Celebrating 46 Years

As Canada's International Choral Festival

ABOUT

Now in its 45th season, the Elora Festival has established a reputation as Canada’s international choral festival, presenting world-class choirs and vocal ensembles over three weeks in July in the artists village of Elora, “Ontario’s most beautiful village”.

The Festival's ensemble-in-residence is The Elora Singers, one of Canada's finest professional chamber choirs.

The choir performs throughout the three weeks of the festival, both with solo concerts and in collaboration with guest artists and ensembles. The Elora Festival and The Elora Singers are both led by Artistic Director Mark Vuorinen.

The Elora Festival has presented such internationally-recognized choirs as the Vancouver Chamber Choir, Chanticleer, Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal , the Trinity College Choir, the State Choir LATVIJA and such vocal ensembles as VOCES8, Cantus, The Gesualdo Six, and others.

Additional guest artists include such celebrated luminaries as Maureen Forrester, Gordon Lightfoot, Holly Cole, Sarah McLachlan, Moe Kaufman, Dame Cleo Laine, Jesse Cook, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Andre Laplante, Dame Kiri te Kanawa, Randy Bachman, Ben Heppner, Chantal Kreviazuk, Natalie Macmaster and Measha Brueggergosman.

Mark-Vuorinen-PS3000

Mark Vuorinen, Artistic Director and Conductor

Mark Vuorinen is Artistic Director and Conductor of The Elora Singers and the Elora Festival and Waterloo Region's Grand Philharmonic Choir.  He is also Associate Professor and Chair of Music at Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo and is the President of Choirs Ontario. A recipient of many awards, Mark was the 2016 Laureate of the Ontario Arts Council's Leslie Bell Prize, and received a 2016 National Choral Award from Choral Canada (Association of Canadian Choral Communities) for his research on Estonian composer Arvo Pärt.  Mark holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Toronto and Master of Music degree from Yale University's School of Music and Institute of Sacred Music.

Christina Stelmacovich, Manager, Elora Festival and Singers

Christina Stelmacovich is an accomplished arts administrator and choral professional with over 30 years of experience in the Canadian music scene. Her career spans roles as both a performer and administrator, working with some of Canada's most distinguished professional choral ensembles. As a vocalist, she has performed with groups such as the Elmer Iseler Singers, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Choir 21, and The Elora Singers, contributing to the rich choral tradition of Canada.

Christina’s artistic administration began with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, where she honed her skills as a student in arts administration. She has since taken on significant leadership roles, including serving as the Manager of the St. James Parish Choir and the Artistic Director of a Bach Canata series entitled “Cantatas in the Cathedral, and later managing the prestigious Elora Singers. In her current role as Manager of the Elora Festival and Singers, she continues to be a vital force in the growth and success of one of Ontario’s most renowned choral festivals, bringing her extensive experience and passion for choral music to the forefront of the arts community. 

Alan Macdonald, Manager, Development & Operations

Alan Macdonald is the Manager, Development & Operations. He has over 12 years of experience as a leader in artistic administration, working with organizations like The Royal Conservatory’s ARC Ensemble, The Vancouver Chamber Choir, The Glenn Gould School’s Rebanks Family Fellowship Program, and, before joining the Elora Festival & Singers, as the Executive Director for That Arts Group.

The Elora Festival
Elora Centre For The Arts
75A Melville Street
Elora, ON  •  N0B 1S0
Phone: (519) 846-0331

STAFF

Mark Vuorinen, Artistic Director and Conductor
Christina Stelmacovich, Manager, Elora Festival & Singers
Alan Macdonald, Manager, Development & Operations
Evangeline Drost, Marketing and Box Office Coordinator
Ben Taylor, IT Consultant

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Julie Wilson, Board Chair
Legal Resources & Innovation Lawyer
Gowling WLG

Peter Barr, FCA, FCPA, Past Chair
Retired Deloitte Partner

Justin Gorgi, Treasurer
Accounting Manager
Chartered Professional Accountant
Calibre LLP


Ken Frey
President
Frey Consulting

Sarah Gardiner
Program Manager
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

Brad Halls
Retired Lawyer

 

Alex Miller
President
ESRI Canada Limited

Ken Seiling
Retired Regional Chair
Regional Municipality of Waterloo

Denise Williams
Artistic Director/Producer
Singer, Teacher, Adjudicator