Browsing: Orchestral

Frédéricka Petit-Homme Frédéricka Petit-Homme, Mécénat Musica Educator-in-Residence, embodies artistic citizenship, actively fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion. As a soprano, choral conductor, composer, and the visionary behind Ensemble Nigra Sum, she champions Afrocentric music, enriching Canada’s cultural landscape. Her PhD research in Music Education delves into resilience, cultural production, and leadership within community gospel music. Additionally, Frédéricka amplifies the beauty of choral music through her CBC Music radio program, “Choral Concert,” showcasing choral works coast to coast every Sunday morning. Adam Johnson In his role as Mécénat Musica Educator-in-Residence, Adam Johnson created pedagogical materials for music educators and provided workshops and…

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At this time of the year, it’s expected that at least one choir and orchestra will perform Handel’s Messiah in most Canadian cities. The oratorio composed in 1741 has become so synonymous with the season that, for some, it is a yearly tradition to attend a performance. On Dec. 13, I sat among many such enthusiasts to witness my first live Messiah, presented by Early Music Vancouver. The crowd was buzzing with excitement as we took our seats. A French double-manual harpsichord stood centre stage surrounded by a semicircle of chairs for the players. After a brief introduction, land acknowledgement…

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Arriving in Canada in 2019 with a graduate degree in orchestral conducting, Evgenii Sakmarov is making his mark among Montreal’s young conductors. After completing a second doctorate in orchestral conducting at the University of Montreal under the tutelage of Jean-François Rivest and Paolo Bellomia in 2022, Sakmarov is now embarking on an ambitious project: founding a new symphony orchestra. While striving to build his life and career in Canada—a challenge immigrant musicians know all too well—Evgenii is launching a new symphony orchestra in Montreal in 2025. Its mission: to popularize classical music by presenting concerts in hospitals and facilities for…

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Gustavo Gimeno’s first overseas tour with the TSO runs from January 27 to February 9, 2026, and marks the orchestra’s début in Spain and Luxembourg, and return to Europe. In the midst of an extraordinary 2025/26 season defined by international artistic explorations, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) will proudly bring Canadian music, music-making, and spirit to Western Europe as part of a 14-day tour spanning eight cities in six countries. Running from January 27 to February 9, 2026, and continuing a rich legacy of touring, the TSO’s ninth European tour celebrates the power of music to transcend national boundaries, and…

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Every once in a while, I’ll attend a performance that hits all the right spots and leaves me buzzing for more. Jazz evokes a sense of longing for an era I wasn’t even alive for. I’ve never been the best at differentiating between all the different jazz subgenres, but I am a sucker for orchestral jazz. Charlie Parker’s 1955 orchestral-bebop fusion album Charlie Parker with Strings gets the nostalgic orchestral jazz right just the way I like it.  Superlative concerts can be the most difficult to write about. I hate to say “you just had to be there,” but some…

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Despite Orchestre symphonique de Montréal Music Director Rafael Payare’s absence due to his busy schedule conducting elsewhere, there is no shortage of exciting programming at OSM this November. Witness German conductor Anja Bihlmaier, Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic, who made her OSM debut on Nov. 26. Dressed smartly in head-to-toe teal, she led the orchestra through a program of English music before diving into Tchaikovsky’s famous final masterpiece.  First up was the Ballade in A minor by British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s (not to be confused with poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge). Bihlmaier’s somewhat stiff and pushed approach, that thankfully…

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Last year, I had the pleasure of witnessing—and writing about—Glass Marcano’s Canadian debut with Orchestre Métropolitan (OM), here in Montreal. The Venezuelan conductor’s return to Maison Symphonique with OM—and a new collaboration with pianist Tony Siqi Yun—was just as rewarding, with a diverse program of Dvořák, Prokofiev and Ortiz. Marcano’s humble origins have foregrounded her hard work and determination. She is a multitalented powerhouse whose accomplishments extend to fields outside of music like law. This concert proved that her energy remains undiminished since her last Montreal appearance.  Marcano and the OM kicked off the afternoon with Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No.…

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Opera McGill Opera McGill’s season is off to a busy start. On Nov. 6, 8, and 9 at the Segal Centre, the school presents a double bill of Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti and Mozart’s The Impresario directed by Opera McGill Artistic Director Patrick Hansen in his own new English adaptation. On Nov. 23, at the Wirth Opera Studio, a double bill of student-led projects will be unveiled: Vaughan Williams’s Riders to the Sea directed by Emma Yee, and Weill’s Down in the Valley directed by Tristan Pritham. After a short break, Opera McGill returns Jan. 30 through Feb. 1 with…

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Toronto Aga Khan Museum The 11th annual Duende International Flamenco Festival features international headliners from Spain as well as family and community dance workshops. Performances include Oscuro Brillante with renowned flamenco dancer Eva Yerbabuena (Nov. 20); Cruces which brings together the four voices of flamenco: dance, song, guitar, and percussion (Nov. 21); Flamenco: Made in Canada featuring flamenco artists from diverse cultures (Nov. 22); and Alter Ego, an acclaimed contemporary flamenco creation (Nov. 23). www.agakhanmuseum.org Koerner Hall Koerner’s piano recital series continues on Nov. 16 with superstar Canadian Jan Lisiecki in a program of preludes by Chopin, Bach, Szymanowski, Messiaen…

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For musicologist, conductor and researcher Jacob Caines, queer musicians may be the key to revitalizing the modern classical music scene. “Performing arts is in a space where it is, unfortunately, getting squeezed from all sides,” says Caines. There is no need to spell out the numerous obstacles modern classical musicians face. As pianist Charles Rosen famously observed, “the death of classical music is perhaps its oldest continuing tradition.” “The opportunity for arts institutions to thrive,” says Caines, “is by looking through a queer lens.” A PhD candidate at Concordia University, and instructor at the Fountain School of Performing Arts at…

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