WSO music in the park event

Amherstburg locals are back in tune with the way life used to be.

With COVID-19 changing how people gather, live concerts and performances had to be put on pause for almost a year and a half. But there is good news for music lovers: concerts are coming back sooner than some realized.

On Sunday, Sept. 19, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra’s brass quintet performed outside at King’s Navy Yard Park as a part of Amherstburg’s open air weekends.

After going to a WSO show in the park about nine years ago, Richard Peddie and his wife Colleen, owners of River Bookshop in Amherstburg, decided to sponsor future WSO events.

“The Windsor Symphony Orchestra is centered in downtown Windsor,” Peddie said. “My wife and I both view it as a countywide jewel. It’s something we look forward to every year.”

Music in the park gives the community a chance to come together and enjoy the well-known Navy Yard Park as well as support live music by local talents free of charge.

“The Windsor Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet performed music in the gazebo at Amherstburg’s Navy Yard Park,” said Paul Otway, who has been playing trumpet in the WSO for 22 years. “I really hope the audience feels the love, excitement, and emotions the music and we musicians are trying to communicate, and an appreciation for the fact that they are hearing live music again.”

Music lovers all agreed that this year’s music in the park had an amazing turnout, with 350 guests attending. Concert attendants also made sure to wear masks and social-distance at the performance. Make sure to keep a lookout for more events and music in the park from WSO on their website.