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2025 Fall Festivals Guide

By La Scena Musicale Team on 3 September 2025 Baroque and Early, Classical Music, Contemporary, Jazz, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, West

Montreal Canadian International Organ Competition (CIOC) Montréal, September 6 to October 26 | www.ciocm.org The Canadian International Organ Competition (CIOC) presents the 2025 Grand Organ Festival, with over 15 events in Montréal and across Québec from September 6 to October 26. Music lovers are invited to explore the King of Instruments through a varied program including jazz, classical, experimental, and everything in between. The headline concert on October 4 features Peter Richard Conte, who was principal organist at the legendary Wanamaker Grand Court Organ (the world’s largest fully functioning instrument) in Philadelphia for more than 35 years. VIP tickets include…

Renowned Conductor Karen Kamensek joins the Calgary Philharmonic in New Role

By Newswire on 2 September 2025 Arts Industry, Newswire, Orchestral, West

Calgary AB (September 2, 2025) — The Calgary Philharmonic is pleased to announce that highly-acclaimed, Grammy-award winning conductor Karen Kamensek has joined the Calgary Phil this season in the newly-created role of Principal Guest Conductor. In addition to leading the Orchestra for a few concerts each season, Kamensek will work behind the scenes with the Calgary Phil in an artistic advisory capacity. In the upcoming 2025/2026 Season, Kamensek conducts the Classics series opener, Gil Shaham Plays Beethoven, on September 12 and 13 at the Jack Singer Concert Hall, as well as Verdi’s Requiem on March 20, 2026, also at the…

Poiesis Quartet at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2025). Photo: Rita Taylor/Courtesy of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Report | BISQC Makes Strong Statement With Poiesis

By Bill Rankin on 2 September 2025 Classical Music, Music Competition, Strings, West

The fifteen Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) jury made what many would say was a bold decision to award first prize to an American quartet that eschews the trappings of a traditional string quartet and champions both new music and their own LGBTQ identities, unreservedly. The Poiesis Quartet, formed at Oberlin College four years ago, are BISQC’s new ambassadors, and they will enjoy career-changing support for the next three years, including professional management in North America and Europe, several significant residencies in the U.S. and abroad, a recording, and guaranteed appearances at dozens of concert venues. They also won…

Arete Quartet at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2025). Photo: Rita Taylor/Courtesy of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Report | Banff International String Quartet Competition Finale Launch

By Bill Rankin on 1 September 2025 Classical Music, Music Competition, Strings, West

At 1 a.m. MDT Sunday Aug. 31, the Banff International String Quartet announced via email that the seven-person jury had selected three quartets to go on to the finals on Sunday afternoon. This was notwithstanding the use of a mathematical system to tabulate the cumulative scores from the judges’ assessments of the nine quartets in the initial four rounds. The system was meant to streamline the decision-making process and ideally, minimize heated discussions over who to advance. It still took more than two hours from the time the Cong Quartet finished playing Janáček’s String Quartet No. 1 in the fourth,…

Poiesis Quartet. Photo: Rita Taylor, courtesy of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Newswire | American Poiesis Quartet Wins 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC)

By Newswire on 31 August 2025 Music Competition, Newswire, Strings, West

BANFF, AB, CANADA, AUGUST 31, 2025 – Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada and is thrilled to announce the Poiesis Quartet from Cincinnati, USA was awarded the grand prize of the 15th triennial Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC): Sarah Ying Ma (she/they) on violin, Max Ball (he/they) on violin, Jasper de Boor (they/them) on viola, and Drew Dansby (he/him) on cello. Widely recognized as one of the most prestigious global platforms for emerging quartets, BISQC offers one of the largest prizes in chamber music—valued at over $500,000 CAD—with the potential to shape a quartet’s artistic…

Quartet HANA at Banff International String Quartet Competition. Photo: Rita Taylor, Courtesy of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Review | New Kati Agócs commission at Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC)

By Bill Rankin on 30 August 2025 Chamber Music, Classical Music, Concert Reviews, La Scena Online, Music Competition, Strings, West

The nine quartets competing for more than $500,000 worth of cash and career development support at the 15th Banff International String Quartet Competition were all asked on Friday morning (Aug. 29) to perform Kati Agócs’ new nine-minute string quartet, Rapprochement, her third piece in the genre. All nine had had an opportunity to discuss their interpretations of the new work during the competition week with the composer. They received her score in May. Agócs writes in her performance notes for the score: “Slurs, dynamic shaping, and articulative markings are suggested only. They are meant as a starting point and can…

Cong Quartet at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2025). Photo: Rita Taylor/Courtesy of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity

Review | Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) Goes Romantic

By Bill Rankin on 29 August 2025 Classical Music, Concert Reviews, Music Competition, Strings, West

The Romantic round of the 15th Banff International String Quartet Competition finished Thursday morning (Aug. 28) and figuring which three groups will make it to Sunday’s final has gotten harder to predict. It’s rarely easy. There were a couple of standout performances of a Haydn quartet in the first round. Quartet KAIRI and Quatuor Elmire, I thought put themselves in contention for the $4,000 Haydn prize, at least, and didn’t hurt their chances of playing for the three big prizes. Both also gave distinguished performances of their chosen Mendelssohn quartets for round two: Quartet No. 2, Op 13 in KAIRI’s…

Vancouver Opera early-bird pricing ends Aug 31

By Newswire on 18 August 2025 Classical Music, Newswire, Opera, Theatre, Vancouver, Vocal, West

AUGUST 18, 2025, VANCOUVER, B.C. / Traditional territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh and səlilwətaɬ Nations – Tickets for the Vancouver Opera 2025-2026 season are now on sale, with Early Bird pricing available until August 31, 2025. The season begins in October with Verdi’s eternally thrilling Rigoletto, followed by Mozart’s light-hearted Così fan tutte in February 2026. La Bohème, Puccini’s enduring love story, closes the season in blockbuster style with a five-show run in April/May 2026. The best time to get tickets is now, before September 1st spells the end of the Early Bird era! RIGOLETTO By Giuseppe Verdi Queen Elizabeth Theatre Sung in Italian with English SURTITLES™ projected above the stage Saturday, October 25,…

Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra

Calgary Philharmonic 2025/26 Season Kicks Off Sept 5

By Newswire on 14 August 2025 Classical, Classical Music, Contemporary, Film, Movie soundtrack music, Multimedia, Musical Theatre, Musique populaire, Newswire, Opera, Piano, Strings, Theatre, Violin, West

Calgary AB (August 14, 2025) — World-renowned stars, epic classics, thrilling collaborations, rockin’ pops, family fun, blockbuster movies, and more — the Calgary Phil heads into its 70th anniversary season with concerts for all ages and tastes. Celebrating seven decades as Calgary’s Orchestra, the Calgary Phil is more committed than ever to making orchestral music accessible to everyone. September alone demonstrates the exciting variety that audiences can expect throughout the season. We officially get things cooking on September 5 at The Big Four Roadhouse for the Canadian premiere of SYNTHONY: EDM Meets Orchestra, which sees the Calgary Phil, along with…

Ashanti J’Aria (Becky), Rachel Drance (Jenna), and Sarah Cantuba (Dawn) in the Arts Club's Waitress. Photo: Moonrider Productions

Review | Strong casting is the secret ingredient in the Arts Club’s Waitress

By Kaitlyn Chan on 8 July 2025 Concert Reviews, Musical Theatre, Theatre, Vancouver, Vocal, West

Based on the motion picture by Adrienne Shelly, Sara Bareilles’s Waitress is one of the most popular musicals composed in recent years. It premiered on Broadway in April 2016—making history as the first Broadway show with an all-female production team—and garnered such success that international and regional productions are still frequently staged. Since June 12, Vancouver’s Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage has been transformed into Joe’s Diner as the Arts Club Theatre Company presents this beloved musical. Having seen outstanding performances by the Arts Club before, I attended their production of Waitress with high expectations (seen July 5). I was not…

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