Piano - my/maSCENA

Photo of Stephen Colbert: Philip Romano, wikipedia

Stephen Colbert’s One Last Song: Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words

By Wah Keung Chan on 21 May 2026 Classical Music, Piano

On May 20, at the second to last episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, host Stephen Colbert finally took the popular segment The Colbert Questionert, a set of 15 questions designed to probe the psyche of celebrity and political guests. To question 13, posed by singer James Taylor, “You Get One Last Song to Listen to for the Rest of Your Life: What is It?”, Colbert answered, “Glenn Gould’s execution of Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words in E Major, Op. 19, No. 1.” Here is the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL1HZ6zGFy0&list=RDeL1HZ6zGFy0&start_radio=1 The final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert airs…

Bruce Liu with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Photo: Antoine Saito

Review | OSM’s Rite of Spring & Bruce Liu’s Tchaikovsky

By Amanda Wong on 24 April 2026 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Montreal, Orchestral, Piano, Romantic

As the weather in Montreal starts to warm again, Rafael Payare and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal hailed the return of spring with some fitting Stravinsky (The Rite of Spring) and welcomed an exciting guest soloist: pianist Bruce Liu. Twenty-eight-year-old Liu, back home in Montreal, returned to play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, while the OSM unveiled Denis Gougeon’s newest work within a program of great Canadian talent (seen Apr. 22). Gougeon was in the hall to witness the world premiere of his composition La Traversée, an OSM commission dedicated to Payare himself. This 12-minute piece celebrates a passing, journey, or…

Alan Menken. Photo: Jag Gundu/Roy Thomson Hall

Review | Alan Menken: Stories from the King of Disney Music

By Amanda Wong on 21 April 2026 Concert Reviews, Movie soundtrack music, Piano, Toronto, Vocal

For those like me who grew up obsessing over Disney movies and music, A Whole New World of Alan Menken—the show written and performed by the composer himself—was the perfect homage to an illustrious legacy that is still constantly growing with new additions to his repertoire. Throughout the impressive two-and-a-half-hour-long (and decade-old) show, Menken took us on a magic carpet ride through a mostly chronological retelling of his career, chock full of personal anecdotes and fun behind-the-scenes facts from his works (seen at Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall on Apr. 17). The show, with additional materials by Jennifer Lucy Cook and…

Dinuk Wijeratne: Identity in Motion

By Kaitlyn Chan on 3 April 2026 Classical Music, Contemporary, Interviews, Orchestral, Piano

Canadian composer, conductor and pianist Dinuk Wijeratne is well known for his cross-cultural works, which he describes as “East-West.” “On any given day, I don’t feel either fully Eastern or Western,” says Wijeratne. “Call it a conflict or an identity crisis—but I always think, aren’t I so blessed that I get to try and create a balance for even a few moments in a piece of music?” Born in Sri Lanka, Wijeratne spent his childhood and adolescent years in Dubai. He studied composition at the Royal Northern College of Music, The Juilliard School, Mannes College and the University of Toronto.…

Étienne Tremblay

Canadian Music Competition: A Rite of Passage and a Model for Learning

By Benjamin Goron on 3 April 2026 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Interviews, Music Competition, Piano

Pianist Étienne Tremblay is currently studying for his bachelor’s degree at the Université de Montréal under Henry Kramer and André Laplante. While devouring the repertoire, he is preparing for nearly a dozen competitions this year, as well as appearances at festivals and other engagements. His life is governed by the black and white keys. Yet, without the Canadian Music Competition (CMC), he might not have chosen this path. What follows is a portrait of a young artist deeply rooted in his art and a competition unlike any other. “It was thanks to CMC that I flew on a plane for…

Photo: Bo Huang

Alice Ping Yee Ho: The Real and the Imagined

By Kaitlyn Chan on 3 April 2026 Classical Music, Contemporary, Interviews, Piano

“I live in two worlds,” says pianist and composer Alice Ping Yee Ho. Born in Hong Kong, Ho studied music in the U.K. and Germany before settling in Toronto. She was deeply impacted both by hearing traditional Chinese music in her youth, as well as her education in the Western classical music canon: “It shaped how I listen and how I create.” Ho says that her Western training helps her compose logically and, almost, mathematically. However, her influences from Chinese music culture encourage her to consider the emotional impact of the piece and sometimes move away from what is the…

Festival Classica 2026: Programming for Modern Tastes

By Justin Bernard on 3 April 2026 Contemporary, Musique populaire, Opera, Orchestral, Piano, Vocal

The 16th edition of Festival Classica, taking place from May 22 to June 14, will continue to extend its repertoire beyond the limits of classical music under the artistic direction of Marc Boucher. La Scena Musicale spoke to some of the leading artists involved in this year’s festival, including composer and arranger Simon Leclerc, whose new adaptation of Luc Plamondon and Richard Cocciante’s 1998 musical, Notre-Dame de Paris, will be unveiled on June 12. It will be one of three productions offered by Nouvel Opéra Métropolitain in addition to Les Grands classiques de Michel Legrand (June 6) and the opera…

Minna Re Shin. Photo: Loïc Bruderlein, extracted from the Sonate des Saisons performance video project (dir. Carlos Ferrand).

Minna Re Shin’s Sonate des Saisons: Crossing Disciplinary Divides

By Viktor Lazarov on 3 April 2026 Classical Music, Interviews, Piano

A lone figure stationed at a grand piano in a dark hall is nothing new to modern concertgoers. This scene suddenly changes with the arrival of three dancers taking centre stage. Combing through the air, their gestures echo the suspenseful minor chords played by the pianist. This mise en scène is amplified by dramatic projections and a video of Chinese calligraphy being drawn by the hand of an invisible master. “The Sonate des saisons project takes inspiration from Rachel Laurin’s Sonate Op. 2 en mi mineur as well as my own cultural background and heritage,” explains pianist Minna Re Shin. Based on the…

New Releases (April 2026)

By La Scena Musicale on 3 April 2026 Classical Music, Opera, Piano, Vocal

Some of My Stories: The Operas of Monica Pearce Essential Opera Release: April 17, 2026 Leaf Music, LM279 In Some of My Stories: The Operas of Monica Pearce, Essential Opera presents five one-act operas that balance humour, tenderness, and incisive character writing. From Maritime folklore and wedding-day chaos to inner reckoning, social ritual, and holiday anxiety, Pearce writes with theatrical flair and vividly drawn characters. Sung with clarity and conviction, this recording reflects a long-standing creative partnership and affirms opera as a living art shaped through new creation. Sonate des Saisons Rachel Laurin: Sonate en mi mineur, Op. 2 Minna…

Omar Sosa. Photo: Jon Razinger

Review | Vancouver, Get Up and Dance with SUBA Trio

By Kaitlyn Chan on 17 March 2026 Concert Reviews, Jazz, Piano, Strings, Vancouver, West, World Music

“There are three things you have to do as a professional performer,” said kora-player and singer Seckou Keita during SUBA Trio’s concert at the Chan Centre (March 13). “One, make the audience smile. … Two, make the audience dance. … Three, make the audience cry. Tears of joy!” While I may not have cried, I couldn’t help smiling and dancing throughout this dynamic and cross-cultural event. SUBA Trio—Seckou Keita, Omar Sosa and Gustavo Ovalles—delivered a memorable night that left the audience buzzing and eager for more. As the lights dimmed, one’s eyes were drawn to the various instruments on stage:…

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