I’ve found that there’s talent everywhere if you’re willing to look.
Across Grey-Bruce, there’s always another show you haven’t seen or a venue you haven’t visited. The Leith Church Summer Festival, or “LSF” as it’s often referred to, is Leith’s annual celebration of music and culture, and might just be your new favourite summer event.
Every June the opening gala concert hosts musicians from across Canada. The festival itself lasts all summer, with 5 different concerts starting this year on June 27th and running until August 29.
Most recently, I attended the Opening Gala on the 27th and got to rub shoulders with the artists, artistic director and the many happy attendees who were there for this sell out event.
If you’ve been in the Grey-Bruce-Simcoe area for long, you’ve certainly driven past at least a dozen unassuming churches. The Leith church is different. Its vintage red-brick exterior draped in vines beckons you to enter. Historically, most people know the church for Tom Thomson’s gravesite, where fans leave shrines of paintbrushes, coins, and notes.
Over a hundred years since its original construction, volunteers carefully restored the beauty of this historic building. Now, the converted venue features professional lights, air conditioning, sold-out shows, and a Steinway piano. Much of the original furnishings have been retained, including oil lamps (which are still lit!), hardwood floors, the fascinating pews with their individual doors as well as an authentic stained-glass window.
The gala highlighted eight musicians including the star of the show, jazz singer Jessica Lalonde. She was accompanied by the talented Adrean Farrugia Trio and the acclaimed Penderecki String Quartet.
The LSF is curated by the artistic director Jeremy Bell, who invited everyone to enjoy the “lustrous acoustic[s] of Leith Church set in the rolling hills of Grey County and revel in this offering of wondrous music.” Jeremy brings talent, international experience and a wealth of knowledge to his role. According to his mother, Sylvia Bell, he was “destined to be a great musician” recalling that at just 3 years old he made a violin out of driftwood and elastics. Thankfully he was given a real one at the age of four, or else we might’ve been out a great violinist!
The Leith Church is a single-room venue with a divider separating the smaller foyer from the larger main room. This intimate space means the night’s large cast of musicians had to carefully position themselves to avoid stepping on each other’s toes. Such a large ensemble in a small space created an experience that blew the audience away! The acoustics in this beautiful heritage building are truly amazing.
When we stepped outside during the intermission, we were reminded that Leith is about as rural of a town as it gets. We could smell freshly cut grass from the neatly kept grounds while we stared gazed across the road into a moonlit farmer’s field, watching a few cows amble away in the distance.
The most memorable song, and my personal favourite, was a “mashup of two very beloved songs”: “Over the Rainbow” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as Jessica LaLonde puts it. She wants the mashup to “speak to that inner child and that place of hope… that hopefully never goes away.”
Hearing so much sound in such a small space creates an indescribable energy – the kind that can only be experienced in person. I recommend you go experience it yourself for the next concert on July 12.
The Leith Summer Festival is one among many annual traditions hosted at the church, including a vibrant Country Market and barbecue. These events, found at www.leithchurch.ca, transform an otherwise quiet and serene historical site into a bustling centre for community connection. From classical and Celtic music to jazz, Leith pulls talent from across Canada (and sometimes internationally).
As long as there are stories to tell and music to share, these vintage wooden pews will undoubtedly remain filled for years to come!
So maybe next time you’re on a road trip, driving to the cottage, or visiting relatives, stop into Leith.
Across Grey-Bruce there are hidden treasures waiting to be discovered and places waiting to be explored. They’ll be shops you wouldn’t have seen, venues you haven’t visited, and an adventure yet to begin!
And if you’d like to have an experience like I just had, get your tickets through www.roxytheatre.ca for the next Summer Leith Festival concert on July 12. The Thalea String Quartet will be performing with Philip Chiu on piano. You’ll be glad you did.
Words and photos by Oscar Sheppard
