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Festival de chant choral de Montréal
Oct. 20-22
Now in its second year, Montreal’s Festival de chant choral brings back many of last year’s participants while encouraging all interested choristers and lovers of French choral singing to partake in its activities. The invited choirmaster for this upcoming edition, held under the auspices of the Alliance chorale du Québec, will be Monique Richard, an active promoter of choral music in New Brunswick’s Acadia region. While its programming is primarily geared toward music from living composers, the festival offers more than just performances; workshops and panel discussions revolving around a new yearly topic that will give participants plenty of opportunities to meet people with similar interests.
Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
Sept. 7-23
True to its mandate, Toronto’s TIFF is a prestigious showcase for international and Canadian films acknowledged throughout the world at events of equal notoriety. Among the official selections on the program is one film of musical interest, the newest feature from director Chloé Robichaud entitled Les jours heureux. Sophie Desmarais is cast as a young orchestra conductor dealing with her emotional life in pursuit of her career.
Alto/Fest
Oct. 8-Nov. 5
After its debut last year, Montreal’s viola festival returns to the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal to celebrate and explore the instrument’s many facets. A musician-friendly event staged in a low-key manner, it is devised to showcase its players in a most congenial and festive setting with added culinary treats served. Among its main activities are thematic concerts, instrument-maker workshops (including bows), and open-mike shows.
Culture Days
Sept. 22-Oct. 15
Canadian arts and culture will be highlighted throughout the land over a three-week period beginning at the autumn equinox. A myriad of free events open to all are on tap—some in person, others online. Sept. 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation aimed at acknowledging the historical stain and crimes perpetrated on native children in residential schools, their survivors and their families.
Grand festival d’orgue
Sept. 30-Oct. 29
The Canadian International Organ Competition (CIOC) Festival returns in full regalia this year. Beginning on the last Sunday of September and continuing on a weekly basis over the next month, the CIOC has selected a stellar slate of artists for its recitals. Scheduled as well are a host of associated events, free recitals at McGill’s Redpath Hall, film showings organized with the city’s Cinéclub Film Society, a special joint concert with the One Equall Musick voice ensemble, and an added showing of a filmed concert issued this year and entitled Murmures: La musique en partage.
Bach Festival Montréal
Sergei Babayan
Oct. 27 -Dec. 2
Montreal’s Bach Montreal aims to make baroque music more accessible to all, including free access to its shows. While it hires mostly local talent, name artists are added to its roster, most notably Sir John Eliot Gardiner leading the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists invited to perform the opening night concert. The festival draws to a close on Dec. 2 with a recital by pianist William Youn, followed the next day by a free organ recital at the basilica of Saint Joseph’s Oratory.
Off-Jazz festival Montréal
Oct. 5 -14
Nine days of jazzing in every possible way are in store for this event’s 24th edition. True to form, it will spread its wings over several venues to present the best and the brightest of the local scene, both up-and-comers and seasoned pros. All told, some 30 shows are on tap during its nine-day run, the happy hour Apero-Jazz shows focused on new talents, the Grands concerts series featuring headliners like François Bourassa, the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal, Norwegian saxophonist Bendik Hofseth, Chet Doxas, Erika Angell, Blanche Baillargeon, Chuck Copenace, Carl Mayotte and Jacques Schwarz-Bart from France. Capping off things in the evening are the after-hours Jazz Nocturne series at the Dièse onze.
Akousma 19
Tomoko Sauvage (JP/FR). Photo : WOS Festival / Leo Lopez
Montreal, Oct. 18-20
Devoted to digital, acousmatic and immersive musics, Akousma, now in its 19th edition, has unveiled its program which you can find here in their press release. With some of the most prominent artists from here and abroad, and many works presented here in premiere, AKOUSMA is still the best festival for discovering new trends in digital music.
Sphere Festival
Ottawa, Sept. 22-25
Ottawa’s National Arts Centre presents Sphere, a four-day event launching a year-long initiative of audio exploration that draws inspiration from the current climate crisis and loss of planetary biodiversity. Composers, performers from all fields, writers, scientists, visual artists, First Nations people, and participants from Scandinavia are all convened to offer personal insights on this global issue via a wide range of means, both scientific and artistic—be they orchestral chamber-music concerts, sonic explorations, visual works, art installations and scientific findings—all subjects to arouse debate and discussion.
Translation by Marc Chénard
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
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