Week of Water

Méli Mélo brings eclectic mix to Water Week

On Monday night, the Wellington United Church came alive with a diverse mix of classical pieces featuring a unique assembly of renowned artists including Ensemble Made In Canada, Yehonatan Berick and Dionysis Grammenos. The concept of the evening was to have each musician perform individually for the first act, and then join together for the second act to play the famous Brahms Clarinet Quintet as an ensemble. The dinner portion was between acts and was hosted by PICNIC PEC under a tent overlooking Lake Ontario, which did well to highlight the amazing connection between music and water. The cocktails for dinner were provided by Kinsip House of Fine Spirits and County Bounty Artisanal Soda Company.

The Canadian Opera Company’s musical director and organizer of Water Week, Johannes Debus even had a surprise, special guest, when he found out his friend Rufus Wainright would be attending the performance. For Debus, this week is not about selling out every show. It’s about programming beautiful music and laying the groundwork for future years.

“It’s been so fantastic to see the response to what we’ve accomplished in our first year. It’s also amazing to see how quickly the community rallied behind this festival. We are very pleased to be receiving this much support in our first year,” says Debus.

Wellington Water Week runs until August 31. Highlights for the upcoming week include two daytime events. Grammyaward winner Jennifer Gasoi will perform on Thursday, August 30 under the tent at 10:30 a.m. at 243 Main Street in Wellington. For a family friendly experience, head to the Wellington Town Hall on Friday, August 31 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. for Underwater, an augmented reality experience created for Water Week. Adults and kids can use virtual reality controllers to move through a video and audio landscape that simulates being immersed under water.