Caledon Music Festival returns with 'Inside Stories'

By Riley Murphy, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Caledon Music Festival is back for 2025, running from August 2 to 31.

This year's theme is “Inside Stories” and will go into the depths of storytelling through music.

The Caledon Music Festival shared this season is about how music tells stories and can transport audiences to fantastical and otherworldly places, experienced through the canon's most beloved works.

The festival will feature 14 festival artists and five young artists.

Terry Lim, Artistic Director & General Manager for the Caledon Music Festival, said he has helped each musician to build their repertoire specifically for the festival.

This approach is quite different from what other festivals will typically do.

He explained that festivals often ask ensembles or musicians to present their typical concert, whereas Lim will work with the artists to build their repertoires together.

"A lot of these pieces were picked individually and put together, so we are very happy with the selections we made for each concert. These pieces have either backstories or personal stories we may have attached to these pieces," said Lim. "This season is all about storytelling and transporting audiences to someplace else, that's what we're aiming for this year.”

The festival kicks off on August 2 with Song and Dance, an outdoor concert at the Davis Family Farm.

Lim said the music pairs exceptionally well with the beautiful scenery of the sunflower farm.

He also spoke on how the Davis Family Farm allows the festival to occur on their grounds free of charge.

"As a thank you, we are donating some portion of the [admission] fee to the Celiac Disease Foundation," said Lim.

The Davis Family Farm donates one dollar for every admission to their farm to the Canadian Celiac Association, and knowing the importance of the cause, Lim wanted to donate a portion of their sales as well.

The festival will feature numerous other venues such as the Alton Mills Arts Centre and Westminster United Church.

The following three concerts are themed: Youthful Passion, featuring this year's young artists; A Journey into Cabaret and Broadway, which will delve into Chamber music; and The Grand Finale, which will wrap up the festival.

One special part of The Grand Finale, Lim shared, will be audience participation.

The audience will be able to participate in what is known as the Toy Symphony.

The term refers to a piece of work that includes toy instruments alongside traditional orchestral instruments.

Lim will invite the audience to come up and play these toy instruments.

He says he is always looking for ways to involve the audience, as he feels that it is the most important thing year in and year out.

He noted how he spends most of the time before, after, and during intermission of the concerts, getting to know the audience and hearing their feedback.

"It's really lovely to meet these people, because we do these concerts for them," said Lim.

Each concert will be jam-packed with world-class performers in beautiful settings.

Tickets for the festival are available for purchase at caledonmusicfest.ca ¹.

1. http://caledonmusicfest.ca