“The most creative and interesting classical music festival in the country”

Music and Beyond Cancelled

Dear Friends,

I do hope you are keeping well at this very difficult time.

As we all know, due to the coronavirus crisis and the need for continued social distancing, the latest directives from the Province of Ontario leave us no choice but to cancel this summer’s Music and Beyond festival. While we are saddened to not go ahead with what was shaping up to be a truly exciting festival, we are fully supportive of these measures. Nothing is more important than the health and safety of all of our audiences, our volunteers, our artists, our staff, and the whole community.

Next year, the Music and Beyond festival will take place from July 4 – 17, 2021. I am delighted that most artists scheduled for 2020 have agreed to come to Ottawa in 2021. I am also working on a number of “virtual” performances for you to enjoy in your home this summer to replace the live concerts that we are not able to present. Our partnership with the Canadian Tulip Festival continues with 11 short concerts that you can enjoy each day from the comfort of your home.

With our 2021 festival, we will be entering our new decade, so stay posted!

As the world emerges from the enormous challenges of today, it is our goal to return an even stronger organization. To this end, I am very proud to say that I have kept all of our wonderful staff working for Music and Beyond. I am also finding as many ways as possible to support artists, many of whom have seen their livelihood evaporate.

Your support at this difficult time will help us ensure we can continue operations and present world-class programming for years to come.

If you have purchased tickets or passes to the 2020 Music and Beyond festival, we thank you!

You have four options:

1) We ask you to consider donating the value of your passes and tickets to Music and Beyond. You will receive a receipt for income tax purposes for the full amount you paid for your tickets, including all HST charged. This will help us to cover our operational costs and provide virtual programming (while supporting artists) until things return to normal.

2) We can defer the amount you paid as a credit towards future ticket purchases.

3) Should you choose a refund, please let us know.

4) You may wish to combine any or all of the above. Just let us know how you would like it divided.

We ask all ticket buyers and pass holders to contact us at boxoffice@musicandbeyond.ca.

Our offices have been closed since March 16th and they will remain closed until further notice. All staff are working from home, but can be reached via e-mail. If you would like to speak with someone, please call 613-241-0777 and leave a message. Someone will call you back.

We will update you regularly on future developments. We have many exciting projects planned for upcoming weeks. Below are links to the first two of eleven short concerts produced in partnership with the Canadian Tulip Festival. There are many more to come, and some fantastic virtual projects in the coming months!

I can’t thank you enough for your support of Music and Beyond. Like you, I am eager to see our world return to normal. This may take some time, but I very much look forward to sharing great music and exciting artistic programming with you again soon.

Donations are very much appreciated at this time. If you would like to make a donation to Music and Beyond, please click here.

You can also donate through Canada helps, please click here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail us at info@musicandbeyond.ca.

Please accept my very best wishes for ongoing good health. May music bring you great joy, hope, and comfort as we continue through these difficult times.

With warm greetings,

Julian Armour and the whole Music and Beyond team