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A lone figure stationed at a grand piano in a dark hall is nothing new to modern concertgoers. This scene suddenly changes with the arrival of three dancers taking centre stage. Combing through the air, their gestures echo the suspenseful minor chords played by the pianist. This mise en scène is amplified by dramatic projections and a video of Chinese calligraphy being drawn by the hand of an invisible master.
Minna Re Shin. Photo: Loïc Bruderlein, extracted from the Sonate des Saisons performance video project (dir. Carlos Ferrand).
“The Sonate des saisons project takes inspiration from Rachel Laurin’s Sonate Op. 2 en mi mineur as well as my own cultural background and heritage,” explains pianist Minna Re Shin. Based on the Canadian composer and organist’s four-movement work from 1982, Shin and her onstage collaborators shape a cross-disciplinary work that uses the seasonal cycle as a unifying theme.
This is not Shin’s first excursion in multidisciplinarity. When performing Alain Payette’s piano work Sonate Tableaux in 2021–22, she drew together a cast of dancers, video directors, editors, designers and a painter. The resulting music video garnered no less than eight awards and 11 official selections at international film festivals in Argentina, U.S., Canada, U.K., Italy and Germany.
Given this success, Shin strives to “further challenge and expand the boundaries of traditional presentations of classical music performance.” Together with Chinese calligrapher Ngan Siu-Mui; choreographer Shawn Hounsell; dancers Alexander Ellison, Clara Kocollari and Arnaud Mongeon; director Carlos Ferrand; and motion designer Loic Bruderlein, Shin creates new, personal and multilayered work.
“There’s a crossing of energy between music and dance,” Hounsell said after a preview performance of Sonate des saisons in October 2025 at Montreal’s Vanier College. While dance, music and fine arts remain core disciplines, Shin’s video production team adds an intimate dimension to the narrative, culminating in a digital format adapted to how culture is being consumed in today’s world. Ultimately, Sonate des saisons unfolds in three forms: a digital music album, co-produced with ombu productions; a cinematic performance video filmed in HD 4K with state-of-the-art sound technology; and live performance. Quebec audiences will be able to watch a version of Sonate des saisons in April at Festival Charlevoix Danse.
The official album launch—Shin’s world premiere commercial recording of Laurin’s Sonate Op. 2—the screening of the performance video, and Shin’s live solo piano performance will be held at Joseph Rouleau Hall at Jeunesses Musicales in Montreal on June 10 at 8 p.m. All proceeds from the event will go toward the Cedars Cancer Foundation.
Quebec audiences will also be able to discover a version of the project as part of the April 2026 programming of the Festival Charlevoix Danse. www.festivalcharlevoixdanse.org/spectacle
Website of Minna Re Shin: www.minnareshin.com
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