No-one attending the opening night concert at the Scotiabank Northern Lights Music Festival had any idea of the miserable time endured by some of the musicians or the valiant efforts of the festival’s volunteers.
Thirty-two musicians travelled to the Festival from all over North America. This year, no instruments got lost, but nine United Airlines passengers were seriously delayed due to the inclement weather affecting swaths of Canada and the United States.
Despite the late hour, some festival volunteers scrambled to assist them from a distance, while others helped to reorganize multiple airport collections and notify hosts that their guests would not be arriving that night.
Violinist Lance Ouellette, drummer Daniel Barnes, pianist Evan Farncombe, double-bassist Roberto Occhipinti with his wife Nancy, singer Erin Cooper Gay, viola-player Carole Gimbel and Leyland Hiphner, the Luthier seconded to the Festival by Geo. Heinl & Co of Toronto, were all on a flight out of Toronto which missed its on-bound connection to Guadalajara.
As a result, with no assistance from United, all had to find and pay for overnight accommodation, taxis and food, and wait until they could join a flight the next day. Unfortunately, after a very late night, there were not enough available seats on the first one, so Carole Gimbel drew the short straw and travelled on alone, later that day.
Pianist Angela Park had the same experience on her flight out of Toronto the following day but, inexplicably, on this occasion United provided her taxi and hotel without demur.