10 Reasons to Head to Parry Sound This Summer for the Festival of the Sound
Every July and August, something remarkable happens on the shores of Georgian Bay. The Festival of the Sound — now in its 47th season — transforms Parry Sound into one of Canada’s great summer music destinations. It draws world-class performers and passionate audiences to the stunning Charles W. Stockey Centre from July 22 to August 8. Whether you’re a lifelong classical music lover or someone who simply wants a gorgeous reason to spend time in cottage country, here are ten things not to miss in 2026:
1. Opening Night with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada — July 22 There’s no better way to kick off a festival than with one of Canada’s most celebrated orchestras. The National Youth Orchestra opens the season with a programme featuring Bach, Copland’s Appalachian Spring, Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, and Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2, with rising star Kevin Chen as soloist. A landmark evening on the shores of Georgian Bay.
2. Anagnoson & Kinton: 50 Years of Music — July 23 This is a genuine milestone. James Anagnoson and Leslie Kinton, one of Canada’s most celebrated piano duos, mark their 50th anniversary together with a programme featuring Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Dvo?ák, Brahms, and more — with projected paintings by artist Alan Stein adding a visual dimension to the performance. Fifty years of partnership on stage is something worth witnessing.
3. Six Pianos on One Stage — Orford Six Pianos — July 24 This is exactly what it sounds like, and it is every bit as spectacular. The Orford Six Pianos celebrate their 20th anniversary with music by Bernstein, De Falla, Prokofiev, and Offenbach — six grand pianos filling the Stockey Centre stage simultaneously. It’s a visual and sonic spectacle that you simply won’t see anywhere else this summer.
4. The Viennese Café — July 25 Viennese glamour descends on Georgian Bay for an evening of famous opera arias and beloved waltzes, performed by an outstanding ensemble including soloists Leslie Fagan, Allyson McHardy, and Colin Ainsworth. This is the festival at its most celebratory and fun — a festive night that feels like the best kind of dinner party you’ve ever been invited to.
5. A Dixieland Cruise on Georgian Bay — July 27 Board the Island Queen at Parry Sound’s Town Dock for an evening cruise with the Juno-nominated Dixie Demons bringing lively Dixieland jazz to the water. Fresh air, the beauty of Georgian Bay, and irresistible rhythms — this one is as much about the setting as the music, and the setting is pretty hard to beat.
6. Bach and Beethoven by Candlelight — July 28 & August 4 Two of the festival’s most beloved recurring events, these intimate candlelit evenings at the Stockey Centre are the perfect introduction for anyone new to classical music — and a reliable favourite for those who aren’t. Bach by Candlelight on July 28 weaves through the Air on the G String, Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring, and more. Beethoven by Candlelight on August 4 explores the full dramatic range of the composer, from thunderous outbursts to moments of quiet wit. Both are Pay What You Can — making them two of the best-value evenings in the entire festival.
7. Big Sound Tuesdays — Free Events All Festival Long Not every highlight costs a thing. Every Tuesday throughout the festival, Parry Sound fills with free and by-donation events that make the music genuinely accessible to everyone. Yoga & Classics on the Stockey Deck at 9am, ChamberKids at the Public Library, the outdoor Bands on the Bay concerts featuring the Whispering River Orchestra (July 28) and Chameleon (August 4), an Indigenous storytelling performance called Spirit Horse, and the wonderful Parry Sound Air Orchestra family concert — inspired by a local children’s book — are all part of a programme designed to bring the community together around music. These events alone make a day trip to Parry Sound well worth the drive.
8. Payadora with Tom Allen: The Legend of Carau — July 31 One of the most distinctive events of the season, this multimedia journey into Argentine folklore blends passionate tango music, storytelling, and dance into a single unforgettable performance. CBC radio host and festival favourite Tom Allen guides the audience through the legend, with the extraordinary ensemble Payadora providing the soundtrack. Preceded by a Tango Reception at 6pm to set the mood.
9. A Transfigured Night — August 5 The most immersive evening of the second week brings together legendary pianist Janina Fialkowska, the Viano String Quartet, cellist Cameron Crozman, and acclaimed actor Christopher Gaze for a programme featuring Schubert, Liszt, and Chopin, woven together with visual art, poetry, and wine. Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht — the Transfigured Night of the title — provides the centrepiece. This one is for those who want their concert to feel like an experience.
10. Kevin Chen Returns — August 7 & 8 Fresh from his Silver Medal win at the 2025 International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, pianist Kevin Chen returns to Parry Sound for two events in the final days of the festival. Catch him in an afternoon chamber concert on August 7 with Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Clara Schumann, then again on August 8 for the closing National Academy Orchestra concert. A genuine rising star, on a Georgian Bay stage.
The Festival of the Sound runs July 22 to August 8, 2026 at the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts, 2 Bay Street, Parry Sound. Tickets and passes available at festivalofthesound.ca or by calling 1-866 364-0061.