Choral - my/maSCENA

Michel Brousseau, conductor.

Société Phil du Nouveau Monde | Mozart’s Requiem: the tradition continues

By Justin Bernard on 7 October 2024 Choral, Classical Music

Presenting Mozart’s Requiem is a tradition of the Société philharmonique du Nouveau Monde. Conductor Michel Brousseau, who will be at the helm of three choirs and the orchestra at Montreal’s Notre-Dame Basilica, tells us the story behind his programming of this repertoire staple. “It’s a recurring event that began some 20 years ago with Jean-Pierre Guindon. Not only was he conductor of the Notre-Dame Basilica choir and artistic director of the sacred music festival with the Quebec Choral Alliance, he was also my predecessor at the helm of the Chanteurs de Sainte-Thérèse. He asked me if I wanted to take…

Simon Fournier: An award that gives wings

By Marie-Claire Fafard-Blais on 7 October 2024 Choral, Classical Music

In June 2024, choral conductor Simon Fournier was awarded the Prix Jean-Pierre-Guindon by the Quebec Choral Alliance. This award, presented annually by an independent committee, recognizes a choral conductor’s exceptional dedication to the cause of choral singing for at least 25 years. Simon Fournier, who has been involved in the world of choral singing since his days as a chorister with the Petits chanteurs du Mont-Royal, accepted the award with gratitude and humility. “The recognition of my peers, of several colleagues who took the time to congratulate me, touched me deeply and motivates me to continue to surpass myself. It’s…

CD Review | Ensemble ArtChoral — Art Choral, Vol. 1: Renaissance

By Kristen Whittle on 5 September 2024 CD and Book Reviews, Choral, Classical Music, Vocal

Art Choral, Vol. 1: Renaissance Ensemble ArtChoral; Matthias Maute, artistic director ATMA Classique, 2024 Ensemble ArtChoral’s newest installation to its collection spanning the history of choral singing returns to the origins of polyphony in Art Choral, Vol. 1: Renaissance. Under the direction of Matthias Maute, the ensemble performs early choral repertoire by composers from across Europe, including Cristóbal de Morales, Josquin des Prés, and William Byrd, to name a few. The album opens with No. 5, Adoramus te, Christe from Palestrina’s Recueil des morceaux de musique ancienne. Given Palestrina’s role in creating polyphonic technique, ArtChoral’s expert use of the push…

CD Review | François Dompierre — Requiem

By Kristen Whittle on 2 September 2024 CD and Book Reviews, Choral, Vocal

François Dompierre — Requiem Myriam Leblanc, soprano; Andrew Haji, tenor; Geoffroy Salvas, baritone Orchestre FILMharmonique and Ensemble ArtChoral; Francis Choinière, conductor Let Artists Be, 2024 François Dompierre’s Requiem is nothing short of cinematic in nature. Its 12 liturgical texts are set in a manner that takes the listener on a journey through a plethora of sonic environments that are unexpected but seamlessly blend with the character of the Requiem genre. The French horn carries the opening Kyrie with its moving response gestures to the choir. This, of course, comes after the magnificent string opening—two broken dissonant chords are closed by…

Luminous Voices with Artistic Director Timothy Shantz. Photo: Claire Bourgeois

Luminous Voices: Thriving with new creations & great masterworks

By Gianmarco Segato on 30 August 2024 Choral, Interviews, Vocal

When Artistic Director Timothy Shantz founded Calgary’s professional choir, Luminous Voices, in 2012, it was to fulfill a “longstanding dream.” After completing his master’s in choral conducting in Edmonton, Shantz became chorus master at the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) and founded a community choir, Spiritus Chamber Choir, in the same city. There was a gap, however: it was “one of those moments where you just say, we do it now, or you just don’t do it.” And so, Luminous Voices became Calgary’s first professional choir. Thanks to Shantz’s CPO connection, he was able to program the new choir’s first concert…

François Dompierre: A Québec Requiem

By Justin Bernard on 30 August 2024 Choral, Film, Interviews

Given the heavy legacy of Mozart, Verdi and Fauré, it’s understandable that some people would get writer’s block when they tackle a requiem. François Dompierre is not one of them. “I was already singing in choirs two or three times a week by the time I was 22 or 23,” he says. “I was already thinking about writing a requiem at that time, but especially later when I visited cathedrals like the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona recently. While admiring this project of architectural excess, of opening up to heaven, I remembered this foundational liturgical text. I thought it would be…

Ensembles Babεl

PODIUM 2024: Choral Singing in the Spotlight

By Marie-Claire Fafard-Blais on 31 May 2024 Choral, Vocal, World Music

Co-hosted by Canada Choral and l’Alliance chorale du Québec, the Podium 2024 Choral Conference and Festival took place in Montreal from May 16 to 19. This year’s theme was “Open voices, open minds.” Bringing together dozens of choirs from across Canada and beyond, the festival featured seven major indoor concerts and a series of free concerts, which took place across downtown Montreal. The festival opened with the Cultural Landscapes concert, featuring Toronto-based ensembles Babεl and Concreamus, as well as Coroncoro Vocal Ensamble from Bogotá, Colombia. The high-calibre performances delighted the audience. Coroncoro should be singled out, having delivered a flawless…

The Mountainside United Church

Singing in Choirs

By Robin Mader on 31 May 2024 Choral, Vocal

Have you ever sung in a choir, or thought about singing in one? Those who already sing in choirs will know about all the little secrets that I am about to share with you; those who haven’t yet joined a choir, please read on. In an article published on Dec. 19, 2023, the British Northamptonshire Council stated the following: “We all know that singing is fun—when our favourite song starts playing, many of us would agree that it’s impossible not to sing along, dance or at least tap our feet. Now, research has revealed that singing with others by joining…

Clockwise top L-R: Teiya Kasahara; Geoffrey Sirett; Andrew Haji; Rose Naggar-Tremblay

Concert Review | Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s shock & awe Verdi Requiem

By Gianmarco Segato on 29 April 2024 Choral, Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Romantic, Toronto

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir under Jean-Sébastien Vallée delivered a hugely affecting Verdi Requiem at George Weston Recital Hall.

Toronto Mendelssohn Choir: Brahms, Palermi, Vivaldi, Hagen and More in 2024-25 Season

By Newswire on 25 April 2024 Choral, Newswire, Toronto

The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir unveils its upcoming 2024/2025 season, led by artistic director Jean-Sébastien Vallée.

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