{"id":116096,"date":"2025-07-16T14:57:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-16T18:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=116096"},"modified":"2025-07-16T14:57:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T18:57:08","slug":"interview-artistic-director-terry-lim-talks-caledon-music-festival-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/07\/16\/interview-artistic-director-terry-lim-talks-caledon-music-festival-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Artistic Director Terry Lim Talks About The Caledon Music Festival 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Artistic
Artistic Director Terry Lim (centre) performs at the Caledon Music Festival 2024 (Photo courtesy of the Caledon Music Festival)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Caledon Music Festival returns in 2025 from August 2 to 31, bringing some of Canada\u2019s top classical music talent to the pastoral locale. The theme this year is \u201cInside Stories\u201d \u2014 an exploration of storytelling through music.<\/p>\n

How does music tell stories, and take its audience to a different place and mindset? That idea is explored through a variety of works, including both traditional and beloved works of the classical canon and some of its brightest hidden gems.<\/p>\n

We spoke to Artistic Director Terry Lim<\/strong> about this year\u2019s lineup.<\/p>\n

Festival at a Glance<\/h2>\n

August 2: Davis Family Farm \u2014 Song and Dance<\/h3>\n

Surrounded by the gorgeous blooms of a sunflower farm on a beautiful summer evening, audience members will be able to sip beverages as they enjoy the music. There will even be a crescent moon after the glory of the sunset.<\/p>\n

Soprano Emily Vondrejsova performs a variety of songs from the jazzy style of Edith Piaf’s La Vie en rose to pop music, jazz classics and more. The program also includes Arvo Part’s minimalist Fratres for cello and piano, and two tangos by Piazzolla: Adios Nonino for solo piano, and The Four Seasons. The works will be performed by Festival Artists Joonghun Cho (piano), Terry Lim (flute), and Amahl Arulanandam (cello).<\/p>\n

August 17: Alton Mill Arts Centre \u2014 Youthful Passions (Side-by-Side)<\/h3>\n

During the Festival, Lim and the Festival Artists work with young artists who are largely recommended by the Festival Artists. They\u2019re paired up to learn from a working professional.<\/p>\n

The highlight of the Side-by-Side experience is this concert, where their collective efforts are showcased. Festival Artists Luri Lee (violin), Christina Choi (violin), Carolyn Blackwell (viola), and Drew Comstock (cello) will be on stage with four young artists.<\/p>\n

The repertoire will include Mendelssohn\u2019s Octet, and Bach\u2019s Double Concerto for two violins in D minor, along with a selection of vocal repertoire from Handel, Mozart, Bellini, and Dvorak performed by Emily Vondrejsova, who is a native of nearby Erin, Ontario.<\/p>\n

August 23: Westminster United Church \u2014 A Journey into Cabaret and Broadway<\/h3>\n

Violinist Luri Lee, cellist Peter Eom and pianist Joonghun Cho perform works revolving around cabaret and Broadway. That includes American composer Paul Schoenfeld\u2019s Caf\u00e9 Music Music for violin, cello and piano, a trio he developed performing cabaret music with friends at a caf\u00e9 in Minneapolis. Also on the bill is a series of Gershwin pieces, including the Porgy & Bess Fantasy for violin and piano along some solo piano works, and Prutsman\u2019s chamber work Four Broadway Showtunes for cello and piano.<\/p>\n

August 31: Alton Mill Arts Centre \u2014 The Grand Finale<\/h3>\n

The concert closes with a positive note, and a program centred around Bach\u2019s iconic Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, one of the most beloved works of all time. Lim has paired the Concerto with the Haydn-Mozart Toy Symphony, along with Mozart\u2019s Flute Quartet in D Major, featuring flutist Sarah Moon, and Vaughan William\u2019s The Lark Ascending. The latter will be performed by Kai Rousseau on violin, the Young Festival Artist. The other Festival Artists performing will include Sarah Kim, violin; Douglas Kwon, violin; Laurence Schaufele, viola; Daniel Hamin Go, cello, and Terry Lim on flute.<\/p>\n

\"Photo
Photo courtesy of the Caledon Music Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Terry Lim: The Interview<\/h3>\n

In programming the season, Lim says that he establishes the theme first, and then assembles repertoire that works into it \u2014 some thematic, others without an obvious backstory. The musicians are handpicked.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a process while he\u2019s creating the programs. \u201cLet\u2019s put together Mendelssohn\u2019s octet,\u201d he begins. Mendelssohn wrote the piece while he was in his teens, and with the details, he creates a story to weave around the music.<\/p>\n

It\u2019ll be part of the Side-by-Side Concert, which features teenage musicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just wanted to develop our programs with young artists,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s just worked out well,\u201d he says of the initiative. \u201cThey get a chance to play some solos,\u201d he adds of the young artists.<\/p>\n

The educational side of the festival is something Lim would like to expand upon \u2014 depending on the funding situation, which, as he notes, is ever changing.<\/p>\n

Along with the young artists of the Side-by-Side program, Young Festival Artist Kai Rousseau performs in the festival finale. Local artist Kai Rousseau, who hails from Belfountain, is studying towards a Master\u2019s degree in music at the University of Toronto. \u201cIt gives him a chance to play with high level professionals,\u201d Lim notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s something that I want to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Music<\/h3>\n

The music was chosen by Lim together with the Festival Musicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach musician had stories behind the works they wanted to perform,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m pretty much happy with all the concerts.\u201d<\/p>\n

The artists will talk a little about the repertoire they will perform, and why they chose the specific works.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach year, I try to do something different,\u201d he says. \u201cThe fun part is programming and putting things together.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says he tries to strike a balance between appealing to the out of town and local audiences, some of whom may not be so familiar with classical music at all. \u201cI try to program it so that they can enjoy it all the way to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s guided by comments from festival goers of previous years, who left helpful suggestions. As with every complex endeavour, putting a music festival together has a learning curve.<\/p>\n

Some details come from direct experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, when we did the sunflower farm for the first time, I had no idea about the mosquitoes,\u201d laughs Lim, who lives in downtown Toronto. \u201cI was playing flute, and it kept hitting my head.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Festival Experience<\/h3>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been really exciting to meet people out there,\u201d Lim says. He\u2019s spent a lot of time getting to know the area and its residents. It\u2019s an ongoing process. \u201cI take their feedback very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also become familiar with the region\u2019s venues in order to choose the right one for each concert.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pick certain venues,\u201d Lim says. That includes the Davis Farm, the Alton Mills Arts Centre, and Westminster United Church in Orangeville. \u201cToronto people don\u2019t know about [them],\u201d he says. \u201cI think about atmosphere. I pick out particular spots.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the case of the Davis farm, the festival\u2019s relationship goes beyond that of a simple venue. The Davis family is sponsoring the event, and in return, Lim will donate 10% of the ticket sales to the Celiac Foundation, in honour of one of the family members who lives with the disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the Alton Mills Arts Centre, they\u2019ll be performing in an open space with a permanent roof.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt somehow makes it almost like a church inside.,\u201d he says. \u201c[There are] weirdly good acoustics out there.\u201d<\/p>\n