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Montreal articles, news, reviews

Soloist Paul Merkelo, conductor Adam Johnson, and the OCM. Photo: Tam Lan Truong

Review | OCM Unable to Swing for Stellar Jazz Soloists

By Heather Weinreb on 28 February 2025 Concert Reviews, Jazz, Montreal, Orchestral, Piano

On Feb. 25, Orchestre Classique de Montréal (OCM) presented Jazz & Jeans in Montreal’s Pierre Mercure Hall. A program of great symphonic jazz repertoire—from Gershwin to Ellington to arrangements by Miles Davis—was played by an orchestra of jeaned musicians. Jeans are worn on casual days at work. For many, especially classically trained musicians, jazz is thought to be a more casual, laid-back style of music. Yet jazz has its own set of rules. Chord changes, swinging eighth notes, improvisation … the aspects that distinguish jazz from classical music demand serious study. Though they may have worn jeans, soloists Paul Merkelo…

Opéra de Montréal Launches 2025-26 Season

By Newswire on 26 February 2025 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Montreal, Newswire, Opera

February 26, 2025 – Opéra de Montréal presents with great enthusiasm a bold and thought-provoking 2025-2026 season, exploring the profound impact of choices and their consequences through four operatic masterpieces. In its 46th season, the company remains dedicated to blending timeless repertoire with contemporary works, offering audiences an unforgettable lineup featuring Don Giovanni, Jenůfa, Clown(s), and Carmen. In a landmark moment for the organization, Opéra de Montréal is also proud to announce a transformative $5 million gift dedicated to artistic creation, generously contributed by visionary young philanthropists Vickie Zhao and Alex Ionescu. This extraordinary investment will provide critical support for…

(L to R) Roseline Blain, Léa Moisan-Perrier, François Ouimet, and Josée Fortin

Alliance Chorale de Québec: Round-Table Discussion on Choir Conducting

By Heather Weinreb on 25 February 2025 Arts Industry, Choral, Employment, Montreal, Vocal

On February 19, Alliance Chorale de Québec hosted a round-table discussion on choir conducting. Marc-Antoine d’Aragon moderated the discussion between choir conductors Roseline Blain, François Ouimet, Josée Fortin and Léa Moisan-Perrier. The ins and outs of the life of a choir conductor—from negotiating proper salaries to finding work-life balance—were touched upon. Here are the key points of the discussion: A Role with Many Hats The discussion on the role of a choir conductor quickly turned into a discussion on the role of an artistic director. While a choir conductor is responsible for studying scores and communicating musical ideas in a…

Marc-André Hamelin (piano) and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal conducted by Rafael Payare. Photo: Antoine Saito

Review | Marc-André Hamelin & OSM Swing in The Roaring Twenties

By Amanda Wong on 24 February 2025 Canadian Music, Concert Reviews, Jazz, Montreal, Orchestral

The Roaring Twenties was an age of dramatic social and economic change, fabulous fashion, and of course, great music. A century onwards, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal celebrated the 1920s with Montreal native Marc-André Hamelin on keys and Rafael Payare conducting in an evening of jazz, swing, and ragtime tunes popularized by the era. What you missed Hamelin’s dapper white jacket stood out in the spotlight as he played Edward Elzear “Zez” Confrey’s Kitten on the Keys solo on a small upright piano to the right of the stage, the program opener. The piece’s jaunty and ragtime feel imitated a cat…

Les Violons du Roy conducted by Nicolas Ellis. Photo: Florence Geneau

Review | Kerson Leong Dazzles in Lopsided Les Violons du Roy Program

By Heather Weinreb on 18 February 2025 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Montreal, Orchestral, Strings, Violin

For Valentine’s Day, Les Violons du Roy presented a program full of pathos at Montreal’s Bourgie Hall. On the program were iconic excerpts from J.S Bach’s religious choral works, as well as the rip-roaring premiere of Found in Lostness, a piece for solo violin and string orchestra by Canadian composer Kelly-Marie Murphy. Bach and Murphy couldn’t be more different; the disparateness of their music was tied together with two Mendelssohn pieces. Mendelssohn’s earliest piece, the Symphonia for Strings composed when he was 14 years old, started off the concert. His last complete work, String Quartet no. 6 in F minor,…

Cast of Nanatasis. Photo: Kevin Calixte

20th Edition of Festival International de Casteliers

By Newswire on 18 February 2025 Montreal, Newswire, Scena Arts, Theatre

Montréal, January 22, 2025—Puppeteers, theatre fans, and specialists from around the world will be on hand to celebrate the 20th edition of Festival international de Casteliers, March 3 to 9, 2025. The festival line-up features remarkable creations from Belgium, France, Czechia, Germany, the United States, Québec, and Canada. Performances, a documentary film, a concert, exhibitions, professional networking events, workshops, and a parade will all contribute to the festive, artistic, and celebratory nature of this eagerly awaited annual event. Through gesture, material, images and movement, the selected works feature stories about nature and the creatures that inhabit it: poetic legends, quirky…

Introducing the New Artists of the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal!

By Newswire on 18 February 2025 Montreal, Music Competition, Opera, Piano, Vocal

Montreal, February 18, 2025 – The Opéra de Montréal is proud to announce the newest members of the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, selected following the National Auditions finals at the annual Talent Gala on November 20. This year marks a significant milestone for the internationally renowned professional development residency with the introduction of a specialized training program for stage directors. The 2024 cohort will welcome five singers, one pianist, and one stage director for an intensive one- to two-year training program. – Tessa Fackelmann (mezzo-soprano – ON) – Ellita Gagner (mezzo-soprano – ON) – Colin Mackey (baritone -…

Festival Classica announces the programming of its 15th edition!

By Newswire on 17 February 2025 Classical, Classical Music, Montreal

Montréal, February 10, 2025 — Held over 24 days in the Longueuil urban agglomeration and also in Montréal, Festival Classica has since 2011 provided top-quality programming both in ticketed auditoria and large outdoor free concerts. Its newly minted slogan, “Classical unlimited” perfectly defines the identity the festival has forged over the past few years: with its many commissions of new works from Canadian composers (operas, concertos, chamber music), its grand symphonic rock concerts, its eco-responsible policy, its involvement in digital art, its digitalized scenery, its original programming and its international alliances, Festival Classica embodies and represents the age we live…

Benjamin Appl and Eric Lu. Photo 1: David Ruano

Review | Benjamin Appl & Eric Lu’s Schwanengesang at Bourgie Hall

By Amanda Wong on 17 February 2025 Art Song, Concert Reviews, Montreal, Piano, Vocal

A German-born baritone like Benjamin Appl is certainly no stranger to Schubert’s work. I can only assume that the Austrian composer’s impressive list of over 600 songs offer much to Appl’s repertoire, who himself is largely a Lieder singer. Accompanied by American pianist Eric Lu, Appl presented Schubert’s Schwanengesang—his ‘swan songs’—as well as Beethoven’s song collection, An die ferne Geliebte (To the Distant Beloved), at Montreal’s Bourgie Hall on Feb. 13. What you missed Though one’s swan song is typically a final piece or performance before retirement or death, Schubert’s Schwanengesang is a collection of Lieder compiled and shared by…

Music makes us move even when we don’t like it

By Newswire on 11 February 2025 Classical Music, Education, Montreal, Newswire

Montreal, Feb. 11 – The pleasurable urge to move to music — to groove — appears to be a physiological response independent of how much we generally enjoy music, according to a new paper led by Concordia researchers. That groove response is so strong it is even found in people with musical anhedonia, those who take little or no pleasure from music. The article’s lead author is Isaac Romkey, a PhD student in the Department of Psychology. He writes in the journal PLOS One that recent research shows the two aspects of groove, pleasure and urge to move, while usually closely correlated, may in fact be…

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