The Chicago Symphony, under Daniel Barenboim, the Erie Philharmonic with Peter Bays, the Milwaukee symphony with Andreas Delfs and the Toronto Symphony at the modernistic Roy Thompson Hall - with maestro Jukka-Pekka Saraste are all world renowned orchestras. Opera with the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, the Florentine in Milwaukee or the Lyric in Chicago. Whether it be ballet, dance, or theater, the Great Lakes has some of the best companies in the world.

If jazz is your type of music all the ports of call have great clubs for enjoying the many facets of jazz from Dixieland to modern. At the head of the Lakes over 2,000 miles from the sea and even further from its roots, the blues is alive and well each summer in Duluth, Minnesota.

Toronto is the third most active theater center in the English speaking world. In Chicago, there are 40 active theater groups, while Toledo offers classical theater and good jazz in city restaurants. Detroit's theater scene boasts 13 theaters with the stunningly restored Opera House and the splendid gold leaf embellished and jewel encrusted Fox Theater.

From magnificently restored early 20th Century theaters to summer stock in smaller communities, there is enjoyment every night of the season. In Ontario, there is Shakespeare at Stratford, while in Niagara-on-the-Lake, George Bernard Shaw and plays and musicals by his contemporaries, including Noel Coward, can be enjoyed. The Great Lakes truly means Great Entertainment at each port of call.

Great Art

Galleries and museums in and around Chicago, Toledo, and Toronto have some of the finest collections in the world.

In Toronto, the recently expanded Art Gallery of Ontario is among the top ten galleries in North America. Its collection of works by Henry Moore is, at over 300 pieces, the largest in the world. Also in the city are nearly 20 other specialty galleries and museums, while just outside the city, in rural Kleinburg, is the McMicheal collection of the Group of Seven artists.

Toledo’s Museum of Art, and Chicago’s Art Institute have fine collections of impressionist paintings. The Chicago collection is one of the largest in the world and includes such works as "Sunday Afternoon on the La Grande Jatte" by George Seurat, and "Paris on a Rainy Day", by Gustav Caillebotte. In Toronto, the Royal Ontario Museum has extensive Chinese displays.

Both Chicago and Toronto have a variety of art forms in public plazas throughout each city. Toronto for example, has two major bronzes by Henry Moore, including the Archer. Chicago has major pieces on public display by Alexander Fleming, Marc Chagall, Joan Miro, Pablo Picasso and many others.

Thunder Bay by comparison, specializes in Indian Artifacts both ancient and modern, showcasing the craftsmanship of North America’s first peoples.