While the artistic director of the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival travels for leisure with his family, there's not one destination he visits that he doesn't draw musical influences to make the music festival successful.

In 10 years worth of travels, Bankas has brought an international flavour to the music festival with each year. Bankas said the sole purpose of the festival is to entertain the audience.

"The audience always wants something new," Bankas said. "What I try to do is take existing music and add components to it to make things special. It's like a five-course meal, the more ingredients you add to it, the more complex it gets. But the end result is something tasteful and enjoyable."

Bankas said a lot has evolved in the 10 years since the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival has existed. Over the years, he said, the number of venues have increased, the audience has increased and the music became diverse.

"The only thing that hasn't changed is we keep the festival in the community," Bankas said. "Everything has always been about entertaining the community."

This year's festival, Music Niagara, takes place from July 21 to August 16. This year's offering includes 50 concerts in 12 venues with a unique blend of chamber music, jazz, dance and spoken word.

Main attractions of the 2008 season include pianist Anton Kuerti, who performs the works of Beethoven, Robert Silverman and Music Glenn Gould Avoided, Ryusuki Numajiri, pianist, composer and conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, jazz veterans John Sherwood, Peter Appleyard and Juno-award winner Brandi Disterheft among others.

Concert tickets range in price from $10 to $35. Tickets are available by calling the Shaw Festival Box Office at 1-800-511-7429. For more information, visit wwwniagaramusicfest.com.