By Marianne Marusic

Three years after a disastrous fire swept through and destroyed his Toronto home, concert pianist/composer Richard Herriott will appear in a special program as the Northumberland Festival of the Arts celebrates a theme of resilience.

Losing hundreds of manuscripts and told by firefighters that he was lucky to escape alive, Herriott finds solace and strength in performing and composing. He will appear in two Northumberland concerts taking place on Saturday, Sept. 24, 7:30 p.m., at Trinity United Church in Cobourg and Saturday, Oct. 22, 7 p.m. at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Brighton.

Herriott will play Gershwin’s renowned Rhapsody in Blue, and will also premiere his own composition Postcards from Northumberland – a suite of short vignettes written to celebrate Northumberland and the hundredth anniversary of Presqu’ile Provincial Park.

“The music is repairing me, and I am privileged to know that I will now share these works with the public in a most interesting program,” said Herriott.

“I wrote much of the music during the darkest beginnings of lockdown back in March 2020, and I am very pleased with the outcome. I am honoured and excited to perform in a place that has captured my imagination so deeply and profoundly.”

Originally from Newfoundland, Herriott has strong ties to Northumberland. A frequent guest with the esteemed Les AMIS Concert series, Herriott has fond memories of childhood camping trips to Presqu’ile.

“On a recent photo shoot at the park, I recognized our family’s campsite from 1982!” remarked Herriott.

Also on the Postcards From Northumberland program is violinist David Shewchuk, Concert Master of the Quinte Symphony, performing works by Sarasate, Paganini and Bach. The duo are planning an eclectic program to suit all tastes, and have included a rollicking finish with some well-loved Canadian fiddle tunes.

Shewchuk is a graduate of the Glenn Gould School of Music and holds a Masters in Performance from the prestigious Royal Academy in London, England. Shewchuk performs often in solo and ensemble settings and has been teaching violin with Sounds of the Next Generation in Cobourg and Port Hope over the past three years.

Evan McMurtry will open the program with a presentation highlighting the region’s cultural landmarks. McMurtry is an emerging art historian with a Master's degree in Art History, specializing in architectural studies. He will also curate photographs of landscapes - described as a “tapestry of natural treasures” - to serve as a backdrop for the music.

Postcards From Northumberland is a LOFT Production - the first since the reconfiguration of Ken Prue’s popular Cobourg theatre The LOFT. Prue continues to produce live shows under the name “A LOFT Production” with concert details at www.cobourgloft.ca. Both concerts are sponsored by Cobourg CIBC and Michal Hasek Real Estate.

Tickets are $30, available at festivalofthearts.ca for the Sept. 24 concert at Trinity United Church and by e-mail to kenprue@gmail.com for the Oct. 22 concert at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Brighton.