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Lila Downs. Photo credit: Frédérique Ménard-Aubin, 2016

Daily News Roundup: 6 July 2016

By Kiersten van Vliet on 6 July 2016 Choral, Contemporary, Mainstream Jazz, Piano, Romantic, Scena Jazz, World Music

+ Cleveland Classical talks with guitarist Denis Azabagić about winning prizes, his wife and duo partner flautist Eugenia Moliner, and practice philosophy. “I remember when I came to the U.S. more than a decade ago. I opened the yellow pages and found an ad that said, ‘Learn to play the piano without practice.’ I thought, who in the world could put out such an ad? I mean how can you lie like that — because that’s impossible. We would all like to get our things in life the easy way, but music is something that certainly doesn’t happen like that.…

Jacques Lacombe. Photo by Fred Stucker

Daily News Roundup: 5 July 2016

By Kiersten van Vliet on 5 July 2016 Arts Industry, Choral, Daily News Roundup, Orchestral, Piano, Popular Music, Scena Jazz

+ Read Jeanne Hourez’s review of Nicholas Angelich’s latest release of Liszt, Schumann, and Chopin. (French) + Jacques Lacombe was invited to the Tanglewood Music Festival for the third consecutive year. He will lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra with soloist Joshua Bell on July 8, and Orff’s Carmina Burana on July 9, followed the next day by a concert with the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra with a program of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet and Schumann’s Third Symphony. (French) + 53 years ago today, the Beatles invaded America with “From Me to You.” + In light of the ongoing Montreal Jazz…

2018 World Choir Games Announced for South Africa

By Newswire on 17 June 2016 Choral, Newswire

17 June 2016 – Olympic Games of Choral Music take place on the African continent for the first time INTERKULTUR, the leading organizer of international choir competitions and festivals will celebrate its 30th jubilee in 2018 with a spectacular anniversary – the 10th edition of the World Choir Games – and with a premiere: For the first time in its history Africa will be the host of the Olympic Games of Choral Music! Watch the announcement video: INTERKULTUR President Günter Titsch: “Having South Africa as our host makes a long-cherished dream come true – the biggest celebration of choral music will…

Jean-Philippe Tremblay. Photo Alain Lefort

Orchestre de la Francophonie at 15

By Jeanne Hourez on 1 June 2016 Arts Industry, Choral, Interviews, Orchestral

The Orchestre de la Francophonie will celebrate its 15th anniversary this summer. The program for the evening, which will take place at la Maison symphonique on August 7th, took some careful consideration. In the end, Artistic Director Jean-Philippe Tremblay chose Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection.” “We chose this extraordinary work after considering what the musicians have been wanting to do for the last few years, although Mahler’s compositions require a very large number of musicians which is not always easy to find,” states Tremblay. “Moving from shadow into light, being very demanding of the musicians, this symphony is rewarding in its…

Etienne Dupuis (Simon Doucet) Photo: Yves Renaud

This Week in Montreal (May 23–29)

By Kiersten van Vliet on 23 May 2016 Choral, Contemporary, Opera, Orchestral, This Week in Montreal

War Requiem at the Maison Symphonique Kent Nagano and the OSM with the OSM chorus present Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem May 25 and 28 at 8:00 pm and 29 at 2:30 pm at Maison Symphonique. Soloists include soprano Catherine Naglestad, tenor Ian Bostridge, and baritone Russell Braun, who is replacing Thomas Hampson for health reasons.http://www.osm.ca/en/concert/war-requiem Concours Musical International de Montréal The CMIM kicks off this week with Quarter-final rounds May 23–25, and Semi-final rounds May 27 and 28 at Bourgie Hall. Catch masterclasses with judges Ida Kavafian and Pierre Amoyal on Thursday May 26 at 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm, respectively at the Chapelle Historique…

Audience members circulate among the singers. Photo R. K. Basdeo

Polyphonic Extravagance Wows Audiences at the Gesù

By Rebecca Anne Clark on 19 April 2016 Baroque and Early, Choral, Concert Reviews, Contemporary

Musica Orbium, under the direction of Patrick Wedd, treated audiences to some stunning vocal performances at two performances of their concert “Extravagance Polyphonique” at the Église du Gesù last Sunday, April 17. The program, based around the illustrious motets Spem in alium by Tallis and Ecce beatam lucem by Striggio, also contained lesser-known gems, including works that predate the aforementioned motets such as Johannes Ockeghem’s Deo gratia à 36 and Josquin des Prez’s Qui habitat in adiutorio altissimi for 24 voices, as well as contemporary works including Patrick Wedd’s Nines₂, composed for Musica Orbium’s tenth anniversary, and Gregg Smith’s Sound…

Benjamin Britten

Britten’s War Requiem

By Kiersten van Vliet on 1 April 2016 Choral, Contemporary, Orchestral

This May, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is closing its season with Benjamin Britten’s choral masterpiece War Requiem, conducted by Kent Nagano with soloists Catherine Naglestad, Ian Bostridge, and Thomas Hampson. Commissioned for the 1962 consecration of Coventry Cathedral, which was bombed in the Second World War, the War Requiem has transcended its origins, becoming a staple in memorial ceremonies for major tragedies and war. Given the current instability around the globe, War Requiem is quite timely. In 1939, with increasing tension in Europe, Britten and Sir Peter Pears sailed to North America, where they spent several years. The consequences of this decision were far-reaching.…

Emily d'Angelo au COC

Industry News: April 2016

By Shira Gilbert on 1 April 2016 Arts Industry, Choral, Circus, Contemporary, Opera, Orchestral, Quebec Music

Big Wins Toronto-based mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo has been named the winner of the prestigious Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. The 21-year-old D’Angelo, one of five winners from a pool of nine finalists, performed two arias with the Met Orchestra under the baton of Antony Walker at the Grand Finals Concert on the Met stage. Previous winners of the Met Auditions include many of the world’s great opera stars, such as Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, and Frederica von Stade. In 2015, D’Angelo won both First Prize and the Audience Choice Award at the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio Competition. Soprano Chelsea…

Gilbert Patenaude

Gilbert Patenaude: The Maestro Retires

By Julie Vovan on 1 April 2016 Choral

After 38 years as artistic director of the Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal, Maestro Gilbert Patenaude is ready to retire. What kind of musical and pedagogical legacy is he leaving? In 1978, Patenaude became the first lay musical director of the Petits Chanteurs. In the 60 years since its founding, the choir’s primary mission has been to offer musical accompaniment for the religious services at Saint Joseph’s Oratory. Patenaude’s arrival was a change of pace for the young singers. He took on the artistic direction and musical training, and still had time to compose his own pieces, including three operas. Just…

Airat Ichmouratov

This Week in Montreal (March 21–27)

By Kiersten van Vliet on 21 March 2016 Baroque and Early, Choral, Orchestral, This Week in Montreal

McGill Chamber Orchestra Montreal-based clarinettist and composer Airat Ichmouratov and the Kleztory Ensemble present Chamber Symphony No. 3, Op. 25 by the namesake composer, Clarinet Quintet in A major by Mozart, and miscellaneous klezmer repertoire. March 22, 7:30 pm. www.ocm-mco.org Caractère hébraïque et Monuments Slaves à l’OM In March, OM will taste the Slavic language and perform the powerful Glagolithic Mass by Janáček, a choral masterpiece. Christian Arming, conductor, with the great Finnish soprano Camilla Nylund, mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne, tenor David Pomeroy, bass-baritone Andrew Foster-Williams, and the Chœur Métropolitain, celebrating 30 years this season. Symphony No. 8 by Dvořák will end the concert.…

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