Festival de Lanaudière Unveils Its 2025 Program

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Festival de Lanaudière 2025

A magnificent season where music and nature meet

Joliette, April 15, 2025 – From July 4 to August 3, experience a wonderful musical adventure in the lush, natural setting of the Festival de Lanaudière. Our impressive 2025 season includes 25 concerts and over 1,000 artists, featuring both local talent and international guests. From long-awaited must-see events to beautiful and creative surprises, your senses will be captivated by this year’s musical program.

“In a world undergoing profound change, culture and the performing arts, music in particular, offer a refuge for our humanity. They provide a channel for dialogue with the world, reflecting our values of openness, tolerance, high standards, and diversity. With ‘otherness’ as our theme, our 2025 season is more than just a gathering of top-tier artists, remarkable debuts, and bold programs. It is a true mosaic of the human experience, rich in contrasts and fertile in its dualities.”
– Renaud Loranger, Artistic Director of the Festival de Lanaudière

“Diving into the Festival de Lanaudière universe means experiencing exceptional music at the heart of a a warm and naturally beautiful region. Beyond just concerts, visitors can also explore the cultural richness and agrotourism experiences Lanaudière has to offer, elevating the music even further. It is this unique collaboration with local partners that enables us to rank among the most prestigious classical music festivals in North America and to offer our audience members a grandiose welcome each year.”
– Clément Joubert, Executive Director of the Festival de Lanaudière

THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL:

13 concerts at the Fernand-Lindsay Amphitheatre – Canada’s largest open-air concert hall designed for classical music.
6 Church concerts in enchanting, intimate settings throughout the region.
6 Hors les murs concerts, in cultural venues and agrotourism sites.
5 free outdoor musical movie nights.
A free family day with open house activities and concerts for all ages.

Festival Highlights – Amphitheatre Series

Opening Concert Carmina Burana
Payare and the OSM
Friday, July 4 – 8 p.m.

To open the Festival, Rafael Payare and the OSM will perform Carl Orff’s famous Carmina Burana, which the composer himself described as “the great theater of the world.” A spectacular choir and orchestra, joined by three exceptional soloists, will bring this grand medieval-inspired fresco to life.

Monumental Bruckner
Payare and the OSM
Saturday, July 5 – 7 p.m.

Since joining the OSM, Rafael Payare has established himself as a leading interpreter of the great Germanic repertoire: Mahler, of course, but also Strauss, Wagner, and Beethoven, all of whom he has conducted here in recent seasons. This summer, he takes on Bruckner and his monumental Eighth Symphony.

Leonardo García Alarcónand
The Coronation of Poppea
Sunday, July 6 – 4 p.m.
Leonardo García Alarcón and his Cappella Mediterranea made their debut with us in 2023, marking a milestone in the history of the Festival. After L’Orfeo, they return with another Monteverdi opera, the intriguing Poppea, featuring a collection of fascinating characters in this final work where power, desire, and ambition blend into a magnificent whole.

Contemporary Folklore with collectif9
Saturday, July 12 – 7 p.m.

Returning to the Festival for the first time in nearly a decade, the Quebec-based ensemble collectif9 explores contemporary and contrasting soundscapes, blending cinematic influences from Nicole Lizée, folk reminiscences from Giovanni Sollima and George Meyer, and a tribute to Vijay Iyer and John Zorn. A unique offering at the heart of a vibrant summer.

Chanticleer, At the Roots of Polyphony
Sunday, July 13 – 4 p.m.

Making its debut at the Festival, the Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer (in high demand across four continents) offers a journey through five centuries of choral tradition, from the Renaissance to the present day. A concert defined by the pure beauty of singing, harmony, otherness, and connection.

Constellation AKAMUS + Mendelssohn I
Saint Paul
Friday, July 18 – 8 p.m.

Constellation AKAMUS + Mendelssohn II
Elijah
Saturday, July 19 – 7 p.m.

The Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin’s reputation is well-established: adorned with multiple awards, their discography is among the most extensive of the past half-century.

They present us with two monumental choral masterpieces, both of Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorios, enhanced by exceptional instrumentalists, the young singers of the Audi Jugendchorakademie, and a lineup of world-class soloists, in a North American exclusive performance. Unmissable!

Les Violons du Roy and Sol Gabetta
Friday, July 25 – 8 p.m.

Les Violons du Roy and Bernard Labadie return, this time accompanied by the exquisite Argentine cellist Sol Gabetta, a leading figure on the international stage. For her only concert in Canada this summer, she presents two gems of early classical music: concertos by Haydn and Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach.

A Unique Voice: Franco Fagioli
Saturday, July 26 – 7 p.m.

For his Canadian debut, the Argentine countertenor Franco Fagioli showcases his incomparable talent, joined by the sublime Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal de Versailles, also making its first visit to Canada. The program features arias and orchestral works by Rossini, Mercadante, Zingarelli, and Nicolini, all of whom helped establish the fame of the legendary castrato Velluti.

Yannick and Yuja Wang: Explosive!
Sunday, July 27 – 4 p.m.

No introduction is needed for either of these artists. Both are among the world’s greatest names in music. They are colleagues and friends, joining forces for a one-time performance at the Festival to celebrate Ravel’s anniversary and what a magnificent celebration it will be! Yannick Nézet-Séguin, a long-time friend of the Festival, reunites with his Orchestre Métropolitain for one of the essential events of the summer.

The Grand Return of Kent Nagano with the OSM
Friday, August 1 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 2 – 4 p.m.

Few artists have made as lasting an impact on the Quebec music scene as Kent Nagano, who served as the OSM’s musical director for over fifteen years. This is his grand return to Lanaudière as Honorary Conductor for the OSM, joined by exceptional soloists and performing works he has championed across the globe for decades.

Closing Concert
Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde: Final Apotheosis with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the OM
Sunday, August 3 – 4 p.m.

Once again this year, the grand closing concert of the Festival will be entrusted to Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Métropolitain. Surrounded by a cast of the finest Wagnerian singers of our time, they will present a unique performance of what many consider to be “the opera of operas”: Tristan und Isolde, as a preview of a new production at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in 2026.

Glorious Performances in Intimate Settings – Church Series

Under the chandeliers and frescoes of six of the most beautiful churches in the region, an astounding series of concerts awaits us this year. Among these, Leonardo García Alarcón and Cappella Mediterranea dive into the contrasting world of Monteverdi, between sacred and profane, in an allegorical play around the seven deadly sins. The dynamic duo of Alisa Weilerstein and Inon Barnatan revisit with intensity Beethoven’s five sonatas for cello and piano, while Yulianna Avdeeva offers a striking interpretation of Shostakovich’s Preludes and Fugues, filled with irony and resistance. And in a touching dialogue between generations, William Christie and Justin Taylor, each at their harpsichord, bring French Baroque music to life.

Classical Music in Unexpected Places – Hors les murs Series

It’s impossible to fully experience the Festival de Lanaudière without savouring the energy and flavours of the region. Explore the Jardins Arômes et Saveurs, where the scent of lavender fills the air, and let yourself be enveloped by the captivating work of Philip Glass, performed by the Molinari Quartet. Also, head to the Distillerie Le Grand Dérangement to discover airs by Grieg, Ravel, and Mompou, delicately arranged for guitar. Be surprised by the world of Leonard Cohen, reimagined through Renaissance harmonies. The authenticity and atmosphere that make Lanaudière famous come alive through this series of unique concerts, presented in innovative and enriching formats.