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On June 17, the Lanaudière Festival announced its 44th season after several months of uncertainty for cultural societies in Quebec. Although an abbreviated edition of six concerts was presented at Joliette Cathedral in September 2020, musicians and music lovers will meet for the first time in two years at the Fernand-Lindsay Amphitheatre from July 16 to August 8. The opening concert, added to the program a few weeks after the official announcement of the programming, will mark Kent Nagano’s return to Quebec and his first live concert with the OSM since the start of the pandemic.
“We are incredibly lucky to be able to rely on the presence of several Canadian artists who are either in the country or living abroad, but are able to travel thanks to the relaxation of health measures,” says festival artistic director Renaud Loranger. “It is important to remember the difficulties and pitfalls that we had to overcome to organize this edition of the festival. However, we are very proud to be able to present a rich and varied program this summer with artists of international calibre.” On the docket are musicians greatly appreciated by Quebec audiences, such as Marc-André Hamelin, Karina Gauvin and Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
In addition to concerts and outdoor cinema at the Amphitheatre, there will be chamber music concerts in the picturesque churches of Lanaudière, featuring, notably, the Quatuor Molinari and Catherine Perrin, Mélisande McNabney, Charles Richard-Hamelin, Andrew Wan and Rachel Fenlon. About 15 concerts in regional parks will also be offered.
Safety measures were introduced over several months to offer festival-goers and musicians the best experience despite health restrictions.
“We worked very hard with Place des Arts and the public health authorities to develop a protocol that would ensure the safety of spectators, musicians and all festival staff,” explains Lanaudière general director Xavier Roy. “The Amphitheatre site is the ideal place to offer large-scale concerts, given the current situation.”
At the time of the June 17 announcement, 1,200 spectators could be accommodated at the Amphitheatre, including 450 under the roof. Since then, other places have been made available and their number may increase depending on the evolution of the health situation. As for the lawn, it will be divided into bubbles ranging from one to four people with a central circulation corridor two metres wide to facilitate the movement and exit of spectators. A page dedicated to COVID-19 instructions is available on the Lanaudière Festival website.
For further information about the festival, visit www.lanaudiere.org.
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