The "award-winning" New Hamburg Live!

Forgive me, but I must go on a bit about the just-completed New Hamburg Live! Festival of the Arts.
Nancy and I started this thing two years ago, with two admitted goals, and one slightly hidden agenda.
The first goal was to bring the best professional performers available to New Hamburg audiences. The second was to give local singers, writers and artists opportunities to shine.
The hidden agenda was to produce concerts and events that we would love to attend.
For two years running, mission accomplished.
As you may have read elsewhere, the success of the 2010 Festival was underscored on Sunday evening as we received the Kitchener-Waterloo Arts Scotiabank Award as Best New Festival or Event in 2009. We couldn't even be there to collect the award -- we were cleaning up after the final New Hamburg Live! concert -- but we could not be more proud of that accomplishment.
The 2010 Festival left us with a lot of things to be proud about, actually. And more importantly, the events once again gave us the chance to work with wonderful, generous people -- the performers and artists, our volunteers, and the people who attended the events.
For me, these were five days filled with highlights, which started well before the Festival opened its doors. As a bunch of us decorated the community centre (guided by the very talented Wayne and Kevin from Urban Country), we already knew something special was happening.
The opening gala was sold out -- a first for New Hamburg Live! -- and the Toronto All-Star Big Band was terrific. On Wednesday afternoon, one of the band's roadies was sweating profusely, hauling heavy equipment, moving risers, working like a fiend. I was impressed with his energy.
I was even more impressed that evening, when the same guy showed up on stage in a very sharp suit as one of their featured singers. That kind of attitude -- "I'll do anything for the cause" -- lies at at the heart of New Hamburg Live! We have volunteers who gladly take on any task, just so the show can go on. It's really impressive.
Thursday's Gilbert & Sullivan night was a delight, as some of my favourite singers (including my voice teacher, Erin Bardua), not only sang astonishingly well, but also showed their comic acting abilities.
The sleeper hit of our festival was the Capella Intima concert Friday afternoon, as six talented musicians entranced a full house at St. George's church with the music sung by nuns in the 1600's in a program created by tenor Bud Roach. People are still taking about the magic of those moments.
Friday night was historic, as the Elmer Iseler Singers came to New Hamburg, happy to be "back home", and introduced by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic talk by author/educator/politician Walter Pitman. We were very touched that Jessie Iseler chose this occasion for a presentation of a significant Canadian literary award to Dr. Pitman, honouring his book, "Elmer Iseler, Choral Visionary".
The four fabulous singers of Quartette were with us on Saturday night. They told us after the well-attended concert that they had had a ball, and would come back any time. I love their music (see "hidden agenda", above), so when I got the chance to talk to Caitlin Hanford for 20 minutes before the show, I was thrilled. I wanted to talk about their music; she wanted to talk about gardening.
We talked about gardening. It was fun. She's a vibrant, interesting person.
And Sunday afternoon was amazing, as Ken Whiteley again brought his band to town to join Vicki St. Pierre and the New Hamburg Live Mass Choir, pianist Caitlin Hayes, and the very talented Tom Cummings on vibraphone. That was an event full of highlights, especially the moment when our great friend Vicki -- a well known operatic mezzo soprano who performs internationally -- set arias aside and belted out an incredible gospel song. It was spellbinding.
There were super author events organized by Kristen Hahn, and a fascinating art show presented by 16 artists in eight New Hamburg businesses. I mention this last because, if you missed the Festival, the art show continues for a week or two in most venues, so you have one more chance to see at least a bit of our award-winning (did I mention "award-winning"?) New Hamburg Live! Festival of the Arts.
And a word to the proactive -- book June 1-5, 2011. We'll be back!