Biglake Festival in Ontario’s Prince Edward County kicks off this Friday with a concert by pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico. The theme of the concert is part of the larger theme that runs through the 5th anniversary iteration of the Festival — “Hidden Gems”.
It’s a way to explore both traditional and contemporary classical repertoire, with a focus on bringing lesser known composers and works to the fore.
LvT caught up with Johannes Debus (Co-founder and Artistic Director) and Elissa Lee (Co-founder and Executive Director) for a quick chat before the festival begins.
Biglake Festival Co-Founders Johannes Debus & Elissa Lee: The 5th Anniversary Season
“Well to be honest, when you start off a venture, everyone was advising me […] give yourself three years,” Elissa says. That rule of thumb is said to be a guideline for turning the road towards success, whether it’s a for profit or non-profit endeavour. “I wasn’t thinking anything beyond that to be honest.”
Since it’s inception, though, the Festival has become a meaningful and impactful partner with the local economy and town. “People are invigorated by the concerts,” she says.
“It’s a huge sense of pride. We’re very happy with where we are.”
As she points out, setting up a festival in a largely rural locale with little (if any) infrastructure for music or events was a challenge. “We had to pivot,” she says. “It’s been a very creative process.”
That’s not to say it was all smooth sailing.
“I’ll also be very honest, just like anyone who had those dreams,” Elissa adds, “[…] if I had known how much work it would be, I might have hesitated.”
Putting on a festival involves an enormous amount of detail and multitasking that, ideally, the average festival-goer will be completely unaware of.
“The amount of work that goes on behind the scenes…” Elissa says.
“It’s enormous. It really does take a village,” Debus adds. If you’re fortunate, there will be a supportive village waiting to help.
“We have been very lucky,” Elissa says.
Programming
Where does the inspiration come from?
“I think that’s a hard question to answer. It’s a creative process,” Elissa explains. “You get inspiration from a whole bunch of different areas.” That includes musician friends, connections made, and even life experiences.
“The ideas percolate over the years.”
Christina Petrowska Quilico has a history of showcasing the work of women and other lesser known artists, and took to the theme immediately.
“She’s such a gem herself,” Lee says. “It’s a bit of her specialty.”
Among other things, the Festival program underscores the connections between music and culture from JUNO Award winning jazz ensemble Avaatar to Haudenosaunee multi-instrumentalist David Maracle.
“I think we are always trying to create a varied program,” Lee says.
She says she met David Maracle a couple of years ago, and was struck by him both as a person and as an artist. “He was extremely inspiring as a person,” she says. Maracle will be on stage August 20 in a performance incorporating music and storytelling.
“We really try not to be entertainment, we want to be a cultural attraction. We want to challenge audiences.”
Sometimes, that means offering concerts that step outside what is traditionally considered “classical”. Maracle’s performances of Indigenous fusion lean on his Mohawk Haudenosaunee roots, and incorporate animal and natural sounds like rain, thunder, and the cry of the loon.
“Some things are outside of the box, but we like to shake things up sometimes,” Lee says.
Singer-songwriter Madeleine Rogers and The Fretless (Trent Freeman, fiddle/viola; Karrnnel Sawitsky, fiddle/viola; Ben Plotnick, fiddle/viola; Eric Wright, cello) turn the idea of a string quartet on its head, performing intricate arrangements of fiddle and folk tunes with a percussive edge. The show on August 21 is a co-production with Regent Theatre.
The Festival’s programming mix offers audiences a range of ensembles in different sizes in a variety of venues likewise differing in scale.
“It’s all pretty organic,” Lee says.
Notable Artists
“I would like to focus on Mihaela,” Lee says. “I also found her hugely inspiring.”
Romanian-born Mihaela Martin is known as both a virtuoso violinist and dedicated educator. She took 2nd Prize at the Tchaikovsky Competition at the age of 19, and went on to a 1st Prize win at the Indianapolis Competition. Her professional career was launched, and has seen her perform on the world’d most renowned states, including Carnegie Hall, appearances with the BBC Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Salzburg Mozarteum, among others, and at chamber music festival across Europe over the last four decades or more. She has served as a jury member at the Indianapolis, Enescu, and Tchaikovsky competitions, and has taught at the Musikhochschule in Cologne, the Kronberg Academy and the Barenboim-Said Akademie of Berlin, and many other distinguished institutions.
Elissa says Mihaela is a master when it comes to the work of George Enescu. Martin will be part of the ensemble performing his Octet, Op. 7 to close the Festival on August 23, along with Mendelssohn’s Octet, Op. 20.
“I approached her because Enescu was a composer who was elusive to me,” Lee says. “I have great respect for the work but I also feel like I don’t understand the language very well,” she explains.
Programming a festival can create opportunities for musicians — and festival organizers — alike.
“One of our missions is also to create playgrounds with the artists as well,” Elissa says. “Her leading the Enescu Octet is something I’m personally looking forward to.”
Johannes Debus will be performing at this year’s festival.
“This will be part of the marathon concert,” Johannes says.
The Hidden Gems Marathon takes place on August 17, and offers a full day of music from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s broken into three concerts, each featuring a different composer.
- CONCERT 1 – 10:30 a.m. Meet Ernst von Dohnányi with Ensemble Made In Canada and guest violist Sebastian Krunnies from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
- CONCERT 2 – 1:30 p.m. Meet George Enescu featuring Romanian violinist Mihaela Martin, who will perform the Sonata no. 3 by Enescu with Ilya Poletaev.
- CONCERT 3 – 4:30 p.m. Meet Reynaldo Hahn with artistic director Johannes Debus (piano) and special guest Alain Coulombe (bass) to perform the poetic songs of the French Venezuelan composer.
Free coffee is available all day long, with a free sandwich lunch, and a free cookie with a ticket to all three concerts.
French-Canadian bass Alain Coulombe has been performing across the globe for more than three decades. He last appeared in Toronto for the Canadian Opera Company’s La Reine-garçon, and will be back in May 2026 for Massenet’s Werther.
Debus points out that Coulombe is actually a local. “Alain Coloumbe who actually resides in Wellington, in the county, who is also a local despite his career that leads him to many places in the world,” he says.
“We are going to do some of Reynaldo Hahn’s songs,” he adds. “This will be a lovely addition to a whole day of music.”
The full-day Marathon is something the duo first tried in 2024.
“It was a nice full day,” Elissa says. She found that a good portion of the audience consisted of people from places like Toronto or Kingston who didn’t necessarily want to stay overnight, but wanted to make the most out of a two or three hour drive.
“People were bonding over the full day,” she says. “It was almost like a retreat, a musical retreat.” It was last year’s positive response that led to the repeat. “We got great feedback, so let’s see.”
The BigLake Festival runs from August 15 to 23 in Prince Edward County.
- Find details and tickets [HERE].
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