The hills of Tecasy Ranch in Peterborough County will be alive with the sound of music on Saturday, September 6 when the Peterborough Symphony Orchestra (PSO) presents its second annual Musical Nature Walk.
Held in partnership with the Peterborough Field Naturalists, the Musical Nature Walk invites families and individuals of all ages to join an easy trail walk to various ensemble performances while learning about the flora and fauna of the region.
With last year’s inaugural event selling out a week in advance, this year’s walk at the 550-acre forested property — located 40 minutes north of Peterborough between Buckhorn and Burleigh Falls — will see two start times at 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.
“It brought in people who were interested in interacting with classical music in such a different way and in a more casual event,” says PSO general manager Christie Goodwin of last year’s inaugural event. “The Tecasy Ranch is absolutely beautiful, and it combines an interest with nature and an interest in music, and I know guests particularly loved that each of the groups were playing different styles of music.”
At the start of the event, guests will be split off into smaller groups and paired with a Tecasy Ranch staff member and a field naturalist who will tell them about the natural world they are exploring. Along the way, there will be interspersed resting and listening segments where PSO musicians will perform ensemble compositions.
“Bird song is really the first music, so there’s always been music in nature,” says Goodwin. “Different composers have always been inspired by nature. Beethoven took long nature walks, and I know Sibelius was the same, and it inspired them to write music. I think there is a meditative quality to both the natural world and to music, and it just seems to me like a lovely pairing — like good food and wine.”
There will be six different musical stations throughout the event, including solo harpist Liane James who will be welcoming guests at the pavilion they begin the walk.
Along the trail, Bryan Allen will be stationed playing the solo marimba, Victoria Yeh will be performing jazz-inspired compositions on the violin alongside principal bassist Fil Stasiak, principal violinist Jennifer Burford and principal cellist Zuzanna Chomicka-Newnham will be performing together, and principal violist Adriana Arcila Tascón and oboist Nancy Vanderslice will also perform as a duo.
As an extra special treat, audiences will see PSO maestro Michael Newnham away from his usual place at the conductor’s podium and instead performing trombone duets with David Archer.
“I think people loved seeing the instruments out of their regular context and even sonorously combined in different ways,” Goodwin says. “You aren’t always able to focus in on one particular sound (during an orchestral concert), so I think it allowed people to get right up close and ask some questions and hear some things in a different way.”
While the PSO has already received a request for at least one of the groups to play Bach, the musicians will mostly be choosing the compositions they will play and how they will play them.
“The musicians have quite a bit of artistic license, which is really neat to see, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with,” Goodwin says. “I’ve asked them all to go with their instincts on different styles of music, so we should have a real variety.”
This year, the event has a special ticket price including fees of $16.50 for children 12 and under to match the amount of family interest the walk garnered last year. General admission tickets for adults are priced at $70 including fees. The walk is not recommended for children under six.
“It’s the perfect event for a family to come out to because you don’t have to sit and be quiet and attentive — you can interact in your own way,” says Goodwin. “It was really nice to see the kids’ amazement and interest and have them running and playing a little bit throughout.”
The trail is also family friendly, rated “easy” and suitable for “casual hikers.” However, there are some uphill and downhill sections and the terrain is uneven with rocks and tree roots, so suitable footwear and comfortable apparel are highly recommended and hiking poles are encouraged if needed. The event is not suitable for people who use mobility devices.
“The staff do such a beautiful job of keeping the trails trimmed and prepared for us,” says Goodwin.
Goodwin adds that the PSO is also grateful for the effort the staff at Tecasy Ranch put into making it a comfortable space for the performers and audience members by organizing wildflowers on the picnic tables and setting up tents and seating. Light refreshments will be available for purchase during the event.
“It’s just amazing the amount of work that Tecasy Ranch folks put into this for us,” Goodwin acknowledges.
Also new this year, businesses can sponsor some of the musical stations along the trail, where they will be able to access donor benefits like speaking to the audiences and engaging with the public. Interested sponsors can email Goodwin at admin@thepso.org.
As with most of the PSO’s outreach events, the hope is that by going out into the community, the organization can inspire even more people to appreciate the sounds of the symphony orchestra and come to a concert.
“It helps overcome the myth that the symphony is so formal and so inaccessible, by being incredibly organic and accessible,” says Goodwin. “It lets us be out and part of the community and meet the community where they are. It’s really neat to hear the music with all the bird song and the wind rustling through the trees — it’s a completely different experience. I think it satisfies a lot of people’s curiosity.”
For more information and to purchase tickets for the Musical Nature Walk, visit thepso.org/musical-nature-walk-2025.
The PSO’s 2025-26 season of five concerts begins at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 1 at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough with a concert called “Bright Lights” that includes works by Rossini, Wijertane, and Mozart and features guest artist Shawn Mativetsky, who will join the PSO for the first time to perform on tabla. It will also be the first time the hand percussion instrument, used in Hindustani classical music, has been featured at a PSO concert.
Season subscriptions are available now at thepso.org/subscriptions, with single tickets for individual concerts available soon.
kawarthaNOW is proud to return as a media sponsor for the PSO’s 2025-26 season. Stay tuned to our website for an overview of the upcoming season and also stories about each of the concerts throughout the season.
