Westben

For 22 years Westben has been about bringing people together through music, experiencing it in a natural setting. Westben is where the best of music and nature spring to life! Nestled amongst the peaceful hills of Northumberland County two hours east of Toronto, near Campbellford, Westben’s original performance venue is a custom-built, timber-frame barn. The Barn seats 400 and combines state-of-the-art acoustics with a rustic yet sophisticated atmosphere. On sunny days from June to September massive walls and doors roll away allowing music to waft over the surrounding meadow.

In 2022 Westben built two new outdoor venues. Willow Hill is a natural grassy amphitheatre that seats up to 500 people and the new Campfire venue, an intimate gathering for 50 people. Performances at Westben’s open air summer festival range from Bach to Broadway, opera and symphony to jazz, folk, fiddle, Indigenous, rock and comedy. Westben offers interactive One-of-a-Kind Experiences with music and nature in the neighbouring Nature Reserve. Pre-Covid the Dare to Pair series featured local chefs, sommeliers, story tellers and musicians on site before the concerts. Westben’s Digital programs include concerts, podcasts, musical moments and more available on Westben’s YouTube Channel and the new www.WestbenDigitalvenue.ca.

Westben’s International Performer-Composer Residency is an international gathering of creative risk-takers whose practice involves some combination of both composition and performance. These 50 artists from around the world collaborate for a month digitally creating new works and host public workshops.