Browsing: 150/375

On October 29, 1967, at the closing ceremony of Montreal’s World Fair, a.k.a. Expo 67, Commissioner General Pierre Dupuy concluded his speech with these telling words: “My report is this: mission completed!” A half-century later, this assessment still stands: the event fulfilled its mission to celebrate mankind in its diversity. For 184 days, Montrealers, Quebecers, Canadians, Americans, and tourists from distant lands could visit the world in one train ride, the Expo Express, that linked one peninsula (Cité du Havre) to two islands (Sainte-Hélène and Notre-Dame). During one magical season, a little over 50 million visitors set foot on its…

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When Barbara Smith and Blanche Israël greeted me at the NYO’s downtown Toronto office, they had a weary-yet-determined air – familiar to any arts administrator labouring over a cherished project. “We’re getting down to the wire,” they explained, citing less than a month until the National Youth Orchestra begins its 2017 season and welcomes 92 talented young ­musicians, chosen from over 500 applicants, into its training program. I commented that it’s an exciting time. “Well okay, if you say so!” they chuckled dryly before admitting that it is indeed an exciting time. The orchestra will soon embark on the Edges…

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Gatineau, QC, May 25, 2017 /CNW/ – In this momentous Canada 150 year, the Government of Canada is proud to support Canadian Multiculturalism Day celebrations taking place in Montréal, Vancouver and Toronto on June 27. These lively festivities are part of Celebrate Canada days 2017. The Government of Canada provided Les FrancoFolies de Montréal with funding of $400,000 to organize activities for Canadian Multiculturalism Day. Financial support of $230,000 was granted to Harbourfront Centre for the celebrations in Toronto. Finally, $200,000 was awarded to the Canada Place Corporation for Multiculturalism Day in Vancouver. The funding provided to these three organizations for Canadian Multiculturalism Day comes from Canadian Heritage’s Canada 150 Fund. On November 13, 2002, the Government of Canada designated June 27 of each year as Canadian…

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The Canada Council for the Arts is proud to announce the 201 projects funded through their New Chapter program. The artists and arts organizations creating them are already hard at work. From Sackville, to Rimouski, to Hearst, to Rolla, to Yellowknife, to Berlin, Singapore and New York, stay tuned to see their exceptional work – and artistic ambitions – come to life! Here are a few examples … Ottawa Symphony Orchestra– a commission using 3D-printed instruments (Ottawa) Regent Park Film Festival– a film project based on home movies by families in Regent Park (Toronto) Akpik Theatre– an adaptation of Macbeth with…

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The concert “Bonne Fête Montréal” was held at Centre Bell last night in celebration of Montréal’s 375th anniversary. Guy A. Lepage hosted the event organized by Juste pour rire and theatre director Serge Denoncourt. The audience of 11,617 was treated to a diverse mix of music and comedy. The Orchestre Métropolitain and its dynamic conductor Yannick Nézet-Seguin accompanied the featured performers and kicked the evening off with an excerpt from Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin. Local star Boogat then took the stage with his eclectic mix of hip-hop and Latin music. Laurent Paquin, Louis-José Houde and Gad Elmaleh headlined the comedians to…

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Montréal, May 17, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ – On Montréal’s 375th anniversary, the Mayor of Montréal, Denis Coderre, presented the prestigious Ordre de Montréal medal to 17 deserving personalities as part of a solemn ceremony, which was held this afternoon at Montréal city hall in the presence of Bernard Voyer, co-president of the Ordre de Montréal council. “As the Mayor and a citizen of Montréal, I am pleased to be part of the first official presentation of the Ordre de Montréal. Today, we are honouring members of our community who dedicate themselves for the common good and our city’s social and economic development. These personalities have made their mark in various…

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A major initiative by The Royal Conservatory of Music, which celebrates the cultural diversity and pluralism of our great country as it turns 150, is the formation of the New Canadian Global Music Orchestra. This project, conceived by Mervon Mehta, Executive Director of Performing Arts, is led by Artistic Director David Buchbinder, the Juno Award-winning trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and cultural inventor. More than 100 Canadians hailing from 47 countries applied to be in the orchestra, out of which 12 members have been chosen after three rounds of auditions. The artists of the New Canadian Global Music Orchestra have been in…

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LA BOHÈME UNDER THE STARS Opera simulcast on a giant screen at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, an event on the official program of Montreal’s 375th anniversary celebrations Saturday, may 27, 2017, at 7:30 pm, FREE Montreal, Tuesday, May 2, 2017 — Bringing its season to a magnificent close, the Opéra de Montréal, through a partnership with The Society for the Celebration of Montreal’s 375th Anniversary, BMO Financial Group, the Montreal Alouettes, the Société de transport de Montréal, and the Orchestre Métropolitain, is especially delighted to be able to offer 15,000 people the opportunity to attend a free open-air operatic event at…

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Samy Moussa, a young Montreal composer, will see his work premiered on the occasion of the 375th anniversary of the city of Montreal by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. At 32 years old, Moussa has just won the 2017 Hindemith Prize, given to a contemporary composer and accompanied by an award of 20,000 euros. This is not the composer’s first collaboration with the OSM, since the soberly-titled Symphonie is his fifth orchestral commission. It is, however, his longest and most ambitious work. In a brief interview, Moussa spoke to us about the circumstances of the creation of the work and…

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Louis Riel is one of the most important Canadian operas ever written. It was inspired by the life of controversial Métis hero Louis Riel (1844-1885) and events surrounding Canadian Confederation in 1867 that became defining ­moments in the country’s history. With a libretto by Canadian playwright Mavor Moore in collaboration with Jacques Languirand and music by Harry Somers, Louis Riel was premiered in Toronto by the Canadian Opera Company for Canada’s centennial celebrations and performed soon after at Montreal’s Expo ’67. Louis Riel is being programmed this year by the COC as a co-production with the ­National Arts Centre to…

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