{"id":125704,"date":"2026-07-08T14:47:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T18:47:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=125704"},"modified":"2026-07-08T14:47:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T18:47:48","slug":"preview-biglake-festival-launches-6th-season-august-21-return-classics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/07\/08\/preview-biglake-festival-launches-6th-season-august-21-return-classics\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | BIGLAKE Festival Launches Its 6th Season on August 21 With The Return To The Classics"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Three
Three of the featured artists at the BIGLAKE Festival 20206, L-R: Pianist Philip Chiu (Photo: Martin Girard); Violinist Keron Leong (Photo courtesy of BIGLAKE); Pianist Ilya Poletaev (Photo courtesy of BIGLAKE)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now in its sixth year, BIGLAKE Festival presents 10 concerts over nine days beginning August 21 in beautiful Prince Edward County (PEC).<\/p>\n

The concerts take place in a variety of venues across PEC, from historic music halls and churches to private homes, inviting attendees to explore and experience different parts of the county.<\/p>\n

The festival is co-founded and co-directed by two prominent names in the Canadian classical world: Johannes Debus<\/strong>, Music Director of the Canadian Opera Company, and JUNO Award-winning violinist Elissa Lee<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Each year, the festival has a distinct theme. Last year, the festival featured \u201cHidden Gems,\u201d which was a great discovery journey not only for the audiences, but also for the musicians. By contrast, this year\u2019s program returns to the \u201cClassics,\u201d pieces that are famous or popular in the repertoire.<\/p>\n

Ludwig Van spoke to Elissa about this year\u2019s festival program.<\/p>\n

\"Philharmonisches
Philharmonisches Streichquartett Berlin (Photo: Peter Adamik)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Opening Night: Kerson Leong (August 21)<\/h3>\n

Elissa is very excited to have Canadian violinist Kerson Leung headline the festival, whom she describes as one of the world\u2019s best violinists currently.<\/p>\n

The program will be a contrast of darkness and light, angels and devils, evil and good.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe inspiration came from hearing Kerson\u2019s recording of Tartini\u2019s Devil\u2019s Trill. This is a piece that I grew up playing a lot. It’s a virtuoso piece with a big cadenza.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rest of the program will be pieces by Poulenc, Vaughan Williams, Ysa\u00ffe, P\u00e4rt and Ravel.<\/p>\n

Philip Chiu Up Close (Aug 22)<\/h3>\n

Philip has been a staple of BIGLAKE. Elissa gushes about the JUNO Award-winning pianist and CBC guest host. \u201cHe is magnet on his own. Everywhere he goes, he sort of attracts his own fan base following. He creates a good rapport with his audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program will feature many familiar pieces, from Chopin Nocturnes and Rachmaninoff Preludes to Debussy\u2019s Clair de Lune and Beethoven\u2019s Moonlight Sonata.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeaking is a big part of the recital, and Philip will be telling hidden stories behind the pieces. It will be like a Philip Chiu radio show.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Goldberg Variations: Bach Then & Now (August 23)<\/h3>\n

Pianist Ilya Poletaev<\/strong>, another regular performer at BIGLAKE, will perform J.S. Bach\u2019s famous piece on both the modern piano and the harpsichord, the instrument for which it was originally composed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIlya is a phenomenal keyboardist who is so versatile. It\u2019s actually quite challenging to play on both instruments in the same concert. It’s not just about playing a different instrument with the same fingerings. The mechanics are completely different to play on the harpsichord.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Goldberg Variations has special historic importance for Canada, and was made famous by Glenn Gould\u2019s defining recordings. In advance of the festival on August 3, BIGLAKE will host a special screening of the documentary, \u201cGenius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould\u201d to complement this concert.<\/p>\n

Philharmonisches Streichquartett Berlin (August 24)<\/h3>\n

A quartet of musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic will make their Canadian debut.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to try bringing Europe to the county. Berlin Philharmonic is synonymous with the highest level of artistry and they hold the bar for the classical music scene,\u201d Elissa says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program will feature the truly classics of the quartet repertoire: Barber\u2019s Adagio, Dvorak\u2019s American String Quartet, and Schubert\u2019s Death and The Maiden. The last piece is not only one of the most beloved works, it is also one of the most challenging quartet pieces to ever pull off.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Musical Friendship: Schumann to Brahms (August 25)<\/h3>\n

Ensemble Made in Canada<\/strong> is Elissa\u2019s own piano quartet, which has been a staple of the festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the most famous piano quartet repertoire are by Brahms and Schumann. So we are going to do one little twist and perform the Brahms quartet in A major. It is the least played, but one of the most beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ensemble
Ensemble Made In Canada (Photo: Genevieve Caron)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Kaffeekuchen: Haydn and The Viennese Court (August 26)<\/h3>\n

Literally translated as \u201ccoffeecake,\u201d Kaffeekuchen concerts were a part of Viennese culture during Haydn\u2019s time. The Count entertains nobles at his lavish castle with light music performed by the court musicians, while the guests also enjoy coffeecake.<\/p>\n

This all-Haydn special concert will take place in the spectacular Maison Millefleurs, perched on the shores of Lake Ontario and overlooking the lake and vast lavender fields.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Berlin Philharmonic Quartet<\/strong> will return to play Haydn\u2019s \u201cEmperor\u201d string quartet, which is where the German national anthem is pulled from. So it reverts back to their culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before the concert, audiences will enjoy coffee and cake provided by The Renaissance Farm, a local county establishment.<\/p>\n

Candlelight Concert: Beethoven Then & Now (August 27)<\/h3>\n

This candlelit salon experience transports the audience to Beethoven\u2019s time, with his works played on both the fortepiano and the modern piano, by Ilya Poletaev<\/strong> and Ruxandra Oancea<\/strong>. Elissa describes the experience as, \u201csort of like test driving a Model T Ford and a Porsche!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerson Leong & Philip Chiu: Dorman & Chausson (August 28)<\/h3>\n

In addition to Gustav Mahler\u2019s Piano Quartet and Avner Dorman\u2019s Nigunim, this concert will also feature Ernest Chausson\u2019s Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Quartet.<\/p>\n

Elissa describes the last piece as, \u201cone of the few pieces that’s written as a concerto for the violin and piano with a quartet accompaniment instead of an orchestra. It is a powerful, intense piece, and it’s very difficult. The Berlin Philharmonic String Quartet<\/strong> will accompany the soloists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Medieval Songs (August 29)<\/h3>\n

Elissa points out that classical and Western music is rooted as far back as the medieval times.<\/p>\n

\u201cMedieval music is where it all began. Ensemble Comtessa<\/strong> dedicates themselves to researching and performing this type of music, which was written in a different way. They also perform on reconstructed period instruments from that time, which I thought was fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n

The program features Florilegium, a collection of medieval songs from the British Isles (1150\u20131300) that traces the lifecycle of a flower through the four seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is also part of our yearly Impact Series, in which we raise funds for a local charity or cause. Because the concert is a cycle about nature, we’re raising funds for the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, a local charity that helps protect birds and other wildlife and their habitats on the south shores of the county.\u201d<\/p>\n

Festival Finale: Vivaldi & Bach (August 29)<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s go big or go home. For the finale, Elissa created a program of all double concertos by Bach, Vivaldi and Telemann, played by a 12-piece festival ensemble. \u201cIt will be a fun Baroque finale with many artists on stage, and we\u2019ll all take turns playing the solo part.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A concert at The Eddie, one of the BIGLAKE Festival venues (Photo courtesy of BIGLAKE)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n

Elissa says that BIGLAKE is not just a summer festival.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve expanded beyond just the summer festival month to have a Christmas concert in December, plus three or four winter concerts during the quieter months, and some scattered concerts in June and July which we like to call \u2018warm-up concerts\u2019 before the summer festival,\u201d Elissa says.<\/p>\n

\u201cJohannes and I want to break the golden cage of classical music, to make it open to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

It looks like they have more than succeeded.<\/p>\n