“Ever since I was a child, I had a dream of running my own music festival,” says Chris Wilshere, a professional violinist and the director of Ajijic’s annual Northern Lights Festival. “I was always keeping my eyes open for the perfect place. The moment I arrived in Ajijic, I realized I found that place – a beautiful village where musicians would want to vacation.”
This year marks the festival’s 15th anniversary and Wilshere, who resides in Guadalajara, has been living his dream for these past 15 years.
Wilshere was 19 years old when he and his parents first visited Ajijic, where his grandmother had just retired. “Coming from Toronto, I remember feeling excited about being there but also a bit bored, since this was a retirement community and I had no friends.”
Soon after arriving, his parents found out about a fundraising event for underprivileged Mexican children to learn to play instruments. The man behind this event was John Esquivel, a retired high school music teacher from Texas.
Says Wilshere, “I sort of got dragged into going, but was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed the experience. The kids were wonderful. What John was doing was amazing, since there wasn’t much going on here at that time.”
Once Esquivel found out that Wilshere played the violin, he invited him to play for the kids. “The next thing I knew, I was playing my violin and teaching daily master classes. All in all, it was a tremendous experience.”
The following summer, Wilshere returned to Ajijic and stayed for a month, working with kids on a regular basis and performing at small venues around town. In the meantime, people in community got to know this new violinist in town.
The idea of putting on a music festival popped into Wilshere’s head when he was a music student at the University of Toronto. He discussed his idea with his parents, who suggested that he pitch the idea in Ajijic. He followed their advice and, this time came to the lakeshore village on his own.
“I stayed two weeks with my grandmother and wrote a two-page business plan. Then, I walked around town asking people who I should talk to about putting on a music festival.”
Wilshere ended up pitching his idea to the director of the Music Appreciation Society (now called Más Música). Enthusiastic about the idea, the society gave him the go-ahead and scheduled the first festival for February 2002.
“We organized 11 musicians, including myself, and everything was going according to plans; we even purchased plane tickets for the performers.” Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding about rehearsal times, the director decided to cancel the whole event. “There was one board member – Ektor Carranza – who said, ‘We can’t turn our backs on this guy, this project. ‘”
Even though the society backed out, Carranza and his partner Todd Johnson were integral in moving the festival forward.
“Ticket sales were amazing,” Wilshere recalls. “We sold out and actually broke even that first year, which was a huge accomplishment. The whole thing was definitely a major challenge but it worked out in the end.
“Back then, people were surprised that this kind of festival could even take place in Ajijic. They said, ‘A music festival in Ajijic? Are you kidding?’ Fifteen years ago, people didn’t see the potential in this village. Now it’s a no-brainer. We came at the right time. The retirement boom was just starting to take off at Lakeside and I thought, I want to be the first to do this festival. If I don’t do it, someone else will.”
Last year, Northern Lights invited a record 30 musicians to perform and this year’s festival has the same number. “Expectations are high, both from the audience and musicians, and the level of musicianship just gets better every year,” says Wilshere.
Since professional musicians come here for charity, they’re coming in large part as a working vacation.
“For them, this is a musical retreat. I need to consider that these musicians are coming for very little pay. They’re not being told what to play; they get to make up their own minds and perform with fantastic musicians and be around like-minded people. When it comes to programming, it is a challenge to meet everyone’s request, but I do my best.”
This year, the festival has invited 11 students on scholarships to participate, coming from as far away as Merida and Mexico City. “We find them accommodations and feed them three meals a day. They take private lessons, chamber music classes, observe rehearsals, mingle with professional musicians, and get to perform on the final day at the Conductor’s Dinner; some of the advanced students even get to perform with the orchestra in the final concert.”
The festival depends on patrons and sponsors to stay afloat.
“We are up to 140 patrons, which is a new record, “ says Wilshere. “They help keep our heads above water until we find a major sponsor, which used to be Scotiabank. Because the bank now sponsors sporting events only, we are searching for a new sponsor. In the meantime, our patrons are extending our life and making a big impact, and for that we are very grateful.”
The festival runs from February 12- 25. Tickets can be purchased at La Nueva Posada Hotel, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. For more information, visit festivaldefebrero.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..