Kaeshammer,” says Brian. “He’s jaw droppingly amazing.”
While today, Kaeshammer’s repertoire incorporates a mix of jazz, pop and boogie-woogie styles, Finley says that privately, the artist is truer to his roots in classical music, and performs Beethoven to warm up.
“It’s amazingly beautiful,” Finley reports. But, audiences shouldn’t expect to hear any of that on stage — he doesn’t lapse into Beethoven in public.
“It’s just so neat to know that it’s in his veins.”
Other Festival Highlights
The Festival will play host to many other artists in a variety of genres, including:
- Canadian blues artists Matt Andersen and Colin James.
- Canadian singer-songwriter Tim Baker, folk music duo Tragedy Ann and Quiet Room Campfire with singer-songwriters Andy Forgie & Kris Tischbein.
- Extraordinary banjo player and singer-songriter Kaia Kater.
- Jazz at Westben includes Canadian jazz artist Dominique Fils-Aimé and Brian Barlow Big Band’s tribute to 100 years of Oscar Peterson.
- Classic rock band Lighthouse and Guelph based art and music project SHEBAD.
- Vocalist George Masswohl and percussionist Greg Hawco of the musical Come From Away join guitarist Gerry Finn for a concert of music from Newfoundland. Between performances, there’s an East Coast kitchen party with Ken Tizzard & Music for Goats and Melissa Payne.
- East Coast folk singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Rose Cousins
- Natural Balance, featuring performers from Alderville and Curve Lake First Nations, and Inuk singer-songwriter Susan Aglukark
- Award-winning duo Twin Flames, who will perform their UNESCO-commissioned song “Human”.
Final Thoughts
Finley sees the Westben Festival as a place of friendly connections between audience members and artists, something outside the usual concert experience.
“Especially juxtaposing that to the rest of life and what’s going on in the rest of the world,” he adds.
“It’s become a very special garden.”
- Find more information and ticket details about the 2025 Westben Festival [HERE].
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