24th Opus Awards: And the winners are…

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(Montréal, Sunday, February 7, 2021) – The 24th edition of the Conseil québécois de la musique’s Opus Awards Gala was made accessible to the general public – a first for the event – this Sunday, February 7, 2021, via the Facebook page of Télé-Québec’s La Fabrique culturelle. The proceedings were lively, with the award presentations interspersed with musical performances and interviews with the winners, all under the masterful direction of executive producer Sylvie Raymond, music consultant Mario F. Paquet and director Benoît Guérin.

The ceremony was filmed at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ Bourgie Hall. A total of 26 winners received awards for the 2019-2020 season, thus encompassing musical projects presented both before and since the pandemic began.

Singer and ICI Musique host Marc Hervieux was master of ceremonies, while musician and host Catherine Perrin interviewed the recipients of the special awards. A tribute was paid to Kent Nagano, outgoing artistic and musical director of the MSO, featuring musical highlights from his tenure and acknowledgements from peers. The ceremony as well as the virtual acceptance speeches of the winners are available for viewing for the entire month of February on the CQM’s Facebook page.

Exciting musical performances

Original performances by virtuoso musicians provided soothing respite from the confinement of recent months. Soprano Karina Gauvin, contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux and pianist Olivier Godin came together to perform the famous “Duo des fleurs,” from the opera Lakmé by French composer Léo Delibes (1836–1891). Next up, the Emie R Roussel Trio performed “Taniata,” an original piece by Nicolas Bédard, the jazz ensemble’s double bass player. The evening came to a close with Québécois roots band Le Vent du Nord and their rendition of “Au régiment,” a traditional song from the repertoire of Georges Comeau. Throughout the gala, musical capsules by Simon Chioini provided the soundtrack for the unveiling of the winners.

Enhanced awards

Thanks to its invaluable partners, the Conseil québécois de la musique’s Opus Awards handed out 7 prizes accompanied by a cash prize or a video project opportunity. The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec awarded $10,000 to Composer of the Year James O’Callaghan, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications gave $5,000 to the organization Les P’tits Mélomanes du Dimanche, winner of the Production of the Year – Young Audiences award for its production Jean-Sébastien et la marche à pied, and the Canada Council for the Arts awarded $5,000 to Elinor Frey, chosen Performer of the Year. For its part, the Conseil des arts de Montréal gave $10,000 to artist Djely Tapa, recipient of the Inclusion and Diversity – Montréal award. Télé-Québec’s La Fabrique culturelle will produce a video capsule on the Orchestre symphonique de l’Estuaire, winner of the new Opus Regions award for its productions for young audiences in 2019-2020, and another capsule on the Palais Montcalm – Maison de la Musique, winner of the new Opus Québec award, for its production of Jon Lord’s Concerto for Group and Orchestra. Finally, CINARS awarded saxophone quartet Quasar, winner of the Opus Award for International Achievement for its tour of British Columbia, Europe and North America, the sum of $2,000.

The 24th edition of the Opus Awards was made possible thanks to the Government of Canada, Musicaction and the Canada Council for the Arts, to the Government of Québec, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, to the Conseil des arts de Montréal, to Télé-Québec’s La Fabrique culturelle, to ICI MUSIQUE, la destination musicale de Radio-Canada, to CINARS, to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ Bourgie Hall, as well as to our media partners: Le Devoir, La Scena Musicale, Ludwig Van Montréal, sortiesJAZZnights.com and L’Opéra.

The Conseil québécois de la musique is a grouping of organizations and professionals working in the field of concert music. Its activities promote the cohesion, recognition and development of Québec’s music scene and help defend the latter’s interests.

WINNERS

Opus Awards Gala, Conseil Québécois de la musique, 24th edition

CONCERTS

Concert de l’année – Musiques médiévale, de la renaissance, baroque

Telemann à Paris, Arion Orchestre Baroque, Mathieu Lussier, chef et basson baroque, Vincent Lauzer, flûte à bec, 18 au 20 octobre 2019

Concert de l’année – Musiques classique, romantique, postromantique, impressionniste

Joyce DiDonato & Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Orchestre Métropolitain, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, chef, Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano, 19 novembre 2019

Concert de l’année – Musiques moderne, contemporaine

Envoi : Hommage collectif III à Gilles Tremblay, Ensemble contemporain de Montréal (ECM+), Ensemble Paramirabo, Ensemble Magnitude6, Louise Bessette, piano, Véronique Lacroix et Jeffrey Stonehouse, direction artistique, en collaboration avec le Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, 24 janvier 2020.

Concert de l’année – Jazz

Rémi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble avec invitée spéciale : Funky Princess, Rémi Bolduc et Chantal De Villiers alias Funky Princess, saxophones, Taurey Butler, piano, Fraser Hollins, basse, Dave Laing, batterie, Productions Art and Soul, 20 février 2020

Concert de l’année – Répertoires multiples

Pastorale, Benjamin Morency, flûte, Hugues Cloutier, piano, Société musicale Fernand- Lindsay – Opus 130, Centre culturel Desjardins, 9 février 2020

Création de l’année

Onze super (petits) totems, Jean Derome, SuperTotem, Productions Totem Contemporain, Productions SuperMusique, 24 octobre 2019

Production de l’année – Jeune Public

The Ministère de la Culture et des Communications awarded $5,000 to the winner – Jean-Sébastien et la marche à pied, Les P’tits Mélomanes du Dimanche, Maurice Laforest, directeur artistique, 29 septembre 2019

ALBUMS

Album de l’année – Musiques médiévale, de la Renaissance, baroque

Marin Marais : Badinages, Mélisande Corriveau, Eric Milnes, ATMA Classique

Album de l’année – Musiques classique, romantique, postromantique ou impressionniste

Chopin : Ballades et impromptus, Charles Richard-Hamelin, Analekta

Album de l’année – Musiques moderne, contemporaine

Henryk Górecki : Intégrale des quatuors à cordes, Quatuor Molinari, ATMA Classique

Album de l’année – Musiques actuelle, électroacoustique

L’inaudible, Stéphane Roy, empreintes DIGITALes

Album de l’année – Jazz

MachiNations, Yannick Rieu, Productions Yari

Album de l’année – Musiques du monde et musique traditionnelle québécoise

Levantine Rhapsody, Didem Başar, Patrick Graham, Noémy Braun, Guy Pelletier, Brigitte Dajczer, Centre des musiciens du monde, Analekta

ÉCRIT

Article de l’année

« De l’intention musicale au jeu instrumental. Développement d’un protocole de recherche pour l’analyse qualitative et quantitative de trois styles d’interprétation d’une œuvre de J.- S. Bach au piano », Viktor Lazarov, Simon Rennotte, Caroline Traube, Revue musicale de l’OICRM, 2019

PRIX SPÉCIAUX

Prix Hommage

Kent Nagano

Inclusion et diversité Montréal

Presented jointly with the Conseil des arts de Montréal, which awarded $10,000 to the winner – Djely Tapa

Prix Opus Québec

La Fabrique culturelle awarded the winner an opportunity to record a capsule to be broadcast on Télé-Québec’s cultural platform on the Web – Palais Montcalm – Maison de la musique – Concerto for Group and Orchestra de Jon Lord, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Paul DesLauriers Band

Prix Opus Régions

La Fabrique culturelle awarded the winner an opportunity to record a capsule to be broadcast on Télé-Québec’s cultural platform on the Web – Orchestre symphonique de l’Estuaire – Réalisations Jeune Public 2019-2020