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Montreal, March 16, 2023. The Montreal Chamber Music Festival (MCCF) is delighted to present the program for its 28th edition, which goes beyond the boundaries of the genre. Concerts will be held in Bourgie Hall at the Museum of Fine Arts and at Place des Arts for the first time in its history. With no less than 15 concerts in 14 days, the festival offers a superb array of music for all audiences. Each show is conceived as a unique moment, a true artistic event that offers a varied repertoire to satisfy the tastes of all music lovers: cello, tap dance, musical fairy tales, jazz and intimate correspondence on music by Tchaikovsky are on the program.
“The FMCF’s mission was born out of a fervent desire to create unique experiences for both the public and the artists. Convinced that chamber music is an intimate language that begins where words end, each performer in our festival is excellent, committed and passionate. They are the intermediary through which the message of the music is heard. Their sincerity, humility and commitment are essential to creating the unique connection that makes the concert an irreplaceable experience,” said Denis Brott, founder and artistic director of the FMCF.
On Sunday, June 4 at 3:30 p.m., the festival will begin with a breathtaking concert entitled Cello on Fire! featuring Stéphane Tétreault and eight Quebec artists: Vincent Bergeron, Marie-Ève Bock, Pierre-Alain Bouvrette, Chloé Dominguez, Benoit Loiselle, Noémie Raymond-Friset, and Bruno Tobon, all of whom are graduates of Denis Brott’s cello class. This exceptional concert will also feature Denis Plante on bandoneon and will present Piazzola’s Tangos and his fabulous Four Seasons.
In addition, the festival will offer five new evening concerts in Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts starting at 7:30 pm.
June 6: Letko-Brosseau and the Jane Skoryna Foundation are proud to present a historic event, the Farewell Emerson Quartet! This will be the last concert that the renowned Emerson Quartet will perform in Canada, accompanied by guest artists Denis Brott (cello) and Jan Lisiecki (piano). For 43 seasons, the Emerson Quartet, consisting of Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer, violin, Lawrence Dutton, viola, and Paul Watkins, cello, has established itself as one of the world’s leading chamber music ensembles. After a long and successful career, he will retire in the fall of 2023. This concert will also feature a rare appearance in Montreal by the brilliant 27-year-old Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki, who will join the quartet to perform Dvorak’s Piano Quintet. Festival Director Denis Brott will join his colleagues and friends of more than five decades to perform one of the greatest works in the chamber music repertoire, Schubert’s Two Cello Quintet in C major.
June 8: Canadian Stars, a colourful concert featuring Canadian artists with international careers with Kerson Leong, violin, Bryan Cheng, cello, and Stewart Goodyear, piano. Reunited for the first time, the three performers in this concert are among the elite of the new generation of international musicians. Their varied program includes the Quebec premiere of pianist Stewart Goodyear’s Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, Beethoven’s ever-popular Moonlight Sonata, the Hungarian gypsy influence of
June 12: Go Baroque! This concert, sponsored by Phyllis Lambert, features world-renowned cellist Elinor Frey with guest artists Octavie Dostaler-Lalonde, cello, Federica Bianchi, harpsichord, Michele Pasotti, theorbo. In the world of Baroque music, Montreal’s Elinor Frey has continued to push the boundaries of the cello and to discover forgotten repertoire that sounds as fresh and innovative today as it did three centuries ago. This concert celebrates his Dall’Abaco CD released in November 2022.
June 16: A Tribute to Oliver Jones: Jazzman Par Excellence, sponsored by Sebastian von Berkom, features a series of artists close to Oliver and Oscar Peterson: Robi Botos, Ranee Lee, Lorraine Desmarais, Eric Lagacé, Chet Doxas, Taurey Butler, Michel Donato and Dave Laing. The name Oliver Jones, born in Montreal, is synonymous with the greatest names in jazz music. Along with fellow Montrealer and friend Oscar Peterson, Oliver Jones’ imprint is undeniable. At 88 years of age, he has played with the greats and inspired generations of jazz performers and music lovers.
June 17: First Prizes, a concert featuring the winners of the Banff International String Quartet Competition. The Isidore Quartet, recent winners of the First Prize at the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition, perform the music that has brought them international recognition. In addition to this grand prize, they won the Haydn Prize and the prize for the best interpretation of the work commissioned for the occasion. In this exceptional concert, he will collaborate with the 2023 Juno Prize winner, Canadian virtuoso pianist Phillip Chiu. The program will be a confluence of cultures. The Isidore String Quartet’s participation in the Festival is supported in part by the Banff International String Quartet Competition’s Career Development Program.
Also at Bourgie Hall, but at noon, six other 55-minute concerts will be offered, three of which are free:
June 12 : The winners of the Canada Council’s 2023 Musical Instrument Bank competition, to be announced on April 30.
June 14 : Giora Schmidt, Vatra Quartet with Giora Schmidt (graduate of Itzak Perlman’s class) and Eva Lesage, violin, Sebastian Gonzalez Mora, viola, Bruno Tobon, cello, Chloé Dumoulin, piano
On June 17 : Noémie and friends with Noémie Raymond-Friset, director of operations for the festival (she plays a Canimex Goffriller cello) and Bora Kim, violin, Ryan Davis, viola, Kevin Ahfat, piano. The program includes a Rachmaninoff Sonata and Brahms’ Quartet in C minor.
In addition to these free lunchtime concerts, there are three others that are ticketed and are linked to performances given later in the evening:
June 6 : Kerson Leong & Bryan Cheng Kerson Leong, violin, Bryan Cheng, cello, will offer a preview of the June 8 Canadian Stars concert.
June 8 : Elinor Frey. Baroque Cello Explained. This concert will feature a presentation that explains the Baroque cello in preparation for the Go Baroque! concert.
On June 16, the Isidore Quartet (First Prize winner of the Banff International String Quartet Competition) with Phoenix Avalon, Adrian Steele, violin, Devon Moore, viola and Joshua McClendon, cello. The program will feature Beethoven’s Opus 132 preceded by a talk by Festival Artistic Director Denis Brott. A preview of the First Prize show on June 17.
On June 11, at 3:30 p.m. in Bourgie Hall, Fairy Tales, a family-friendly concert featuring everyone’s favourite works: Carnival of the Animals and Peter and the Wolf with Alexander Read, Bora Kim, violin, Lambert Chen, viola, Noémie Raymond-Friset, cello, Joel Quarrington, double bass, Arianne Brisson, flute, Theodore Baskin, oboe, Antonin Cuerrier, clarinet, Mathieu Harel, bassoon, Catherine Turner, Nadia Côté, Sarah Amahrit, French horns, Stéphane Beaulac, trumpet, Patrice Richer, trombone, Cory Rae, Joshua Wynnyk, percussion, Kevin Ahfat, Chloé Dumoulin, piano with Jean Marchand for the narration. Carnival of the Animals will be in French, Peter and the Wolf in English. On stage will be nineteen excellent performers including several members of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
On June 18 at 3:30 p.m. at the Maison Symphonique de la Place des arts – a first for the FMCM – will be held Obsession: Tchaikovsky and his Muse, the closing concert of the festival that highlights Tchaikovsky’s relationship with his patron Nadezhda von Meck. You will discover the unique role of the muse of one of the greatest Romantic composers of all time: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Giora Schmidt, Kevin Zhu, Phoenix Avalon, Bora Kim, Amy Hillis, Adrian Steele, Abby Walsh, violin, Victor Fournelle-Blain, Devin Moore, Ryan Davis, Lambert Chen, viola, Denis Brott, Noémie Raymond-Friset, Joshua McClendon, Bruno Tobon, cello, Joel Quarrington, double bass, Yekwon Sunwoo, piano will perform the composer’s works alongside Anne Julie Proulx, Jean Marchand who will provide the narration.
Michèle Marchand, the creator of this show, has combed through some 700 letters found in the intimate correspondence between Tchaikovsky and Mrs. von Meck. The result is a collection of poignant exchanges that shed light on Tchaikovsky’s thoughts and reveal the emotional message behind the music you will hear.
The program includes two masterpieces: Tchaikovsky’s Trio Op. 50 and his Sextet Souvenir de Florence in a transcription for string ensemble featuring 17 outstanding virtuosos.
Mission of the FMCM
To present chamber music of the highest standards of performance, whether in classical, jazz or other genres. To showcase internationally renowned artists as well as rising stars from Canada and abroad. Contribute to the richness and diversity of Montreal as a cultural hub of international calibre.
Tickets are available on the Place des Arts de Montréal website
FMCM passports costing $300 (taxes included) are only available through the festival website
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