Purcell String Quartet - First performance 1981 with Leigh Cross - Photo by Bob Cain

Come and celebrate 30 years of the Hornby Festival. This year, we will honour all those who started and perpetuated our festival - a Canadian success story - throughout the years. Our celebration will start with a rare half-hour performance by the Purcell String Quartet (Norman Nelson, violin; Philippe Etter, viola; Ian Hampton, cello; Adrian Dolan, 2nd violin). They are our honoured guests, who have been central to our festival and its history. Our art show will feature new work by Michael Hornsby, whose stunning work hangs on the outside of the Hall. His work will be accompanied by an archival show of the history of the festival and memories from some of the significant voices from the past. This will be an evening to remember!

The Purcell String Quartet

Classical
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The Purcell String Quartet first performed at the Hornby Festival in 1980. They performed the Beethoven string quartets over several evenings. They returned to the Hornby Festival for many years and gave their last concert here in 1991. One cannot over-emphasize their contribution to our festival over the many years they performed here. The Purcell String Quartet was founded in 1968 by four first-chair players in the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Performing for us will be Norman Nelson, violin; Philippe Etter, viola; Ian Hampton, cello; Adrian Dolan, 2nd violin.

Michael Hornsby

Throughout the Festival at the Hall
The reception will also open our visual art show, an exhibit of exciting new and rarely seen work by Michael Hornsby. This multi-media artist makes exclusive use of found objects as the inspiration for his creations. We are pleased to present this work by Michael Hornsby, whom we all know from his installations hanging on the outside of the Hall. The exhibition will feature an illuminated installation and survey of new and re-constituted elements focusing on the mutable nature of the artist's work as it has evolved over time.

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Scottish-born Canadian David Francey is a much-loved and celebrated multi-award-winning folk singer-songwriter. He has won three JUNO awards over the past five years, along with many other accolades. He is a favourite on the North American folk festival circuit and beyond. He rose to the forefront of Canadian folk circles in 1999 with the release of Torn Screen Door. He has released eight CDs to date. His most recent is Seaway, a collaboration with Mike Ford of Moxy Früvous fame, with songs based on their voyage on the M.V. Algoville. We have been trying to bring David Francey to our festival for years.

"A consummate craftsman... David Francey is one of the biggest stars of Canadian folk Music"
—Words & Music - SOCAN Magazine

Opening: Andrea Neumann

Professional violinist Andrea Neumann combines classical virtuosity and her passion for fiddle to bring you a line-up of tunes that will make you giddy! Proud to be "locals" for the past year, Andrea and her hubby Graham (at the keys) have performed together for 14 years.

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The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra is an acoustic sound explosion that was born in the indie scene of Victoria, B.C. They are a high energy dance band that plays an eclectic mix of ska, reggae, Latin rhythms, Russian folk songs and hip hop, all done acoustically. Defying classification, their music includes African rhythms, fast-paced ska guitar, Balkan-esque accordion, melodic bass lines, futuristic fiddling and gang vocals. They are now recognized as one of Western Canada's most exciting young folk bands. They have just released their third album, recorded this winter. The band is comprised of El Mapache (accordion, vocals), Patrick "the future" M'Gonigle (violin, vocals), Kurt "Food Stamp" Loewen (guitar, vocals), Pão Cortez (djembe, vocals) and Pete "el lobo" Mynett (stand up bass).

"Their infectious stage presence is an irresistible assault of crazed gypsy-ska-folk-grass mayhem"
—New World Theatre

Opening: Breagan Smith

Long-term Hornby blues favourite Breagan Smith's explosive vocals and original songs will be sure to get the farm hopping.

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Oliver Swain (formerly in The Bills, the Duhks, Red Stick Ramblers and Outlaw Social) presents his new hugely successful band, Big Machine. This will be a six-piece all star band from Victoria, including Emily Braden (vocals), Adrian Dolan (fiddle), and Kelby MacNayr (percussion), all of whom have graced our festival stage. Oliver Swain is Canada's quintessential folk and traditional musician. With his pure, finely tuned vocals that have an astonishing range, and his undeniable skill behind a banjo or upright bass, Oliver grabs the attention of all who hear him, and holds it with his enormous sound and stature. Swain's career on the stage has seen him tour through much of North America, Australia and Europe.

"Absolutely amazing stuff. I was mesmerized from start to finish... In a Big Machine is poised to be one of the best albums of 2011, regardless of genre."
—Calgary Folk Music Festival

Opening: The Stowaways

Come out and see Hornby Island's Pete Reid and his Vancouver Island quartet, The Stowaways, comprised of great musicians, with a performance that demonstrates their love for Old Time fiddling, Bluegrass, sailboats and West Coast living.

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An extremely energetic 11-piece Afro-funk collective out of Montreal, Papa Groove has a powerhouse brass section, relentlessly convincing rhythm section and fabulous R&B/soul-tinged vocals! All the rave reviews say it will be impossible to stay in your seats! Montreal native Sebastian Francisco, the band's writer and singer, is joined by 12 of the most versatile musicians in Canada. Each have numerous projects in a variety of genres to their credit, but it’s a good bet that none of them on their own can be as much of a blast as Papa Groove.

They have promised to deliver a lot of Latin flavour, for all those who were so looking forward to Wil Campa's Cuban beats.

Opening: Jill Candlish

Jill Candlish has been singing and writing Folk and Ballad songs during her 30 years living on Hornby, performing in the Balkan Trio, The Family Band, and Amani Marimba. More recently, she is enjoying studying and performing songs in the Jazz and Latin style.

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This huge evening of dancing under the maple tree is back by popular demand. No matter your age or experience, if you love traditional fiddle music and kicking up your heels, this is not to be missed! Adrian Dolan (fiddle, accordion, piano) is a sought-after multi-instrumentalist. He has toured worldwide with JUNO-nominated folk outfit The Bills and has recorded and performed with Ridley Bent, Ruth Moody, Barney Bentall, The Arrogant Worms, and Cape Breton's Rankin Sisters. Our dance caller Anne Glover has a love for folk dance, fostered in Ontario and Quebec, where she immersed herself in the vibrant traditional dance and music scene. Mark Sullivan (fiddle, guitar) is a six-time Canadian Fiddle Champion. He has been awarded the title of Canadian Grand Master on three occasions and is revered by many as an authority on Canadian fiddling. Mark has toured extensively performing alongside such names as The Chieftains, John McDermott, and Leahy.

No Opening Band

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The Hornby Festival began with a Beethoven series performed by the Purcell String Quartet and we return to the work of this brilliant and profound composer in a three-evening series to mark our 30th anniversary. Preparing and performing the complete Beethoven violin and piano sonatas is a very important achievement in a musician's life. Such an accomplishment can only come as a result of many years of collaboration. The Gleusteen/Ordronneau duo has been repeatedly praised for the profound unity in their interpretations and the intensity and unmistakable commitment to their music-making. After ten years of giving recitals all over the world and recording award-winning CDs, Calgary-born violinist Kai Gleusteen and French pianist Catherine Ordronneau have mastered this immense project.

For the audience, it is a rare experience to follow the great composer's evolution and discover his seemingly limitless imagination. It is as enjoyable as it is educational: to hear how an "Allegro" in D major is composed and performed, compared to an "Allegro con spirito" in E-flat major, compared a few years later. It's fascinating to hear the famous "Spring" and "Kreutzer" sonatas in the context of other equally beautiful sonatas that are seldom performed. While you may attend just one or two of these concerts, we highly recommend that you take in all three to delve into the life and music of this remarkable composer. Don't miss the preshow talks given by this charming and knowledgeable husband and wife team.

"Both performers are exceptional musicians. Elegant, they played with intensity and unmistakable commitment to the music, searching out the most exquisite ways to shape and phrase melodies and to gently underline expressive harmony."
—The Calgary Herald

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Acclaimed for her 'intuitive sensitivity' (Montreal Gazette) and her 'thrilling top range, rare breath control, and an awesome legato' (Globe and Mail), soprano Martha Guth has emerged onto the international classical music scene as a finely developed and persuasive artist (first prize in the Wigmore Hall International Competition in 2007, a career grant from the Canada Council, and 2nd Prize in the CBC's Young Musicians Competition). In her young career, she has already sung under the batons of leading conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Richard Bradshaw, Robert Spano, and Helmut Rilling. Guth will be accompanied by Erika Switzer on piano, widely known for her brilliant, expressive, and technically confident playing. Throughout Europe, North America, and South Africa, Switzer has been praised for her ability to match emotional playing to dramatic texts.

This performance is presented as part of the Windsor Plywood Spectacular Music BC concert series, a project of MusicFest Vancouver.

". . . from the first notes the atmosphere in the hall changed. It was one of those magical moments."
—Opera Now

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Illustrator Rae Maté has exhibited widely, taught art to preschoolers and illustrated the children's picture book, CROCODILES SAY... Rae will read from her new book, Pussycat Pussycat, Where Have You Been? written by Dan Bar-el, for ages preschool to adult.

Deirdre Baker is the author of Becca at Sea and co-author of A Guide to Canadian Children's Books. She reviews children's books for the Toronto Star and teaches children's literature at the University of Toronto. Deirdre will read from her work-in-progress, Becca, Foul and Fair (ages 7 & up), a sequel to Becca at Sea.

Kit Pearson's books have been published worldwide. She has won fourteen awards for her writing, including the Vicky Metcalf Award. Kit will read from her new book, The Whole Truth (ages 8 and up). After the readings, Rae will lead an art workshop inspired by the stories that were read. Squirmy younger kids will be able to do some artwork during the stories for older kids.

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Anne Glover is a well-loved children's entertainer and consultant based in Victoria. For years, she has enchanted audiences with her stories and string games, and inspired educators with her innovative approaches to education. Anne has appeared at countless schools, festivals, and conferences across the continent, and has performed her original stories on CBC radio, in both English and French. She is a polished, engaging entertainer with humourous wisdom and an infectious enthusiasm for life. Anne returns to Hornby with her mind-bending string stories and a delicious comedic sense of mischief.

"I have never seen a show that held the entire school spellbound for a whole hour the way you did. It was wonderful! The mix of English and French was perfect!"
—Principal, Centennial Park Elementary School

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