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Following guidelines issued by the government of Quebec ordering the cancellation of all festivals and cultural events planned for this summer, the Festival de Lanaudière announces the cancellation of its 2020 edition, which was to take place from July 3 to August 2 (see annex for details). The Festival is thus joining efforts in fighting the current pandemic, and shares the government’s priority of placing public health and safety above all else.
“The government’s decision had become inevitable. We are truly heartbroken, but we stand behind the government’s efforts and decisions. Sadly, we cannot simply postpone our festival. Two and a half years of work go into building a lineup that takes into account the schedules of artists and orchestras. Each edition is carefully planned and balanced, and moving our outdoor concerts to October is unfortunately not an option,” mentions François Bédard, General Manager.
Renaud Loranger, Artistic Director, chimes in, “We kept hope alive until the very last moment to be able to deliver the 2020 edition of the Festival as planned with our partners in Quebec and throughout the world. A festival is a unique, irreproducible constellation brought to life by the artists that come together to make it all happen. We are devastated to have to part ways with them. This year’s edition was to offer festivalgoers memorable, heartfelt moments, including a farewell to Kent Nagano, Aida and The Valkyrie, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin—a foretaste of the upcoming season of the Metropolitan Opera—as well as three concerts by the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and let’s not forget the participation of William Christie and Les Arts Florissants in a program designed in partnership with European festivals—a first for Lanaudière. We will try, where possible, to carry forward some of this year’s concerts to the Festival’s next editions. We are focusing all of our energy on the future.”
We wish to extend our thanks to the various government officials who have supported us through this difficult time, as well as to our sponsors and donors, and our audience.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
