


Over the years, Westben has sold over 100,000 tickets and involved more than 10,000 learners. Since inception, Westben has presented over 500 concerts featuring several hundred artists ranging from Angela Hewitt, Gerald Finley and James Ehnes to Oliver Jones, Jeremy Dutcher and Autorickshaw. It also began exploring music in the neighbouring Mary West Nature Reserve, and it relocated its year-round facilities to the West Schoolhouse, a historic one-room schoolhouse abutting onto the Westben Farm. In 2021, Westben added two additional out-door venues: Willow Hill, a natural amphitheatre on the side of an old corn field, and The Campfire, an intimate spot nestled close to the meadow. With sides and doors that roll away, the surrounding meadow (with its crickets, birds and bullfrogs) becomes an integral part of the musical experience. Westben’s principal facility is its custom-built, timber-frame performance Barn situated on a beautiful 50-acre farm near Campbellford, Ontario located two hours east of Toronto.
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Activities include a multi-week professional summer music festival, residencies and a number of year-round performance and learning-based programs. It has also contributed to community-building and plays an important role in supporting Canadian music, musicians and creators.įounded on the combination of music, people and place, Westben continues to nurture communities of artists, audiences and learners through exceptional musical experiences which are closely tied to its spectacular setting. Since then, the organization has brought together hundreds of professional and amateur musicians, engaged growing regional audiences, and achieved artistic excellence through the curation of musical experiences of the highest calibre. Established in 1999 by co-founders soprano Donna Bennett and pianist/composer Brian Finley along with an energetic community of supporters, Westben first opened its Barn doors on Canada Day, 2000. Recognized as a cultural cornerstone in rural Ontario, the Westben Centre for Connection & Creativity through Music is a not-for-profit, charitable arts organization dedicated to bringing people together through music and nature.
