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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:…

Jean-Philippe Sylvestre with Orchestre Classique de Montréal. Photo: Tam Photography

Review | Polish Gems with Orchestre Classique de Montréal

By Amanda Wong on 17 March 2026 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Montreal, Orchestral, Piano, Vocal, Winds

On an unassuming night in the seclusion of Montreal’s Salle Pierre-Mercure, Orchestre Classique de Montréal (OCM) welcomed three unique soloists to perform a stylistically diverse program, unified under a theme of Polish music. Under the direction of OCM’s music director Andrei Feher, soprano Karoline Podolak, clarinettist Kornel Wolak (both Polish), and local pianist Jean-Philippe Sylvestre presented pieces by Frédéric Chopin (to no one’s surprise given the theme), Stanisław Moniuszko and Mieczysław Weinberg, as well as more contemporary pieces including works by Wojciech Kilar. The OCM, this time, was just a small group of string-only players. Sylvestre and Wolak kicked off…

Oliver Jones, Gregory Charles, Jean-Pascal Hamelin, Piano Caméléons, Théo Abellard and John Roney.

Piano Garage Band Celebrates World Piano Day, March 29

By Newswire on 16 March 2026 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Newswire, Piano

Montreal, March 16, 2026 – Montreal-based company Piano Esmonde White will mark a historic moment in the world of piano by unveiling to the public a world premiere: the Esmonde White Action™, a major innovation that rethinks the relationship between the pianist, touch and sound. Developed after several years of research and experimentation, this revolutionary mechanism enhances the responsiveness and sensitivity of the piano, offering performers greater control and expressive possibilities. This technological breakthrough now equips the new line of TUXEDO pianos, designed and developed in Quebec. For the first time, a Quebec-designed patented mechanism stands ready to compete with…

Newswire | Applications Open for Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists

By Newswire on 5 March 2026 Classical Music, Music Competition, Newswire, Piano

(FORT WORTH, Texas, March 5, 2026) — The Cliburn is pleased to announce a 20-year partnership with Southern Methodist University (SMU) and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, covering the next five editions of the Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists (formerly known as the Cliburn International Junior Piano Competition and Festival). The next edition of the Cliburn International Competition for Young Pianists takes place June 10–19, 2027, in Dallas, Texas. The competition will include an in-residence fellowship program on the campus of SMU, consisting of masterclasses, workshops, artist conversations, performance opportunities, and other scheduled activities. “As the Cliburn continues to encourage the futures of the…

Steven Osborne. Photo: Ben Ealovega

Review | Steven Osborne Delivers Sturm und Drang at the Ladies’ Morning Musical Club

By Jan Krejcar on 4 March 2026 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Montreal, Piano

Over every mountain-top Lies peace, In every tree-top You scarcely feel A breath of wind; The little birds are hushed in the wood. Wait, soon you too Will be at peace. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Book of Lieder, trans. Richard Stokes (London: Faber, 2005). The great German polymath, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote these lines, The Wanderer’s Nightsong in 1776. One of his most famous poems, it masterfully delivers a feeling of all-enveloping serenity, not even broken by birdsong. Over 50 years later, in 1828 Franz Schubert (1797–1828) wrote his last sonata (Bb major, D. 960) months before his…

Newswire | Festival Classica Unveils a Banner 16th Edition

By Newswire on 25 February 2026 Chamber Music, Musique québécoise, Newswire, Piano, Strings, Vocal

Montérégie, (February 25, 2026) – Festival Classica invites the public to experience classical music in all its variety during its 16th edition, which will run from May 22 to June 14, 2026. The 2026 program once again showcases exceptional artists and a compelling repertoire, with the majority of events taking place on Montreal’s South Shore. Classical works, operatic performances, symphonic rock productions, and concerts for young audiences form a wide-ranging program designed to open the doors of classical music to seasoned concertgoers and newcomers alike. “Since its inception, Festival Classica has positioned itself as a space for sharing and discovery,…

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