Opening Night Gala: The Genius of Mozart
Friday, July 11 at 7:30PM
Opening Night Gala:
The Genius
of Mozart
Friday, July 11, 2025 at 7:30PM
Gambrel Barn
7454 Wellington County Rd 21, Elora
$75/$65 Adult | $20 Student | $10 Child
Mark Vuorinen, conductor
Chelsea Ahn, piano
The Elora Singers
Musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Join us for an extraordinary evening of incredible music as we open the 46th Elora Festival with the brilliance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The concert opens with movements from his incomparable opera, Idomeneo, and continues with the elegant and radiant Piano Concerto in A Major, K.488, a work of sublime beauty and lyricism. Be captivated by sensational South Korean-Canadian pianist, Chelsea Ahn, in this work known for the emotional depth of its beloved Adagio movement.
The evening continues with the majestic and powerful Mass in C Minor, K.427. Often called the “Great Mass”, this monumental choral work from 1783 is a testament to Mozart’s mastery of sacred music. With dramatic arias, intricate fugues, and moments of profound spirituality, this Mass showcases the full range of Mozart’s genius.
Mark Vuorinen, 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. 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 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. Mark’s research interests include the study of contemporary choral literature from the Baltic States, and in particular, the music of Arvo Pärt. Mark was an invited lecturer at the Arvo Pärt Project’s Sounding the Sacred conference in New York City in May 2017. He is published in Circuit Musiques Contemporaines, the Research Memorandum Series of Chorus America, and Principles of Music Composing of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.
Chelsea Ahn, Piano
Recipient of the Debut Atlantic Award for Musical Excellence, Chelsea Ahn was recently named winner of the inaugural Robert W. and G. Ann Corcoran Concerto Competition. In November 2022, she made her Koerner Hall debut with the RCO under Tania Miller. She has studied at PianoTexas, Aspen Music Festival and School in 2022 under Arie Vardi and Anton Nel, and was chosen as one of nine pianists for the John Perry Summer Academy 2021. Chelsea has performed at Carnegie Hall, Harris Concert Hall, Steinway Gallery among others. She debuted with the Fredericton Symphony Orchestra and won first prizes at the VIVO International Competition, NB Provincial Senior Piano Competition, and has an ARCT Performance Diploma with First Class Honours with Distinction. Chelsea records for CBC, SBS, COC and “Music of My Life” series. She received tutelage from Akiko Ebi, Robert McDonald, Veda Kaplinsky, Ronan O’Hora, Jean Saulnier, John O’Conor, John Perry. After studying at the Phil and Eli Taylor Academy, Chelsea now studies at The Glenn Gould School under a full scholarship in the studio of James Anagnoson and Li Wang.
The Elora Singers
The Elora Singers, under the direction of Mark Vuorinen, has established an international reputation as one of Canada’s finest professional choirs. Founded in 1980, it is the ensemble-in-residence of the Elora Festival for three weeks eachsummer, in addition to presenting a regular concert series,producing recordings, and touring across Canada and internationally.
Musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Since 1945, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony has been the premiere orchestra in Waterloo Region, programming illustrious concert seasons throughout the years. After bankruptcy was announced at the beginning of the 2023-2024 concert season, the Musicians of the Kitchener Waterloo Symphony immediately self-organized and began a successful GoFundMe campaign that received overwhelming local, national, and international attention. With this groundswell of support, they focused on their mission to continue enriching the cultural life of Waterloo Region. In October 2024, the Symphony announced their return from bankruptcy and officially became the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony once more, and they continue to program illustrious concerts for the 2025 season.