Browsing: Vocal

Excellence, beauty and discovery. These are the keywords used by Bourgie Hall to present its new concert season. If there’s one event that brings them all together, it’s the launch of their traversal of the complete catalogue of Schubert’s Lieder. Bourgie Hall’s presentation of the complete cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach had only scarcely been completed when artistic director Olivier Godin was already thinking of another project on a similarly grand scale. There are no fewer than 600 songs born of Schubert’s genius. “It’s a very rich body of works,” he says, “and yet the public hears perhaps 20 per…

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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…

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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…

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After a thrilling and atmospheric finale, with Philzuid conducted by David Parry on 5 October in the Casinozaal of Theater aan de Parade in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Portuguese mezzo-soprano Cláudia Ribas emerged the convincing winner of the 57th opera and oratorio edition of the International Vocal Competition‘s-Hertogenbosch 2024. She won the Grand Prix of the city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, consisting of a silver medal and a cash prize of €15,000, and received this grand prize from the hands of Mayor Mikkers of ’s-Hertogenbosch. In addition, 31-year-old Cláudia Ribas won the ANED Public Prize, the Wagner Prize and the Junior Jury Prize. During the…

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Montreal, September 10, 2024 – The Orchestre classique de Montréal (OCM) kicks off its 85th season with the presentation of two chamber operas performed by the rising stars of the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal: Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona and Menotti’s The Medium. The concert takes place on Tuesday, October 8, at 7:30 p.m., at Salle Pierre-Mercure. Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona, a light, comic Baroque gem, promises to delight the audience’s senses with amusing misunderstandings and false pretenses, and will feature Jamal Al Titi (baritone), Sophie Naubert (soprano) and Angelo Moretti (tenor). The Medium, a one-act opera…

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Tristan und Isolde is a colossal work, not only due to its length (five hours, including two intermissions) or for the influence of its “Tristan” chord on Western music, but also for its symbolism, as Wagner was greatly influenced by Schopenhauer’s philosophy. He was also conducting an illicit affair with Mathilde, the wife of his benefactor, Swiss businessman Otto von Wesendonck. Tristan’s plot is simple: an Irish Princess takes pity on Tantris, the knight who killed her betrothed Morold. She tends to him, nursing him back to life, even while knowing he was her fiancé’s killer. Tantris turns out to…

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Mumbai, Sept. 21, 2024 – This year, the Operalia Competition presented by Rolex took place from September 15 to 21 at The National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai, India. Here are the winners: First Prize Kathleen O’Mara, soprano, USA Le Bu, bass-baritone, China Second Prize Elmina Hasan, mezzo-soprano, Azerbaijan Angel Romero, tenor, USA Third Prize Sun-Ly Pierce, mezzo-soprano, USA Meridian Prall, mezzo-soprano, USA Polina Shabunina, soprano, Russia Vladislav Chizhov, baritone, Russia Birgit Nilsson Prize Kathleen O’Mara, soprano, USA Le Bu, bass-baritone, China The Pepita Embil Prize of Zarzuela Elmina Hasan, mezzo-soprano, Azerbaijan The Don Plácido Domingo Ferrer…

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The jury of the Voice 2025 edition of the CMIM will be composed of eminent members, including performers and influential figures from the world of opera and classical music, who will gather in Montreal for the next edition of the Competition. Chaired by world-renowned Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, this jury will have the challenging task of evaluating the competitors’ performances, rewarding both technical excellence and artistic interpretation. “The members of the jury for our Voice 2025 edition all have exceptional backgrounds. Their expertise and influence on the international music scene will make them first choice references for our competitors at the start of their…

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In the lunar calendar, the 15th day of the 8th month marks the annual Mid-Autumn Festival, a celebration of the harvest moon at its fullest and brightest. This significant day is a time of gratitude in many East and Southeast Asian countries for community and the season’s bountiful harvest. This occasion also symbolizes gathering, commemoration, and harmony among people — themes prominently emphasized in Rencontre Lyrique Chine-Canada (Chinese-Canadian Lyrical Gathering), a concert held in Montreal’s beautiful Botanical Gardens on Sept. 14th.  Seven young Canadian and/or Chinese opera singers were featured, showcasing the power of music to unite cultures. These performers…

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Musikfest Berlin is an ambitious annual festival that hosts the world’s top orchestras, instrumental and vocal ensembles, together with the major symphony orchestras of the city of Berlin. Its 20th-anniversary season focuses on the double continent of America and borrows its title, “Amériques”, from France-to-US transplant, Edgard Varèse’s 1921 work that raised the roof at the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra’s festival-opening concert on Aug. 24th.   Acknowledging the ‘American’ theme during his opening remarks, artistic director Winrich Hopp made reference to recent and upcoming European and North and South American elections which have seen far right parties gain more ground than…

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