Harbourfront Announces Summer Music in the Garden Concerts

By Lori Bosworth

There are so many reasons to love Toronto’s Harbourfront including a bustling boardwalk, invigorating view of Toronto Harbour and the Toronto Islands and free concerts at the Toronto Music Garden. Harbourfront Centre has just announced its Summer Music in the Garden free concert series for 2015. The free concerts, sponsored by TD Bank Group, begin July 2, 2015 and run to September 13, 2015, taking place most Thursdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m.

With 17 free concerts, the Summer Music in the Garden series will showcase more than 55 artists throughout the summer.

This summer’s performances range from a world premiere by First Nations (Odawa) composer Barbara Croall to the talents of guitarist Calum Graham, to virtuosic arias written for London’s Covent Garden Opera House and sung by countertenor Michael Taylor.

Here are some of the highlights of the Summer Music in the Garden series for summer 2015:

• Sunday, July 5 – Guided by Voices: Elinor Frey demonstrates her command of the five-string cello through J.S. Bach’s Sixth Suite for Solo Cello, her own transcripts of violin music by Telemann and Brenda, as well as commissioned works by Scott Godin and Isaiah Ceccarelli.
• Thursday, July 30 – Impressions: Toronto-based Ton Beau String Quartet performs Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major and Bill Rowson’s String Quartet No. 1.
• Thursday, August 27 – Ancient Echoes, New Beats: Nagata Shachu returns to the Music Garden with hypnotic taiko drumming.
• Thursday, September 3 – Arrelumbre: Light after Dark: Ventanas performs music from Mediterranean lands including Flamenco, Balkan, Turkish, Sephardic, and original composition.

Toronto Botanical Gardens offers free tours of the Toronto Music Garden from June 20, 2015 through September. Self-guided tours are also available with audio players that can be rented at the Marina Quay West office, 539 Queens Quay West.

After enjoying Summer Music in the Garden concerts, you may want to check out one of the best patios at Harbourfront: the Amsterdam Brewhouse at Harbourfront. You cannot beat the view on the patio, the food is several notches above typical patio food, and the prices are reasonable. Happy summer!