Interviews - my/maSCENA

Anderson and Roe by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco

Music and Fashion Series | Glittering Sounds and Sights from Star Piano Duo

By Viktor Lazarov on 18 October 2024 Classical Music, Interviews, Piano

As she takes the stage in a sparkling, multicoloured, sequin slip dress, a wave of excitement passes through the crowd. Pianist Elizabeth Joy Roe walks over confidently to the elegant Steinway grand piano accompanied by her duo partner, Greg Anderson, at Montreal’s Centre Pierre-Péladeau. Anderson wears a smartly tailored black Zara suit: understated, elegant, perfect. Within seconds, they embark on one of the most transcendent second halves of any piano recital I’ve heard. Roe’s dress—mercurial, with its golden tones contrasting their dark background—reflects the rich harmonic palette of the two opening pieces: an original transcription of Gustav Holst’s Neptune from…

Katia Makdissi-Warren. Photo: Damian Siqueiros

Chants libres & Oktoecho : Première of Sainte Marine

By Justin Bernard on 10 October 2024 Contemporary, Interviews, Opera

Ancient stories, attributed to lesser-known figures, are sometimes strikingly modern. This is the case of St. Marina, known as Marina the Monk, a woman who devoted her life to God despite her life’s tribulations and the prejudice she endured. After her mother’s death, Marina’s father decided to disguise her as a boy and take her to the Qannoubine Monastery in Lebanon, reserved for men. There, she became known as “Brother Marin,” and her sex was only discovered by the community after her death. Her life was deeply marked by a false accusation of rape involving the daughter of an innkeeper.…

La Route des concerts: Paving the Way for Regional Presenters

By Justin Bernard on 8 October 2024 Baroque and Early, Interviews, La Scena Spotlight

Established in 2022, La Route des concerts continues to expand. It now welcomes an increasing number of partners into its network of concert halls across the province and has caught the eye of established musical institutions. Chantal Boulanger, organist and project co-ordinator, admits being surprised by this inexhaustible resource. “We have come to realize that there are many small classical music presenters who are unknown,”she says. “I’m still discovering them, even after working in the field for a long time. By bringing them together, we provide more visibility. “Shortly after we started in Estrie, Laurentides, Beauce-Appalaches, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, and Côte-Nord have…

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…

École-Atelier Bruand: A Passion for Instrument-Making

By Justin Bernard on 30 August 2024 Education, Interviews, Strings

The post-pandemic years have not been easy for Bruand Lutherie-Guitare. General Manager Pier Bergeron is now smiling again, not just for the start of the new school year, but for the longer-term projects that could redefine the training offered at this workshop/school, in partnership with CÉGEP du Vieux Montréal. “This year, we’re delighted to have had 21 candidates accepted for the Diplôme d’études collégiales en techniques des métiers d’art,” he says. “We’re back at a pace we haven’t seen for nine or ten years. It’s very positive not only for the employees and students, but also for the entire lutherie-guitar…

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…

Emmanuel Vukovich

Emmanuel Vukovich: Podcast Interview

By Viktor Lazarov on 6 March 2024 Interviews, La Scena Online, Montreal, Violin, Vocal

Released in November 2023, Emmanuel Vukovich’s debut album Resilience is the culmination of Vukovich’s reflection on his own roots, and humanity’s capacity for resilience.

Recurrence album cover

Recurrence: Iranian Feminism, Mathematics, and Erosion

By Zenith Wolfe on 2 February 2024 Canadian Music, Interviews, Piano, Toronto

Iran’s growing feminist movement, the role of mathematics in music, and the impacts of erosion on sea stacks are but a few of the topics explored on Leaf Music’s Recurrence.

Emmanuel Vukovich

Emmanuel Vukovich: The Journey to Resilience

By Viktor Lazarov on 2 February 2024 Interviews, Violin, Vocal

Released in November 2023, Emmanuel Vukovich’s debut album Resilience is the culmination of Vukovich’s reflection on his own roots, and humanity’s capacity for resilience.

Mont Analogue (Photo by Maxyme G. Delisle)

Ballet Opéra Pantomime: Mont Analogue

By Nathalie de Han on 2 February 2024 Dance, Interviews, Montreal

Le Mont Analogue, an unfinished adventure novel by René Daumal, has philosophical and mathematical overtones, says Hubert Tanguay-Labrosse, co-artistic director and musical director of BOP | Ballet Opéra Pantomime.

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