
THE HORNBY FESTIVAL
July 30 - August 8, 2026
CLASSICAL
The Hornby Festival presents three evenings of world-class classical music and Classical Kids at beautiful Rosemuir Farm and The Hornby Community Hall. Featuring classical pianist Élisabeth Pion.
![Élisabeth Pion_Headshot [2]_Jeremy Fokkens.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b66dfd_19599ad709e84b49aca820748322159c~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_323,h_485,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/b66dfd_19599ad709e84b49aca820748322159c~mv2.jpg)
Élisabeth Pion - Classical Piano
". . . graceful and tender style . . . she is – if nothing else – every bit as adventurous and ingenious as Mozart." – The Whole Note
". . . graceful and tender style . . . she is – if nothing else – every bit as adventurous and ingenious as Mozart." – The Whole Note
BIO
A curious explorer of piano repertoire with a rare combination of sensitivity and strength, French-Canadian pianist Élisabeth Pion is the Gold Laureate and Audience Choice Award winner of the 2025 Honens International Piano Competition, where she demonstrated passion, insight, and intellectual acuity, fulfilling Honens’ ideal of the Complete Artist.
A Radio-Canada 2024-25 Breakthrough Artist, Élisabeth appears on international stages as a recitalist, chamber musician, and guest artist, earning acclaim for her technical precision and deep engagement with her repertoire. She has performed at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, and Sala Cecília Meireles, and performs regularly with the Orchestre Métropolitain, Edmonton Symphony, the Toledo Symphony, the Brazilian Symphony, and Les Violons du Roy, among other distinguished ensembles. She has collaborated with conductors such as Gerard Schwarz, Elias Grandy, Nathalie Marin, Kensho Watanabe, and Nicolas Ellis.
Élisabeth performs a broad range of concerto repertoire, adding her own perspective to known masterworks and bringing rarely performed works to new audiences. She has released two albums on the ATMA Classique label that were Prix Opus finalists: Femmes de Légende, and Amadeus et l’Impératrice, with Arion Orchestre Baroque and Mathieu Lussier. She continues to collaborate with Arion and Lussier for a forthcoming release of Beethoven’s complete piano concertos. Other upcoming recordings include Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major with the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières and conductor Alain Trudel, and a solo album for the Steinway & Sons label.
A laureate of numerous international competitions, Élisabeth was a 2025 finalist at the Bösendorfer and Yamaha USASU competitions and prizewinner at the Blanca Uribe, Vigo, and Rio Piano Festival competitions, among others. She was the 2022 recipient of the Jeunesses Musicales du Canada Prix Choquette-Symcox and the recipient of a Jane Ades Ingenuity Scholarship.
Born in Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Élisabeth studied in Montréal and London, where she now lives. She is an alumna of the Imogen Cooper Music Trust and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she worked with Professor Ronan O’Hora and received the Guildhall Wigmore Recital Prize. Élisabeth studied conducting from the keyboard with Ricardo Castro at the Scuola di musica di Fiesole and worked with Enrico Pace at the Accademia di Musica di Pinerolo, as well as with Gabriela Montero at OAcademy.
Élisabeth is also involved with the International Liberty Association, which promotes human rights in Iran and the Middle East, particularly for women and children.
PROGRAMMES
Tuesday, August 4 | Classical Piano
Rosemuir Farm - Gate at 7:15 PM
This opening night welcomes you in a world of evocative story-telling. Experience Schubert’s haunting tales, navigate through the sultry veiled worlds of Ravel & Albeniz, and let yourself be carried away by the drama and the tenderness of Chaminade and Brahms. The three recitals presented are all linked via a French « fil rouge » - the Ravel tableau you will hear is a teaser for the full Miroirs set you will hear in the following concert.
Franz Schubert arranged by Franz Liszt
Der Müller und der Bach
Gretchan am Spinnrade
Auf dem Wasser Zu Singen
Der Erlkönig
Maurice Ravel: Miroirs
No. 3 Un barque sur l’ocean
Isaac Albéniz: Iberia (Book 1)
Evocación
El Puerto
Break
Johannes Brahms: 3 Intermezzi Op. 117
Andante moderato (E♭ major);
Andante non troppo e con molto espressione (B♭ minor)
Andante con moto (C♯ minor)
Cécile Chaminade: Sonata in C minor Op. 21
Allegro appassionato
Andante
Allegro
Friday, August 7 | Classical Kids
Hornby Community Hall - Gate at 10:00 AM
Are you wondering about bringing your kids to a quiet, full-evening classical performance, yet want to expose them to some of this amazing music? Then Classical Kids is the event for you! Everyone will love this 30-minute, world-class, youth-oriented presentation created especially for young people who are learning to appreciate the classical style of music. Join us without hesitation; we “get” kids!
Suitable for kids ages 0-99
Friday, August 7 | Classical Piano
Hornby Community Hall - Gate at 7:15 PM
This program will envelop you in an atmosphere of « Les Mille et Une Nuits ». Scents, sensations. This concert will also be an occasion for intrepid audience members to step into the world of repertoire research - you will get an insight into the art of uncovering forgotten scores, such as the Bonis and the Montgeroult - and to experience modern creativity through Élisabeth’s own compositions.
Mel Bonis: Selections from Femmes de légende
Maurice Ravel: Miroirs
No. 1 Noctuelles
No. 2 Oiseaux tristes
No. 3 Un barque sur l’ocean
No. 4 Alborade del gracioso
No. 5 La vallée des cloches
Break
Hélène de Montgerault: Piano Sonata No. 9 in F-sharp minor Op. 5 No. 3
Allegro spiritoso
Adagio non troppo
Presto
Élisabeth Pion: Selections from my compositions
Saturday, August 8 | Classical Piano
Hornby Community Hall - Gate at 7:15 PM
An evening centered around the art of writing Etudes for the piano, and how this form can be transcended to the realm of ultimate poetry. This program also showcases the links between Poland and France, as two of their greatest musicians, Chopin and Bacewicz, shared this blood-mingling as part of their core musical identity.
Hélene de Montgerault: Selections from Études
Louise Farrenc: Selections from Études
Break
Frédéric Chopin: 12 Etudes Op. 25
Graźyna Bacewizc: Sonata No. 2 in E minor Op. 25
Maestoso
Largo
Toccata: Vivo
![Élisabeth Pion_Solo [1].jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/b66dfd_3ffcc8ac413942b98f8753da7e4b99cd~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_975,h_650,al_c,q_85,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_avif,quality_auto/b66dfd_3ffcc8ac413942b98f8753da7e4b99cd~mv2.jpg)