Donna Bennett a long-time supporter of the arts, feels that the CDHS reunion 2023 will be a great chance to reconnect with friends and meet new ones. Gathering as a community is important and that’s what inspired Westben to become a sponsor. Donna got her inspiration to be a professional singer in the musicals at CDHS and was lucky to perform in Europe, US and Canada. Together, her and Brian co-founded Westben with an energetic community in 1999. Community remains a huge part of Westben’s success and mandate. They hope you will visit them at The Barn for a concert on Sunday, July 16. More details coming soon about this event.
For 23 years, Westben has been about bringing people together through music, experiencing it in a natural setting. Westben is where music and nature spring to life!
Nestled amongst the peaceful hills of Northumberland County 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 offer a diverse range of music -classical, jazz, folk, fiddle, pop, rock, comedy and even music by our neighbours at Alderville, Hiawatha and Curve Lake First Nations. Westben offers interactive “One-of-a-Kind” Experiences with music and nature in the neighbouring Mary West Nature Reserve and the Dare to Pair series featuring local chefs, sommeliers, story tellers and musicians on site before the concerts.
In fact, Westben has a couple of CDHS graduates performing this summer: Ben Finley (bass player/composer from Campbellford) in Sounds of Silence July 13, SACHA (country singer from Warkworth) July 8 and some surprise guests in Les Miserable in Concert July 25-30.
Donna is arranging a meeting point under the tent by “The Barn” for CDHS graduates at intermission on Sunday, July 16 for their “Dan Hill” concert. There is also a 10% discount for CDHS graduates – ONLY if they are registered for the reunion and only for tickets on that reunion weekend. Interest parties have to call them at 1-877-883-5777 to get the discount for their tickets.
