Two recent scientific studies offer new evidence that the bursting of a glacial dam on Lake Agassiz 8,200 years ago rapidly drained the largest lake ever and plunged the Earth into a 300-year ice age.

These papers (published in the National Academy of Sciences and Quaternary Science Reviews) support the ground-breaking theory, first advanced by University of Manitoba geologist Jim Teller, which argues that the ancient outburst (perhaps even the origins of the biblical flood story) would have played havoc with ocean circulation patterns and salinity levels, the very same factors scientists believe will be key to determining the contemporary effects of climate change. (Randy Boswell, CanWest News.)

So while it may be true that the Agassiz Music Festival doesn’t per se hold the key to the world’s environmental challenges…Lake Agassiz is certainly part of the past, and our festival is both part of the present and of the future. As we now know, presentday climate change comes not from Lake Agassiz, but from mankind’s own deeds. So, whereas in the Sixties the slogan ran “Make love, not war,” we say: “Make music, not war!”

As the Greeks understood so well, classical music, or art music, is not simply entertainment. Music emanates from the muses within us all, essential parts of our psyche, and we lose that connection at our peril, as perhaps climate change is showing us. So in this year’s Festival, we are celebrating the nine muses of Ancient Greece as well as the 180th Anniversary of the Austrian genius, Franz Schubert. Thenine muses of Greek mythology were goddesses of the arts and sciences, and were the daughters of Zeus, the king of the gods, and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory. To represent these Greek gods and goddesses, we have assembled another wonderful group of international artists from across North America to share their passion, flair and inspiration with us. With a range of expression from Aboriginal wisdom to the wild energy of Japanese drumming, from the negro spiritual to the joy of the Spanish fandango, from the astronomical transcendence of Alfred Schnittke to the poignant comedy of Charlie Chaplin, from the evocative French romanticism of Fauré to Schubert’s sublime Trout Quintet, from the Mozart gem to the sensual Brazilian samba, we celebrate life, and we invite you to join us for nine concerts, hand in hand with nine muses, in nine voyages around Mount Olympus.

Welcome to the 9th Agassiz Chamber Music Festival!

Paul Marleyn
Artistic Director