Choral - my/maSCENA

Sortilegio: Vampire Opera by Raum-Delorme-Scalia

By Justin Bernard on 1 September 2023 Choral, Classical Music, Opera, Vocal

In a faraway city named Cérulée, a 200-year-old power-hungry vampire has been unleashed and the inhabitants must quickly find a way to neutralize her powers before it’s too late—welcome to the captivating world imagined by Vivianne Delorme, an up-and-coming stage director and producer who is ready to bewitch audiences with her very first opera Sortilegio. Original concept Developing the project took more than 100 hours of research and discussions. During lockdown, inspired by some of her favourite fantasy novels such as Lord of the Rings, Delorme came up with the idea of writing the libretto. “Initially, I wanted to organize…

Amadeus Choir

Choir Guide 2023

By La Scena Musicale Team on 1 September 2023 Choral, Guides, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto

Quebec Bas-Saint-Laurent Le Choeur de Rimouski www.choeurderimouski.wordpress.com Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean La Bande Sonore Saguenay www.fb.com/La-Bande-Sonore-448817948495426 National-Capital Choeur Azurythmes www.choeurazurythmes.com Choeur de l’Université Laval www.choeurul.asso.ulaval.ca Choeur de la Cité www.lechoeurdelacite.com Choeur de la Colline www.choeurdelacolline.org Choeur de Québec Choeur du Domaine www.fb.com/lechoeurdudomaine Choeur du musée de la civilisation www.choeurmuseecivilisation.com Choeur du Vallon www.choeurduvallon.com Choeur La Clé des Saisons www.choeurlacledessaisons.org Choeur Les Rhapsodes www.lesrhapsodes.com Chorale l’Odyssée vocale de Vanier www.odysseevocale.com Cœur de Charlesbourg www.coeurdecharlesbourg.com Ensemble de musique sacrée de Québec www.emsq.org Ensemble Polyphonia de Québec www.polyphonia.qc.ca Ensemble vocal Baroquo-Negro www.baroquo-negro.com Ensemble vocal CharleVoix www.ensemblevocalcharlevoix.com Groupe vocal Les Loriots de Cap-Rouge www.lesloriots.ca L’Odyssée Vocale www.odysseevocale.com…

Fall Highlights: Choral Previews

By Eva Stone-Barney on 1 September 2023 Choral, Classical Music, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto

Quebec Ensemble ArtChoral Titled A Viennese Evening: Songs, Waltzes, and Romance, and directed by Matthias Maute, the group will perform works by Strauss and Schubert, alongside excerpts of Brahms’s Liebeslieder, Op. 52 and 65 (Sept. 8). www.placedesarts.com/en/producer/ensemble-vocal-arts-québec OSM Chorus Led by conductor Andrew Megill, the OSM Chorus will join the orchestra for several exciting performances this season. The OSM’s 90th season kicks off for the Chorus with Stravinsky’s bombastic The Rite of Spring, conducted by Rafael Payare (Sept. 12-14). Under the baton of Gemma New, the choir will sing as part of September performances of Holst’s The Planets (Sept. 27,…

Jean-Sébastien Vallée (Photo by Nan Melville)

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir 2023-24 Season: Hear the Passion

By Denise Lai on 1 September 2023 Choral, Classical Music, Toronto

The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir has big plans for its upcoming 2023-24 season. Artistic Director Jean-Sébastien Vallée’s programming is based on the theme “Human Passion Unleashed.” Vallée explains that this season’s repertoire resonates deeply with the core of human emotions, embracing the full spectrum of passion, intensity, and vulnerability. His choices reflect his vision to forge a connection between the audience and the profound depth of human expression that choral music can convey. TMC’s season opener In Time is a unique immersive experience that combines music and dance, showcasing Toronto dance group Compagnie de la Citadelle. This is complemented by two…

Something for Everyone: Choral Music in Toronto

By Eva Stone-Barney on 1 September 2023 Choral, Classical Music, Toronto

Author : (Eva Stone-Barney)

Canada boasts a vast, vibrant choral community—with countless professional and amateur choral organizations of all sizes scattered across the country. Among the most exciting places to be a choral singer, conductor, or lover of the choral arts is Toronto, Ont. It comes as no surprise that the country’s largest city would be ripe with choral activity. Jamie Hillman, U of T head of choral studies, describes it as “an international hub for artistic and cultural work.” Toronto is home to some of the country’s oldest choral organizations, such as the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Founded in 1894 by Augustus Vogt, the…

Mary-Jane Puiu (1950 – 2023)

By Wah Keung Chan on 27 May 2023 Choral, Education, Montreal, Obituaries

My first choral conductor Mary-Jane Puiu (b. March 8, 1950) passed away on May 16, 2023 at the age of 73. According to tenor Eduardo Aparicio, “despite battling a long devastating disease, she heroically managed to keep conducting her choir till the last minute of her life.” We pay tribute to Puiu by republishing a profile/interview I conducted of her in La Scena Musicale in 2010 for her 60th birthday. According to the McGill Choral Society’s Facebook page, here are the details of the service on June 12, 2023: An Orthodox service for close friends and family will be held…

Isidore String Quartet

Festival Picks

By Eva Stone-Barney on 26 May 2023 Baroque and Early, Canadian Music, Chamber Music, Choral, Classical, Classical Music, Contemporary, Opera, Orchestral, Piano, Strings, Vocal

Author : (Eva Stone-Barney)

MONTREAL/QUEBEC Centre Culturel de Pointe-Claire In an effort to make cultural programming accessible to its residents, and breathe life into public park spaces, the Centre Culturel de Pointe-Claire will present a series of free concerts as part of their Summer Evenings in the Parks / Summer Beats in the Parks Festival. Running from June 28 to Aug. 16, the festival will consist of 10 concerts in parks across the city. Starting at Stewart Park on June 28, audiences are invited to a concert of world music titled Paul Kunigis: Yallah. Performances of blues, Latin jazz, world jazz, and Brazilian percussion…

Photo: Taylor Long

Review | Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s B Minor Mass a Fine Performance of a Great Work

By Joseph So on 29 March 2023 Choral, Concert Reviews, Toronto, Vocal

Soloists: Jacob Abrahamse, Neil Aronoff, Julia Barber, Lesley Emma Bouza, Rebecca Claborn, Simon Honeyman, Kieran Kane, Rebecca McKay, Nicholas Nicolaidis, and Sinéad White; Toronto Mendelssohn Choir; Baroque Orchestra, Jean-Sébastien Vallée, conductor. Koerner Hall, March 28, 2023. With Easter just around the corner, we are at the height of the oratorio season. Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s offering this year was Bach’s great B Minor Mass. It was a large and enthusiastic audience gathered last evening at Koerner Hall, where they were treated to a superlative performance from the 100+ voices and baroque orchestra, under the assured and knowing baton of its Maestro,…

Newswire | Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Announces 2023/2024 Season

By Newswire on 29 March 2023 Choral, Newswire, Romantic

Toronto, March 29th, 2023 – The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir is delighted to announce their 2023/2024 season under the artistic direction of Jean-Sébastien Vallée. Highlights of the upcoming season include two major choral masterworks: Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, which features the TMChoir with a full orchestra at Roy Thomson Hall, and Verdi’s haunting Requiem at both Koerner Hall and George Weston Recital Hall. In addition to these major performances, the TMChoir also returns with their annual holiday celebration, the Festival of Carols, at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church. This season will also feature two performances with the Toronto Mendelssohn Singers, the TMChoir’s …

Photo : Guy Rochette

Newswire | Announcing NYCC’s 2024 Guest Conductor

By Newswire on 16 March 2023 Choral

March 16, 2023 (Toronto, ON) – Choral Canada, the National Arts Service Organization for the choral and group singing arts sector and community, announced yesterday that Roseline Blain has been chosen as the 2024 Guest Conductor for the National Youth Choir of Canada (NYCC), one of Canada’s finest youth choirs. “We are delighted that Roseline will lead the 2024 National Youth Choir of Canada. She is a tour de force in the Montreal community and will bring fabulous energy and expertise to the singers. What an opportunity for all of us to experience her repertoire choices and interpretive approach in…

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