The SweetWater Music Festival has been showcasing Canadian and international musicians with a blend of classical, jazz, and contemporary music for more than two decades. The festival takes place in Grey Bruce, Ontario, a rural setting on Georgian Bay.
This year’s theme is called Dreamscapes, and the 2025 Festival takes place September 16 to 21. Violinist Edwin Huizinga is the Artistic Director, and this year’s Composer-in-Residence is cellist/composer/vocalist India Gailey.
We spoke to Edwin about this year’s Festival, which spreads across venues in Owen Sound, Leith, and Meaford, Ontario.
SweetWater Music Festival 2025
Here’s a quick look at the Festival highlights.
- SweetWater Mini Documentary Premiere & Artist Meet-and-Greet (September 16): a free event that celebrates the Festival’s 20-year history via film, live music, and conversation.
- Exclusive Pass Holders’ Concert at Meaford Hall Gallery (September 17): an event for Festival Pass holders.
- Folk virtuoso Moira Smiley & The Rhizome Quartet (September 18) perform at the Harmony Centre.
- Chamber Music Under a Starry Night at Historic Leith Church (September 19): featuring Mozart’s G minor Viola Quintet, the world premiere of India Gailey’s Bristlecone, and Vaughan Williams’ lush Piano Quintet.
- September 20 begins with Yoga & Guitar at sunrise, then the family-friendly Music for Munchkins, a free guitar recital with Brendan Evans, instrument makers exhibit, and Classical & Choral Jam Sessions.
- Castle in the Sky (September 20, evening): featuring Holst, Caroline Shaw, and Elgar
- Late Night Jazz (September 20, late evening): featuring the Hilario Durán Trio.
- Soul Care Sunday (September 21, free): the Next Wave Showcase of emerging talent.
- Grand finale concert at Meaford United Church (September 21, evening): featuring Vivaldi, Golijov, and Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Edwin Huizinga and violist Keith Hamm.
Artistic Director Edwin Huizinga: The Interview
Canadian cellist / improviser / composer / multidisciplinary artist India Gailey is a rising star in the fields of classical and experimental music. She’s toured across the globe, and as a performer, has worked with notable composers such as Philip Glass, Yaz Lancaster, Amy Brandon, Fjóla Evans, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Nicole Lizée, and Julia Mermelstein.
The premiere of a piece she’s written for the Festival will take place on the Friday evening concert (September 19).
“Her piece is called Bristlecone,” Edwin says. “It’s a double string quartet. That’s one of the things that she’ll be doing with us,” he explains. “She’ll also be leading an artist talk.” That takes place the following day (September 20) at noon.
Like the other workshops, talks, and some other events at the Festival, it’s free to attend.
“One of the things I’m doing more of at SweetWater is free events around town,” Huizinga explains. Gailey will also be performing in five events that weekend, including a 20-minute solo set of music for cello and voice she’s been developing.
“Whoever we invite, we try to work into as many concerts as possible,” he says.
Huizinga says he gave Gailey free rein as to how to fulfill her role. “You do what you want,” he told her. He explained that, because of her music practice, she’s often asked to focus on her electronic work, but in this case, she wanted to explore acoustic compositions she’s been working on.
The pass-holders concert on September 16 takes place in a small venue; hence the need to limit the audience numbers. There will be special perks, including a song cycle for solo violin and voice by Vaughan Williams that will be performed by Huizinga with Rachel Fenlon.
Along with creating both free and ticketed events for the public, Edwin works to create a welcoming atmosphere for the musicians too.
“It’s really important to me that it’s not, for lack of a better word, just another gig,” he says. “It’s a curated event for the musicians as well as the audience. I’ve really refining that over the last 20 years of my career.”
He calls himself lucky to have “friends who will show up” to perform the Mozart Symphonia Concertante for the finale. “It’s a big ask for a festival this size,” he says. “I’m just so honoured that they are coming.”
Beyond Classical
Edwin is looking forward to the appearance of folk artist Moira Smiley. The American singer, composer, lyricist and musician trained as a classical Baroque singer originally. Today, her music isn’t easy to categorize, influenced by everything from folk to classical song and jazz. She plays banjo, accordion, piano, and body percussion, and she’s joined by The Rhizome Quartet — Brooke Quiggins-Saulnier and Laura Markowitz (violins), Stefanie Taylor (viola), John Dunlop (cello).
“I’m so excited to have her,” he says. Smiley and Huizinga have collaborated on various projects for about a decade, including appearances on NPR. “I had an epiphany — she has to come to SweetWater.”
“Her specific project that we’re going to be showcasing is called the Rhizome Project.” The essence of the project is exploring connections between people, art and everything else.
“It’s a perfect marriage for me,” he says of the project.
The jazz evening concert features a JUNO Award winner. “I’m so excited to have Hilario Duran as a pianist.”
Locally Sourced
Where he can, he includes local artists like jazz singer Coco Love Acorn as part of the Festival lineup.
The response to community events like the classical instrumental and choral jams also tells him that the community is behind his efforts.
“There’s actually tons of amateur choirs in the Owen Sound area. It’s mind blowing,” he says.
The jams will take place in the Harmony Centre, a local non-profit arts and performance hub.
“We’re going to be sight reading Holst St. Paul’s Suite,” Edwin says. He’s already made the music available to the community to practice, but he acknowledges some of the attendees will arrive without the prep. He’s mixed in professional musicians to keep the music flowing no matter what.
Huizinga says he’s expanded the community music making a bit each year, as well as the young artist program. He says the level of young talent he’s seen is impressive.
“Two of the artists this year blew me away so much with their audition that they’ll actually be part of the professional concert,” he says. “It’s also how I got my start,” he adds.
As a point of fact, it was former Artistic Director Mark Fewer who invited a younger Huizinga to SweetWater to play years ago. The opportunity saw him playing with people like Jonathan Crow and Barry Shiffman. “All these legends,” he says. “Multi-generational music making is very important to me.”
Beyond the Music
“Over the last couple of years, I’ve been bringing in the idea of wellness as much as possible.”
Music and health, as science tells us, are linked. Huizinga has included events like the Saturday morning yoga class with award-winning classical guitarist Brendan Evans. The class is led by local yoga star Stuart Reid (Hollow Reed Yoga).
Evans joins Karen Choi of Soul Care on Sunday morning (September 21) for a concert that blends with gentle movement, breath work, and poetry.
“That’s a big deal for me,” he says of the emphasis on wellness.
For the documentary that will screen on the meet-and-greet evening on September 16, Edwin worked with local filmmakers Gail Gallant and Michael Allder to produce two short documentaries. The first focuses on the community that launched the festival, and the volunteers, while the second revolves around a conversation between founding Artistic Director Mark Fewer and current Artistic Director Edwin Huizinga.
“We felt like it was the perfect moment to share the history and the story. It’s quite astounding what Mark Fewer created,” says Edwin, saying that he “jumped into his shoes” on taking over the AD role. Through the film, he wanted to share the processes, and some insight into how the Festival took shape, something that’s not obvious looking in from the outside.
“We’re going to be showing both of those films,” he says. Popcorn will be on offer. “We just want the whole community to come out if they can,” Huizinga adds.
Along with free events, he’s kept ticket prices as low as possible, to allow as many people as possible to experience the music.
It’s about giving back to the community that has been so welcoming to the Festival for 22 years. “It’s all you,” he says of the Grey Bruce community. Watching the film was affecting. “I had tears in my eyes,” he adds.
“Our other idea behind is is that this can happen everywhere,” he says of the Festival and its impact. He’d like others to take inspiration from the story, and create events that combine artistry and community everywhere.
“What it takes is drive, and love, and passion.”
Festival Details
- Many events, including workshops, artist talks, and community jams, are FREE.
- Festival Passes ($200) include all concerts plus the exclusive Pass Holders’ event.
Individual tickets are available via the Roxy Theatre Box Office (519-371-2833, email here) and online [HERE].
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