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Browsing: Classical Music

Erin Wall, 1975-2020

By La Scena Musicale Team on 9 October 2020 Art Song, Classical Music, Opera

Erin Wall, a Calgary native (who also grew up in Vancouver) whose sumptuous voice and dignified stage presence kept her busy as both a concert and opera singer, has died at age 44. It was known as early as January 2018 that the soprano was suffering from breast cancer. In one of her own tweets she made a reference to having contracted COVID-19. “Once I was an opera singer,” reads what appears to be her last message. “Then COVID-19 and stage IV cancer changed everything.” A regular on major stages around the world, Wall in 2017 performed both as Strauss’s…

Dark Days for Toronto’s live music venues: New study finds venues at risk of business failure

By Newswire on 9 October 2020 Classical Music

TORONTO, Oct. 8, 2020 /CNW/ – A new study measuring the economic and cultural impact of Toronto’s live music venues was released today at a virtual news conference by the City of Toronto and the Canadian Live Music Association, in partnership with Downtown Yonge Business Improvement Area and Ontario Creates. The long-awaited study entitled Re:Venues: A Case and Path Forward for Toronto’s Live Music Industry, outlines the contributions and status of the industry and includes recommendations for actions needed to support and protect live music venues through this economic uncertainty and beyond. “Toronto’s live music venues contribute greatly to the city’s cultural,…

COVID-19: CALQ – New program to compensate for loss of ticket revenues

By Dominic Trudel on 8 October 2020 Classical Music

On Wednesday, October 7, the Conseil québécois de la musique attended a meeting that brought together the main performing arts groups in order to obtain more details on the compensation program for loss of box office revenues announced on October 2. Anne-Marie Jean, President and CEO of CALQ, and Mary Daveluy, Secretary General and Director of Program Planning, answered questions from the community. An assistance program will be available next week on the CALQ website and will be accompanied by an FAQ section. A lot of information has been circulated since the announcement of this new program and changes have…

Bramwell Tovey

Calgary Opera’s Artistic Director Steps Down

By Newswire on 8 October 2020 Classical Music

Today Calgary Opera regrets to announce that Bramwell Tovey, O.C. has made the difficult decision to resign his position as Artistic Director with the company. He has held the position since January 2019. His decision to leave came as a result of the need for more personal time to address the reoccurrence of an ongoing health issue that requires immediate attention. This health issue is not related to COVID-19, however public health restrictions as a result of COVID-19 that limit his ability to travel expedited his decision. Managing Director and CEO Heather Kitchen will continue to lead the company’s administrative…

France Bellemare (Mimi) and Luc Robert (Rodolfo) © Yves Renaud

Quebec’s digital cultural relaunch plan grants $700,000 to Opéra de Montréal

By Newswire on 8 October 2020 Classical Music

The Minister of Culture and Communications, Nathalie Roy, today unveiled three projects that will receive $2 million in support from the Government of Quebec through the Ambition numérique program under its Economic Recovery Plan for the Cultural Sector. Through the Ambition numérique call for projects, the Minister hopes to equip cultural workers in times of pandemic and enable them to increase their revenues from online cultural content or products. A digital incubator for Quebec opera Piloted by the Opéra de Montréal, the digital incubator will support its webcasting projects and those of 5 other companies. It will allow their productions…

La Scena Tête-à-tête with Rihab Chaieb & Don Adriano

By La Scena Musicale Team on 7 October 2020 Arts Industry, Education, Opera

On Facebook: On YouTube: Join us on Wednesday October. 7 at 7 PM EST on Facebook Live for an interview with the rising opera star Canadian Mezzo-Soprano Rihab Chaieb with host Don Adriano. Performances by the Montreal native mezzo-soprano are characterized by their dramatic and visceral intensity. She is a graduate of McGill University, the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio and the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. She is also winner of the 2016 Gerda Lissner Foundation vocal competition and winner of the third prize at the 2018 Operalia Competition. This is an opportunity to get to know…

COVID Alert: Quebec adopts the app

By La Scena Musicale Team on 7 October 2020 Classical Music

After Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador, it now falls to Quebec to encourage its population to download the COVID Alert. While Quebec Premier François Legault wasn’t initially keen on the idea of making the app available in the province, he is now urging Quebecers to download it in order to help slow down the steep increase in COVID-19 cases observed throughout the province over the last few weeks. “The app will only really help us if many people choose to activate it,” Legault said Monday evening at a press conference. “If you want to make a…

La Voix humaine opens Vancouver Opera’s 2020–2021 digital season

By Newswire on 7 October 2020 Classical Music

OCTOBER 7, 2020, VANCOUVER, B.C. – Vancouver Opera is excited to open their 2020–2021 digital season with the powerful lyrical tragedy La Voix humaine by Francis Poulenc. The first digital work for Vancouver Opera is led by an all-female, all-Canadian trio: director Rachel Peake with soloist Mireille Lebel and Music Director Kinza Tyrrell. “Our launch production, La Voix humaine, is an interesting parallel for our time with a lone woman isolated and reliant on her telephone for human contact,” said Tom Wright, Vancouver Opera General Director. “Our design and creative team are working together to create a unique digital offering…

Ensemble Montréal proposes that the name of Place des Festivals be changed to “Place Oscar-Peterson”

By Newswire on 7 October 2020 Classical Music

MONTREAL, Oct. 7, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ – In a motion to be tabled at the October Municipal Council meeting, Ensemble Montréal will propose that Place des Festivals in downtown Montréal be renamed after Oscar Peterson, as a tribute to this world-renowned Montréal pianist and composer. Born in 1925, Oscar Peterson’s career extended over more than 60 years, during which he made more than 200 recordings and won many awards including eight Grammy Awards. He passed away in 2007. “It’s the least we can do to honour such a jazz legend, a man considered to be one of the greatest jazz pianists…

Bob Bachelor awarded Jean-Pierre-Guindon Prize from Quebec Choral Alliance

By Newswire on 7 October 2020 Classical Music

Montreal, October 7, 2020 – After 30 years at the helm of The Lyric Theatre Singers, its Founder and Artistic Director, Bob Bachelor, has been awarded the prestigious Jean-Pierre-Guindon Prize from the Alliance Chorale du Québec. This prize is given out once a year to a conductor who has worked in the choral world for more than 25 years, and made a significant positive impact on their own ensemble, peers, and the Quebec choral community in general. In January 2020, unbeknownst to him, Mr. Bachelor’s candidacy was presented for review to the Alliance’s selection committee. Lyric’s Board of Directors was…