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Bach Before Bedtime singers

Allegra Foundation: The Power of Chamber Music

By Kristen Whittle on 1 September 2023 Chamber Music, Montreal

“The power of chamber music really lies in its ability to connect with everyone in an intimate, warm setting,” says Dorothy Fieldman-Fraiberg, founder of the Allegra Foundation, about the reach and power of the foundation’s two programs: Allegra Chamber Music and Bach Before Bedtime. Allegra Chamber Music has planned another magnificent season of free concerts at various venues throughout Montreal. On Dec. 13 at Redpath Hall, for instance, renowned conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin will join the Allegra chamber musicians in performing works by Ravel, (specifically Ma mère l’Oye for four-hands piano), Mozart, and Elgar. In a message about Allegra, Nézet-Séguin says…

Bourgie Hall: New Season, Great Ambitions

By Justin Bernard on 1 September 2023 Classical Music, Montreal

Now sharing duties as programmers for Salle Bourgie, Olivier Godin and Caroline Louis are going about it in something of a four-handed way, their predecessor Isolde Lagacé having assumed this task on her own until her retirement last year. A new feature for the upcoming season is the Outstanding Pianists series that will spotlight both established names and rising stars. “Our program is equally divided between Canadian and Québécois artists,” Godin notes. Scheduled in the months to come are: Isata Kanneh-Mason (Oct. 10); Christian Blackshaw (Nov. 2)—fresh from recording the complete cycle of Mozart sonatas; Vikingur Ólafsson (Jan. 24); Igor…

Jocelyn Gould

Fall 2023 Previews: Toronto Calling

By Marc Chénard on 1 September 2023 Scena Jazz, Toronto

With its July Downtown Jazz Fest and its August Markham counterpart now in the rearview mirror, the Toronto jazz scene motors along throughout the year thanks to a number of venues with regular programming. Toronto Live: Where to Go Two of the best know hang outs are the Jazz Bistro (251 Victoria St.) and the Tranzac (292 Brunswick Ave.), the latter presenting a wide-array of musics from the more mainstream to the more experimental. Several hotels also have jazz on. a regular basis, starting with The Rex Jazz & Blues Bar at 194 Queen Street W., the One King West Hotel (1 King St. W.)…

Jane Bunnett et Maqueque au Dièse onze (15 septembre)

Fall Previews: Montreal Calling

By Marc Chénard on 1 September 2023 Canadian Music, Montreal, Musique actuelle, Quebec Music, Scena Jazz

If Guelph is the ignition switch for jazz in Southern Ontario, the Off Festival de Jazz de Montréal (OFJM) is its counterpart for the Montreal region. Both events have long histories, the OFJM stretching back to Y2K, when local musicians banded together to call out the city’s mammoth jazz festival for its cavalier attitude toward them. Off Festival On Again Having outgrown that original purpose, the event has carved its own niche over time, now casting itself as a promoter of local talent, of which the city has no short supply. In its upcoming 24th edition, running from Oct. 5…

Xian ZhangHarrison ParrottHMU Elizabeth Rita / assistant Mariona Vilaros / studio Ermine London15 October 2015

Newswire | CMIM: Xian Zhang Will Be Guest Conductor for the Piano 2024 Edition

By Newswire on 24 August 2023 Montreal, Newswire

Montreal, August 24, 2023 – The Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM) is delighted to announce that the internationally renowned Chinese-American conductor Xian Zhang will be Guest Conductor for the Piano 2024 edition. The competition finalists will have the exceptional opportunity to perform under the baton of Xian Zhang for the Grand Final with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), on May 15 and 16, 2024, at Maison symphonique de Montréal. Renowned for her intelligence and dynamism, Xian Zhang will surely inspire these virtuoso pianists of the new generation. Zhang has already captivated Montreal audiences, previously leading the OSM in…

Leland Ko on stage during the cello auditions. (Photo by Donna Santos)

Newswire | 2023 Musical Instrument Bank Cohort Revealed

By Newswire on 16 August 2023 Music Competition, Toronto

Toronto, August 16, 2023 – Auditions for the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank took place in Toronto from July 30 to August 5. The auditions give classical music performers from Canada the opportunity to borrow one of the Musical Instrument Bank’s precious instruments for three years. At this year’s competition, 23 violins and cellos made between the late 17th century and the early 20th century by famous luthiers like Stradivari, Gagliano and Pressenda were available. Before obtaining an instrument, the musicians took part in a rigorous assessment process. The musicians who wished to borrow an instrument first submitted an…

CD Review | 2023 Syli d’Or Compilation (Les Disques Nuits d’Afrique, 2023)

By Hassan Laghcha on 31 July 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Montreal, World Music

2023 Syli d’Or Compilation La Tribu Salsa Band; Abondance; Lil K HPB Les Disques Nuits d’Afrique, 2023 This compilation includes nine tracks by the three world music finalists of the annual Syli d’Or competition, recorded during the gala evening at La Tulipe on April 27, 2023. One of the best salsa band in Quebec, La Tribu (Syli d’Or winner) presents beautiful pieces that remain true to the salsa tradition of 1970s New York, where this music took root. Thanks to the talents of its quartet of singer-actors, this colourful band stands out for its original blend of humour and fiery…

CD Review | Moongate (Self-published, 2023)

By Zenith Wolfe on 31 July 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Ottawa, Romantic, Strings

Moongate Victor Anastacio, guitar; Philippe Charbonneau, bass; Colleen Leslie, flute Self-published, 2023 Moongate, the debut album by composer and acoustic guitarist Victor Anastacio, is a hidden gem. The work sounds deceptively simple at first. The titular Moongate, as well as Amethyst Sky and Northern Lights, are easy to digest: light and peaceful, with an emphasis on the play between Leslie’s disjunct flute melodies and Anastacio’s fingerpicking. Gathering Wind’s more staccato performance breathes energy into the album before the deep, slow notes of Charbonneau’s bass rein in the two treble instruments for a few compositions, creating a more melancholic experience. The…

Newswire | Music and Beyond’s First Ever Live Synchronized Performance of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks

By Newswire on 25 July 2023 Newswire, Ottawa

OTTAWA, July 20, 2023 – In a groundbreaking presentation of music and visual spectacle, Music and Beyond made history as it presented the first-ever live performance of Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks, synchronized with live fireworks. This unprecedented feat was a testament to the seamless blend of classic music with contemporary technology, demonstrating the limitless possibilities of live performance art. Audiences enjoyed the performance from a variety of vantage points. Many revelled in the harmonious blend of music and visual display at the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, observing the fireworks on the screen as the music was played by the…

Newswire | World Premiere of CANOE: All-New Two-Act Opera

By Newswire on 25 July 2023 Toronto

Toronto, July 25, 2023 – Unsettled Scores production, in collaboration with Native Earth Performing Arts, The Toronto Consort and Theatre Passe Muraille, will present Canoe, an all-new two-act opera that defies conventions and embraces invention from September 12-16, 2023 at Trinity St Paul’s Centre in Toronto. This intercultural production showcases the rich talents of four Indigenous singers and an ensemble of five historical instruments including the violin, cello, recorder, lute, and harpsichord. Composed by Unsettled Scores co-founders Spy Dénommé-Welch and Catherine Magowan, and set to a story/libretto by Spy Dénommé-Welch, Canoe is a captivating tale of two sisters from Northern…

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