The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) offered a peek at the summer ahead after unveiling a handful of acts that will perform as part of Whistler's Outdoor Summer Concert Series.
The Tenors, a Canadian vocal trio that plays a mix of opera, pop and classical music, will perform a free concert at Whistler Olympic Plaza on Canada Day, filling a slot held by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) for the last several years.
The Festival, Events and Animation committee, which decides on the lineup, funded by the province's Resort Municipality Initiative, decided to go in a new direction this year, says Whistler Mayor Jack Crompton.
"This year, the three tenors was considered the centrepiece of the programming," he says. "It's been a terrific run with the VSO and we're really grateful the VSO called Whistler their summer home for the last five years. We'll miss them, but the door is open for them to return in the future."
The VSO Institute at Whistler, a music education program that brought young musicians to the resort for 10 days in the summer, is also not returning.
Two other acts that will be playing the series this year include Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene and Nahko and Medicine for the People, a U.S. world-music collective.
"I'm ecstatic Broken Social Scene is coming to town," Crompton says. "I can't wait to see them."
The full lineup of free shows will be revealed in the coming weeks, the RMOW says.
"The Whistler Presents music series brings such life and energy to the village," Crompton says. "Our family looks forward to walks in the village on a Friday night to be part of those great cultural events and we look forward to it this summer as well."
The RMOW also offered a rundown of other events returning this summer. They include: Whistler's Great Outdoors Festival (GO Fest), Whistler Half Marathon, ThinkBike Whistler, Tough Mudder Whistler, Whistler Children's Festival, Subaru Ironman Canada, Wanderlust Whistler, Crankworx Whistler, RBC GranFondo Whistler and the Whistler Village Beer Festival.
