Project Niagara to Develop International Music Festival
A joint initiative by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Ottawa's National Arts Centre Orchestra is working to create an international music festival based in Niagara.
These two groups hired consultants to develop a feasibility study, and the region's local arts, culture and heritage committee is now looking at the proposal in more detail
The area, rich in other complementary industries such as wineries and restaurants, was the first region consider by both National Arts Centre president and CEO Peter Herrndorf and Toronto Symphony chief executive officer Andrew Shaw when they noticed the absence of a national music festival in Canada.
“The advantage is it has a brand name for international recognition," John Linton, a partner with Toronto-based TCI Management Consultants, explained. "Secondly, there are a number of related tourist infrastructures such as hotel quality, accommodations, interesting restaurants, wine tourism, Shaw Festival, the ambiance of Niagara-on-the-Lake and the Niagara Parks facilities."
Another advantage is the number of cultural and arts groups that already exist, such as the Niagara Symphony, Chorus Niagara, various art galleries including Rodman Hall, Grimsby Art Gallery and the Niagara-on-the-Lake Pumphouse and myriad theatre companies.
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