By Rob Saunders
\nGeneral Manager, Huntsville Festival of the Arts<\/p>\n
Photos supplied.<\/em><\/p>\n They say \u201ctime flies when you\u2019re having fun\u201d and the fact the Huntsville Festival of the Arts is celebrating its 25th<\/sup> anniversary season this year certainly supports that adage.<\/p>\n Started in 1993, by Toronto promoters, Attila Glatz and Susan Alberghini, along with local business owners Jim and Jane Alexander, the Festival drew on the support of a number of local business people and arts lovers, as well as the generosity of Deerhurst Resort, to undertake a fairly ambitious first season, running the first two weeks in July.<\/p>\n Initially more classically focused, the Festival was anchored by conductor Kerry Stratton and the 40-piece \u2018Festival\u2019 orchestra, comprised of professional musicians from top orchestras around Ontario. For the next 12 summers the orchestra took up residence for a two week period, billeting with local residents, and performing four or more concerts each season. Some early years’ highlights include the inaugural opening concert by The Canadian Brass, supreme soprano Maureen Forrester, jazz greats Peter Appleyard and Rob McConnell, and a number of professionally mounted Gilbert & Sullivan plays.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the attempts by Glatz to create an international presence, along the lines of the Tanglewood Festival in northern New York state, proved a bit ambitious and by year four Jim Alexander and local businessmen Hugh Mackenzie and Bruce Evans stepped in to take a leadership role. The local Board of Directors took a more active role in decision making and program planning and in December 1996 a General Manager position was created, recognizing the growing demands of the organization.<\/p>\n At the same time, changes to the Deerhurst stage facility forced the Festival to seek a new summer home, and the Grandview Tennis Court theatre was born. Possessing reasonable acoustics, the facility provided the Festival a home for the next nine seasons. While the majority of concerts were at the main theatre, the Festival continued to use venues throughout the community, including Pioneer Village (now Muskoka Heritage Place), both Trinity and All Saints church halls and the old Town Hall theatre. Extended to a three week run, there were many magical moments at each of these venues.<\/p>\n Who can forget our first Hawksley show with a young singer named Serena Ryder opening the show? It\u2019s safe to say he\u2019s been the only artist in our history who sported a feather boa, a megaphone and jeans held together with safety pins. Another memorable feature was the resurrecting of the Festival ticket booth every year at the Royal Bank corner of Main and West streets. During those earlier years the booth provided a real connection and a very visible presence for the Festival (as well an informal outlet for the Chamber of Commerce).<\/p>\n In the late 90\u2019s and early 2000\u2019s the Festival had very little competition for the entertainment dollar and there was an anticipation and fierce loyalty to the summer season, from local and seasonal residents. The opening of the Algonquin Theatre in 2005 changed the artistic landscape for the better, but there were some drawbacks. Patrons certainly didn\u2019t miss the flat floor of the tennis courts, or the horrendous parking and lining up to get into the Grandview theatre, but in some ways the whole process had an appeal and made shows an event. With the comfort and easy access offered by the Algonquin Theatre, where there are no bad seats, patrons can arrive five minutes before show time, settle in to their seats and enjoy the evening\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n With the opening of the theatre in May of 2005 the Festival expanded its scope to provide year round programming. An added benefit was the ability to plan ahead in setting its artistic lineup, a luxury it did not have in earlier years when HFA would often not be able to confirm the availability of performance venue until January or February.<\/p>\n Looking back over the past 13 years, the Algonquin Theatre, through Festival programming, has played host to a plethora of world class artists. International stars such as the Harlem Gospel Choir, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, the Soweto Gospel Choir and folk legend Arlo Guthrie have graced our stage. Closer to home, artists like Jim Cuddy (on his own and with Blue Rodeo), Jesse Cook, Colm Wilkinson, Measha Brueggergosman, John McDermott, Alan Doyle and Natalie MacMaster, among many others, have made their way into Huntsville\u2019s heart.<\/p>\n\n\t\t