IN THE LIGHT OF MOZART

NEXUS, RICHARD GOODE & LEIPZIG QUARTET TO PLAY INAUGURAL SEASON

April 27, 2006 (Toronto) - Artistic Director Agnes Grossmann today announced the launch of the new Toronto Summer Music Festival, taking place July 24 - August 20 at the MacMillan Theatre in Toronto. The theme of the 20-plus inaugural concerts is "In The Light of Mozart," celebrating the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth.

"This music festival is like no other in Ontario," said world-renowned conductor Grossmann. "It is bringing outstanding international musicians to Toronto to perform with our most celebrated Canadian artists."

Canada's leading percussion ensemble NEXUS will open the four-week celebration with a gala opening concert featuring four world premieres. NEXUS is internationally recognized for their improvisational skills and innovative and diverse percussion programs.

Included in the festival line-up are pianist Richard Goode, the Leipzig String Quartet, pianist Menahem Pressler and violinist Ian Swensen and Toronto's own Gryphon Trio. Pre-performance lectures by music theorist Dr. David Beach and Iain Scott, Canada's leading expert on opera, will be open to the public.

The festival concludes with four fully staged performances of Mozart's opera Don Giovanni, conducted by Grossmann, directed by Michael Patrick Albano and performed by some of Canada's finest singers and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. This is the first fully staged performance of Don Giovanni in Toronto since 2004.

Artistic Director Agnes Grossmann has previously lead several illustrious arts organizations including Montreal's Metropolitan Orchestra, the Vienna Choir Boys, Chamber Players of Toronto and the Orford Arts Centre.

The Toronto Summer Music Festival runs concurrently with an academy training program providing advanced music instruction and performance opportunities to musicians at the threshold of their professional careers.

The Toronto Summer Music Academy and Festival (TSMAF) is a project of the Silver Creek Music Foundation. The 2006 Toronto Summer Music Festival is sponsored by the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Community Foundation and the Austrian Embassy's Cultural Forum.

Tickets can be ordered online at www.torontosummermusic.com or by calling
1-888-222-6608.

For more information:
Sarah Kiriliuk, SISU Publicity
647-283-1766
Sarah_kiriliuk@sisupublicity.ca