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A showcase for creative woman and their work, the Festival Stella Musica returns March 21 and 22 for its fifth edition under the artistic direction of pianist Katarzyna Musial.
Katarzyna Musial
The festival opens with an intimate concert featuring young flutist Nikki Arsenault performing Telemann Fantasies. This performance will be followed by a roundtable discussion on the 30th anniversary of the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In collaboration with the Montreal Women’s University Club and participants of the Olympes de la parole, the roundtable will be hosted by the honorary ambassador of the festival, the Honorable Anne-Marie Trahan, with the participation of Sylvie Schirm.
Discussion will also focus on empowerment in relation to sustainable development. “One of the best ways to empower girls to become women is through education,” Musial says. “This is also how they can become economically independent. Moreover, since we are a music festival, we will discuss the benefits of music on the development of the child.”
The major “Musique au Féminin” concert at the Théâtre Outremont will create an opportunity to hear the world premiere of Gaouege paswewe (Forever it echoes) by Ottawa-based composer Barbara Croall. The concerto will be performed by the Imperial Orchestra with Musial on the piano and the composer at the “pipigwan.” The conductor is Lori Antounian.
Barbara Croall
Under the aegis of diversity, the concert will also bring together artists from multiple backgrounds to mark the International Women’s Day: Vanesa GR Montoya, choreographer and first dancer at the Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal; pianist Emily Oulousian, winner of the Radio-Canada’s Virtuose program; and Sarah Oulousian, winner of the Canadian Music Competition. Other participants are dancers from the Quebec Superior Ballet School: Anja Fanslau, Claire Campbell and Adrian Batt, among others. There will also be a video projection of visual artist Dali Wu.
“The festival offers a festive environment that allows the public to discover a wide range of artists, both young and established. This diversity is also present in the choice of repertoire,” Musial adds. It is a unique chance to discover artists who enrich in their own way the classical music scene.
“I founded the Festival Stella Musica because, as a concert pianist, I experienced the difficulties that women artists face on a daily basis and I wanted to improve the situation,” Musial explains. “I anticipate that the festival will grow over time to have an even bigger impact.”
Translation by Adrian Rodriguez
The Stella Musica festival will be held on March 21st and 22nd 2019
at Théâtre Outremont in Montréal. www.stellamusica.org
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