There is something magical about watching and listening to musicians play their music on an outdoor stage on a warm summer’s eve. This summer, Trent University is bringing this special experience to downtown Peterborough.  

Catharine Parr Traill College is presenting the William and Nona Heaslip Music on the Hill series, six summer concerts featuring an eclectic mix of jazz, classical, and folk-rock music at Trent’s dynamic new outdoor venue, the Jalynn Bennett Amphitheatre. 

The concerts begin on June 13 and are held every second Thursday evening from 7 – 9 p.m. Best of all, they are open to the public and free of charge. 

“We think it’s a great way for the family to come and hear some great music at a great venue,” said Dr. Michael Eamon, principal of Catharine Parr Traill College, home of the new amphitheatre. “And it’s all for free.” 

Explore the life of a young J.S Bach through stories and musical interludes in J.S. Bach’s Long Walk in the Snow, presented by CBC’s Tom Allen on July 11.  Enjoy a homecoming of sorts of Trent alumni playing folk-rock – think Mumford and Sons – in I, The Mountain on July 25. Or take in a performance of more than 50 local musicians in the Peterborough Concert Band on August 8. 

These performers, and more, will grace the stage of the new Amphitheatre named after the late Jalynn Bennett, an accomplished businesswoman and former chair of the Trent University Board of Governors.  

In her bequest to Trent, Ms. Bennett expressed a desire to fulfil a longstanding community need for a centrally located, outdoor stage. Her estate, along with funding from the federal government and the City of Peterborough, assisted in the construction of this space where community and university members can experience arts and culture in the heart of downtown Peterborough. 

“We like to think of it as a nexus, a community gathering place,” said Principal Eamon, “where the local community meets the University to experience music and culture.” 

Many of the concerts feature performers from the Peterborough community, Trent alumni and even some Trent staff and faculty. Funding for the series was provided by the William and Nona Heaslip Foundation, which supports the arts and education. 

Rounding out the program are: Carpe Noctem, featuring a local jazz group, on June 13; a chamber ensemble from the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra Chamber Ensemble, on June 27; and a two-part concert featuring musicians from the Peterborough Concert Band, including Clarintella, a clarinet quintet, and Manorhill, a jazz quartet, on August 22.   

For more information about the William and Nona Heaslip Music on the Hill concert series, or other performances at Traill College, visit www.trentu.ca/amphitheatre.