By keith Tomasek, March 21, 2018
Mark Fewer, Canadian violinist and Juno award winner, has been named Artistic Director Designate of Stratford Summer Music. Mr. Fewer’s appointment as Artistic Director Designate begins on July 1. He becomes Artistic Director on October 1, 2018.

SSM Founder and current Artistic Producer, John A. Miller, said “Mark Fewer is a distinguished Canadian violinist and music leader, well-known beyond our own borders. I look forward to his assuming the leadership baton for the 2019 season at Summer Music and wish him great successes in the fresh directions and growth he will bring to the music festival.”

Mr. Fewer, born in Newfoundland, received his musical training at the University of Toronto and has studied with Jose-Luis Garcia in London and Ferenc Rados at the Ferenc Liszt Academy in Budapest. He has held many different positions over the last decade in the music industry: Artistic Director of the Scotia Festival of Music in Halifax (2004-2009), Artist in Residence at Stanford University [2014-2015], founding Artistic Director of the SweetWater Music Festival in Owen Sound [from 2004], concertmaster of the Vancouver Symphony (2004-2008) and Associate Professor at the Schulich School of Music, McGill University in Montreal (2007-2018). In 2012, Mr. Fewer won a Juno award for his collaboration with jazz great Phil Dwyer on the album, Changing Seasons.

Mr. Fewer said of his new position, “I am both honoured and delighted to be joining the vibrant team that is Stratford Summer Music as Artistic Director. There has never been a better time to be involved in music and SSM encompasses virtually all of its many facets and expressions. I look forward to building on John Miller’s visionary leadership of the past 18 years and to continuing to make Stratford a destination for fine music lovers everywhere.”

Marcel van Hulle, Chair of the Stratford Arts Foundation, the parent organisation of Stratford Summer Music, remarked “We are thrilled to welcome Mark Fewer as Artistic Director Designate for Stratford Summer Music. Mark brings us a wealth of personal musical talent. He will be uniquely positioned to build upon our broad artistic programming and successfully shape our future seasons.”

Stratford Summer Music 2018 runs July 16th to August 26th.