Sunday, December 8, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – … And it makes perfect sense! This work was included in the Christmas Oratorio. Bach changed the words, but the musical theme remains very similar. Which explains why this aria does not seem unfamiliar. This closing concert will be conducted by Clemens Schuldt, Music Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, for a Christmas program before […]
Saturday, December 7, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – One of the Festival’s traditions is to present J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations at every edition. Exceptionally, this year, you will have the pleasure of hearing Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations. Played by Ukrainian pianist and Montrealer by adoption Serhiy Salov, these variations are, like Bach’s, veritable summits of musical writing. The great pianist Alfred Brendel commented: “The […]
Friday, December 6, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Founded in Toulouse in 1997 by Joël Suhubiette, the Chamber choir Les Éléments is a major player on the French choral scene. Initially a tenor with several ensembles, he then turned to conducting after training with Philippe Herreweghe. Today, Les Éléments and their conductor perform all over the world, with 20th century a cappella repertoire, […]
Thursday, December 5, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Pianists Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy are among today’s foremost young musical stars. Winners of the Honens Competition in Calgary and the Campilos de Malaga in Spain respectively, they offer us an alternation of preludes and fugues for piano by J.S. Bach and Dmitri Shostakovich. An ingenious idea, since Shostakovich’s collection was written in homage […]
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – This is the first appearance in Montreal for the Musiciens de Saint-Julien, an ensemble founded in 2006 by flutist François Lazarevitch. They are said to be reviving dormant musical depths with an approach that is both erudite and intuitive. Quite a mission! It is a pleasure to discover them in an intimate instrumental formation of […]
Tuesday, December 3, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Second violin principal of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 2013, Alexander Read leads a versatile career as soloist, chamber musician and teacher. For this concert he joins forces with Mélisande McNabney and Elinor Frey for an evening devoted to Biber’s Rosary Sonatas. In addition to being very rarely performed in its entirety in concert, this […]
Monday, December 2, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Winner of prestigious international music competitions, including the Tchaikovsky Competition and the Queen Elisabeth Competition, cellist Bruno Philippe enchants and fascinates audiences wherever he goes. “Philippe’s principal virtues are the way he allows the music to dance and his easy, unforced manner of projection,” commented Gramophone magazine on his most recent album of J.S. Bach’s Suites for solo […]
Sunday, December 1, 2024 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm – For the first time in Montreal, the excellent American organist Katelyn Emerson will grace us with her presence at the Basilica of Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal. She will perform a program inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach, covering three centuries of repertoire and featuring Rudolf von Beckerath’s instrument.
Sunday, December 1, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – For this second performance at the Bach 2024 Festival, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin brings period instruments up to date with Baroque classics. Akamus has played a significant role in the rediscovery of the music of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Georg Philipp Telemann. They have performed from New York to Tokyo, via London, […]
Saturday, November 30, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Georg Philipp Telemann was undoubtedly one of the most prolific composers of all time, with almost 6,000 works! His friend G. F. Handel is reported to have said of him that he could compose a score for eight voices as naturally as if he were writing a letter. Bach regularly chose Telemann’s works for performance, […]
Friday, November 29, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – The Solomon’s Knot collective, named as “one of the UK’s most innovative and imaginative ensembles” according to The Observer, is made up of top instrumentalists and singers. They bring early music to life, pushing the boundaries on stage. These regulars at international major venues and music festivals offer nothing less than the complete Grands motets by […]
Tuesday, November 26, 2024 @ 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm – For its second concert, the Ensemble Musica Sequenza, once again, is sure to surprise the audience. With Sampling Baroque Bach, Burak Özdemir and his group blend the powerful tunes of Baroque composers with electronic music. This dialogue of musical genres and styles, developing new music that is free of ideologies and oriented towards pure sound. […]
Tuesday, November 26, 2024 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – J.S. Bach’s cantatas take on a new dimension with Musica Sequenza, conducted by Burak Özdemir! He turns his bassoon into a versatile vocal soloist and virtuosically exploring voices : from soprano to bass, alto and tenor. without words, J.S. Bach’s delicate melodic lines come to life. This concert will also immerse the audience into Özdemir’s intimate universe […]
Sunday, November 24, 2024 @ 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm – Sunday concerts at the Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal have been a great tradition for over 60 years. During the Festival, Vincent Boucher will play the Basilica’s Beckerath organ accompanied by the enthusiasm of host Mario Paquet for a musical and historical journey.
Saturday, November 23, 2024 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – The Montreal Bach Festival officially opens with one of J.S. Bach’s most accomplished works, the Mass in B minor. A musical monument, this work presents Bach at the height of his art and invites us to join this timeless journey. On the podium, conductor Leonardo García Alarcón, a world-renowned Baroque specialist and a passionate lover […]
Friday, November 22, 2024 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – The Montreal Bach Festival presents one of J.S. Bach’s most accomplished works, the Mass in B minor. A musical monument, this work reveals Bach at the peak of his art and invites us to join this timeless journey. On the podium, conductor Leonardo García Alarcón, a world-renowned Baroque specialist and a passionate lover of Bach’s […]
Sunday, November 17, 2024 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – This year, a very special concert takes place at Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal, featuring the newly restored carillon. Inaugurated in 1955 by Émile Vendette, the instrument comprises 56 bronze bells, weighing a total of 10,900 kilos! On this occasion, we will hear the Missa Redemptoris Custos by Raymond Daveluy, who was titular organist of the […]
Saturday, November 16, 2024 @ 3:30 pm – 10:30 pm – For the 10th edition of La nuit des chœurs, new and old choirs from the Greater Montreal area join forces for an even more captivating and vibrant concert. Between emotions and harmony, the ensembles will share joyful and varied songs from their respective repertoires.
Saturday, November 16, 2024 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – The Festival is proud of the return of Bach Incognito, a concert specially designed for young people. Conducted by Gohar Manvelyan, this concert promises a family afternoon rich in discovery, accompanied by the music of Bach and Corelli.
Sunday, December 3, 2023 @ 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm – Bach meets Telemann With the Schola de l’Oratoire Adam Wills Begley, conductor Vincent Boucher, organ Georg Philipp Telemann (1681 – 1767) Werfet Panier auf im Lande, TWV 8:15 Das ist meine Freude, TWV 8:17 Ach Herr, strafe mich nicht, TWV 7:3 Der Herr ist König, TWV 8:6 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750) Der Geist […]
Saturday, December 2, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Critics have called him “a true poet of the piano” whose “brilliant touch” allows him to explore the “spiritual depths” of the music he plays: William Youn is one of the finest pianists of our day and has established an international reputation, particularly for his Schubert recordings. His playing is characterized by subtlety, emotional insight, […]
Friday, December 1, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Luc Beauséjour, harpsichord An inspired harpsichordist and organist, Luc Beauséjour is never short of ideas when it comes to proposing concert programs marked by refinement and authenticity. A musician sought after for his virtuosity and finesse, he is also sought after for his engaging personality, his eloquence, and his ability to communicate with all audiences. […]
Thursday, November 30, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Sergei Babayan, a naturalized American Armenian pianist, is among the finest musicians of our time. A regular guest at the Montreal Bach Festival, he has received critical acclaim for his virtuosic piano playing with a discreet and precise touch. He has performed at many international festivals and in renowned concert halls with orchestras such as […]
Wednesday, November 29, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Death is omnipresent in the lives of the Bach family. Indeed, they had to endure a considerable number of bereavements. This is often what we find particularly touching in Bach’s music: the man of faith and the man of flesh and blood come face to face. This concert is intended to convey the message that […]
Tuesday, November 28, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – The Italian contralto Sonia Prina made her debut at La Scala in 1998 at the age of 23 in the role of Rosina alongside a young Juan Diego Florez. Recognized for her deep and agile voice, she quickly turned to the Baroque repertoire. Particularly appreciative of Handel’s work, she has embodied several emblematic characters of […]
Saturday, November 25, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Placing curiosity at the heart of its musical approach, the Ensemble Diderot claims the heritage of the philosopher of the same name: open-mindedness, thirst for discovery and humility in the face of knowledge. Created in 2008 around the violinist Johannes Pramsohler, the ensemble is recognized for its innovative approach to the trio sonata as well […]
Friday, November 24, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Founded in 1970 in Kraków by composer, musicologist and conductor Stanisław Gałoński, Capella Cracoviensis comprises an ensemble playing on period instruments and a chamber choir. Specializing in Renaissance, Polish Baroque and classical chamber music repertoire, the ensemble is considered one of the most important and outstanding in Poland. Mikołaj Zieleński (1550 – 1615) In monte […]
Wednesday, November 22, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – The four musicians met in Cologne where they founded the saxophone quartet SIGNUM in 2006. Inspired by the Ebony Quartet, the Artemis Quartet and Gabor Takács-Nágy, the members of SIGNUM bring forward new ideas and intriguing artistic encounters through experimental versatility in programs with inspiring soundscapes. David Maslanka (1943-) Recitation Book pour quatuor de saxophones […]
Tuesday, November 21, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Eva Gevorgyan is the winner of more than forty international competitions. In 2019, at just 15 years of age, she gave a solo recital at the Royal Albert Hall in London. That same year, she won the Chopin Competition for Young Pianists. Critics raved about her “emotional eloquence and impeccable technique,” combined with all the […]
Monday, November 20, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Hayoung Choi won first prize at the 2022 Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium, as well as two special prizes and first prize at the third edition of the Krzysztof Penderecki International Cello Competition (2018). At the age of thirteen, she became the youngest musician ever to win the Johannes Brahms International Competition in […]
Sunday, November 19, 2023 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm – You might feel this sounds a lot like Mozart …yes indeed. The galant style of the two youngest sons of J.S. Bach points directly in this direction. Johan Christian was the super star of the galant style, being at home at the big course in Milano, Napoli, London and Mannheim. Christoph Friedrich Bach in his […]
Sunday, November 19, 2023 @ 3:30 pm – 5:30 pm – BACH AND ITALY “Amsterdam, 1717. A young German prince is about to leave the city, his trunks full of music that he hastened to take back to his court. He takes with him a volume of the Estro Armonico, Vivaldi’s collection of violin concertos published a few years earlier. The Prince was impatient, keen to […]
Saturday, November 18, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – You might feel this sounds a lot like Mozart …yes indeed. The galant style of the two youngest sons of J.S. Bach points directly in this direction. Johan Christian was the super star of the galant style, being at home at the big course in Milano, Napoli, London and Mannheim. Christoph Friedrich Bach in his […]
Friday, November 17, 2023 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm – You might feel this sounds a lot like Mozart …yes indeed. The galant style of the two youngest sons of J.S. Bach points directly in this direction. Johan Christian was the super star of the galant style, being at home at the big course in Milano, Napoli, London and Mannheim. Christoph Friedrich Bach in his […]
Saturday, November 11, 2023 @ 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm – The Night of the Choirs is back! Montreal’s leading amateur choirs will come together to charm and entertain you with their joyful songs. Admission is free and our delicious Glühwein will once again be served, with German cookies and chocolates. Chœur Classique de Montréal, Louis Lavigueur Ensemble Da Capo, Danielle Lavoie Les Petits Chanteurs de […]
Saturday, November 11, 2023 @ 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Bach Incognito returns this year with a concert that is as interesting as it is fun, designed for our young audience. Accompanied by his two companions, violinists Guillaume Villeneuve and Diane Bayard, the young conductor Francis Choinière offers an eclectic program between baroque and romanticism. Airat Ichmouratov (1973-) Chamber Symphony No 3, op. 25A III. […]
Friday, November 10, 2023 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Cellist Alisa Weilerstein is one of the most important musicians of our time, known for her artistic mastery, emotional investment and depth of interpretation. A strong advocate for creative music, in early 2023 she launched Fragments, an immersive art project that brings together the thirty-six movements of Bach’s cello suites with twenty-seven original works. Alisa […]
Saturday, November 11, 2023 @ 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – The Night of the Choirs is back! Montreal’s leading amateur choirs will come together to charm and entertain you with their joyful songs. Admission is free and our delicious Glühwein will once again be served, with German cookies and chocolates.
Saturday, November 11, 2023 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Bach Incognito returns this year with a concert that is as interesting as it is fun, designed for our young audience. Accompanied by his two companions, violinists Guillaume Villeneuve and Diane Bayard, the young conductor Francis Choinière offers an eclectic program between baroque and romanticism.
