Winds - my/maSCENA

Grand Prize winner of the 2024 OSM Competition, Jason Xu

Jason Xu Wins Grand Prize of the 85th OSM Competition

By Newswire on 9 November 2024 Classical Music, Montreal, Music Competition, Newswire, Winds

Montreal, November 9, 2024 – The Orchestre symphonique de Montréal is delighted to announce the Grand Prize winner of the 2024 OSM Competition: Jason Xu wins the Barbara Bronfman Prize ($20,000) named in memory of Barbara Bronfman, a committed music lover and cherished donor of the OSM. In addition, this year’s winner is offered a featuring in an artist portrait and broadcast of his semifinal recital on Toute une musique hosted by Marie-Christine Trottier for ICI MUSIQUE. The OSM is also proud to introduce two prizes: the Michèle Paré Prize, a residency at Orford Musique during which the laureate will develop a community engagement project, as well as the Ann Birks Career Grant to…

Arin Sarkissian. Photo: Zach Mendez

Arin Sarkissian (flute) – Michael Measures Prize

By Kaitlyn Chan on 8 October 2024 Classical Music, Music Competition, Winds

Flutist Arin Sarkissian doesn’t have the traditional origin story of a classical musician, having instead grown up with a relative disinterest in classical music and being unable to land a spot in his high school’s symphony orchestra. But the 2024 Michael Measures Prize winner’s success is a testament to the power of strong role models and his genuine love of music and performance. Sarkissian is particularly grateful to several of his teachers—professors Leone Buyse (Rice University) and Jim Walker (LA’s Colburn School), his first flute teacher Lilit Hovhannisyan, and mentor Christinia Yoo (affectionately called “Tina Teacher”)—for encouraging his musical development.…

CD Review | Works for the Bassoon by Māori Composers (WSU Recordings Label, 2023)

By Pietro Freiburger on 29 March 2024 CD and Book Reviews, Classical, Piano, Winds

This album by WSU faculty members Jacqueline Wilson (bassoon), Sophia Tegart (flute) and Fabio Menchetti (piano) features works by Maori composers.

Nadia Labrie (Photo provided)

Nadia Labrie: Finding the Beauty

By Catherine Kustanczy on 29 March 2024 Canadian Music, Montreal, Winds

French-Canadian flute player Nadia Labrie is famous for her classical recordings of works by Schubert, Bach, and Mozart.

Pentaèdre (Photo provided)

Pentaèdre: Revisiting the Symphony

By Justin Bernard on 2 February 2024 Chamber Music, Classical Music, Montreal, Winds

Pentaèdre’s 38th season continues triumphantly with two of its most eagerly-awaited events.

Leonard Bernstein rehearsing for a television broadcast circa 1958

Highlights | Critics Respond to Maestro, Holiday Concerts Underway

By Zenith Wolfe on 15 December 2023 Highlights, Montreal, Opera, Orchestral, Piano, Winds

Bradley Cooper has released Maestro and critics are conflicted on how well it portrays the life of conductor, composer, and educator Leonard Bernstein.

CD Review | Fifteen Feet Closer to the Sky (Leaf Music, 2023)

By Pietro Freiburger on 10 November 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Winds

Adam Zinatelli’s first solo album consists of pieces composed for trumpet by living composers.

CD Review | Canadian Scenes: New Works for Oboe & Piano (Leaf Music, 2023)

By Kristen Whittle on 6 October 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Piano, Winds

Canadian Scenes: New Works for Oboe & Piano Charles Hamann, oboe; Frédéric Lacroix, piano Leaf Music, June 2023 Five works for oboe and piano were commissioned by oboist Charles Hamann for this album, which depicts various aspects of Canadian identity. In collaboration with pianist Frédéric Lacroix (who also wrote one of the pieces on the album), Hamann sought to capture various aspects of Canada’s landscapes, and asked each composer to write a piece using nature as an inspirational starting point. Over the course of the album’s genesis, changes in climate and environment impacted the way works panned out. In the…

Pentaèdre (Photo by Martin Girard)

Pentaèdre: The Oboe in all its Forms

By Justin Bernard on 6 October 2023 Montreal, Winds

Since woodwind quintet Pentaèdre created its Carte blanche series for each musician in 2017, the oboe has not yet been put in the spotlight. But that’s about to change. Oboist Élise Poulin, who joined Pentaèdre in 2019, will finally have the opportunity to present a complete concert. “I’m delighted that Pentaèdre has given me the opportunity to explore chamber music repertoire for oboe in such depth for this Carte blanche concert. It’s quite rare to present concerts featuring the oboe and English horn! I’m very happy to introduce these more obscure instruments to the public.” She has invited some Orchestre…

CD Review | Clara et Robert Schumann: Musique de chambre pour cor (Atma Classique, 2023)

By Zenith Wolfe on 6 October 2023 CD and Book Reviews, Chamber Music, Winds

Clara et Robert Schumann: Musique de chambre pour cor Louis-Philippe Marsolais, horn; David Jalbert and Philip Chiu, piano; Cameron Crozman and Stéphane Tétreault, cello Atma Classique, June 2023 The gentleness of the Schumanns’ romantic compositions is not lost on the Orchestre Métropolitain’s principal horn player, Louis-Philippe Marsolais. He demonstrates a great deal of restraint on this album through his muted performance. Marsolais’s soft notes drift along peacefully above an enthusiastic piano, played by David Jalbert. When Marsolais is prompted to play with more force, Jalbert is careful to maintain a similar volume and intensity, creating a gentle synergy between the…

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