Stratford Summer Music is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, and it starts with an event on June 20. The Starlight Silver Serenade offers fine dining, wine, and of course music in the form of a jazz trio assembled just for the occasion.
It takes place at The Starlight, a Stratford venue and eatery, and promises an intimate affair with limited tickets.
“This event is celebrating all that is Stratford Summer Music!” said Crystal L. Spicer, executive director of Stratford Summer Music, in a statement. “It’s an opportunity for us to look at where we have come from, where we are and where we are heading.”
If you can’t make it on June 20, you can get a sneak peek of the Stratford Summer Music Festival that will take place this summer.
Stratford Summer Music 2025 Preview
While many of the programming details have yet to be announced, a few of the key classical music events have already been confirmed.
Opening Night: Carmina Burana (July 17)
Mark Fewer, pianists the Bergmann Duo, and others (to be announced) will perform Carmina Burana by German composer Carl Orff. Orff wrote the work between 1935 and 1936, based on a medieval collection of poetry with the same title. Due to its widespread use in pop culture in everything from movies to commercials, the dramatic “O Fortuna” that bookends the cantata has become arguably the best known classical work in the world.
The Bergmann Duo is an international touring piano duo. They’ve performed widely across North America, Europe, and China, including appearances at the Festival of the Sound, Ottawa Chamberfest, MusicFest Toronto, Banff Arts Festival, and many more. They have recorded several albums both in Canada and Germany, and the duo (a married couple) won first prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Caltanissetta, Italy. They were laureates of The 4th Murray Dranoff International Two Piano Competition.
Stewart Goodyear performs J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (July 20)
Pianist Stewart Goodyear is back by request after his standout performance at Stratford Summer Music 2022. Glenn Gould visited Stratford back in 1956, just as his star was beginning to rise internationally, so it’s appropriate that Goodyear will perform the works counted among Gould’s most famous recordings.
Michael Bridge Plays with Film (July 26)
Michael Bridge returns to SSM, where he’s wowed audiences in previous seasons. This performance for kids will incorporate both live music and film.
John Novacek Plays Rhapsody in Blue (July 31)
Grammy-nominated pianist John Novacek performs a work he has taken on tour internationally. The American pianist is a winner of the Leschetizky and Joanna Hodges international piano competitions. His schedule includes performances as a solo recitalist and with various orchestras, and has taken him to New York City’s Carnegie Hall, Washington’s The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Boston’s Symphony Hall, Chicago’s Symphony Center and Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl, Paris’ Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, London’s Wigmore Hall and Tokyo’s Suntory, among others. This is a co-production with the Festival of the Sound.
Add to the list the popular MusicBarge, folk and jazz concerts, and the Vocal Academy — and more.
- Find out more about the June 20 Starlight Silver Serenade [HERE].
- Find out more about Stratford Summer Music 2025 [HERE].
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