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Browsing: Contemporary

Rachel Fenlon and Will Jessup in the first Pierrot workshop. Photo: Marc Lebel

Preview | An Underground Berlin-infused Schoenberg Premiere at Festival d’opéra de Québec

By Gianmarco Segato on 25 July 2025 Contemporary, Dance, Opera, Quebec City, Vocal

Berlin-based Canadian artists, soprano/composer Rachel Fenlon and mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel have created a unique take on Arnold Schoenberg seen through the filter of Berlin’s electrifying underground. Pierrot entre 3 lunes is their bold new production of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, incorporating original electro-pop compositions, and contemporary dance. It premieres at Festival d’Opéra de Québec for two performances on July 31 and August 2. Under their joint artistic collective Crown The Muse, Fenlon and Lebel began work in 2022 to create and produce a bold, genre-defying 60-minute opera/dance production built around Schoenberg’s iconic Pierrot Lunaire. Their all-new creation presents the original work…

Celebrate Summer with the National Arts Centre Orchestra

By Newswire on 19 June 2025 Classical Music, Contemporary, Newswire, Orchestral, Ottawa

June 17, 2025 – OTTAWA – Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra is thrilled to present a vibrant line-up of summer concerts for 2025. This year’s offerings include Murdoch Mysteries in Concert—a live-to-picture performance of the popular CBC television series—and Symphonic Waves, a celebration of Beethoven featuring rising Canadian star Jaeden Izik-Dzurko. MURDOCH MYSTERIES IN CONCERT On July 10 and 11, the beloved detective drama Murdoch Mysteries comes to life at Southam Hall in a one-of-a-kind multimedia experience. Hosted by series star Yannick Bisson, Murdoch Mysteries in Concert fuses gripping television drama with live orchestral performance. Audience members will first hear…

Brenna McFarland and cast in Opera 5's Elegies. Photo: Emily Ding Photography

Review | A Very New York Elegies at Toronto Opera Festival

By John Gilks on 16 June 2025 Art Song, Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Opera, Toronto, Vocal

Elegies: A Song Cycle, by William Finn, is a series of songs in a musical theatre idiom dealing with bereavement and mourning. It’s a 2003 piece and firmly rooted in the trauma of the AIDS epidemic and 9/11. It’s very New York. Opera 5’s production (seen June 15) at Factory Theatre is fully staged (by Jessica Derventzis) and performed by artists from Opera 5’s Portfolio Artist Internship Program who mostly hail from McGill University. The extensive musical theatre training they have received is very evident in both their command of the required vocal style and their easy and energetic movement…

An Indigenous Playlist: Indigenous Artists Select their Favourite Tunes

By Kaitlyn Chan on 3 June 2025 Classical Music, Contemporary, Indigenous, Musique populaire

In celebration of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, La Scena Musicale asked several Indigenous artists to help create a playlist. Each artist selected one song by an Indigenous musician or composer and explained why they chose the piece. Discover what some of Canada’s incredible Indigenous creators are listening to in their song selections below. Eadsé www.eadsemusic.com Eadsé, which means “my good friend” in Wendat, is a Wendat singer-songwriter based in Montreal. She was recently named a 2025-26 Radio-Canada Revelation following the release of her first album Healer, which explores healing, resilience and letting go in French, English and…

Juan Duarte and Kyra Soo in Endless Summer. Photo: Jack Tupper

Review | MOVETHECOMPANY’s Gala is All About the Dancers

By Kaija Pepper on 2 June 2025 Concert Reviews, Contemporary, Dance, Scena Arts, Vancouver, West

It was great to see a well-filled Vancouver Playhouse on the May 29th opening night of MOVETHECOMPANY’s 20th Anniversary Gala, with another crowd booked in for the second, closing show. Artistic director Joshua Beamish brought in a few leading dancers from major international ballet companies to up the glamour and give Vancouverites a welcome dose of pointe shoes and elegance—ballet is a hard sell in this city, and companies have stopped touring here, leaving many bereft. The earthiness and quirks of contemporary dance were also much in evidence—all five pieces were choreographed by Beamish, who straddles both worlds. The highlight…

Michael Bridge, accordion. Photo: Sam Gaetz

Michael Bridge: Accordion Virtuoso

By Justin Bernard on 1 June 2025 Classical Music, Contemporary, Interviews, Musique populaire, Toronto

One must have several talents to be an accomplished artist: technical skills that make you rare and sought-after, perseverance, vision, a sense of showmanship to give the audience an exceptional experience—and, in addition, the ability to adapt to life’s circumstances. In a nutshell, this is the philosophy and work ethic of Michael Bridge, who though Calgary-born and Toronto-based, has dedicated himself to the most Latin of musical instruments! “I’m generally the only one doing what I do,” he says of playing the accordion. And Bridge does it well. In June, he kicks off his summer tour in Edmonton at the…

Murdoch Mysteries in Concert

Summer with the National Arts Centre Orchestra: From Murdoch Mysteries to Beethoven

By Kaitlyn Chan on 30 May 2025 Classical Music, Contemporary, Interviews, Orchestral, Ottawa

National Arts Centre Orchestra’s (NACO) programming continues this summer with a mix of contemporary and classical works ranging from Murdoch Mysteries in Concert (July 10–11) to Symphonic Waves: Beethoven for Everyone (July 17). Murdoch Mysteries in Concert In collaboration with CBC television’s long-running Murdoch Mysteries, NACO will bring the show to new life in the concert hall. Audiences can watch an episode, “Murder in F Major,” on the big screen, accompanied by a live symphonic score. “During one of my very first experiences watching the show in concert, I was struck with all the collective laughs. It was nice to…

Pierre Bourgie at Salle Bourgie's 2025–2026 season launch event. Photo: Frédéric Faddoul

Salle Bourgie’s 15th Anniversary: Building on Success

By La Scena Musicale Team on 1 May 2025 Chamber Music, Classical Music, Contemporary, Interviews, Jazz, Montreal, Newswire, Piano, Strings, Vocal

By: Madeline Boldt and Adrian Rodriguez Salle Bourgie marked its 15th anniversary on April 29 with a season launch that highlighted its steady growth and continued commitment to musical excellence. The event brought together artists, partners, and the public for an overview of what’s to come in 2025–2026. The launch featured three short performances that reflected the range of programming ahead. Soprano Aline Kutan, with pianist Michael McMahon, performed a lyrical selection that opened the evening with warmth. Historical clarinetist Maryse Legault was joined by Gili Loftus on the pianoforte for a nuanced exploration of early music. Later, Sal Sissokho…

Sarah Dufresne. Photo: The Musician’s Photographer

Les Violons du Roy: Striking the balance between tradition and modernity

By Justin Bernard on 31 March 2025 Baroque and Early, Chamber Music, Contemporary, Quebec City

On March 20, Les Violons du Roy unveiled their 42nd season. Between October 2025 and May 2026, they will present concerts in both Quebec City and Montreal, as is their tradition. The season includes great choral works, more intimate pieces, thematic events as well as more contemporary repertoire. In Montreal, the chamber orchestra will perform three times at Maison symphonique and seven times at Bourgie Hall. At Palais Montcalm in Quebec City, 11 evening concerts, six afternoon concerts and, in its smaller hall, four aperitif concerts are scheduled. “There’s a certain craze for afternoon concerts on Thursdays. More and more…

Queen, Herbie Hancock, and Barbara Hannigan named Polar Music Prize laureates

By Newswire on 18 March 2025 Arts Industry, Classical, Classical Music, Contemporary, Music Competition, Newswire, Orchestral, Piano

QUEEN, HERBIE HANCOCK AND BARBARA HANNIGAN ANNOUNCED AS 2025 POLAR MUSIC PRIZE LAUREATES Award ceremony will take place on Tuesday 27 May in Stockholm #polarmusicprize Stockholm, Tuesday 18 March: Queen, Herbie Hancock and Barbara Hannigan are today announced as recipients of the 2025 Polar Music Prize. The trio will join the roll call of trailblazing artists all bestowed with the prestigious honour, which celebrates excellence in music. The Polar Music Prize ceremony takes place on Tuesday 27 May in Stockholm at the Grand Hôtel and is broadcast live in Sweden on TV4 at 8pm (CET). For three decades, the Polar…

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