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Montreal, Wednesday, May 18, 2022 – The Orchestre de l’Agora will present the Gala de la Terre pour les enfants: Symphony No. 3 by Mahler at the Maison symphonique on June 22 at 8 pm, under the direction of its conductor and artistic director Nicolas Ellis.
The orchestra will have the privilege of sharing the stage with the magnificent and renowned Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux as its guest soloist, along with over 200 musicians and choristers (Ensemble Gaïa and three children’s choirs) to perform the sublime 3rd Symphony by Gustav Mahler, a major work of the repertoire, which is fully in keeping with the concert’s ecological theme.
The Gala de la Terre pour les enfants, presented by Canimex through a partnership with Age of Union, aims to offer a better world for our children by supporting UNICEF Canada, as well as to preserve our ecosystems by contributing to the Nature Conservancy of Canada and Sierra Club Canada Foundation for projects these environmental organizations implement here in Quebec. 100% of the box office revenue and funds raised will go to these three recognized beneficiary organizations.
The event’s Honorary President is Dax Dasilva (founder of the environmental alliance Age of Union) and the Gala ambassadors are artist Pascale Bourbeau and explorer Bernard Voyer. For the occasion, conductor Nicolas Ellis is bringing together musicians who represent the Quebec classical music ecosystem, welcoming artists in official positions with various Quebec orchestras, established professionals, and university students.
“As a global environmental alliance, Age of Union is thrilled to support Gala de la Terre in our hometown of Montreal. I’ve always felt closely connected to the arts community, recently opening our own local exhibition space called Earth Centre. All art forms have the power to evoke change by creating emotional connections. It’s a privilege to be part of this special evening as many organizations and community leaders come together with the same mission of giving back to our planet.”
— Dax Dasilva, Age of Union Founder and Gala de la Terre Honourary President
For the first edition of the Gala de la Terre in 2020, the Orchestre de l’Agora provided $138,000 to three environmental organizations, despite the concert’s cancellation following the pandemic-related closure of concert halls. The orchestra’s goal this year is to grant $300,000 in donations to three beneficiary organizations, having already raised over $200,000 to date.
The orchestra and the Gala’s founder, Bita Cattelan, are calling for solidarity and appealing to the public to attend the concert on June 22 to reach this ambitious objective.
Richard Mashaal has generously provided the Gala de la Terre pour les enfants with a work by Montreal visual artist Michael Flomen, which is available as part of a silent auction on the Gala website .
Conductor Nicolas Ellis is sponsored by Simons for this concert.
Contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux is sponsored by Elizabeth Wirth for this concert.
PROGRAM:
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
ARTISTS:
Orchestre de l’Agora
Nicolas Ellis, conductor
Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto
Ensemble Gaïa
Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal
Les Petites Voix du Plateau
Le Chœur des enfants de Montréal
The concert will be recorded by ProdCan.
Through a partnership with:
Age of Union
Presented by:
Canimex
Corporate Patrons:
Simons
Cascades
Desjardins
Norton Rose Fulbright
LCI Education Network
Group RMC
Foundation WCPD
LALLEMAND
Richardson Wealth
COGECO
CHUBB
MONTBLANC
Golf Exécutif Montréal
Honorary President:
Dax Dasilva
Ambassadors:
Pascale Bourbeau
Bernard Voyer
Co-chairs:
Bita Cattelan
Nicolas Ellis
Committee:
Nick Bakish
Jean-Frédéric Caron
Christiane Leblanc
Renaud Loranger
Jacques Marchand
Jean-Pierre Primiani
About the Orchestre de l’Agora
The Orchestre de l’Agora, under the direction of Nicolas Ellis, is a multifaceted musical collective that is reinventing the role that classical musicians play in their community by focusing on their talent and commitment. Our musicians, who are young professionals from the Montreal area, are among the f inest of their generation. Through their music, they actively take part in our bold concerts and outreach efforts. Since it was founded in 2013, the Orchestre has had a twofold purpose: to showcase art and classical music, and to contribute to society. Much like its founder, Nicolas Ellis, the Orchestre is focused on the core values of initiative, collaboration, commitment, impact, and boldness.
These values have been reflected in the Orchestre’s many undertakings over the years, such as Concert solidaire presented in July 2020: the first symphonic concert before an audience in North America, following the end of concerts in March 2020 (pandemic). The Orchestre has begun a partnership with the Montreal Detention Centre in 2021-22, to present concert-workshops for incarcerated people. Through the efforts of musicians convinced of the power of music as a tool for social change, the Orchestre has since been able to contribute more than $175 000 to environmental & community organizations, by giving concerts to raise funds for them. Since 2013, the Orchestre’s musicians have given music lessons and free performances for hundreds of underprivileged children, through a partnership with the music program of Share the Warmth and Les Porteurs de musique.
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