Windwood Music Festival 2024

Written By Maitreyi Muralidharan

It's almost time!! 



Dearest gentle readers…

Just kidding, hi everyone! Finished the latest Bridgerton season not too long ago, if you can’t tell. But that’s not why we’re here! Word on the street is that the new season of Windwood Music Festival starts in exactly one month! 

Which means that we have LOTS of updates to share with you! 

Last time we said hello, we were telling you about our Winter Festival. Since then, we have welcomed more members to our WMF team (Peggy Buzzard as Logistical Director and Lois Jones as Marketing Director, we know, we have the best team), we selected our resident artists for this year’s festival, finalized our collaborators, our programs, our venues… I told you we have lots to share!

First thing’s first: Meet our resident artists!

Hyewon Chang, piano, South Korea

Natalie Koh, violin, Singapore

Claire Hebeisen, violin, USA

Syara Robert, viola, USA

Adam Willson, cello, USA

A good-looking, talented, and stellar crew for sure!

As those who are acquainted with Windwood know, these residents are responsible for putting together their own events to share with the Airdrie community. They workshop these events before they get to Airdrie, and work with our guest mentors to polish their event design.

This year, we’re excited to welcome back Rory McLeod and Sara Hubberstey, who will be leading workshops for our residents on topics of inclusive and human-centered design, and we’re excited to welcome Justus Wachs, who will be leading a workshop on arts and environmental activism. 

Every year, we are blown away by the thoughtfulness, enthusiasm, and level of artistry that our residents put into their projects, and this year is no exception. Our residents will be doing projects in collaboration with the Airdrie Abilities Center, the Airdrie Public Library, Souto Farms, Didsbury Hospital, and the Airdrie Adult Daycare from August 7th-8th.

These events are all free to the public and family friendly! For more information, keep checking our website and our socials! We’ll be posting about these soon and often! 

But of course, we can’t forget our Mainstage Events! As you have probably seen by now, our theme is Steampunk for this season. We know, it’s very cool. Have questions? Take a look at this great article from Rocky Mountain Outlook! 
 

So, why steampunk? Well, we heard that there are a good few of you in and around Airdrie who are fans, and we are always looking for creative ways to incorporate classical music into things that our Airdrie community loves.

There are some overarching themes in Steampunk, like innovation, invention, rebellion, and exploration, that fit so well with the music of Shostakovich, Ravel, and countless others. Steampunk, like classical, also borrows from other genres, such as fantasy, historical fiction, and science fiction, and shares associations with a vast pool of genres in the same way as classical music does. It’s actually a perfect match, and these Mainstage Events will show you why.

Our first concert as a group, Like Clockwork, will actually be in Banff this year, where we will be performing at St. George in the Pines on August 4th! So to our Banff and surrounding family, come out and say hi!

As with all the concerts this season, you are encouraged to come dressed in your steampunk best. Don’t know where to start? Take a look at the article we posted a few paragraphs ago! Still need ideas? Follow our socials,where we’ll be answering all your questions! 

Our opening concert, Creep Cryptograms, and Kapustin, will take place at Bert Church Theater on August 9th, and of all of our incredible events, this might be the one we’re the most excited about. Not just because it showcases the very best of our incredible resident artists, but because we will also be collaborating with Claude LaPalme and members of the Red Deer Symphony on our final piece. Which, incidentally, features Tong and Maitreyi, your own Duo Perdendosi, as soloists. The piece, the Kapustin Concerto for Piano, Violin, and String Orchestra, encapsulates the steampunk vibe, borrowing from jazz, ragtime, country, blues, and so many other genres in a way that can best be described as a steampunk party. 

Get your ticket to the opening concert here!!

Following what will undoubtedly be an incredible opener, and continuing with the themes of steampunk and community collaboration, we present: Festival III: Steampunk Edition on August 10th from 11AM to 10PM at Chinook Winds Park.

Collaborators for this event are: Alicia Schnell, Calgary Civic Low Brass Quartet, Nose Creek Players, Airdrie Scots Pipe and Drums, Airdrie Community Choir, and of course, our very own Windwood musicians. This is a festival day in its truest form: a full-day of music, art, and community. We highly encourage you to bring your friends, some food, your pets, some chairs and blankets, and spend as many hours as you can with us. Because once day turns to night… well you’ll just have to come see. 

There are so many more details that we want to share with you, but for now, this is a good place to start! 

As always, thank you all, and follow our social media and website for updates! 

  

See you very soon! 
Maitreyi and Tong

Maitreyi Muralidharan

Critically recognized as “an accomplished violin soloist,” (CVNC) Maitreyi Muralidharan is an east coast based musician and an avid orchestral and chamber performer. They hold a Bachelor's Degree from the Peabody Institute of Music under the tutelage of Herbert Greenberg, a Master’s Degree and Professional Arts Certificate from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under the tutelage of Kevin Lawrence, and an Artist Diploma from McGill University under the tutelage of Violaine Melancon. Maitreyi was raised in North Carolina where they fostered a love for sharing music in group settings, whether in ensembles or as a teacher. They have also served as concertmaster of the Peabody Symphony Orchestra, Peabody Chamber Orchestra, UNCSA Symphony Orchestra, and was a member of the UNCSA Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute for two years. They have attended summer music festivals in Colorado, New York, Canada, North Carolina, Vermont, and Germany, and have performed as a chamber musician on international stages. As a musician who has dealt with severe injury, Maitreyi has had to find their own paths in the field of classical and contemporary music, and in that process, has grown a deep appreciation and love for connecting with the unconventional. They aim to share this idea of connection with all walks of life—the idea that being a musician is far more than what is understood or seen, and that one of the greatest joys is fostering a sense of community that can happen any time music is made. Outside of being an orchestral and chamber musician, Maitreyi enjoys working with and advising new music ensembles, assisting violinists with injuries to find creative and sustainable playing practices, and farming.

Next

2024 Winter Festival March 19-24 with the Windwood Trio!