LOCAL MUSIC, Arts & Culture
The Town of Huntsville ensures that a wide range of arts, culture and heritage opportunities are available to residents and visitors by working actively in partnership with community organizations and enterprises. Huntsville is actively working to be recognized as a leading creative community in Ontario. The Cultural Strategy and Unity Plan for community sustainability. The Town of Huntsville maintains a number of arts, cultural and heritage facilities and programs. The responsibility for daily operation and programming of these facilities is shared with Town staff and local volunteer organizations. Please visit the Town of Huntsville's community directory page to find information on arts, cultural and heritage facilities and groups, local volunteer organizations and other useful community links.
The Algonquin Theatre officially opened its doors on May 14, 2005 to a full house of Theatre supporters. Opening week was filled with excitement as a vision was being realized in Huntsville. The Algonquin Theatre is part of the Huntsville Civic Centre, in the heart of downtown Huntsville. The Algonquin Theatre has been host to a wide variety of plays, musical performances, meetings, videos, presentations and school groups. The theatre has offered outstanding performances from comedians to orchestras, from elementary school plays to musicians of international acclaim. The space is for the many and not for the few. The theatre strives to be the venue of choice for area events, attractions and meetings.
Founded in 1993 by Toronto residents Attila Glatz and Susan Alberghini in conjunction with local residents, Jim and Jane Alexander, the Huntsville Festival of the Arts has become one of Canada's most significant and highly acclaimed arts festivals. Based in Huntsville, Ontario, the Festival's roots were initially strongly classical and centered around a resident professional symphony orchestra under the baton of Kerry Stratton.
Today the Festival covers a broad spectrum of classical and contemporary music events, as well as dance, theatre, literature, children's cultural activities and public celebrations. Muskoka's resort and cottage country offers a variety of unique venues for the Festival's events. Starting in 2005 Huntsville’s new Algonquin Theatre became principle venue. In addition, several Huntsville locations are used including Trinity United Church, Muskoka Heritage Place, Deerhurst Resort Pavilion and the Town Centre's outdoor gazebos and waterfront. The Festival fosters a sense of ownership in the community and is considered an integral summer event in the area.
The Huntsville Theatre Company began in 2010 - after the successful run of "Here On The Flight Path" with the Trinity Drama Group. With a desire to perform more than one show per year, The Huntsville Theatre Company was born with its production of "Cinderella". The theatre company is open to anyone interested in being part of 'the team'. Whether your interests lie on stage or behind the scenes, we would love to have you on board.
The band is comprised of amateur and semi-professional musicians of all ages, from young adults to those with significantly more life experience. Band members include, among others, current and retired school teachers, engineers, accountants, pilots, students,....you name it, we've probably got it! Some have always called Muskoka home and for others, it has become home. A passion for music, good fun, and a strong sense of community keep members coming back year after year.
The Huntsville Suzuki School was founded in 1991 and is located in All Saints Anglican Church in Downtown Huntsville. Huntsville Suzuki students are very active in the community, playing at fundraising events, mall concerts, and other promotional events. They also play at local retirement homes and area public schools as part of the school’s outreach program. All students perform on school solo recitals, and on several large group concerts during the year. These events are open to the public and are either free or admission by donation.
In addition to receiving excellent local instruction, the school's students have benefited from workshop given by some of Canada’s finest musicians including the Penderecki, Borealis and Alcan String Quartets, leading violinists Jasper Wood and Nancy Dahn and fiddler Natalie MacMaster.
Touch the Past in Huntsville, Ontario, Canada, at Muskoka Heritage Place, the home of the Muskoka Museum, Muskoka Pioneer Village and the Portage Flyer Train. Muskoka Heritage Place is the primary historical centre in Huntsville, featuring two museums, 18 authentic pioneer buildings, and a genuine open-air train ride, all situated on a beautiful 90-acre site. Visitors to Muskoka Heritage Place enter through a turn-of-the-20th-century Muskoka museum to a 90 acre outdoor site encompassing Cann Lake and nature trails. Life in the late 1800s is historically recreated with genuine settlement dwellings from the Huntsville area. Costumed narrators demonstrate pioneer life and engage and entertain our visitors with pioneer demonstrations and hands-on activities.
The Huntsville Art Society is an exciting and active club with over 100 enthusiastic members who share their artistic skills and knowledge in a rewarding fellowship. Our member artists work in all types of media. This dynamic group is comprised of a full range of skills; from creative individuals who are just beginning, to full-time professionals. Huntsville Art Society hosts numerous events throughout the year, such as community art shows and skill sharing workshops held primarily in the Muskoka, Ontario region.
The Huntsville Art Society is a proud sponsor to a variety of community support groups. We combine the exhibition of our members' works with fundraising activities, resulting in contributions to charitable organizations throughout Muskoka. We encourage you to come out and participate in the many events and activities that our members help plan and organize.
The Group of Seven Outdoor Gallery is a year-round, free, public art exhibition, featuring over 100 recreations of art masterpieces, by Canada's renowned Group of Seven artists and Tom Thomson that are hand-painted by select mural artists from across Canada. The Main Gallery is in downtown Huntsville and features 38 murals on the exterior walls of businesses and stores. There are also satellite galleries in Huntsville, Dwight, Dorset, Baysville, Oxtongue Lake, and Algonquin Provincial Park. The public is encouraged to view the works at their own leisure through self-guided tours. This year-round attraction makes for an educational, fun and fascinating adventure for the whole family.
Guided tours run throughout twice a week throughout the summer, and begin at the entrance to the Algonquin Theatre. Come join our special celebration of Art, Culture and Heritage . . . in your own backyard.
The Artists of the Limberlost is a collective of 8 artists and craftspeople with studios along the scenic Limberlost Road, north of Highway 60 in Muskoka, Ontario. Their work covers a broad range of media and style, but they are united in their love of the ruggedly beautiful Canadian Shield landscape which they call home. Each artist welcomes visitors to their studio (see contact information on Studio pages), but to really share their work with the public, the Artists of the Limberlost join together for their annual Open Studio Weekend each summer. With guest artists at each location, you'll meet and see the work of many diverse and talented artists along a compact, 20 km. route. Limberlost Road is close to Algonquin Park in the Huntsville/Lake of Bays area of Ontario, and winds through forest, rock and wetlands rich in wildlife and natural beauty
