Dario Balca, Centretown News
Owner of DiVino wine studio Eric Diotte (R) and local sommelier Julie Ricard pose at the company’s Little Italy location on March 5, 2015. DiVino will host the Big 8 wine tasting event on March 26, showcasing top wines from around the world. Organizers of the annual Music and Beyond festival are hosting a wine auction on March 27 at city hall, with proceeds to go towards expenses for this year’s events to be held from July 14 to 17.
Music and Beyond is a relatively new classical music and arts festival in the city.
Julian Armour, artistic executive director of the festival and an accomplished cellist who also performs during the two-week event, started the musical celebration in 2010. He said that he had really started to notice “a strong erosion” of interest in classical music in the region and wanted to do something about it.
The upcoming wine auction in Ottawa is the first of its kind in connection with the festival. Music and Beyond supporters have donated wines from their personal collections to be sold at the auction, including many rare and high-value bottles.
The featured wines will vary in both quality and dollar value, ranging around $15 to more than $1,000.
Armour says this variety in wine selection is meant to create a more inviting atmosphere so that everyone can enjoy the experience.
“We have a number of really spectacular bottles,” says Armour, including many highly sought after French wines such as Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Lafite Rothschild and others.
The Music and Beyond festival itself is also full of variety. Armour says when he first had the idea to organize the festival, he sought to start an event that would really spark people’s interest and allow them to experience art from a new perspective.
During the two-week summer event, many musical concerts are featured alongside other art forms. These pairings are meant to broaden the audience’s understanding of each piece, both alone and together. For example, in previous years, the event included concerts accompanied by gourmet dishes designed to compliment the music.
“I’ve always had this idea of mixing classical music and linking it to other art forms and disciplines so that it’s more relevant,” says Armour.
The festival is held at a number of different venues in the downtown area, including the National Arts Centre, the National Gallery, the Canadian Museum of Nature, a number of local churches and a musical boat cruise down the Rideau Canal. Other locations outside of the city’s central area include the Diefenbunker Museum in Carp, northwest of Kanata.
The idea, says Armour, is to allow people to experience music in diverse settings as well as different genres.
“We’re trying to make it full of so many different activities, to make it really fun and make sure every evening is totally different,” says Armour. The event is very family oriented, designed to spark everyone’s interest through music, dance, visual art and food.
Music and Beyond staff host several different fundraising events throughout the year in order to cover the festival expenses. Concerts, online auctions and crowd funding are just a few examples.
The auction will feature a wine and cheese registration at 6 p.m. The bidding is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. There are no musical performances during the event, though there will be art on display. Stephen Ranger, one of Canada’s leading auctioneers, will host the event. Ranger has more than 25 years experience at wine auctions in Canada.