Montréal, Tuesday, September 12, 2017 – The CMIM (Concours musical international de Montréal) is extremely pleased to announce that pianist and composer Alain Lefèvre will act as honorary patron of its annual event. Attracting some of the world’s most promising young singers, pianists and violinists, the CMIM’s next edition will be held from May 27 to June 7 and is dedicated to Voice.
A world-renowned virtuoso pianist, Alain Lefèvre has performed in over forty countries in prestigious venues and with the world’s leading conductors and symphony orchestras. He has won numerous prizes, amongst them a Juno, an Opus and ten Felix (ADISQ). Mr. Lefèvre is also a successful composer and a passionate promoter of Canadian music. Among others, he has given life to the music of composer and pianist André Mathieu through concerts in New York, Paris, London, Berlin, Shanghai (…), thereby granting Mathieu a place of eminence within the Canadian romantic music repertoire. Mr. Lefèvre continues to champion the late composer’s work with the release this week of Mathieu’s Concerto no. 3 with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra led by JoAnn Falleta (Analekta).
“I am delighted to be joining forces with the CMIM as its honorary patron, having had the opportunity—as a member of its jury last May—to fully appreciate the significance this great Competition holds as a major stepping stone for so many young musicians and singers. This is why I have chosen to dedicate myself to the CMIM with purpose and conviction,” declared Alain Lefèvre.
“Alain Lefèvre has an enviable reputation within the artistic community; throughout his career, he has relentlessly worked towards raising awareness and appreciation for classical music. We look forward to having Mr. Lefèvre promote the CMIM with his legendary enthusiasm, energy and passion,” said Christiane LeBlanc, CMIM executive and artistic director.
Starting in 2018, the vocal competition features two divisions: Aria and Art Song. The Aria division includes music from the repertoire for voice and orchestra (opera, oratorio, cantata, mass, concert arias, orchestral songs, etc.); while the Art Song division includes repertoire for voice and piano (French mélodie, German Lied, English art song, etc.). A preliminary selection committee will choose a maximum of 40 singers to compete in Montreal next spring. The same amount of prizes, grants, and awards will be assigned to both divisions, resulting in a record amount of more than a quarter million Canadian dollars.
To mark the opening of its box office on September 15, the CMIM is offering an Early Bird Rate until December 15, 2017: 15% discount on all regular individual tickets.
– Aria & Art Song First round; Art Song Semi-final and Final – Bourgie Concert Hall, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts box office: mbam.qc.ca/en/concerts | 514 285-2000, option 4
– Aria Semi-final and Final/closing gala with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal – Maison symphonique, Place des Arts box office: placedesarts.com | 514 842-2112 | 1 866 842-2112
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About the CMIM
The mission of the CMIM (Concours musical international de Montréal) is to discover and support exceptional young singers, violinists and pianists from around the world while raising awareness for classical music. The CMIM is the only international competition in North America to be held annually, presenting three disciplines in a three-year rotation. Since its first edition dedicated to voice in 2002, 3,000 hopefuls have entered the competition and some 450 have performed in Montreal.
More details at: concoursmontreal.ca
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @CMIMontreal
