Toronto Music Garden

If you enjoy music, and the great outdoors, Toronto’s Music Garden is the place for you. Located on the waterfront between Spadina and Bathurst, the garden was designed by famed cellist Yo Yo Ma and landscape designer Julie Moir. Its various sections are meant to be a representation, in landscape, of Bach’s Suite No. 1 in G Major for unaccompanied cello, BWV 1007. To discover what this means, wander the garden, and if you need some help with the interpretation, visit the website for a description, or consider taking a guided tour. They are available free of charge on Wednesday at 11 am (until September 28) and Thursdays at 5:30 pm (until September 8). Hand-held audio players providing commentary by the park designers and featuring excerpts of music can be rented for $6 from Marina Quay West Office, on the pier directly south of the Garden. Private group tours can also be arranged but a small fee and reservations are required.

Being a Music Garden, there is of course, music to be had. This year marks the 12^th year of Summer Music in the Garden. Free concerts are held in the amphitheatre most Thursdays at 7 pm and Sundays at 4pm, and it’s quite an experience. During quiet moments, the sounds of planes taking off from the Island airport, and the rumble of streetcars on Queens Quay are reminders that this beautiful space is surrounded by an active city, but then when the music swells, you’re transported once again to somewhere magical.

The amphitheatre has limited bench seating and you’re encouraged to bring your own chairs or blankets. Myself, I like the grass, and each rise is edged with stone, so even if the day has been a little damp, there’s a relatively dry spot to park your bottom. For this year’s schedule, refer to their website, or check the Free in Toronto calendar below for the next concert date.