Elora Festival hires new conductor after sexual misconduct investigations close on former artistic director
Mark Vuorinen is hired as the permanent director after Grammy-nominated Noel Edison was fired
Two months after he was fired by the board of directors amid sexual misconduct allegations, the Elora Festival announced a replacement for Grammy-nominated conductor Noel Edison.
Mark Vuorinen will be stepping in as the permanent new artistic director for the music festival and The Elora Singers, a Grammy and JUNO-nominated chamber choir.
Sharpe said Vuorinen "is well known for performances" and "certainly has all the qualifications that a conductor and an artistic director would require."
"He's been able to come in and pick up what was left and refine it, now we feel like we've got a complete festival," Sharpe said.
Vuorinen, who is also the director of Kitchener-Waterloo's Grand Philharmonic Choir and an assistant professor at Conrad Grebel Unversity College, has been filling in as interim director since March of this year, when the news of sexual misconduct allegations surrounding Edison broke.
'Can't comment' on closed investigation
The Elora Singers, along with Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, said they promptly launched an independent investigation when news first surfaced.
The board of directors fired Edison in April, when the investigation was completed, stating "the specifics of the situation cannot be disclosed for privacy reasons" in a press release.
In an interview with CBC News, Charlotte Logan, the chair of the board, also said she "can't comment" on the results.
Sharpe said the Elora Festival has been running for 39 years and attracts 7,000 to 8,000 local and international visitors during the three weeks in July.