LSM Newswire

Friday, August 29, 2008

Waterloo Region Composers Choral Song Circle


Waterloo Region Composers Choral Song Circle


The Waterloo Region Composers Choral Song Circle will feature the choral music of Glenn Buhr, Barrie Cabena, Richard Cunningham, Leonard Enns, Jeff Enns, Michael Purves-Smith and Carol Ann Weaver.


Where: Kitchener City Hall Rotunda, 200 King Street West, Kitchener, Ontario

Date: Saturday, September 27, 2008

Time: 7:00 pm

Admission: Free

Information: www.chestnuthallmusic.com/choral


Overview

A unique event patterned on the popular singer songwriter circles, the Waterloo Region Composers Choral Song Circle features the choral music of Glenn Buhr, Barrie Cabena, Richard Cunningham, Leonard Enns, Jeff Enns, Michael Purves-Smith and Carol Ann Weaver.


The Event

The Waterloo Region Composers Choral Song Circle is a unique concert event, patterned after the Songwriter Circles that have become popular in the pop world. Audiences attend the events and have an opportunity to interact with the songwriters, who often introduce works that are new or unique, and perform them by themselves or with participation from other songwriters who are all present on stage.


The Choral Song Circle will be similar to this pattern, except choral classical composers are not obviously able to accompany themselves SATB on stage. With the help of a Region of Waterloo Arts Fund grant, we have formed a professional core choir reinforced with the best singers from the region's two university music schools.


The choir conducted by Wilfrid Laurier University's Dr Lee Willingham will perform choral music of the composers who make their homes or places of work in the Waterloo region, with the seven composers present on stage.


Hosted by Jurgen Petrenko, there will be opportunities to hear the composers talk about their music, and for audiences to meet with them and become familiar with who they are and to develop awareness of their craft and their sound, and how they are a vital part of the cultural fabric of the Waterloo region, Canada and abroad. Jurgen will moderate interaction between the composers and the audience as we talk about the music and the compositional process.


The Participants

  • Seven Waterloo region composers, including Glenn Buhr, Barrie Cabena, Richard Cunningham, Leonard Enns, Jeff Enns, Michael Purves-Smith and Carol Ann Weaver.
  • A newly formed professional choir will be conducted by Dr Lee Willingham, who is an Associate Professor at WLU where he leads the Laurier Singers and is Director for the new Laurier Centre for Music in the Community.
  • Jurgen Petrenko, former producer of CBC's Music and Company, will be acting as host for the event.


The Venue

The event is being held at the city of Kitchener's unique Rotunda, situated on ground floor of the building. The hall is very open and accessable to the public, and the choir, composers and audience will be arranged so that there is a close sense of interaction and community. The acoustics are amazing and the hall is four stories high, with a circular floor layout... perfect for a choral song circle.


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Thursday, August 28, 2008

Event POSTPONED: Classical at the Carlu


Classical at the Carlu

A Fundraising Celebration in support of Piano Plus

POSTPONED

(August 28, 2008, Toronto) Classical at the Carlu a fundraising event in support of Piano Plus due to take place on September 9, 2008, has been postponed until the Spring of 2009. An announcement confirming the details will be made at a later date.

For ticket refunds, please contact the St. Lawrence Centre Box office at 416-366-7723 or log on to www.stlc.com.

Piano Plus brings Canada's finest classical musicians to communities throughout the country in which opportunities to experience the magic of live concerts at an affordable cost are limited or simply non-existent. The brainchild of Artistic Director and Founder Janina Fialkowska, Piano Plus is the iteration of the incredibly successful Piano Six, the original 10-year program which began in 1993 with six pianists thrilling more than 100,000 classical music lovers in small towns and isolated communities across the country. Since 2004, the Piano Plus artist roster has been expanded to include distinguished Canadian musicians from the worlds of strings and voice as well as piano in order to bring a much broader range of the worlds great music to the program. Pianist Angela Cheng is Artistic Director. www.pianoplus.ca

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OSM / A Majestic opening to the OSM 's 75th Season


A MAJESTIC OPENING TO

THE OSMS 75TH SEASON!

Kent Nagano conducts Mahlers Symphony of a Thousand:

Dress rehearsal open to the public

Zubin Mehta at the Notre-Dame Basilica

Joshua Bell in Coriglianos Red Violin Concerto

Gershwin, Bernstein, Benoit, and All That Jazz!

Montreal, August 28, 2008 Under the banner of bringing people together in a spirit of festivity, the 75th season of the Orchestre symphonique de Montral begins with the grand-scale Symphony of a Thousand by Gustav Mahler under the direction of Kent Nagano on September 9 and 10. More than 400 artists will be performing this massive work, which in addition to the Orchestras musicians features two mixed choruses, a boys choir, a girls choir, eight soloists and an offstage contingent of brass. Imagine that the universe bursts into song, Mahler wrote. We no longer hear human voices, but those of planets and suns that revolve. The public is also invited to attend the dress rehearsal, which is taking place on September 8 at 7 p.m.

The following week, on September 17, Zubin Mehta, a music director emeritus of the OSM, rejoins the musicians and a Montreal audience in an exceptional non-series concert presented at the imposing Notre-Dame Basilica. This setting lends itself admirably to a French program, which in this case will consist of Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum, a work with a powerful emotional charge by composer Olivier Messiaen the 100th anniversary of whose birth is being observed in 2008 and the luminous Symphony No 3 (Organ) by Camille Saint-Sans, one of the flagship works of the French symphonic repertoire.

On September 29 and 30, the remarkable violinist Joshua Bell, recipient of a Grammy, will be performing the Montreal premiere of American composer John Coriglianos The Red Violin Concerto, a work derived from his Oscar-winning soundtrack in 1999 to the film The Red Violin and which takes up some of the most memorable themes in the original score. This program will be under the direction of Jacques Lacombe, principal guest conductor with the OSM from 2002 to 2006.

Jazz musician David Benoit, meanwhile, is offering a tribute to jazz piano in a program that includes singers Ranee Lee and Michael Dozier, while flutists Timothy Hutchins and Carolyn Christie will be playing a concerto for two flutes by Telemann.

Information and reservations: 514-842-9951 or www.osm.ca

THE SEPTEMBER CONCERTS:

September 9 and 10 at 8 p.m. (Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier) Grand Concerts / Opening Night: Kent Nagano and the Symphony of a Thousand open the OSMs 75th season! Kent Nagano, conductor; Jennifer Wilson, Aline Kutan, Mihoko Fujimura, Susan Platts, Simon ONeil, Sergei Leiferkus, Reinhard Hagen, the OSM Chorus.

Public dress rehearsal: September 8 at 7 p.m.

September 17 at 7:30 p.m. (Notre-Dame Basilica) Non-series concert: Zubin Mehta at the Notre-Dame Basilica. Zubin Mehta, conductor.

September 23 at 8 p.m. (Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier) Air Canada Classical Escapes: Gershwin, Bernstein, Benoit, and All That Jazz! Jean-Franois Rivest, conductor; David Benoit, piano; Michael Dozier, jazz singer; Ranee Lee, jazz singer.

September 24 at 10:30 a.m. (Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier) Symphonic Matinees: Beloved Tchaikovsky. Marc David, conductor; Timothy Hutchins, OSM principal flute; Carolyn Christie, OSM second flute.

September 30 and October 1 at 8 p.m. (Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier) Grand Concerts: Joshua Bell and The Red Violin. Jacques Lacombe, conductor; Joshua Bell, violin.

Information on the months concerts:

Opening Night

Grand Concerts

Kent Nagano and the Symphony of a Thousand

open the OSMs 75th season!

Mahler liked to say that a symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything. His Eighth, known as the Symphony of a Thousand in recognition of the forces deployed at its premiere in 1910, was written by Mahler for two mixed choirs, a boys chorus, a girls chorus, eight soloist, an extra brass section stationed offstage and an enormous orchestra! From the moment of its premiere, which was attended by many celebrities, it enjoyed great success, which has not waned to this day.

The work is in two parts. The first consists of a setting of a medieval Latin hymn and is almost exclusively vocal, the hymn being sung primarily by the choruses. The second part is based on the closing scene of Goethes Faust and is sometimes considered, owing to the numerous interventions of the soloist singers, more cantata than symphony. The works gigantic finale is described by Mahler in these terms: Try to imagine the whole universe beginning to ring and resound.

The Symphony will be conducted by Kent Nagano, the OSMs music director. An especially visionary composition, colossal and majestic and carrying a message of hope, it would be impossible to imagine a more appropriate work to launch the OSMs 75th season. The same piece was used to mark the Orchestras 50th anniversary in 1984, when it was played at the Montreal Forum.

Grand Concerts

September 9 and 10 at 8:00 p.m.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts

PUBLIC DRESS REHEARSAL ON SEPTEMBER 8 AT 7 P.M.

Kent Nagano, conductor

Jennifer Wilson, Magna Peccatrix

Janice Chandler-Eteme, Una Poenitentium

Aline Kutan, Mater Gloriosa

Mihoko Fujimura, Mulier Samaritana

Susan Platts, Maria Aegyptiaca

Simon ONeill, Doctor Marianus

Sergei Leiferkus, Pater Ecstaticus

Reinhard Hagen, Pater Profundus

OSM Chorus

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 8, Symphony of a Thousand

Tickets starting at $24.75

Information and reservations: 514-842-9951 or www.osm.ca

Non-series concert:

Zubin Mehta at the Notre-Dame Basilica

The musicians of the OSM and the Montreal public will have the pleasure of a visit from Zubin Mehta, OSM music director from 1961 to 1967, for a concert that is part of the festivities surrounding the Orchestras 75th season. A conductor of stellar reputation, Zubin Mehta headed the New York Philharmonic from 1978 to 1991, was music director of the Bavarian State Opera from 1998 to 2006 and has been principal conductor at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino since 1985.

For this occasion he is conducting Olivier Messiaens Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum, a work composed in 1964 as a commission from Andr Malraux, Frances Minister of Cultural Affairs at the time, to honour the dead of two world wars. It was conceived to be played in a church, the composer explained, taking resonance for granted, as well as the ambience and even the echoing of sounds that can be had in such a setting. A work on a grand scale, it builds on notions of sound-colour and space, colour expressing itself by way of atypical instrumentation (woodwinds, brass and metallic percussion), and space through the variety of registers and the treatment of resonance and silence.

Camille Saint-Sans Symphony No. 3 (Organ), meanwhile, is a classic of the French repertoire orchestral. It is dedicated to Franz Liszt, who wrote a great number of works for organ to affirm, in the evening of his life, his faith in God, something else he and Messiaen have in common. Saint-Sans admirably blends the colours of the piano with those of the orchestra (as Messiaen would later do in his Turangall Symphony) and uses the organ in a register that is sometimes intimate and sometimes brilliant.

Non-series concert

September 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Notre-Dame Basilica

Zubin Mehta, conductor

Olivier Messiaen Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum

Camille Saint-Sans Symphony No. 3, Organ

Tickets starting at $22.50

Information and reservations: 514-842-9951 or www.osm.ca

Sponsors: Air Canada and Fondation J.A. DeSve

Air Canada Classical Escapes:

Gershwin, Bernstein, Benoit, and All That Jazz!

A five-time Grammy nominee for his extraordinary contribution to contemporary jazz, David Benoit is one of the most acclaimed jazz pianists of the last few decades. Composer of the soundtracks for several films and television programs, including a number of Peanuts specials, he cites as musical influences Henry Mancini, John Berry, Bill Evans and Oscar Peterson. In a second segment he will be joined on stage by Michael Dozier, a jazz singer who was part of Corona Theatres Esquire Show Bar La Revue this summer, and by Ranee Lee, one of the most popular jazz singers in Canada, in some of jazzs most memorable standards.

Jean-Franois Rivest, OSM conductor in residence, will also be leading the Orchestra in the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Leonard Bernsteins celebrated musical, and in excerpts from George Gershwins Porgy and Bess, a groundbreaking synthesis of European orchestral techniques, American jazz and popular music.

Air Canada Classical Escapes

September 23 at 8 p.m.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts

Jean-Franois Rivest, conductor

David Benoit, piano

Michael Dozier, jazz singer

Ranee Lee, jazz singer

Leonard Bernstein West Side Story, Symphonic Dances

George Gershwin Porgy and Bess, excerpts

Works by Bill Evans, Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock, Dave Brubeck, David Benoit.

Tickets starting at $24.75

Information and reservations: 514-842-9951 or www.osm.ca

Sponsors: Air Canada and Fondation J.A. DeSve

Symphonic Matinees:

Beloved Tchaikovsky

Artistic director of the Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil and principal conductor with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, Marc David is much in demand as a guest conductor not only in Canada but in the U.S., Mexico and Europe as well. Here he leads the OSM in Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovskys Symphony No. 5, one of the most popular in the literature. On the theme of destiny, the composer vacillates between total submission and his doubts, laments and reproaches of destiny. A single theme undergoes metamorphoses through the works four movements.

Timothy Hutchins and Carolyn Christie, OSM principal flute and second flute, respectively, will also be heard in this concert, in the Concerto for Two Flutes in E Minor by Georg Philipp Telemann, an especially prolific composer who was a contemporary of Bachs. These lively pages offer a rare opportunity to hear a concerto written for two flutes.

Opening the program is the symphonic fantasy by Pierre Mercure, Kalidoscope, which since its premiere in 1948 has become one of the most frequently performed Canadian compositions.

Symphonic Matinees

September 24 at 10:30 a.m.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts

Marc David, conductor

Timothy Hutchins, OSM principal flute

Carolyn Christie, OSM second flute

Pierre Mercure Kalidoscope

Georg Philipp Telemann Concerto for Two Flutes in E Minor

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

Tickets starting at $24.75

Information and reservations: 514-842-9951 or www.osm.ca

Sponsor: Imperial Oil Foundation

Grand Concerts:

Joshua Bell and The Red Violin

Violinist Joshua Bell, recipient of a Grammy and the coveted Avery Fisher Prize, hailed as much by critics as he is cheered by the public, revisits the OSM in John Coriglianos The Red Violin Concerto. The work, in four movements, dedicated to the memory of the composers father, concertmaster with the New York Philharmonic for close to a quarter-century, is an extension of the music for the movie The Red Violin, which received an Academy Award for best original soundtrack in 1999. The composer first extracted a Chaconne from it, a concert piece that Joshua Bell has performed on disc, but he wanted to be able to offer the violin an impassioned and romantic concerto. The work was premiered by Joshua Bell and recorded by him last year with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. This will be its first presentation in Montreal.

Jacques Lacombe, principal guest conductor with the OSM from 2002 to 2006, and whose career was honoured in 2005 by a Prix Opus for his achievements abroad, will also lead the OSM in Bla Bartks Concerto for Orchestra, one of the most remarkable orchestral works of the 20th century. According to the composer himself, the five movements of the Concerto describe a gradual transition from the severity of the first movement to a life-affirming finale. Opening the program, Ramon Humet, winner of the Olivier Messiaen International prize at the first edition of the OSMs International Composition Prize, offers us a premiere of his work Escenas de viento.

Grand Concerts

September 30 and October 1 at 8 p.m.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts

Jacques Lacombe, conductor

Joshua Bell, violin

Ramon Humet Escenas de viento, world premiere, OSM commission

John Corigliano The Red Violin Concerto

Bla Bartk Concerto for Orchestra

Tickets starting at $24.75

Information and reservations: 514-842-9951 or www.osm.ca

The Orchestre symphonique de Montral is presented by Hydro-Qubec

in association with National Bank

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Action terroriste socialement acceptable


ACTION TERRORISTE SOCIALEMENT ACCEPTABLE - ATSA
10 ANS DINTERVENTIONS URBAINES

du 2 octobre au 11 dcembre 2008, Montral
www.atsa.qc.ca

En dcembre 1997, LATSA poussait son premier cri dindignation en orchestrant dans lurgence, devant le Muse dart contemporain, une premire intervention artistique, politiquement et socialement engage, La Banque Bas, traant ainsi leur stratgie, dite terroriste : sattaquer la pauvret, lexclusion, au gaspillage et la pollution ; livrer des messages aux titres choc, par le biais dun art vivant et engag en interaction avec autrui et par des interventions spectaculaires dans lespace urbain, transform pour loccasion en espaces scnique et de dbat. Depuis, les artistes fondateurs de lATSA, Annie Roy et Pierre Allard ont produit plus dune vingtaine dinterventions urbaines engages sur des problmatiques de justice sociale, environnementale et patrimoniale, invitant les citoyens exprimenter leur capacit daction.


LATSA clbrera, du 2 octobre au 11 dcembre 2008,
son
10e anniversaire avec la prsentation de trois vnements

du 2 octobre au 11 dcembre 2008, ouverture du magasin temporaire CHANGE

Le 2 octobre lATSA ouvre au grand public son propre fond de commerce et pendant dix semaines soffrira en cobaye en investissant le monde de la mise en march. Tout en offrant une rtrospective de lensemble de ses interventions ralises sur la place publique, photos darchives, artfacts et produits drivs seront mis la vente. Une occasion unique pour dcouvrir ou revisiter la production iconoclaste de lATSA et se questionner sur lvolution des problmatiques investigues par ce duo dartistes engags. Ladresse de CHANGE sera dvoile en septembre 2008.

le jeudi 2 octobre, lancement de la publication ATSA : Quand lArt passe lAction
Lance au magasin CHANGE, cette publication anniversaire bilingue redonne vie aux dix ans de production atsaenne et rassemble des photographies darchives. On y retrouvera galement des textes de grands communicateurs, tels Sami Aoun (politicologue), Patrick Beauduin (spcialiste du marketing), Dinu Bumbaru (Hritage Montral), Guy Sioui Durand (sociologue de lart), Steven Guilbeault (porte-parole de quiterre), Louis Hamelin (crivain), Louis Jacob (historien de lart), Jean Lemire (cinaste et biologiste) et Laure Waridel (sociologue et co-fondatrice dquiterre), qui ont t convis livrer leurs rflexions sur lart engag et sur les enjeux sociaux et environnementaux. Un entretien avec les deux artistes fondateurs ralis par Sonia Pelletier (directrice de la revue Spirale) ouvre cet ouvrage qui sera en vente au magasin CHANGE et en librairies en octobre.

du 26 au 30 novembre, place la 10e dition dtat dUrgence
En 1998, lATSA montait son premier tat dUrgence, installant un camp de rfugis urbains pour les sans abris en plein cur de Montral. Ctait le cinquantime anniversaire de la Dclaration universelle des droits de lHomme Ķ 2008 en clbrera le soixantime. LATSA sassocie pour loccasion Amnistie Internationale. Pendant cinq jours, 24 heures sur 24, ce Manifestival accueillera des sans-abri et de nombreux bnvoles et offrira une programmation artistique engage multidisciplinaire et gratuite, sarticulant autour des 30 articles et du prambule de cette Dclaration. tat dUrgence est rcipiendaire du prix Citoyen de la culture 2008 par les Arts et la Ville.

Ce couple tente depuis une dizaine dannes de nous brasser la cage par toutes sortes de moyens originaux. On reproche souvent lart contemporain dtre trop hermtique, snob, coup du public. Cest tout le contraire avec lATSA.
Nathalie Collard, LA PRESSE, 2007

Les ralisations de lATSA, en bref

LATSA propose une vision active et responsable de lartiste comme acteur prenant part au dveloppement durable de sa socit. Parmi ses nombreuses activits, qui ont fait leur marque dans limaginaire de plusieurs Montral, Paris, Vancouver, Toronto, mentionnons : La Banque Bas (17 dcembre 1997 au 12 fvrier 1998) des portes de poles de cuisine faisant office de guichet automatique, distribuant des bas chauds aux itinrants victimes des banques sans cur ; neuf ditions de ltat dUrgence un manifestival artistique interdisciplinaire et solidaire, accueillant un camp de sans-abris au centre-ville ; Parc Industriel (17 aot au 4 septembre 2001) un site archologique fait de rebuts proposant une rflexion sur la socit de consommation ; Attention : Zone pineuse (5 au 15 octobre 2002) une promenade attentive sur le Mont-Royal sur la prcarit des patrimoines cologiques, rappelant la vocation naturelle su site ; Murs du feu et de Frag sur la Main (depuis 2005) deux parcours graphiques permanent in situ sur lhistoire du boulevard St-Laurent ; Attentat (depuis 2003) une srie sur lhyper dpendance aux nergies fossiles, dont les constats dinfraction citoyenne colls sur les pare-brise des VUS.

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Opera superstar Jane Eaglen opens the Victoria Symphony season


Opera legend Jane Eaglen makes her first appearance in Victoria to open the Victoria Symphonys 2008-2009 season

Victoria, BC On September 14 and 15, opera superstar Jane Eaglen will perform in Victoria with the Victoria Symphony for the very first time. Conducted by Music Director Tania Miller, she will sing arias from three of Wagners most well known operas. There will be two performances at the Royal Theatre, September 14 at 2:30pm and September 15 at 8:00pm.

Pre-concert talks will begin 45 minutes before each performance.

Ms. Eaglen has an international reputation and the repertoire chosen for these concerts will highlight her renowned portrayals of Wagners heroines. Wagners operas are celebrated for their drama, their powerful scores, and their emotion. Ms Eaglen will sing the joyful Dich, Teure Halle from Tannhuser, aswell as the emotional and tragic Liebestod aria in which her character, Isolde, sings over the body of her dead lover. Ms Eaglen has performed these roles all over the world to critical acclaim and her visit to Victoria will no doubt have audiences on their feet.

Music Director, Tania Miller is very excited about this first time collaboration,

It will be an immense thrill to work with the great Wagnerian icon, Jane Eaglen, in her debut performances with the Victoria Symphony. The great roles of Brunnhilde and Isolde will be brought to life in these electrifying opening concerts of the season. The Symphony and I are excited to be performing some of the great music of Wagner and to be making music together again!

Other highlights of the new season include performances of Nielsens Symphony no. 4 The Inextinguishable, Handels Water Music and Last Night of the Proms. The season also includes collaborations with the South Island Dancers, the Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra and a spectacular performance of Orffs Carmina Burana in March which will feature the Victoria Childrens Choir and the Victoria Philharmonic Choir. Over 50 diverse concerts will be performed in this exciting and busy concert season.

The 2008-2009 season marks Tania Miller's sixth as music director of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, an appointment that made her the first woman to hold such a significant position in Canada. Her vibrancy and dynamic approach to music making have inspired many innovations with the Victoria Symphony and a new era of artistic growth for the orchestra.

Jane Eaglen has one of the most formidable reputations in the opera world today. She has garnered spectacular reviews worldwide, enjoying unique success in the contrasting roles of Isolde (for the Metropolitan Opera, Seattle Opera, Teatro Liceu Barcelona, Lyric Opera of Chicago and in Puerto Rico); Leonore (debuted for the Seattle Opera) and Brunnhilde (performed in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco, Milan, New York, Oslo and the UK).

The Victoria Symphony is Vancouver Islands largest and most active arts organization offering its audiences 68 years of tradition, a commitment to fostering new music and a dedication to community involvement through music education. Showcasing the outstanding talents of its musicians and guest artists the Victoria Symphonys 2008-2009 season offers a diverse and exciting line-up of over 50 concerts led by its vibrant Music Director Tania Miller.

Jane Eaglen performs at the Royal Theatre with the Victoria Symphony on Sunday, September 14 at 2:30pm and again on Monday, September 15 at 8:00pm. Tickets can be purchased at by calling 250.385.6515 or 250.386.6121 or online at www.rmts.bc.ca.

The Victoria Symphony wishes to acknowledge the generous support of the newly created Egon Baumann Foundation for these performances.

For complete programming details of the 2008-2009 season please visit www.victoriasymphony.ca.

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Farewell, Beaux Arts

American Public Medias Performance Today Presents an Exclusive Podcast of the Legendary Piano Trios Final American Concert

(St. Paul, Minn.) August 27, 2008Capping a 53-year career, one of the worlds best-loved chamber ensembles, the renowned Beaux Arts Trio, played its final American concert on Thursday, August 21. American Public Medias Performance Today is offering an exclusive podcast of this historic concert. Beginning on Wednesday, August 27, the concert at Massachusetts Tanglewood Music Festival will be available in its entirety, in two segments, by visiting www.performancetoday.org.

Led for more than half a century by pianist Menahem Pressler, the legendary Beaux Arts Trio will disband after a series of European concerts in September. With the concert at Tanglewood, the ensemble returned to its place of originit played its first concerts there in 1955. The occasion also marked a return to repertoire it made American audiences familiar with over the decades: Franz Schuberts magisterial opus 99 and opus 100 piano trios. The groups three encores will also be included in the podcast.

Fred Child, host of Performance Today, served as host for an exclusive live Webcast of the August 21 concert, and hell provide commentary, features and interviews with the members of the trio: pianist Menahem Pressler, violinist Daniel Hope and cellist Antonio Meneses.

Their playing was searching and soulful, enough to make any evening memorable, said Child. But what really touched me was the depth of gratitude I felt surrounding the concert that night. How do you thank an ensemble for fifty-three years of moving performances? And how does an ensemble thank fans for as many years of rapt listening and support? The trio and the audience wanted nothing more than to express warm and heartfelt thanks...and both did.

In addition to the podcast, the Schubert performances will also be broadcast on Performance Today on Wednesday, August 27 and Thursday, August 28. The show is available through streaming audio at www.performancetoday.org for seven days after the initial broadcast.

American Public Medias Performance Today is broadcast on 245 public radio stations across the country and is heard by more than one million listeners each week. Performance Today features live concerts by famous artists in concert halls around the globe and from the American Public Media studios as well as interviews, news and features. Listeners to Performance Today, on any given day, may hear from performances in the great concert halls of New York, Prague, London, Berlin and Paris.

To find out where and when Performance Today is broadcast in your area, please visit www.performancetoday.org.

American Public Media is the largest owner and operator of public radio stations, also producing top programs reaching more than 15 million listeners weekly. A complete list of stations, programs and additional services for the American Public Media national network can be obtained at www.americanpublicmedia.org.

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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Lori Laitman's Opera The Scarlet Letter World Premiere


For Immediate Release
Friday, August 15, 2008
THE SCARLET LETTER
Opera by Lori Laitman
WORLD PREMIERE
November 6, 7, 9, 2008
Donald W. Reynolds Theater
University of Central Arkansas
 
The Scarlet Letter, Lori Laitman's opera adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary masterpiece,
to premiere at The University of Central Arkansas November 2008

  This canopy of trees,
 Once sheltered us in love.
Why must we suffer here?
 What must we prove? 
Acclaimed American composer Lori Laitman has teamed up with award-winning American poet David Mason to create a new dramatic opera, The Scarlet Letter.

The opera is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's 19th century American novel.
Commissioned by the University of Central Arkansas, the opera will see its world premiere on November 6, 7 and 9, 2008, at UCA in Conway, Arkansas

Robert Holden, co-director of the UCA Opera Theater, developed the idea for the commission
"We are beginning a commissioning project for new operas based on classic American literature. 
In The Scarlet Letter, Lori Laitman and David Mason have created something spectacular that should become part of standard operatic repertoire." 

Hawthorne's book was published in 1850 and is considered a milestone in American literature. The story takes place in seventeenth century Boston and revolves around Hester Prynne, who is convicted of adultery and forced to wear a scarlet letter "A" on her chest as a sign of her sin. Hester's strength of character and refusal to reveal the father of her child creates enormous psychological tension amongst all the main characters: Arthur Dimmesdale, the Reverend who is the secret father of the child; Roger Chillingworth, Hester's husband, who had been presumed dead but has reappeared in the community; and the judgmental Puritan townspeople.

Themes of self identity versus community perception have presented poet David Mason with a fertile ground for the challenge of creating his first opera libretto.  "The Scarlet Letter is better suited to opera than any novel I have ever read. To begin with, its dramatic structure has particular clarity and resonance Ķ.This is an exciting story about duplicity and love, the tragic possibility of America. Hawthorne's prose has offered me several lines for adaptation, but my primary goal has been to use spare, often lyrical verse as a way of revealing character and heightening dramaĶ.. I want to make sing-able lines, but also lines the performers will feel proud to be singingĶ I was hearing a kind of music when I wrote which corresponds very closely to what Lori Laitman has been composing. This is one of the most natural collaborations I have ever engaged in. It's an opportunity for me to grow as a poet, and a profound honor to find words I have written taken up and transmuted by other artists".
For Lori Laitman, a prolific composer of art song, creating this opera has also been an experience of tremendous excitement and growth. "I am so thrilled to have had this opportunity. My collaboration with David Mason has been one of the greatest joys of my life. His talent awes me and his beautiful words gave me all of the inspiration I needed. Although this was my largest musical undertaking to date, the approach to the composition was the same one I always use: to compose dramatic music that underscores the emotional content of the words but that also creates musical lines of great beauty. From start to finish, there is a consistent universe of sound. Scored for three main leads and chamber orchestra, the opera is set in two acts: Act I with four scenes and Act II with two scenes. Approximately 2 hours in length, the dramatic pacing of the music follows the dramatic pacing of the narrative, and although there are no recitative sections, there are several major arias that emerge from the drama. Musical motives are used and reused, and combined in different ways, creating a psychological underpinning for each of the characters."

Synopsis:
In old Boston a young woman, Hester Prynne, has been charged with adultery and forced to wear the scarlet letter 'A' embroidered on her breast. Just as she mounts the scaffold to receive her sentence, her husband, long presumed dead and newly escaped from captivity among the Indians, arrives and recognizes her. This man, renamed as Roger Chillingworth, begins a quest to discover the father of Hester's child. As the community wrestles with whether or not to allow Hester to continue raising her daughter, Chillingworth moves in with the pale young minister, Arthur Dimmesdale, who hides the fact that he is the father of Hester's child. In a dark night of the soul, Arthur is taunted by a local witch, and it becomes clear that he is overcome with guilt and inner conflict about his past with Hester. The two lovers meet in the forest, plotting their escape, sure they can escape the laws and mores of men in this new world. But Dimmesdale cannot forget his guilt, and during an election day ceremony he confesses his sin to the crowd, exposing a branded letter 'A' over his own heart. Dimmesdale dies at the moment of his confession, and the opera moves out into a broader, lyrical sense of time in which its stories are at least partly resolved.
Structure: Opera in two acts for chamber orchestra , three principal singing roles, three secondary roles, chorus and one non-singing role
Music:  Lori Laitman
Libretto:  David Mason
Creation:  2007-2008
Production:  The University of Central Arkansas Opera Theater, World Premiere
Cast:
Conductor: Israel Getzov
Stage Director:  Diane Kessling
Set Design, Costumes, Lighting: William Henshaw
Principal roles will be sung by UCA faculty members:
Christine Donahue, Soprano:  Hester Prynne, a seamstress
Wolfgang Oeste, TenorArthur Dimmesdale, young minister
Robert Holden, Baritone:  Roger Chillingworth, a doctor
Martha Antolik, Mezzo-soprano:  Mistress Hibbons, a witch

Performance Details:
Public opening performance:  November 6, 2008
Pre-performance talk: 6:45 pm
Opera performance: 7:30 pm
Closed performance:  November 7, 2008
Pre-performance talk:  12:15 pm
Opera performance:  1 pm
Public performance:  November 9, 2008
Pre-performance talk:  6 pm
Opera performance:  7 pm

Location:
The Donald W. Reynolds Theater, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR
Tickets will be on sale as of October 1, 2008 at the UCA Ticket Central Box Office.
Tel:  (501) 450-3265;  Email:  boxoffice@uca.edu

Source:
Jona Rapoport
Jona Rapoport Artist Management

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Shaw Festival Presents Follies: In Concert

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, August 26, 2008 Ķ Final rehearsals are underway for the Shaw Festivals concert production of Stephen Sondheims legendary Follies. Follies: In Concert is presented for a limited engagement in the Festival Theatre, with performances on August 29, September 12 and 27, and October 4.

Follies, with almost 50 actors, singers and dancers in the original cast, is rarely staged. The Shaws Concert, featuring full orchestration, minimal staging and a highly abridged book, is a great fit with the skills of the Companys actors, singers and musicians and includes 21 of the 45 musical Ensemble members cast for the 2008 Season.

With a book by James Goldman, the original Follies production won seven Tony Awards. Broadway Baby, Im Still Here, In Buddys Eyes and Losing My Mind are Follies songs that have become celebrated Broadway standards. Set in the early 70s, the piece explores the time between the World Wars in the American musical, juxtaposing the romanticism of the past with the cynicism of the present, and ultimately revealing the foolishness of living in the past.

Two unhappily married couples, Buddy (Jay Turvey) and Sally (Glynis Ranney) Plummer and Ben (George Masswohl) and Phyllis (Melanie Janzen) Stone, are the focus of the story. Sally and Phyllis were showgirls together thirty years earlier, as were many of the other guests at a party. As characters begin to relive their lives and careers, the past seems to seep into the present as ghosts of their former selves appear.

In Follies, the past and present collide in the music as well as the story. Its score encapsulates the history of musical theatre. Characters in the present express themselves in what was a contemporary musical style. Characters reminiscing about the past or suffering psychological breakdown sing pastiche songs that represent musical theatre styles through time.

Follies: In Concert is the second Sondheim musical to be presented by the Shaw Festival this season. The sophisticated A Little Night Music, directed by Morris Panych, continues to run in the Court House Theatre until October 4.

The cast of Follies: In Concert also includes Thom Allison, Neil Barclay, Donna Belleville, Carol Forte, Deborah Hay, Patty Jamieson, Gabrielle Jones, Chilina Kennedy, Lorne Kennedy, Julie Martell, Mike Nadajewski, Melanie Phillipson, Kiera Sangster, Goldie Semple, Jacqueline Thair and Mark Uhre.

Follies: In Concert is directed by Valerie Moore, with musical direction by Paul Sportelli, design by William Schmuck, lighting design by Kevin Lamotte, and sound design by John Lott. The stage management team includes Stage Manager Judy Farthing and Assistant Stage Manager Amy Jewell.

For tickets and information, visit www.shawfest.com or call 1-800-511-7429 or 905-468-2172 (local).

Follies: In Concert is sponsored by Paradigm Capital Inc.

The 2008 season is proudly presented by HSBC Bank Canada/HSBC Bank USA, N.A.

Follies: In Concert

book by James Goldman

music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Produced originally on Broadway by Harold Prince

By special arrangement with Cameron Mackintosh

Follies concert version is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI.

421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019

Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 www.MTIshows.com

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Mount Royal Conservatory students perform Olympian-style musical feats







Mount Royal Conservatory Students perform Olympian-style musical feats
Tuesday Aug 26, 2008


The final count is in and Canadian athletes have taken home a total of 18 medals at the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. Outside the sports arena, summer also produced wins for Mount Royal Conservatory students who led internationally and nationally in the field of music. In early August, Tiedan Yao won first prize at the prestigious Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition in Rochester, New York, having outperformed 23 contenders (aged 15-18) from around the world.

The 16-year-old champion impressed the globally-selected panel of judges in several intense rounds of competition, securing the gold medal with what the local Democrat and Chronicle newspaper describes as "a spectacular and sparkling version of Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto. Through the lightness of the music, he (Yao) demonstrated brilliant control laced with feeling."

In addition to the $4,000 cash award, Yao, who is a student in the Academy of Music at the Conservatory, also received $1500 in other special prizes, including the audience choice award. And although the highly-gifted musician is still two years away from graduating from high school, Yao has been offered a four-year full tuition scholarship at the Eastman School of Music upon graduation.

"This was my first time travelling outside of Canada for an international competition and I'm so happy to have won. Between the nerves, excitement and happiness, it was a great experience. Everyone was very focused and played really well, so it made me play my very best," says an excited Yao.

Conservatory student Jan Lisiecki also finished ahead of the musical pack in August. The 13 year old now adds the title of 2008 grand prize winner of the National Music Festival to his medal-laden resume. After taking on 59 other classical musicians and choral groups from across Canada, Lisiecki was one of seven to advance to the final rounds for the top spot and $5,000 prize.

According to the director of the Mount Royal Conservatory both students are potent piano forces whose skills and training are not unlike those of Olympic athletes. "To perform at the artistic level demonstrated by Tiedan and Jan requires the same dedication, discipline and specialized training that we see with our Olympic athletes in sports like gymnastics or diving," says Paul Dornian, who goes to compare the two disciplines physically and psychologically.


"Playing the piano is a physical process and these young people train their muscles and hone their reactions for many hours a day. Of course, they work with the small muscles in the hands and arms rather than large muscles that athletes need to develop - but like elite athletes - they must constantly be in training," explains Dornian.

In addition to the physical similarities, playing concerts or competing in international competitions poses the same psychological challenges of athletic competition and requires the same mental discipline and poise of a winning athlete. "At the level of competition these young artists are involved in - the competitors are all strong and the difference between winning and losing is usually who has prepared the best, and who engages the audience and the jury most effectively," says Dornian, who concludes the eventual result is a combination of technical skill and creative artistry.

___________________________


 ___________________________
 Silvana Saccomani
 
 Senior Public Relations Consultant

 Mount Royal College Conservatory
 4825 Mount Royal Gate S.W.
 Calgary, AB T3E 6K6
 Ph    403. 440.6710
 Cell  403. 827.4415
 ssaccomani@mtroyal.ca
 http://www.mtroyal.ca/conservatory/

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Costa Rica, terre de merveilles - Cet automne Pointe--Callire

Pointe--Callire prsente
COSTA RICA, TERRE DE MERVEILLES

Quand la pierre, la cramique, le jade et lor racontent deux mille ans de culture
Du 4 novembre 2008 au 19 avril 2009

Montral, le 26 aot 2008 Pointe--Callire, muse darchologie et dhistoire de Montral, prsente du 4 novembre 2008 au 19 avril 2009 Costa Rica, terre de merveilles. Ralise par Pointe--Callire en partenariat avec le Museo Nacional de Costa Rica San Jos, lexposition prsente pour la premire fois en terre canadienne quelque 230 objets prcieux en or, jade, cramique fine et pierre cisele dune rare beaut et dune grande finesse. Il sagit de la plus importante exposition sur le sujet jamais ralise lextrieur du Costa Rica. Bienvenue sur la cte riche Ķ

Costa Rica, terre de merveilles sintresse lhistoire de ce pays, sur une priode denviron 2000 ans, du 5e sicle avant notre re jusqu larrive de Christophe Colomb en 1502. Les visiteurs dcouvriront la diversit des grandes rgions du pays grce aux objets qui en proviennent : des vases formes humaines et animales admirablement excuts, des pendentifs en jade dlicatement taills, des parures en or dune grande finesse et des objets en pierre symbolisant les traditions des populations. tous points de vue, les dcouvertes sont saisissantes. Ce territoire longtemps considr comme une simple extension des brillantes civilisations du nord et du sud Olmques, Mayas, IncasĶ a su dvelopper une esthtique propre, dune qualit remarquable. Ce voyage dans le temps tmoigne aussi de lapparition et de lvolution de chefferies de plus en plus puissantes dans les socits agricoles du Costa Rica.

Lexotisme au rendez-vous
Le visiteur sera fascin par la beaut de ce pays dont la faune est fortement reprsente dans les nombreux objets de lexposition. Dans une musographie rappelant lambiance de la fort tropicale et les mystres dune civilisation mconnue, lexposition dmontre que le Costa Rica prcolombien (qui prcde larrive de Christophe Colomb en Amrique) mrite pleinement, par son archologie, son appellation de cte riche .

Des trsors archologiques prsents pour une premire fois au Canada
Les artefacts provenant du Museo Nacional de Costa Rica sont pour la plupart des objets qui ont peu ou jamais t exposs lextrieur du Costa Rica. Dune fabuleuse richesse, les objets sont marqus par un grand esthtisme et un savoir-faire artisanal qui font de ces pices de vritables chefs-d'uvre.

Certains objets prsents dans lexposition sont propres la culture costaricaine et nont pas dquivalent dans les autres socits de lAmrique prcolombienne. Par exemple, ces magnifiques tables en pierre
metates finement sculptes, et des sphres en pierre, souvent de taille imposante, dont la fonction reste pour nous mystrieuseĶ

Larchologie au Costa Rica
Le dveloppement conomique du Costa Rica vers la fin du 19e sicle a donn lieu des dcouvertes fortuites de nombreuses tombes. Plusieurs objets archologiques ont quitt le pays pour entrer dans des collections prives et certains facteurs environnementaux ont effac des traces du pass : les sols acides, les pluies diluviennes, lexploitation des terres. Cest ce qui explique que mme si les artefacts dcouverts par les archologues du Costa Rica sont assez nombreux pour permettre de contextualiser les diffrents types dobjets, dsormais beaucoup reste faire pour comprendre le quotidien des populations anciennes.

Le gouvernement costaricain veille sur le patrimoine archologique : tous les objets trouvs lors de fouilles archologiques doivent tre verss la collection du
Museo Nacional de Costa Rica. Les fouilles prventives sont obligatoires avant toute construction, et les sites archologiques sont protgs par la loi avec le concours dune population plus consciente de leur importance.

Une collaboration fructueuse
La slection exceptionnelle dobjets, la plus importante jamais expose en sol canadien, naurait pu se faire sans la grande collaboration du Museo Nacional de Costa Rica. Le Muse de San Jos rend ainsi accessible au public nord-amricain lhistoire peu connue, mais combien fascinante, dun pays dont les artefacts communiquent limportance de la relation entre lhomme et la nature. Un heureux partenariat pour Pointe--Callire qui dsire ainsi faire connatre au public dici les grandes civilisations du monde. Ce projet a aussi bnfici de la collaboration de larchologue Claude Chapdelaine, professeur lUniversit de Montral et qui mne depuis plusieurs annes des recherches archologiques en Amrique latine.

Une publication indite
Ralis par Pointe--Callire en partenariat avec le Museo Nacional de Costa Rica, le catalogue constitue un des rares ouvrages crits en franais sur larchologie costaricaine. En 80 pages illustres, louvrage prsente tous les objets de lexposition et traite de larchologie prcolombienne. Ce document dit en franais et en espagnol sera disponible la boutique du Muse ds louverture de lexposition.

Lautomne et lhiver seront ensoleills Pointe--Callire du 4 novembre 2008 au 19 avril 2009.

Pointe--Callire remercie le Museo Nacional de Costa Rica et Patrimoine canadien, ainsi que ses partenaires : Air Canada, Guides de voyage Ulysse, Marriott SpringHill Suites, La Presse et The Gazette.

Le Muse est subventionn par la Ville de Montral.

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Grand rassemblement contre les coupes fdrales dans les arts et la culture

AVIS AUX MDIAS
Pour diffusion immdiate

GRAND RASSEMBLEMENT CONTRE LES COUPES FDRALES
DANS LES ARTS ET LA CULTURE

Montral, le 26 aot 2008 - Culture Montral et le Conseil des arts de Montral, en collaboration avec le milieu culturel montralais, organisent un grand rassemblement afin de s'exprimer d'une voix commune contre les coupes fdrales en arts et en culture. Des personnalits prendront la parole afin d'illustrer l'impact des compressions budgtaires, prsentes et annonces, sur le rayonnement et la vitalit du secteur artistique.

DATE : LE MERCREDI 27 AOT 2008
HEURE : 10 H 30
LIEU : SOCIT DES ARTS TECHNOLOGIQUES (SAT)
          1195, boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montral


-30-
SOURCE :  Culture Montral et Conseil des arts de Montral

RENSEIGNEMENTS :  

Christian O'Leary, directeur des communications et du dveloppement
Conseil des arts de Montral
b 514 280-3991

c 514 941-3994
coleary.p@ville.montreal.qc.ca

Sandra O'Connor, directrice des communications
Culture Montral
b 514 845-0303, poste 21;
c 514 962-5827
sandra.oconnor@culturemontreal.ca

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COC Releases - Fall Season


THE COC OPENS ITS 2008/09 SEASON WITH MOZART'S TALE OF MURDER, LUST, AND VENGEANCE: DON GIOVANNI

Toronto, Ontario The Canadian Opera Company opens its 2008/09 season with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's enduring masterpiece about literature's most famous womanizer, Don Giovanni. Inspired by the legend of Don Juan, Don Giovanni follows the devious seducer whose insatiable appetite eventually leads to his demise. American director Robin Guarino, who recently directed productions with Seattle Opera and Glimmerglass Opera, makes her COC directorial debut bringing this COC favourite back to the stage. British conductor William Lacey makes his company debut leading the COC Orchestra. Don Giovanni runs October 5 at 2 p.m., 8 at 7:30 p.m., 11 at 7:30 p.m., 15 at 7:30 p.m., 18 at 4:30 p.m., 20 at 7:30 p.m., 23 at 7:30 p.m., 26 at 2 p.m., 28 at 7:30 p.m., and 31 at 7:30 p.m., 2008 and is sung in Italian with English SURTITLESѢ.

Chilean set and costume designer Jorge Jara, who designed the 1992 production which was remounted in 2000, returns to bring this timeless tale to life with his rich and vibrant designs. Robert Wierzel, who was the original lighting designer for the COC's 2005 production of Carmen, returns to light this production.

Mozart's score seethes with music of passion, wit and elegance. Bringing it all to life is a largely Canadian cast. Singing the title role is baritone Brett Polegato, who returns after his critically-acclaimed portrayal of Eugene Onegin. COC favourite, bass Robert Pomakov, is Leporello, Don Giovanni's loyal servant. Mr. Pomakov most recently appeared in last season's productions of Tosca and From the House of the Dead. Former COC Ensemble Studio soprano Jessica Muirhead, the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, returns to sing Donna Anna, victim of Don Giovanni's forced advances. Bass Richard Wiegold, Arkel in Pellas et Mlisande, sings Donna Anna's father, Il Commendatore, while Canadian tenor Gordon Gietz, the Steuermann in the popular 2000 production of Der fliegende Hollnder, sings the role of Donna Anna's fianc, Don Ottavio. Last with the COC for her company debut in the internationally acclaimed Ring Cycle, American soprano Julie Makerov is Donna Elvira, one of Don Giovanni's conquests. Former Ensemble soprano Virginia Hatfield is Zerlina, a peasant girl and another of Don Giovanni's trophies, while Russian bass Stanislav Shvets makes his COC debut as Masetto, Zerlina's fianc. A podcast interview with Brett Polegato, Robert Pomakov and Virginia Hatfield will be available at www.coc.ca in September. See below for more information.

Mozart's version of Don Giovanni premiered in Prague in 1787. The character of Don Juan first appeared in El burlador de Sevilla, a play written by the Spanish monk Tirso de Molina in 1630. Since then, Europe has had a fascination with this famous character who has appeared in numerous plays, stories, operas, and ballets, in various incarnations.

Single tickets for Don Giovanni may be purchased online at www.coc.ca, by calling 416-363-8231, or in person at the Four Seasons Centre Box Office (145 Queen St. W., Toronto). Ticket prices for all performances range from $60 to $290. Special young people's tickets for all performances throughout the season are priced from $30 to $98. These ticket prices apply to those who are 15 years of age or under, accompanied by and sitting next to an adult.

Starting Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 10 a.m., $20 tickets are available for patrons between the ages of 16 and 29 through the Opera for a New Age program presented by TD Bank Financial Group and may be purchased online at www.coc.ca or in person at the Four Seasons Centre Box Office

(145 Queen St. W., Toronto). Student group tickets are $20 per student and may be purchased by calling 416-306-2356. Remaining Opera for a New Age tickets will be released as $20 rush seats at 11 a.m. the morning of the performance, subject to availability.

Production Sponsor of Don Giovanni: RBC Financial Group

Presenting Sponsor of SURTITLES: Sun Life Financial

Official Automotive Sponsor of the COC at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts: Jaguar Land Rover Canada

Official Media Sponsors: CTV and The Globe and Mail

The COC Ensemble Studio is Canada's premier training program for young opera professionals and provides advanced instruction, hands-on experience, and career development opportunities. The Ensemble Studio is supported by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage, RBC Financial Group, and other generous donors.

BMO Financial Group Pre-Performance Opera Chats

The COC offers free 20-minute introductions to the opera and its theme in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 45 minutes prior to every performance.

Appetite for Opera: Don Giovanni

Appetite for Opera returns to Hilton Toronto's Tundra Restaurant on Thursday, September 25, 2008 for Appetite for Opera: Don Giovanni, an evening inspired by the evocative and passionate music of Mozart's famous opera. A joint venture of Hilton Toronto and the COC, Appetite for Opera: Don Giovanni is an innovative event combining cultural and culinary arts. Preceded by a cocktail reception at 6:15 p.m., the $75 multi-course dinner begins at 7 p.m. with a menu that explores the love and fate of Don Giovanni. COC Volunteer Speakers Bureau representative Robert Morassutti and Chef Kreg Graham provide fascinating links and insights between food, wine and opera. Reservations can be made by calling 416-860-6800 or e-mailing tundra.toronto@hilton.com and citing "Don Giovanni Dinner."

Love Bites: Don Giovanni

The Canadian Opera Company and Hilton Toronto's Tundra Restaurant present an evening of cultural

and culinary arts for patrons under 30 with Love Bites: Don Giovanni, on Saturday, October 11, 2008. Young patrons can enjoy a prix-fixe dinner inspired by the devious and seductive Don Giovanni, while learning about Mozart's passionate opera. Following the 5 p.m. dinner, guests will attend a performance of

Don Giovanni at Canada's new opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. Participants must be under 30 years of age and provide a valid photo ID when purchasing tickets. The dinner and opera package is $70 and can be purchased at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts Box Office (145 Queen St. W., Toronto) or online at www.coc.ca. Tickets for the dinner and performance must be picked up at the Four Seasons Centre Box Office prior to the event.

Canadian Opera Company Podcast Series: Don Giovanni

The Canadian Opera Company and Universal Music present a FREE podcast series that explores the depths of music in opera. Baritone Brett Polegato, bass Robert Pomakov and soprano Virginia Hatfield discuss the passionate music in Mozart's Don Giovanni. The podcast is available on www.coc.ca or through Universal Music at www.getmusic.ca/classical in September 2008. COC podcasts are entertaining programs designed to give listeners a chance to learn about opera, COC productions, and hear interviews from the artists and creative team. Throughout the year, listeners can tune in to hear music from the COC's 2008/09 season, roundtable discussions with artists, as well as preview operas in the COC's 2009/2010 season. Each podcast is created and hosted by COC personnel.

About the Canadian Opera Company

Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. The COC currently enjoys a remarkable 99% attendance rate for its mainstage season. The company's new home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, was designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. and is Canada's first purpose-built opera house. The contemporary expression of a traditional five-tiered, European horseshoe-shaped auditorium was specifically designed for opera with the highest level of acoustics and provides unparalleled intimacy between the audience and the stage. Acclaimed as one of the best opera houses in the world, the Four Seasons Centre is also the performance venue for The National Ballet of Canada.

Canadian Opera Company Website

The Canadian Opera Company website, at www.coc.ca, contains information on all productions including synopses, historical background, and production photographs.

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ric Blanger offre son 1er album : Bananaspleen


Bananaspleen d'ric Blanger

Montral, le mardi 26 aot 2008. Auteur-compositeur-interprte, ric Blanger sortira Bananaspleen, son premier album, le mardi 16 septembre prochain au O Patro Vys (327, Mont-Royal Est). L'album se veut un mlange de mots et de sonorits, de chansons et de posies qui aspire l'auditeur dans l'univers de l'artiste.

Bananaspleen propose des thmes tels que la nostalgie de l'enfance, l'amour, la mort et la naissance. Dlire de vrits et de mensonges cousus de fils blancs, Nous, la premire chanson de l'album, est l'heureux rsultat d'une dispute qu'ric a eue avec sa femme. Afin de bien transmettre le message qu'offre cette chanson, la voix fminine de Nous est nulle autre que celle d'Andra Lindsay, douce et unique.

Finaliste et gagnant de plusieurs prix au Festival de Granby 2006 (coup de cur du ROSEQ, coup de cur de Tadoussac, coup de cur festival Pully-Qubec en Suisse), participant de l'aventure On s'en va Granby (diffuse sur les ondes de Musimax en 2007) et gagnant de deux prix au concours Vue sur la relve (coup de pouce Pop Montral et coup de pouce Vue sur la relve / Cration etc.), ric Blanger fait ses dbuts dans l'univers de la musique. Il revient tout juste de Suisse, o il a pu charmer lors du Festival Pully-Qubec. Psycho-ducateur auprs des jeunes en difficult, il crit et chante depuis peine 5 ans.

Bien que relativement nouveau sur la scne musicale qubcoise, ric Blanger compte bien s'y installer Ķ et y demeurer ! Bananaspleen sera disponible en magasin ds le mardi 9 septembre. Le lancement aura lieu le lundi 16 septembre au O Patro Vys (327, Mont-Royal Est).

www.ericbelanger.net

www.myspace.com/ericblanger

Spectacles venir :

1er au 4 octobre : Festival Pop Montral

Photos et entrevues disponibles sur demande.

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Monday, August 25, 2008

Edmonton Opera's Single Tickets On Sale Today

Single Tickets on Sale for

Edmonton Opera's 45th Season

Single tickets for opera productions bursting with love and splendour go on sale today, August 25, as Edmonton Opera leads into its 45th season of spellbinding performances. Set sail on a haunted ship with Wagner's The Flying Dutchman; venture into the Tyrolean mountains with Donizetti's mirthful tale of military mayhem, Daughter of the Regiment; float away to the tiny tropical island of Ceylon for a special production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers; and experience the spectacular glitter of Paris with Verdi's La Traviata. Tickets are available now at Ticketmaster, call 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca.

"Our upcoming season is all about love," says Edmonton Opera Artistic Director, Brian Deedrick. "Our music takes audiences on journeys through love and sacrifice, love and laughter, love and friendship, and love and lossĶ Notice a bit of a pattern here? We have something to challenge everyone's taste, and this is a season Edmontonians will love to be a part of!"

Jason Howard returns to Edmonton to take on the demanding role of a cursed sailor in The Flying Dutchman, October 25, 28 and 30, 2008. With Wagner's haunting and unforgettable music, this production is inspired by the nightmarish world of German Expressionist cinema and promises to be as visually stunning as it is musically demanding. Howard reunites with Susan Marie Pierson; both performed in 2006's critically-acclaimed Bluebeard's Castle & Erwartung. The Flying Dutchman also features Marc Embree, Mark Deaton, Scott Scully, Emilia Boteva and the Edmonton Opera Chorus, with John Keenan conducting and Edmonton Opera's own Brian Deedrick directing. The Flying Dutchman is sung in German with English supertitles.

Winter blues won't stand a chance against the lightness and laughter of Donizetti's Daughter of the Regiment, February 7, 10 and 12, 2009. Follow the plot's twists and turns as the 21st Grenadiers of the French army attempt to protect their beloved Marie, sung by rising star Andriana Chuchman, who must choose between her love for Tonio, Edmonton favourite Colin Ainsworth, and her life with the regiment. Director/conductor team Robert Herriot and Peter Dala, the team that joined us last for 2008's H.M.S. PINAFORE, deliver winter delight once more along with Theodore Baerg, Sonya Gosse, Chad Louwerse, and the Edmonton Opera Chorus. Daughter of the Regiment is sung in French with English supertitles.

In a unique and intimate opera experience, Edmonton Opera presents a special production of Bizet's The Pearl Fishers, March 12 and 14, 2009, performed in the acoustical splendour of The Winspear Centre. Colin Ainsworth and Gregory Dahl play two friends torn apart by their love of the same woman. The Pearl Fishers also stars Amy Hansen, last in Edmonton as Lakm in 2004, as well as Andrew Stewart and the Edmonton Opera Chorus, along with conductor Robert Dean and director Brian Deedrick. The Pearl Fishers is sung in French with English supertitles.

Verdi's masterpiece, La Traviata, comes to the Edmonton Opera stage April 25, 28 and 30, 2009. Laura Whalen, star of 2005's Filumena, returns to Edmonton as Violetta, the beautiful, brilliant, and doomed courtesan willing to sacrifice anything in her love for Alfredo, sung by Marc Hervieux. Theodore Baerg, Thomas Macleay, Doug MacNaughton, Alain Coulombe, Krista de Silva, Alexander Dobson, Rene Brad and the Edmonton Opera Chorus close the season in this musically astounding tale conducted by Steven Osgood and directed by Michael Cavanagh, former Edmonton Opera Artistic Director. La Traviata is sung in Italian with English supertitles.

All Edmonton Opera performances begin at 7:30pm. All main-stage performances, (The Flying Dutchman, Daughter of the Regiment, and La Traviata), take place at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, with the special production of The Pearl Fishers at The Francis Winspear Centre for the Performing Arts. To subscribe to Edmonton Opera's 45th season, please contact the Edmonton Opera Box Office at 780-429-1000 or visit www.edmontonopera.com. For single tickets, contact Ticketmaster at 780-451-8000 or www.ticketmaster.ca.

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Classical at the Carlu


Piano Plus

Classical at the Carlu

A Fundraising Celebration in support of Piano Plus

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

For Immediate Release

(July 11, 2008, Toronto) On Tuesday, September 9, 2008, fifteen (15) of Canadas top classical musicians will grace the Concert Hall stage at The Carlu, 444 Yonge Street, 7th Floor

for a fundraising benefit, Classical at the Carlu, to lend their support to Piano Plus, a unique touring program that brings great classical music to smaller and remote communities across the country.

This spectacular concert includes world renowned pianists Jon Kimura Parker, Angela Cheng, Andr Laplante, violinist Scott St. John, and vocalist Nancy Argenta. Guests will meet the distinguished artists following the 7:30 pm concert in a not-to-be-missed celebratory Champagne Reception in the Round Room.

The evening also features:

Pianists Janina Fialkowska David Jalbert, Stphane Lemelin, Katherine Chi, Heather Schmidt

String virtuosi Erika Raum and Denise Djokic

Singers Daniel Lichti and Ann Monoyios

Trumpeter Jens Lindemann

Tickets are priced at $185 each for premiere seating and $145 each for rear orchestra and balcony and can be purchased through the

St. Lawrence Centre Box office at 416-366-7723 or log on to www.stlc.com to purchase on-line.

Piano Plus brings Canada's finest classical musicians to communities throughout the country in which opportunities to experience the magic of live concerts at an affordable cost are limited or simply non-existent. The brainchild of Artistic Director and Founder Janina Fialkowska, Piano Plus is the iteration of the incredibly successful Piano Six, the original 10-year program which began in 1993 with six pianists thrilling more than 100,000 classical music lovers in small towns and isolated communities across the country. Since 2004, the Piano Plus artist roster has been expanded to include distinguished Canadian musicians from the worlds of strings and voice as well as piano in order to bring a much broader range of the worlds great music to the program. Pianist Angela Cheng is Artistic Director. www.pianoplus.ca

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CMQ - Les AlexandreS surprennent nouveau avec "Un piano dans la rue"


LES ALEXANDRES SURPRENNENT NOUVEAU AVEC

Un piano dans la rue

Prs de 2 000 personnes sont venues assister au concert gratuit donn en pleine rue par Alexandre Dsilets, Alexandre thier et Alexandre Vovan SorelTracy

Sorel-Tracy, le lundi 25 aot 2007 Le vendredi 22 aot dernier, les AlexandreS clbraient une fois de plus, devant prs de 2 000 spectateurs, le triomphe de la musique classique Sorel-Tracy. Le spectacle, co-anim par l'animateur de CJSO Andr Champagne et l'animateur de Radio-Canada Simon Durivage, a attir des mlomanes de tous ges qui s'taient rassembls en une foule imposante devant le 8630, rue des Muguets, domicile de l'organisateur et pianiste Alexandre Vovan ainsi que de sa conjointe Genevive Allard.

Le public de cette anne a t captiv par la voix ensorcelante d'Alexandre Dsilets, chanteur qui s'est joint aux complices Alexandre thier et Alexandre Vovan pour cette deuxime dition du spectacle Un piano dans la rue . De plus, les spectateurs ont pu assister une premire prestation publique, au piano, de Monsieur Simon Durivage, qui Alexandre Vovan a demand d'interprter, au pied lev et devant la foule imposante, le premier prlude du Clavier bien tempr de Jean Sbastien Bach.

ce propos, Simon Durivage dclare : Heureusement que le public n'tait pas venu pour me voir jouer! Il ajoute : J'ai pass une soire merveilleuse et je me disais en rentrant chez moi, imaginez si on transpose Montral ce nombre de 2 000 personnes dans la rue Sorel-Tracy, c'est l'quivalent de 150 000 200 000 personnes qu'il y aurait eu dans une rue de la mtropole! Les gens aiment la musique classique et il faut leur donner l'occasion d'en voir et d'en entendre.

Le succs de cette dition prouve indubitablement que le concept du spectacle a t adopt par les gens de la rgion, car c'est plus d'un vingtime de la population qui a rpondu l'invitation cette anne , affirme Alexandre Vovan. La musique classique, lorsque prsente avec originalit et fracheur, captive et sduit quiconque veut bien prter l'oreille. Je suis particulirement heureux d'avoir pu prsenter Alexandre Dsilets la population de Sorel-Tracy, la voix mouvante de ce jeune chanteur ne ressemblant rien de ce qui peut tre entendu, tant dans le milieu classique que dans le milieu populaire.

Ce concert gratuit sous les toiles, qui soulignait le deuxime anniversaire du dcs de l'homme d'affaires sorelois Denis Allard, pre de la conjointe d'Alexandre Vovan, a t rendu possible grce la gnreuse contribution des artistes, de la Ville de Sorel-Tracy et des nombreux commanditaires et donateurs de la rgion.

Rappelons que lors de cette soire mmorable, les trois AlexandreS ont interprt tour tour des uvres de Rachmaninoff, Domeniconi, Williams, Bach, Brouwer, Dyens, De Falla, Chopin, Barrios, Debussy et d'Alexandre Dsilets.

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Sunday, August 24, 2008

Laudate Singers Announce 2008-2009 Season

LAUDATE SINGERS Announce 2008-2009 Season

In their 14th season as the North Shore's premier chamber choir, Laudate
Singers and artistic director Lars Kaario take audiences on a tantalizing
journey through the music of Europe and the Americas, full of mystery,
rhythm and sizzling vivacity. Laudate's 2008-2009 concert series more than
lives up to the ensemble's reputation for intriguing programming and varied,
evocative performances.

Mysterium
Saturday, December 13 2008 - 8pm
St. Andrew's United Church (10th & St. Georges, North Vancouver)

Friday, December 19 2008 - 8pm
St. David's United Church (Taylor Way & Upper Levels Hwy, West Vancouver)

O Great Mystery! For their annual winter concert-by-candlelight, Laudate
Singers offer seasonal favourites along with several sublime renditions of
the ancient, revered text "O Magnum Mysterium", including a brand new
setting by composer-in-residence Bruce Sled. Don't miss this evening of
shimmering, transcendent song!

Voice of the Tango
Saturday, March 21 2009 - 8pm
St. David's United Church (Taylor Way & Upper Levels Hwy, West Vancouver)

Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - 8pm
Capilano Performing Arts Theatre (2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver)

Music with sizzle! Laudate Singers take a step off the beaten path to
present a programme of fiery, passionate music from Central and South
America, featuring internationally-renowned instrumentalists Douglas Schmidt
(master Canadian bandoneon player, joining the choir from the International
Tango Festival in Argentina) and Kay Sleking (world-class tango guitarist
based in the Netherlands).

Viva Vivaldi!
Friday, May 22 2009 - 8pm
St. David's United Church (Taylor Way & Upper Levels Hwy, West Vancouver)

Laudate Singers welcome violinist Nancy DiNovo and an ensemble of
Vancouver's finest Baroque instrumentalists for a performance of Vivaldi's
much-loved Gloria, the refined Beatus Vir and the glittering Spring movement
from The Four Seasons. Come and be transported to the beauties of Venice in
the spring!

*******
All Tickets $25/$20 (seniors/students)/Free for 17 years & under
Call 604.222.3158 or visit www.laudatesingers.com
******
The choir will also make a special appearance with the Vancouver
Inter-Cultural Orchestra in a concert entitled Imagined Worlds: Past &
Futures Unveiled (Sunday Nov. 23, 2008 at UBC School of Music Recital Hall).
Finally, Laudate Singers' annual Free Family Christmas Concert will be held
on Sunday Dec. 14th at 3 pm, at St. Andrew's United Church in North
Vancouver.

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Saturday, August 23, 2008

Concerts - Centre d'arts Orford


Festival Orford 2008

Karina Gauvin et le Joe Sullivan Big Band

Orford, le samedi 23 aot 2008 Deux concerts sont prvus au Centre darts Orford la semaine prochaine. Le samedi 30 aot 20h, la superbe voix soprano de Karina Gauvin sera accompagne du pianiste Michael McMahon. Le dimanche 31 aot 20h, ce sera au tour des 17 musiciens du Joe Sullivan Big Band doccuper la salle Gilles-Lefebvre.

Samedi 30 aot Karina Gauvin et Michael McMahon

Venez accueillir la grande soprano canadienne Karina Gauvin. Madame Gauvin peut tre entendue dans toutes les grandes salles de concert et festivals du monde et nous sommes ravis quelle ait, une fois de plus accept notre invitation venir chanter Orford. Voici loccasion idale pour vous dentendre une artiste la voix tincelante, accompagne du pianiste prim Michael McMahon, dans lintimit de la salle de concert Gilles-Lefebvre. Clbrez la fin de lt sur une note haute en couleur.

Programme

Orford 2008 Concert avec Karina Gauvin

Cristoforo Gluck O del moi dolce ardor

Giulio Caccini Amarilli, mia bella

Francesco Durante Danza, danza, fanciulla gentile

Felix Mendelssohn Pagenlied

Bei der Wiegg

Suleika

Neue Liebe

Franz Schubert

Fischerweise

Romanze aus Rosamunde D. 797

Die junge Nonne D. 828

Entracte

Henri Duparc Chanson triste

Phidyl

Linvitation au voyage

Jules Massenet Madrigal

Les Femmes de Magdala

Limprovisateur

Aaron Copland Long Time Ago

Benjamin Britten Le roi sen va-t-en chasse

Aaron Copland Ching-a-ring Chaw

Dimanche 31 aot Le Joe Sullivan Big Band

Ce dernier dimanche du mois daot, nous vous prsentons en premire au Centre darts Orford le Joe Sullivan Big Band. La critique est unanime. Les foules sont enchantes. Ce groupe de 17 jazzmen poustouflants, sous la direction du compositeur et arrangeur Joe Sullivan, vient de Montral et est compos de musiciens de studio et de scne les plus talentueux qui soient. Prparez-vous bouger et danser. Ce sera un concert trs hot!

Salle de concert Gilles-Lefebvre

Sambalaroo (Sullivan, 2005)

Le Bolduc (Sullivan, 2004)

Mambo #6 (Sullivan, 2001)

Influence (comp. Janis Steprans, arr. Sullivan, 2006)

Dream Steps (comp. Pat Labarbera arr. Sullivan, 2004)

ENTRACTE

Ionosphere (Sullivan, 2007)

Super City Shuffle (Sullivan, 2007)

Pats Visit (Sullivan, 2004)

Sandys Blues (J. Frchette, 2007)

Two Views (Sullivan, 2006)

Abitibi Breeze (Sullivan, 2007)

MUSICIENS/MUSICIANS

Direction et trompette / Direction and Trumpet

Joe Sullivan

Trompettes/Trumpets

Jocelyn Couture

Jocelyne Lapointe

Aaron Doyle

Dave Moss

Trombones

Dave Grott

Jean-Nicolas Trottier

Richard Gagnon

Bob Ellis

Saxophones/Saxes

Rmi Bolduc

Janis Steprans

Andr Leroux

Al McLean

Jean Frchette

Section rythmique

Rhythm Section

Raphael Zaldivar, piano

Alec Walkington, basse/bass

Dave Laing, batterie/drums

Billets 35$. Abonnements disponibles.

Consultez notre brochure ou site internet pour tous les dtails.

Billetterie du Centre darts Orford : 3165, chemin du Parc, Orford, 819-843-3981 ou 1 800 567-6155 ou
billetterie@arts-orford.org.

www.arts-orford.org

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Friday, August 22, 2008

Italian Orchestra makes Toronto Debut November 3


GALA ITALIA: NOVEMBER 3 AT ROY THOMSON HALL FEATURES

CANADIAN DEBUT OF ORCHESTRA INTERNAZIONALE DITALIA

WITH RENOWNED OPERA SINGERS & CLASSICAL GUITARIST

On the occasion of the 13th edition of Italian Wine Tasting, the Orchestra Internazionale dItalia - Italys flagship ensemble will perform at Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto, as part of its Canadian debut tour, Monday, November 3 at 8 p.m. Canadian maestro Kerry Stratton will conduct the Orchestra in a concert called Gala Italia featuring operatic arias and orchestral masterworks mainly celebrating the 150th anniversary of the great Italian opera composer, Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924).

Tickets, $35; $25 seniors and students; and $20 group rate, are available through the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office, 416-872-4255, or via www.roythomson.com. For more information, call 416-362-1422 or visit www.sumarts.com.

The event is presented under the auspices of the Consulate-General of Italy, International Touring Productions and the International Resource Centre for Performing Artists.

Joining Maestro Stratton and the Orchestra for the tour are renowned opera singers from Italy (TBA). Award-winning Italian classical guitarist and recording artist Claudio Marcotulli also makes his Canadian debut, in the famed work for guitar and orchestra, Fantasia para un gentilhombre (Fantasy for a Gentleman) by Spanish composer Joaquin Rodrigo.

Among the musical highlights are Capriccio Sinfonico by Puccini and favorite arias from his operas. As well, the tour features the premieres of two new works by Italian composers, commissioned by Rai Trade, a branch of Italian Radio and Television network Carlo Boccadoros Fasi Lunari and Gianluca Podios Di Fedro il gioco nascosto.

This is the fourth tour in the International Visiting Orchestra Series, designed to bring world ensembles to the Canadian public.

With Maestro Stratton directing, the Canadian debut tour of the Orchestra Internazionale dItalia comprises performances in eight Ontario locations and a concluding concert in Montreal on November 10. Besides the November 3 Toronto concert, the Ontario dates are Port Hope (November 2), Welland (November 4), Orillia (November 5), Markham (November 6), Milton (November 7), Barrie (November 8), and Richmond Hill (November 9).

ORCHESTRA INTERNAZIONALE DITALIA www.oidi.com

Founded in 1986, the Orchestra Internazionale dItalia grew out of the international orchestra of Jeunesses Musicales. It has gone on to perform throughout Europe, in Central and South America and in Asia, in festivals and concert halls, giving more than 900 symphonic concerts and performing for important opera festival productions. Many of the worlds greatest conductors and soloists have appeared as guests. In 1997, it received the European Prize for Culture as Symphonic Orchestra. Home base is the ancient and beautiful city of Fermo near the Adriatic Sea in central Italys Marche region. Since 2003, it has been resident orchestra of the Ventidio Basso Theatre in Ascoli Piceno.

The Orchestra comes to Canada direct from Italy, where it is giving a number of concerts under Maestro Stratton, performances that include Ascoli Piceno, October 24; Pesaro, October 25; and Fermo, October 26.

CLAUDIO MARCOTULLI, GUITAR www.claudiomarcotulli.it/ (Italian); www.claudiomarcotulli.it/english.html (English).

Italian guitarist Claudio Marcotulli, soloist for the Canadian tour, is considered one of the most distinguished guitarists of his generation, both for the quality of his performances and his intriguing choice of repertoire. He won the 1984 Concours Ren Bartoli in France and first prize in Spains F. Tarrega Competition. Marcotulli has enjoyed worldwide tours and recorded CDs of operatic melodies and Vivaldi concertos on the pera Tres label. Among his performances with the Orchestra Internazionale dItalia were several involving the late tenor Luciano Pavarotti.


CANADIAN CONDUCTOR KERRY STRATTON HAS BUSY YEAR

IN CZECH REPUBLIC & ITALY AND AT HOME

Canadian conductor Kerry Stratton is in the midst of another busy season, making guest appearances with two European orchestras, giving performances with three Canadian orchestras, and adding more honors to his resume.

HONOURS & CONCERTS IN HUNTSVILLE This July, the Huntsville Festival of the Arts paid tribute to arts contributors, including Kerry Stratton, who was given a statuette and called leader and music director of the Huntsville Festival Orchestra and an ambassador for the festival throughout the province. The event included Mozarts Letters, in which he conducted the Festival Orchestra in music by Mozart, and read selected personal letters written by the great composer.

Saturday, August 9, Maestro Stratton returns to the Huntsville Festival in a summer pops program that includes works by Offenbach, Gershwin, Leroy Anderson, Morton Gould, Richard Rodgers, Tchaikovsky, Andrew Lloyd Webber and John Philip Sousa. The concert is sold out.

CZECH REPUBLIC This July, Maestro Stratton made a return visit to the Czech Republic to conduct the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. They gave a pair of concerts in mid-July at the Cesky Krumlov Festival, performing works by Mozart, Benda and Vivaldi. This was Maestro Strattons return engagement with the orchestra, which he conducted in Europe as well as leading the full-sized Czech Philharmonic and subsequently toured in Canada last fall. The tour followed his receipt in the spring of 2007, of the Gratias Agit Award from the Czech Republic for his significant contribution to promoting the countrys musical culture.

ITALY This October, Maestro Stratton makes his Italian debut, leading the countrys flagship ensemble, lOrchestra Internazionale dItalia. He will rehearse the orchestra and conduct it in concerts in the cities of Fermo, Ascoli Picena and Pesaro (October 24, 25, 26) in the Marche Region an area considered the jewel of Italys Adriatic coastline, and described by the New York Times as the new Tuscany.

LORCHESTRA INTERNAZIONALE DITALIA IN CANADA November 2-10, Maestro Stratton accompanies the Orchestra to Canada for its Canadian debut tour. Performances will take place in eight Ontario cities, including Toronto, November 3, and conclude in Montreal on November 10. Other tour dates include: November 2, Port Hope; November 4, Welland; November 5, Orillia; November 6, Markham; November 7, Milton; November 8, Barrie; November 9, Richmond Hill; November 10, Montreal.

Among the musical highlights are Puccinis Capriccio Sinfonico, Preludio Sinfonico and arias, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the beloved operatic composers birth; and Rodrigos famous Concierto de Aranjuez, with celebrated Italian guitarist Claudio Marcotulli as soloist. As well, the tour features the premieres of two new works by Italian composers, commissioned by Rai Trade, a branch of Italian Radio and Television network Carlo Boccadoros Fasi Lunari and Gianluca Podios Di Fedro il gioco nascosto.

MORE CZECH MUSIC OPENS TORONTO PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRAS 21ST SEASON Thursday, September 18, Maestro Stratton begins his 21st season as Music Director with the Toronto Philharmonia Orchestra. The program celebrates the 40th anniversary of Prague Spring with Smetanas iconic Ma Vlast (My Homeland).

Other highlights of the 2008-09 Philharmonia season include Beethovens Ninth Symphony, November 13, with Eve Rachel McLeod, soprano; Vicki St. Pierre, mezzo-soprano; Min Jin, tenor; and Nicolae Raiciu, baritone.

DELICIOUS FAVORITES WITH THE GRAND SALON ORCHESTRA Kerry Stratton leads his Grand Salon Orchestra in three programs that remember the elegance of the early decades of the 1900s:

Sunday, September 28 in Brockville: Puttin On the Ritz, featuring the music of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and the Gershwin brothers, among others.

Saturday, October 4 at the Markham Theatre: Tea at the Savoy, including works by Albert W. Ketelbey, Noel Coward and Eric Coates, among others.

Friday, October 17 in Perth: Puttin On the Ritz.

In addition, Kerry Stratton has his own regular program, Conductors Choice, Sundays, 3-9 p.m. on Classical 96.3 FM. He is currently completing a weekday guest host stint, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

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Saison 2008-2009 des Violons du Roy


La saison 2008-2009 des Violons du Roy Montral :

quatre grands rendez-vous!

Partenaire de saison Montral : SSQ Groupe financier

Bernard Labadie propose au public montralais quatre grands rendez-vous au cours de la saison 2008-2009 des Violons du Roy et de La Chapelle de Qubec.

La voix sera particulirement l'honneur cette anne, La Chapelle de Qubec prenant la vedette dans un magnifique programme de Nol autour de la Messe de minuit de Charpentier, uvre qui fait la part belle aux vieux nols franais, en plus d'offrir en premire aux Violons du Roy, le rare Stabat Mater de Haydn, donn l'occasion du bicentenaire de la mort du compositeur autrichien et qui runira les voix exceptionnelles d'Hlne Guilmette, de Mireille Lebel, de James Taylor et d'Alexandre Sylvestre.

De grands artistes se joindront encore une fois l'orchestre, notamment le remarquable violoncelliste norvgien Truls Mork dans des concertos pour violoncelle de C.P.E. Bach, une premire rencontre avec Les Violons du Roy prside par Bernard Labadie, et la toujours enchanteresse Karina Gauvin, qui offrira Les Illuminations de Benjamin Britten et quelques mlodies franaises de Faur et Debussy sous la direction de Jean-Marie Zeitouni. Ce programme nocturne comprendra galement La Nuit transfigure de Schoenberg.

Les abonn(e)s auront la possibilit de choisir trois ou quatre concerts parmi la srie propose Montral. De plus, chaque abonn(e) a droit un rabais de 15% sur l'achat de billets supplmentaires des concerts de saison Montral et Qubec.

Aussi, le tarif 29 ans et moins de retour! Un concert de haut niveau au mme prix qu'un film, soit seulement 12,50 $!

Abonnements disponibles ds maintenant!

Billetterie Articule : (514) 844-2172 sans frais 1-866-844-2172

SAISON 2008-2009 MONTRAL

Un archet nordique : Truls Mork

Samedi 22 novembre 2008 20h00

Salle Claude-Champagne, Universit de Montral

220, avenue Vincent-D'Indy, Montral

Bernard Labadie, chef

Truls Mork, violoncelle

F.J. HAYDN Symphonie n 58 en fa majeur, Hob. I : 58

C.P.E. BACH Concerto pour violoncelle en si bmol majeur, Wq 171

C.P.E. BACH Concerto pour violoncelle en la majeur, Wq 172

F.J. HAYDN Symphonie n 59 en la majeur Le feu , Hob. I : 59

Projet de disque sous tiquette VIRGIN CLASSICS

La messe de minuit de Charpentier

Lundi 22 dcembre 2008 20h00

Salle Pollack, Universit McGill

555, rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montral

Bernard Labadie, chef

Shannon Mercer, soprano

Tracy Smith Bessette, soprano

Jeremy Budd, tnor

Antonio Figueroa, tnor

Alexandre Sylvestre, baryton-basse

Avec La Chapelle de Qubec

M.R. DELALANDE Simphonies des nols

M.-A. CHARPENTIER In nativitatem Domini canticum, H. 416

B.-A. DUPUY Nol Au milieu de la nuit

M.-A. CHARPENTIER Messe de minuit pour Nol, H. 9

Une voix dans la nuit

Samedi 18 avril 2009 20h00

Salle Claude-Champagne, Universit de Montral

220, avenue Vincent-D'Indy, Montral

Jean-Marie Zeitouni, chef

Karina Gauvin, soprano

B. BRITTEN Les Illuminations, op. 18

C. DEBUSSY Beau soir (arrangement pour soprano et cordes de J.-M. Zeitouni)

G. FAUR Aprs un rve, op. 7 n 1 (arrangement pour soprano et cordes de J.-M. Zeitouni)

A. SCHOENBERG La nuit transfigure, op. 4

Projet de disque sous tiquette ATMA

Le Stabat Mater de Haydn

Samedi 6 juin 2009 20h00

Salle Pollack, Universit McGill

555, rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montral

Bernard Labadie, chef

Hlne Guilmette, soprano

Mireille Lebel, mezzo-soprano

James Taylor, tnor

Alexandre Sylvestre, baryton-basse

Avec La Chapelle de Qubec

J.S. BACH Motet Lobet den Herrn, alle Heiden, BWV 230

F.J. HAYDN Stabat Mater, Hob. XXbis

Grille de prix


Gnral

An1

ABONNEMENT2

Forfait Trio (Choix de 3 concerts)

145,00 $

131,00 $

Forfait Quatuor (Choix de 4 concerts)

190,00 $

171,00 $

au guichet3

Un archet nordique : Truls Mork, 22 novembre 2008, Salle Claude-Champagne

48,00 $

43,00 $

La messe de minuit de Charpentier, 22 dcembre 2008, Salle Pollack

67,75 $

58,50 $

Une voix dans la nuit, 18 avril 2009, Salle Claude-Champagne

48,00 $

43,00 $

Le Stabat Mater de Haydn, 6 juin 2009, Salle Pollack

67,75 $

58,50 $

Le tarif 29 ans4 et moins est de retour ! 12,50 $3 en tout temps !

1. Personne de 65 ans et plus, avec preuve d'ge l'appui

2. Taxes et frais de service inclus

3. Taxes incluses, frais de service en sus

4. Avec preuve d'ge l'appui

Demandez votre dpliant de la saison Montral 2008-2009 : (418) 692-3026 poste 0

Abonnements la Billetterie Articule

1182, boul. Saint-Laurent, Montral (Qubec) H2X 2S5

Tl. : (514) 844-2172 sans frais l'extrieur de Montral 1-866-844-2172

Du lundi au mercredi de 12h00 18h00

Du jeudi au samedi de 10h00 18h00

Dimanche: ferm

www.violonsduroy.com

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Musica Camerata - 1er concert de saison


Musica camerata montral


Tangata de Buenos Aires

Samedi 27 septembre 2008 20 h

Salle Redpath de l'Universit McGill


Montral, le lundi 1er septembre 2008 MUSICA CAMERATA MONTRAL prsente le premier concert de sa 39e saison artistique, Tangata de Buenos Aires , le samedi 27 Septembre 20 h la Salle Redpath de l'Universit McGill, avec les musiciens Berta Rosenohl au piano et Luis Grinhauz au violon, tous deux d'origine Argentine, ainsi que Marive Bock au violoncelle. Un concert aux couleurs du tango argentin fusionn la musique de chambre ; Camerata est un pionnier dans ce domaine Montral, amenant le tango vers de nouveaux sommets. Au programme, des uvres de Francisco De Caro, Jos Bragato, Juan Carlos Cirigliano et Astor Piazzolla qui apporta lui-mme les partitions de ses uvres Luis Grinhauz lors de ses visites Montral ; en 1994, Camerata les immortalisait sur CD ( Le grand tango , Les disques SRC/CBC Records, MVCD1079), en plus de l'uvre de Cirigliano crite en commandite. Ce disque, un best seller , reu les louanges de la presse internationale. Avec ce concert ddi au tango, Musica Camerata Montral propose cette anne une saison de quatre concerts la Salle Redpath : 1er novembre 2008, 31 janvier et 14 mars 2009.


PROGRAMME


Astor Piazzolla Lo que vendr

Astor Piazzolla Tangata

Francisco De Caro Fleurs noires

Jos Bragato Milontn

Juan Carlos Cirigliano Le son de la ville


Entracte


Astor Piazzolla :

Les quatre saisons de Buenos Aires :

Otoo porteo Invierno porteo Primavera portea Verano porteo


Reconnu comme le premier ensemble de musique de chambre au Canada, Musica Camerata Montral clbre cette saison son 39e anniversaire. Depuis sa cration en 1970, Musica Camerata Montral offre son public des programmes d'une rare originalit. Il accorde une place de choix aux compositeurs d'ici et s'attache faire dcouvrir, souvent en premire canadienne, des uvres peu connues. Musica Camerata Montral se dmarque notamment par la qualit de ses interprtations d'un rpertoire riche de plus de 300 uvres, du 18e jusqu'au 21e sicle. Le plaisir manifeste que ses membres ont faire de la musique ensemble touche un public fidle avec qui il a su, au fil des ans, dvelopper une complicit unique. Musica Camerata Montral s'est produit au Canada, aux tats-Unis, au Costa Rica et en Argentine, s'attirant chaque occasion l'loge de la critique. Il a de plus enregistr de nombreux disques.


TANGATA DE BUENOS AIRES

Samedi 27 septembre 2008 20 h

Salle Redpath de l'Universit McGill : 3461, rue McTavish (Mtro Peel)

Billet: $ 30,00 (gnral) $ 20,00 (an & tudiant)

Abonnement aux quatre concerts : $ 100,00 (gnral) $70,00 (an et tudiant)

Taxes comprises Frais de service en sus si pays avec Visa ou AMEX

Renseignements et rservation : 514 489-8713 www.camerata.ca


Thursday, August 21, 2008

Clavecin en concert : saison 2008-2009


15e SAISON - Programmation 2008-2009

Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours

400, rue Saint-Paul Est, Vieux-Montral, 20 h

Abonnement : 5 concerts : 110 $ / 3 concerts : 70 $

www.clavecinenconcert.org

Montral, 21 aot 2008 Pour clbrer la 15e saison, le directeur artistique de Clavecin en concert, le claveciniste Luc Beausjour, a programm cinq concerts aux allures festives. Des artistes d'Italie, d'Argentine et de Grande-Bretagne partageront la scne avec des musiciens canadiens et qubcois. Ils interprteront des uvres connues ou dcouvrir de la priode baroque. Une uvre pour quatre clavecins et cordes, Sorciers manga, de Maxime McKinley sera cre lors du premier concert.


(1) Vendredi 3 octobre 2008 BACH : CONCERTOS 3 ET 4 CLAVECINS, MCKINLEY : SORCIERS MANGA

Avec les clavecinistes Thomas Annand, Luc Beausjour, Vincent Boucher, Nicolas-Alexandre Marcotte
et un ensemble cordes
. Au programme : Concerto 3 clavecins en do majeur, BWV 1064, Concerto 3 clavecins en r mineur, BWV 1063, Sorciers manga (pour 4 clavecins et cordes - cration), Concerto 4 clavecins en la mineur, BWV 1065.


(2) Vendredi 28 novembre 2008 CONCERT POUR LA NATIVIT

Ensembles vocal et instrumental dirigs par Luc Beausjour. Au programme : oeuvres de Bach, Balbastre, Byrd, du Caurroy, Praetorius, Scheidt, Zipoli, etc.


(3) Vendredi 6 fvrier 2009 RINALDO ALESSANDRINI

Le brillant claveciniste italien de rputation internationale prsente un rcital de divers compositeurs baroques. Au programme : Storace: Ciaccona, Frescobaldi: Cento Partite, Louis Couperin, Fischer, Buxtehude et Handel.


(4) Vendredi 17 avril 2009 LES GRANDS MATRES DE LA MUSIQUE FRANAISE

Avec le rput gambiste argentin Juan Manuel Quintana, le fltiste Grgoire Jeay et le claveciniste Luc Beausjour. Au programme : oeuvres de Franois Couperin, Antoine Forqueray, Marin Marais et Jean-Philippe Rameau.


(5) Vendredi 15 mai 2009 BACH : BRANDEBOURGEOIS nos 4 et 5 ET AUTRES CONCERTOS

Adrian Butterfield, violon, Luc Beausjour et Martin Robidoux, clavecin, Grgoire Jeay, flte baroque, Matthew Jennejohn et Mlsande Corriveau, flte bec, et un ensemble cordes. Au programme : Concerto pour clavecin en r mineur, BWV 1052, Concerto pour violon en mi majeur, BWV 1042, Concerto brandebourgeois no 4, BWV 1049, Concerto brandebourgeois no 5, BWV 1050.



Clavecin en concert a t fond par le claveciniste et organiste Luc Beausjour qui en assume la direction artistique depuis 1994. Sa mission est, entre autres, de promouvoir et de faire connatre un large public la musique crite pour le clavecin comme instrument soliste et instrument d'ensemble, en prsentant des uvres allant du 16e au 21e sicle.


Clavecin en concert remercie le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Qubec et le Conseil des Arts de Montral pour leur aide financire.


Renseignements : Clavecin en concert / Louis Allard, tlphone 514-729-1286.

Fundraiser for Life is a Dream, Scapegoat Carnival- Sept. 10

Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre presents

A FUNDRAISING EVENT for

its upcoming production of

Life is a Dream


By Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Directed by Alison Darcy

Wednesday, September 10

Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre is hosting a fundraiser for their latest production, Pedro Calderon de la Barca's classic 17th century Spanish play,

Life is a Dream, to be presented from October 22nd to Nov1st as part of Centaur Theatre's Brave New Looks initiative.

This intimate hour-long evening will feature an exciting dramatic reading of scenes from the play, as well as an engaging talk about the play and the world of Baroque Spain by Dr. Jess Prez-Magalln, Chair of the Department of Hispanic Studies at McGill University. There will also be an exclusive Q&A session with director Alison Darcy, who will discuss her creative vision for the play.

Dr. Prez-Magalln teaches courses ranging from the Renaissance and Baroque to contemporary Spanish culture. He is currently conducting research on the issue of conflicting identities in the Hispanic Baroque. He will be speaking about the historical background of Life is a Dream and the play's significance in the history of Spanish theatre.

This dramatic evening will take place at:

Centre Greene

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

8:00 PM

1090 Greene Avenue

Tickets $20.00

Available at the door or (514) 272-9447, david.oppenheim@gmail.com

All proceeds go towards the production of Life is a Dream

refreshments to follow

For more information, please contact: Scapegoat Carnivale Theatre at (514) 272-9447 or david.oppenheim@gmail.com

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OLO Opera Studio set to embark for the 08-09 season


Opera Lyra Ottawa is pleased to announce this season's members of its opera training program, the OLO Opera Studio. With a stellar curriculum and faculty, this training program is focused on aiding the preparation of up-and-coming Canadian singers, stage directors, conductors/ repetiteurs and stage managers for professional operatic careers.


For the 2008-09 season the OLO Opera Studio welcomes 5 artists into the program:

Christina Tannous,Soprano

Valrie Arboit, Mezzo-soprano

Marion Newman, Mezzo-soprano

Michael Carty, Tenor

Mark Gough, Baritone


The OLO Opera Studio program, which may be one to three years in length, is structured in three sessions which correspond with the opera productions of Opera Lyra Ottawa's season. These artists will receive a variety of training opportunities which include: music coaching; the opportunity to work under a professional stage director; master classes by performing soloists/teachers/ coaches; and various workshops to develop specific skills such as diction, acting, movement, stage combat, auditioning and career counselling.


Opera for Young Audiences School Tours and performances at the NAC's Fourth Stage

This year, artists of the OLO Opera Studio will perform the opera Cinderella on the NAC Fourth Stage in a series of shows for school children and for the general public. These 1-hour operas have been very successful for the past three years, providing a wonderful introduction to opera for children and families. In addition to the December shows, the artists of the Studio will bring the opera on a two-week tour to schools in the area in early October.


Once again this year's Studio artists will perform in a series of noon hour concerts at the NAC Fourth Stage. The first will take place on September 4, 2008 with excerpts from Le Nozze di Figaro; and on March 20, 2009 at noon they perform a workshop of a newly commissioned children's opera by Dean Burry which will be premiered as part of OLO's 25th anniversary season in 2009.


OLO Opera Studio Competition

On March 22, 2009 the artists of the Opera Studio will compete in the annual OLO Opera Studio Competition which offers artists within the OLO Opera Studio the opportunity to showcase their vocal talents. The OLO Opera Studio Competition is presented before a distinguished panel of judges comprising experts in the opera world and is open to all supporters of Opera Lyra.


OLO Opera Studio Faculty

Opera Lyra is pleased to announce the esteemed roster of faculty and guest instructors who will work with the Studio artists. For the 2008-09 season, the OLO Studio faculty will include: Tyrone Paterson, OLO Artistic Director, and founder of this artist training program; pianist Judith Ginsburg, Opera Studio Manager; and Ottawa mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Turnbull, who will be working with the program as a voice consultant.


Through the year, the faculty will also include guest faculty members such as baritone Russell Braun; John Greer - Vocal Coach, New England Conservatory; soprano Mariateresa Magisano; soprano Maria Pellegrini - "Canada's Butterfly"; director Ann Hodges; and composer Dean Burry.


The faculty is further rounded out by Stage Director, Rob Herriot, who will work on the Studio production and work with the artists on various aspects of opera staging and Ottawa actress Alix Sideris who will work with the artists as an acting consultant. Additional training will be provided by Moira Johnson, professional publicist for some of Canada's top opera talent; Sylvana Villata, Italian diction coach; Yulia Levin, Russian Diction Coach; Abigail Gossage, professional agent for opera talent in Canada; and Liz Ciesluk, a well respected make-up artist for opera and theatre.

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Violons de matres luthiers de Florence


De remarquables violons contemporains construits par des matres luthiers de Florence seront exposs du 27 aot au 31 octobre l'CONOMUSE de la lutherie, au 57, rue Ontario Ouest.
L'exposition Violons de matres luthiers de Florence dmontrera que les luthiers italiens ont un panache que d'autres n'ont pas, dit Jules Saint-Michel, directeur de ce muse qui fait partie d'un rseau d'artisans parrain par le gouvernement. Leurs instruments suivent la ligne traditionnelle mais on les reconnat facilement en raison d'un individualisme fortement accentu et ils sont, de ce fait, convoits par beaucoup de violonistes.
Prsente en collaboration avec l'Associazione Liuteria Toscana, l'exposition sera officiellement ouverte en prsence du directeur de l'Institut culturel italien, M. Angelo Mazzone, qui souligne ainsi le savoir-faire et l'excellence de ses compatriotes dans un mtier d'art aussi lgendaire que la lutherie.
Au cours du vernissage, deux violonistes de rputation internationale interprteront des uvres italiennes. Alexandre Da Costa joue sur un Stradivarius de 1667 tandis que Martine Cardinal joue sur un violon fait par Jules Saint-Michel.
Huit matres luthiers de Florence et de la rgion de Toscane exposeront leurs uvres. Ce sont : Marco Anedda, Claudio Arezio, Fabrizio Di Pietrantonio, Michele Mecatti, Gianluca Montenegro, Paolo Sorgentone, Paolo Vettori et Luigi Ercoli.
M. Saint-Michel, qui est le doyen des luthiers qubcois, rappelle que le violon italien est fabriqu avec la mme prcision et la mme qualit de son et de forme que celui des plus grands anciens matres. Il sera admir et jou comme certains violons le sont depuis 350 ans.

Dans les ventes aux enchres, les violons italiens sont recherchs et leur valeur augmente sans cesse.
C'est la troisime prsentation de violons italiens l'CONOMUSE de la lutherie. Les prcdentes ont eu lieu en 2005 et en 2006.
Depuis l'illustre famille des Mdicis jusqu' l'apoge de la Renaissance, Florence a vu la naissance de mtiers qui se sont dvelopps en corporations. La lutherie, comme d'autres arts, a bnfici de l'appui de grands mcnes amoureux de la musique.
En tmoignent galement la peinture et la sculpture de cette poque. Elles montrent en effet d'innombrables instruments de musique qui confirment la prsence de facteurs d'instruments la cour et dans les palais. Artisans de pre en fils souvent, leurs descendants suivent la tradition et franchissent l'preuve du temps, ajoute M. Saint-Michel.
L'apport des luthiers toscans n'est pas limit un style spcifique, ni l'influence marque d'un fondateur, une certaine mthode de construction ou l'utilisation de certains matriaux. Elle merge plutt d'une rflexion personnelle ancre dans une tradition hrite depuis des sicles.
L'CONOMUSE de la lutherie fait partie d'un rseau qui comprend 50 entreprises artisanales dont 32 de mtiers d'art et 18 agroalimentaires. Il s'tendra bientt des pays d'Europe du Nord comme la Norvge, l'Islande et l'Irlande.
Luthier depuis quatre dcennies et seul Canadien faire partie du jury de la lutherie au Concours international Tchakovski de Moscou, M. Saint-Michel a reu le trophe Opus du Conseil qubcois de la musique en reconnaissance de sa comptence comme facteur d'instruments.


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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Another fall theatre event


SideMart THEATRICAL GROCERY
Is thrilled to announce the English Language World Premiere of
Oooo!
by Gerard Vasquez
Translated by Elisabet Rafols and Michael Bantjes
directed by Andrew Shaver
September 10 - 21, 2008
The Studio
Segal Centre for Performing Arts at the Saidye
5170 ch. de la Cote-Ste-Catherine Road
Montreal (Quebec)
(514) 739 - 7944

Oooo! is a touching and powerful comedy about the lives of a group of clowns in Nazi Germany. Charlie Rivel, the most tender of clowns is forced to perform for Hitler, the most barbaric of dictators. Can art be guiltless? Does it have to submit to power? Can an artist remain apolitical in the midst of such political mayhem?
Starring Alain Goulem as Charlie Rivel (CBC's The Tournament and 18 to Life)
With Patrick Costello, Graham Cuthbertson, Tobias Goulem and Jesse Todd.


SideMart is pleased to return to The Studio as the Segal Centre's Resident Company for a second year in row. Previous SideMart productions include the Mecca Award-Winning American Buffalo; the "must-see...runaway hit" (Matt Radz, Montreal Gazette) The Dishwashers in the Basement of BU: Bar-a-Vin; the Canadian premiere of Trad, "two of the best performances you'll see all year" (Brett Hooton, Montreal Hour); and most recently a musical adaptation of Derek McCormack's The Haunted Hillbilly, "the best show I've seen in years" (Neil Boyce, Montreal Mirror).
Regular Ticket: $20
Students & Seniors: $15
Directed by Andrew Shaver (American Buffalo, The Dishwashers, Haunted Hillbilly...)
Production Design by Sarah Yaffe
Sound by Jesse Peter Ash
Stage Managed by Seamus Ryan

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Met Opera - Billets en vente ce vendredi

Les diffusions du Metropolitan Opera :

en direct et en haute dfinition sont de retour

au grand cran dans les cinmas Cineplex Divertissement

Les billets pour la saison 2008-2009 seront mis en prvente ce vendredi


Toronto, ON (CGX.UN) 20 aot 2008 Cineplex Divertissement commencera la prvente de billets pour l'vnement de divertissement le plus couru de l'anne, les diffusions du Metropolitan Opera : en direct et en haute dfinition , le 22 aot 2008. Puisque la rponse des amateurs d'opra a t extraordinaire au cours des deux premires saisons, les invits auront maintenant l'occasion d'apprcier encore plus de diffusions en direct et en haute dfinition et avec son ambiophonique Dolby dans les cinmas Cineplex Divertissement participants partout au pays. Le nombre d'opras prsents en direct pour la saison 2008-2009 est pass onze et il y aura dix rediffusions, ds le 22 septembre 2008 alors que la soire du Gala d'ouverture sera diffuse en direct du Lincoln Center New York, la salle attitre du Met.


Ds le dbut, les diffusions du "Metropolitan Opera : en direct et en haute dfinition" ont connu beaucoup de succs, et ce, au-del de nos attentes. La popularit de la srie ne se dment pas anne aprs anne , a affirm Par Marshall, Vice-prsidente, communications et relations avec les investisseurs chez Cineplex Divertissement. Cette anne, nous avons ajout de nouveaux cinmas notre liste dj tendue afin de rpondre la trs grande demande. Nous offrons galement nos invits l'occasion de se procurer une varit de forfaits d'abonnement. Les forfaits et billets individuels peuvent tre achets l'avance, permettant ainsi nos invits de se procurer des billets pour les opras de leur choix.


Les billets seront en vente compter du vendredi 22 aot, en ligne sur www.cineplex.com et la billetterie des cinmas participants. Le prix d'entre s'chelonne de 12,95 $ 16,95 $ (taxes en sus) pour les enfants de 3 12 ans; il est de 18,95 $ (taxes en sus) pour les ans et de 21,95 $ (taxes en sus) pour les 13 ans et plus.


Les abonnements annuels sont en vente uniquement la billetterie des cinmas participants et ne peuvent tre achets en ligne. Le prix du forfait pour les dix opras est de 186,58 $ (taxes en sus). Il est galement possible de se procurer un forfait pour cinq opras au prix de 98,78 $ (taxes en sus) ou un forfait pour trois reprsentations au prix de 62,56 $ (taxes en sus). Nous offrons aussi des tarifs pour les groupes de 20 personnes et plus au cot de 16,95 $ par personne (taxes en sus). Pour de plus amples renseignements au sujet des rservations de groupe, prire de communiquer avec le 1 800 313-4461.


Le 22 septembre, le rideau se lvera de nouveau sur l'opra dans les cinmas Cineplex Divertissement slectionns partout au Canada. Ceux-ci prsenteront les productions suivantes en direct de New York :


Lundi 22 septembre 2008

18 h 30 (HNE)

Soire du Gala d'ouverture (avec Rene Fleming)

Samedi 11 octobre 2008

13 h (HNE)

Salome de Strauss

Samedi 8 novembre 2008

13 h (HNE)

Doctor Atomic de Adams

Samedi 22 novembre 2008

13 h (HNE)

La Damnation de Faust de Berlioz

Samedi 20 dcembre 2008

12 h (HNE)

Thas de Massenet

Samedi 10 janvier 2009

13 h (HNE)

La Rondine de Puccini

Samedi 24 janvier 2009

13 h (HNE)

Orfeo ed Euridice de Gluck

Samedi 7 fvrier 2009

13 h (HNE)

Lucia di Lammermoor de Donizetti

Samedi 7 mars 2009

13 h (HNE)

Madama Butterfly de Puccini

Samedi 21 mars 2009

13 h (HNE)

La Sonnambula de Bellini

Samedi 9 mai 2009

12 h 30 (HNE)

La Cenerentola de Rossini


noter, cette anne, la prsentation d'une production cre et conue par une compagnie de chez nous. En effet, le 22 novembre 2008, les amateurs d'opra auront la chance de voir et d'entendre La Damnation de Faust, opra de Berlioz, dans une mise en scne de Robert Lepage et une production d'Ex Machina, compagnie multidisciplinaire de Qubec que dirige le crateur du Moulin images, qui a remport un extraordinaire succs l'occasion du 400e anniversaire de la Ville de Qubec. La Damnation de Faust, version Ex Machina, a d'abord t prsente au Japon en 1999, puis l'Opra de Paris. Pour la reprise de 2008 au Met Opera de New York, le metteur en scne et son quipe renouvellent les images et les projections, notamment par l'intgration d'images interactives gnres par le mouvement des interprtes et par la voix des chanteurs.


Cineplex Divertissement prsentera aussi chacune des dix productions en rappel pour les invits qui ne peuvent se prsenter la premire reprsentation ou pour ceux qui souhaitent la revoir. Pour connatre la liste des cinmas qui prsentent les opras en rediffusion, prire de consulter le www.cineplex.com. Voici le calendrier des reprsentations en rappel :

Samedi 15 novembre 2008

13 h (HNE)

Salome de Strauss

Samedi 6 dcembre 2008

13 h (HNE)

Doctor Atomic de Adams

Samedi 17 janvier 2009

13 h (HNE)

La Damnation de Faust de Berlioz

Samedi 14 fvrier 2009

12 h (HNE)

Thas de Massenet

Samedi 21 fvrier 2009

13 h (HNE)

La Rondine de Puccini

Samedi 14 mars 2009

13 h (HNE)

Orfeo ed Euridice de Gluck

Samedi 4 avril 2009

13 h (HNE)

Lucia di Lammermoor de Donizetti

Samedi 18 avril 2009

13 h (HNE)

Madama Butterfly de Puccini

Samedi 25 avril 2009

13 h (HNE)

La Sonnambula de Bellini

Samedi 23 mai 2009

12 h 30 (HNE)

La Cenerentola de Rossini


Cineplex Divertissement prsentera les diffusions en direct du Metropolitan Opera : en direct, en haute dfinition dans les 13 cinmas suivants au Qubec :


Cinma Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin

350, rue mery

Montral, Qubec

Cinma Banque Scotia Montral

977, Ste-Catherine Ouest

Montral, Qubec

Cinma StarCit Montral

4825, avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin

Montral, Qubec

Cinma Cineplex Odeon Brossard

9350, boul. Leduc

Brossard, Qubec

Cinma Colossus Laval

2800, rue Cosmodme

Laval, Qubec

Cinma Colise Kirkland

3200, rue Jean-Yves

Kirkland, Qubec

Cinma Cineplex Odeon Boucherville

20, boul. de Montagne

Boucherville, Qubec

Cinma Cineplex Odeon Beauport

825, rue Clemenceau

Beauport, Qubec

Cinma Cineplex Odeon Ste-Foy

1200 boul. Duplessis

Ste-Foy, Qubec

Cinma Galaxy Sherbrooke

4204, boul. Bertrand-Fabi

Sherbrooke, Qubec

Cinma Galaxy Victoriaville

1121, Jutras Est

Victoriaville, Qubec

Cinma Fleur-de-Lys (Nouveau!)

4520, boul. des Rcollets

Trois-Rivires, Qubec

Cinma 9 Gatineau (Nouveau!)

120, boul. de l'Hpital

Gatineau, Qubec


propos de Cineplex Divertissement LP :

Cineplex Divertissement LP, dont le sige social est situ Toronto, possde, loue ou exploite en coentreprise 132 cinmas totalisant 1 337 crans et accueillant chaque anne quelque 61 millions d'invits. Cineplex Divertissement LP est la plus importante entreprise d'exploitation de salles de cinma au Canada. Elle exploite les cinmas des marques suivantes: Cineplex Odeon, Galaxy, Famous Players (dont les cinmas Colise, Colossus et StarCit), Cinema City et les cinmas Banque Scotia. Les parts du Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund, qui dtient environ 76 % de Cineplex Divertissement LP, sont ngocies la Bourse de Toronto sous le symbole CGX.UN. Pour plus de dtails, visitez cineplex.com.



"The Metropolitan Opera: Live in High-Definition" Is Back

At a Select Cineplex Entertainment Theatre Near You

Advance tickets for 2008-09 series available this Friday


Toronto, ON (CGX.UN) August 20, 2008 Cineplex Entertainment will begin selling advance tickets to the hottest entertainment event of the year, The Metropolitan Opera: Live in High-Definition, on August 22nd. Due to the extraordinary response by opera fans to the first two seasons, guests will be able to enjoy more live performances then ever before at select Cineplex Entertainment theatres throughout Canada in High Definition and Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The number of opera presentations for the 2008-2009 season has been expanded to 11 live and 10 encore opera transmissions, beginning September 22, 2009 in addition to the Opening Night Gala live from the Met's home at Lincoln Center in New York City.


"From the beginning, The Metropolitan Opera: Live in High-Definition series has been tremendously successful exceeding all of our expectations and continues to grow year after year," said Pat Marshall, Vice-President, Communications and Investor Relations, Cineplex Entertainment. "This year, we have added even more communities to an already expanded theatre list because of huge guest demand. We are also offering our guests the opportunity to purchase a variety of season ticket packages and these packages or individual tickets can also be purchased in advance ensuring guests get the operas they want."


Beginning Friday August 22nd individual tickets are available online at www.cineplex.com as well as at participating theatre box offices. Admission for children ages 3 12 is $12.95-$16.95 + tax, seniors is $18.95 + tax and general admission is $21.95 + tax.


Season Tickets can be purchased in person only at any of the participating theatres and cannot be purchased online at this time. The package price for all ten performances is $186.58 + tax. Guests can also purchase tickets to any five operas for the package price $98.78 + tax or any three operas for the package price of $62.56 + tax. A special group rate is also available for groups of twenty or more at $16.95 per person. For more information on group rates, call 1-800-313-4461.


Beginning September 22nd, the curtains will rise at select Cineplex Entertainment theatres throughout Canada with the following performances being shown live from New York:


Monday September 22, 2008

6:30 PM (EST)

Opening Night Gala (starring Rene Fleming)

Saturday October 11, 2008

1:00 PM (EST)

Strauss: Salome

Saturday November 8, 2008

1:00 PM (EST)

Adams: Doctor Atomic

Saturday November 22, 2008

1:00 PM (EST)

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust

Saturday December 20, 2008

12:00 PM (EST)

Massenet: Thas

Saturday January 10, 2009

1:00 PM (EST)

Puccini: La Rondine

Saturday January 24, 2009

1:00 PM (EST)

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice

Saturday March 21, 2009

1:00PM (EST)

Bellini: La Sonnambula

Saturday February 7, 2009

1 :00 PM (EST)

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor

Saturday May 9, 2009

12 :30 PM (EST)

Rossini : La Cenerentola

Saturday March 7, 2009

1 :00 PM (EST)

Puccini : Madama Butterfly


Cineplex Entertainment will also be showing encore presentations of the scheduled live performances for guests who may not be able to attend the live transmission or who simply want to watch it again. The encore presentation schedule is as follows:


Saturday November 15, 2008

1:00 PM (EST)

Strauss: Salome

Saturday February 14, 2009

12:00 PM (EST)

Massenet: Thas

Saturday December 6, 2008

1:00 PM (EST)

Adams: Doctor Atomic

Saturday February 21, 2009

1:00 PM (EST)

Puccini: La Rondine

Saturday January 17, 2009

1:00 PM (EST)

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust

Saturday March 14, 2009

1:00 PM (EST)

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice

Saturday April 4, 2009

1 :00 PM (EST)

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor

Saturday April 18, 2009

1 :00 PM (EST)

Puccini : Madama Butterfly

Saturday April 25, 2009

1:00PM (EST)

Bellini: La Sonnambula

Saturday May 23, 2009

12 :30 PM (EST)

Rossini : La Cenerentola


Cineplex Entertainment will present The "Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD" live performances at the following select theatres throughout the province of Qubec:


Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin Cinemas

350 rue mery

Montreal, PQ

StarCit Montreal Cinemas

4825, Avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin

Montreal, PQ

Colossus Laval Cinemas

2800 rue Cosmodme

Laval, PQ

Scotiabank Theatre Montreal

977 Ste-Catherine West

Montreal, PQ

Cineplex Odeon Brossard Cinemas

9350, boul. Leduc

Brossard, PQ

Coliseum Kirkland Cinemas

320,0 rue Jean-Yves

Kirkland, PQ

Cineplex Odeon Boucherville Cinemas

20 boul de Montagne

Boucherville, PQ

Cineplex Odeon Ste. Foy Cinemas

1200, boul. Duplessis

Ste. Foy, PQ

Galaxy Cinemas Victoriaville

1121, boul. Jutras-East

Victoriaville, PQ

Cineplex Odeon Beauport Cinemas

825 rue Clemenceau

Beauport, PQ

Galaxy Cinemas Sherbrooke

4204, boul. Bertrand-Fabi

Sherbrooke, PQ

Galaxy Cinemas Fleur-de-Lys (NEW!)

4520 boul. des Rcollets

Trois Rivires, PQ

Cinma 9 Gatineau (NEW!)

120, boul. de l'Hpital

Gatineau, PQ


For the list of theatre locations showing the encore performances, visit www.cineplex.com.


About Cineplex Entertainment LP:

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Cineplex Entertainment LP owns, leases or has a joint-venture interest in 132 theatres with 1,337 screens serving approximately 61 million guests annually. Cineplex Entertainment LP is the largest motion picture exhibitor in Canada operating the following brands: Cinema City, Cineplex Odeon, Coliseum, Colossus, Famous Players, Galaxy, SilverCity and Scotiabank Theatres. The units of Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund, which owns approximately 76% of Cineplex Entertainment LP, are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol CGX.UN).

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Dangerous Liaisons, The Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre- Sept. 7-28

As overheard in various salons and bedroomsĶ


The Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre

and BMO FINANCIAL GROUP

Present

Dangerous Liaisons

By Christopher Hampton

Directed by Alexandre Marine

September 7-28, 2008

Valmont: "I want the excitement of watching her betray everything that's most important to her. I thought betrayal was your favourite word."

Merteuil: "No, no, cruelty. I always think that has a nobler ring to it."


MONTREAL August 2008- The Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre kicks off a sizzling season of passion and seduction with Dangerous Liaisons, Christopher Hampton's adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 French novel about lust, greed, deception and romance. Don't miss what promises to be an exciting production, led by award-winning director, Alexandre Marine and featuring a handpicked, mostly Montreal cast of 16.


The Marquise de Merteuil and the Vicomte de Valmont are a pair of schemers (and former lovers) who take pleasure in coolly manipulating and seducing those around them,
leaving scandal, dishonour and outrage in their wake. The Marquise challenges the Vicomte to seduce the virtuous Madame de Tourvel, but when the latter breaks the rules and finds himself genuinely falling in love with his intended prey, the game quickly turns fatal--with devastating consequences for everyone involved. Here, sex is a game and death is but a means of keeping score.


Director Marine's
previous production at the Segal, the Prix de la Critique award winning Amadeus, was an unqualified success and demonstrated his unique creativity in staging large scale period plays, particularly the decadent period of the late eighteenth century. Dangerous Liaisons will offer audiences another opportunity to experience Marine's directorial talent. Bryna Wasserman, the Segal Centre's Artistic and Executive Director, was never in doubt as to who should direct this opening play of the Segal's 08-09 season. "I couldn't be more confident in having Sasha leading this production, she said. It's a large scale, challenging play, but with his innovative eye and mastery of the physical aspect of the theatre, I'm certain his perspective will bring it to life in the most distinct and imaginative ways."


"
This play and its themes of sex, power and manipulation are universal, we're still playing by the same rules as two centuries ago," said Marine in expressing the timelessness of the play. "You need look no further than today's news, at how little time is taken up by actual news versus tabloid sex scandals." As well, this late twentieth century stage adaptation of a late eighteenth century novel will astonish today's audience with how powerful and liberated the women are in the play. Madame de Merteuil matches her adversary Valmont move for move in this game of love, passion and domination.


As part of a truly international cast, Brett Christopher (a one man tour-de-force in the Segal's I Am My Own Wife) stars as the Vicomte de Valmont. Catherine de Sev (hugely popular for
L'auberge du chien noir on SRC, here in her first English stage role) enthralls as the Marquise de Merteuil. The highly respected cast also includes Jake Epstein (De Grassi: The Next Generation, Gemini Award), Anthousa Harris (Centaur's Romeo and Juliet), Gemma James-Smith (Sidemart's The Haunted Hillbilly), Vitali Makarov (Thtre Deuxime Realit's Hamlet), Tara Nicodemo (The Segal's The Diary of Anne Frank), Jillian Niedoba (Not Wanted on the Voyage), Igor Ovadis (Minuit le soir) and Moira Wylie (The Segal's Hedda Gabler). Rounding out the company is Maud Desbois, Adam Driscoll, Alexandre Gorchkov, Lauren Roy, Kristina Sandev and David Sklar.


The design team has conceived a stage where reality reflects fantasy, desire and dreams- a space mirroring brooding narcissism. Mastermind creators include
Yannik Larive, set and props; Spike Lyne, lighting; Jessica Poirier-Chang, costumes and Dmitri Marine, sound and original music. Elaine Normandeau is the stage manager and Merissa Tordjman completes the team as assistant stage manager. Expect this to be the flagship show of the season.


"Le Vicomte de Valmont is conspicuously charming and never opens his mouth without first calculating what damage he can do."

- Mme. De Volanges


88.5 CBC Radio One proudly presents Sunday-@-the-Segal


Sunday, September 7, 11am. Admission is free.

Join us for another season of intimate conversation and riveting lectures.


Monday Night Talkbacks presented by Pratt and Whitney Canada


As usual following the play, some of the actors and/or designers will remain on stage to take questions from the audience. Monday Night Talkbacks provides an intimate opportunity for audiences to engage up close and personal with the personalities bringing first class professional English language theatre to Montreal.


Building audiences for the future

Everyone in this field knows that what matters most is the creation and fostering of new audiences. To this extent, the Segal Centre is offering fantastic savings for those under 30. The hope is to see full advantage of this taken, from full-time college and university students to young professionals just starting out.


Tickets and Media Information

Run:

September 7-28

Previews:

September 7 1:30 pm

September 8-10 8:00 pm

Sunday-@-the-Segal:

September 7 11:00 am

Media Opening Night:
Thursday, September 11 8:00 pm

Performances:

Monday - Thursday, 8:00 pm

Saturday 8:30 pm

Sunday 7:00 pm

Matines:

Wednesdays 1:00 pm

Sundays 2:00 pm

Box Office:

(514) 739-7944

www.segalcentre.org

Admission

(514) 790-1245

www.admission.com

Segal Centre for Performing Arts at the Saidye

5170 cote St. Catherine Rd.


Alexandre Marine- Director

Mr. Marine is a founding member of the Tabakov Theatre in Moscow, founding artistic director of his company, Thtre Deuxime Ralit (T2R) and a faculty member at the Institute of Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. He has directed over 60 shows in Moscow, Montreal, Boston, New York and Tokyo. His 1997 production of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale at Centaur Theatre was rewarded at the Soire des Masques, while T2R's Hamlet was awarded the critics' prize (AQCT) for best Montreal show in 1999. The Segal production of Amadeus, which he directed, was also noted by the AQCT prize for best English-language production, as well as a MECCA for best director.


Brett Christopher- Le Vicomte de Valmont

Brett is known to Segal audiences for his performance in the solo show I Am My Own Wife (Masques Award: Best English Production, Mecca Award: Best Actor.) Other notable theatre credits include: The Gladstone Variations; Autoshow (Convergence Theatre); Antony & Cleopatra (Shakespeare in the Rough); Much Ado About Nothing (CanStage); Family Stories: Belgrade, The Sea (ARC); Romeo & Juliet; As You Like It (Theatre by the Bay); Mary's Wedding (Theatre & Co.) Brett is also the General Manager of Theatre Kingston and a graduate of the George Brown Theatre School.


Catherine de Seve- La Marquise de Merteuil

Catherine De Sve shares her time and versatile talent between theatre and television. On stage: La Marea (FTA), Le Silence (Omnibus), Le Comte de Monte-Cristo and Scaramouche (Thtre Denise-Pelletier). She also took part in Brigitte Haentjens's creation Tout comme elle (Usine C). She made a name for herself on Quebec television in Sketch Show (Gmeaux nomination for Best Actress in comedy). Since 2003, she has been a part of the prime-time program L'auberge du chien noir, broadcast on the SRC.


Christopher Hampton Playwright

Dangerous Liaisons is Mr. Hampton's 1985 Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos 1782 French epistolary novel. Other plays include The Talking Cure, White Chameleon, Tales from Hollywood, Treats, Savages, The Philanthropist and Total Eclipse. He co-wrote the book and lyrics for the musicals Sunset Boulevard and Dracula and the libretto for the Philip Glass operas Waiting for the Barbarians and Appomattox. He has translated extensively from Chekhov, Ibsen, Moliere, Odon von Horvath and Yasmina Reza. Screenplays include The Quiet American, Dangerous Liaisons (for which he won as Oscar), Carrington Atonement and most recently Cheri.


Pierre Choderlos de Laclos- Novelist

Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, (1741-1803), was a French soldier and novelist. His masterpiece Les Liaisons dangereuses is one of the earliest examples of the psychological novel. Written in epistolary form, it explores the amorous intrigues of French aristocracy. It combines searching psychological analysis in the manner of 17th-century drama, the assumptions of 18th-century philosophical sensationalism and suggestions of demonic Romantic revolt. The novel has inspired a large number of critical and analytic commentaries, plays and films.

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La nouvelle Voix du Zimbabwe vient nous prsenter son nouvel album "Rebel Woman" le 12 Septembre au Kola Note 21h

Les Productions Nuits d'Afrique prsentent

CHIWONISO

(Zimbabwe)

(Rebel Woman, sous l'tiquette Cumbancha, sortie le 2 septembre 2008.)

En Grande Premire Canadienne,

La nouvelle Voix du Zimbabwe vient nous prsenter son nouvel album Rebel Woman

Vendredi 12 septembre 2008 21h

Kola Note

Montral, le 19 aot 2008, CHIWONISO Maraire, connue sous le nom CHI viendra nous prsenter son premier album international, Rebel Woman, sous le label Cumbancha. Un album au message de libert, d'galit et d'amour dans le monde.

L'auteur compositeur- interprte, percussionniste et virtuose du mbira, CHIWONISO, fusionne instruments et rythmes traditionnels et lectrique. Enfant sacr de la culture africaine, elle voque le feu d'Anglique Kidjo, l'inspiration d'Oliver Mutkudzi, la rebellion de Thomas Mapfumo et le soul d'India-Ire.

CHIWONISO est l'une des artistes les plus lectrisante d'Afrique dcouvrir.

CHIWONISO nous livre donc cet album influenc de soul, R&B, Reggae et de rock avec le son du mbira toujours prsent dans l'ensemble de ces chansons. Le mbira est l'un des instruments africains les plus anciens. Il est fait de lames de mtal attaches sur un bloc de bois. Cet instrument est un lment essentiel dans la musique traditionnelle du Zimbabwe. Il se veut autant culturel que spirituel par son symbole. Il voque les esprits des anctres, nous transporte dans un monde de sons envotants. Un alliage de rythmes lgants et ensorcelants. CHIWONISO fait preuve d'une admirable constance tout au long de l'album dans le style et le ton.

Le titre Rebel Woman est inspir d'un pome sur la guerre des femmes pour leur indpendance au Zimbabwe. Ces femmes qui ont souffert du systme car elles ne s'y ont pas conformes.

CHIWONISO dnonce dans la plupart des ses titres les injustices sociales et affirme que chaque tre humain a des responsabilits envers la socit. Elle, en tant qu'Artiste, a un rle trs spcial. Elle prend donc la parole pour aider son peuple avec des chansons aux fortes implications sociales. Elle livre ainsi un message clair et efficace pour des actions qu'on espre l'tre tout autant.

Rebel Woman, premier album international en 10 ans, second album de l'artiste. Ses chansons et messages lui ont valu une reconnaisance chez les jeunes talents d'Afrique. CHIWONISO prend galement sa source d'inspiration dans la vie de tout les jour. Elle chante ce qu'elle voitĶ. Elle prend source d'inspiration dans la rue, par la politique, par l'amour et la haineĶ.. un tout l'inspire.

Les Productions Nuits d'Afrique, dans le cadre de sa programmation annuelle, prsentent en grande premire canadienne, CHIWONISO du Zimbabwe.le 12 septembre prochain, au Kola Note de Montral. CHIWONISO, une trs grande voix de l'afrique, viendra nous prsenter ses plus belles pices de son rcent album dont la sortie est prvue le 2 septembre prochain. Son exceptionnelle voix grimpe et dvale les octaves avec une souplesse tourdissante. Au-del de toute virtuosit, c'est parce qu'elle porte, avec une rare intensit, l'espoir chant de tout un peuple bless, qu'il nous touche en plein cur. Une artiste aux richesses infinies, et d'une beaut blouissante.

Base dans la ville capitale Harare, elle observe de ses yeux, les injustices du colonianisme, les ingalits sociales et les opressions politiques. CHIWONISO a t ds son jeune ge baigne dans le domaine de la musique. Son pre, musicien ethnomusicologiste, Dumisani Maraire, un homme trs respect au Zimbabwe dmnage aux Etats-Unis en 1970 pour perfectionner et poursuivre ses tudes en ethnomusicologie l'Universit de Washington. CHIWONISO est n en 1976 Washington et y a pass ses 7 premires annes, loin du Zimbabwe Dans la famille, la musique a toujours t ominiprsente. Elle descend de 2 parents musiciens. Son pre tait un talentueux joueur de Mbira et sa mre une superbe chanteuse. Elle a dbut jouer du mbira ds l'ge de 4 ans et a fait son premier enregistrement studio l'ge de 9 ans. Ds l'ge de 11 ans, CHIWONISO performait avec son pre dans le groupe familial Mhuri YaMaraire.

Ds son jeune ge, elle coutait la maison du James Brown, Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, RollingStones, Bach et MozartĶUn univers musical des plus varis o elle a pu prendre source d'inspiration.

En 1990, CHIWONISO retourne au Zimbabwe l'ge de 16 ans. Elle devient rapidement une figure importante de la scne locale. En 1997, elle ralise son premier album solo Ancient Voices et Radio-France Internationale lui dcerne le prix Dcouverte RFI Afrique, un concours a pour vocation de lancer l'international la carrire d'un artiste africain. 10 ans plus tard, la voici avec son nouvel album Rebel Woman.

De plus, elle a particip Dakar pour le programme de Dveloppement des Nations Unis Africa 2015, les Tams-Tams d'Afrique ou elle a partag la scne avec de trs clbres artistes tels que Salif Keita, Habib Koit, Manu Dibango, Ismael Lo, Baaba Mal et Youssou N'Dour. Elle y a interprt Girlchild une chanson qui trate des droits l'ducation pour les femmes du Zimbabwe. Elle participe galement auprs de plusieurs organisations pour les droits et liberts des femmes et des enfants.

CHIWONISO a travaill plus de 3 ans sur cet album avec le producteur Keith Farquharson. Album qui a t enregistr au Zimbabwe, en Afrique du sud, en Angleterre et au Vermont o le label Cumbancha est bas. Il a t ralis en collaboration avec de trs grands musiciens respects dans le monde de la musique africaine. Des invits d'honneur tels que (Le nigrien King Sunny Ade, l'icne sud-africaine Hugh Masekela, le drummer zimbabwen Sam Mautare un vtran du groupe d'Olivier Mutkudzi, le saxophoniste et fltiste Steve Dyer, le percussionniste Rony Irwyn, le guitariste-producteur Ivan Duran et le clavieriste Charles Eller) y ont fait partie.

CHIWONISO, une chanteuse africaine actuelle

la voix accrochante, onctueuse et puissanteĶ

qui saura enflammer la scne du Kola Note le 12 septembre prochain.

Nuits d'AfriqueĶDes Spectacles TOUTE l'Anne !

CHIWONISO

(Zimbabwe)

Vendredi le 12 septembre 2008 21h

Kola Note - 5240, avenue du Parc, (coin Fairmount) -

Billets en vente ds maintenant !!!

Le Kola Note (514) 274-9339

Sur Rseau Admission (514) 790-1245

www.admission.com

www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com


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Appel d'urgence la raison culturelle



RQD Expresso [20-08-2008]




Appel d'urgence la raison culturelle


English version below

Montral, le 19 aot 2008 Le RQD, au nom de plus de 500 professionnels de la danse au Qubec, dnonce avec virulence la dcision du gouvernement Harper dabolir plusieurs programmes de soutien aux arts et la tactique de guerre utilise pour se gagner des votes contre les artistes. Dun gouvernement lu dmocratiquement, mme en position minoritaire, tout citoyen est en droit dexiger quil fasse preuve de probit, de responsabilit, de rigueur, de vigilance et de transparence.

En laissant couler au compte-gouttes linformation relative labolition de plusieurs programmes de soutien la cration, la promotion, la formation, la consolidation des organisations, la diffusion internationale et lexportation de biens culturels, le gouvernement a dclench une vritable guerre des nerfs dans les milieux culturels. Dautant que la rumeur est leffet que dautres programmes soient dans la mireĶ

Nous demandons la ministre de Patrimoine canadien, Jose Verner, enfin sortie de sa tanire pour rpondre la pression des mdias, de clarifier les objectifs et les priorits de son gouvernement en matire de culture qui justifient labolition des programmes tombs sous le couperet, la semaine dernire. Par respect pour ses commettants (artistes, travailleurs, gens daffaires, spectateurs, auditeurs, lecteurs, amateurs dart, cinphiles, consommateurs de biens culturels, enseignants, tudiants, etc.), nous lui demandons de dvoiler, dans les plus brefs dlais, la liste complte des programmes que son gouvernement prvoient envoyer la trappe et la somme totale des conomies quil compte ainsi raliser sur le dos des arts et de la culture.

Si elle ne peut garantir le maintien, ou le transfert au Conseil des Arts du Canada, des crdits rattachs aux programmes qui sont, et seront abolis, nous la pressons dexpliquer aux artistes et aux travailleurs culturels comment son gouvernement entend les aider faire mieux avec moins?

En tant que ministre responsable du secteur culturel qui contribue hauteur de 43 milliards de dollars annuellement lconomie canadienne, et dont dpendent la vie culturelle et la sant conomique de nos communauts, nous lui demandons de sen faire la dfenderesse acharne auprs du Conseil des ministres et de la population.

Du nouveau ministre des Affaires trangres et Commerce international, David Emerson, nous nous attendons ce quil dfende bec et ongles la diplomatie culturelle, comme troisime pilier de la diplomatie trangre canadienne, et quil convainque ses collgues du gouvernement, non seulement de rtablir le programme PromArt, mais de rinvestir dans les budgets culturels des ambassades. Le Canada, pour qui la dfense et la promotion de sa spcificit culturelle est un enjeu politique et commercial de taille, na pas les moyens de se priver des ambassadeurs naturels, et de premier plan, que sont les artistes et travailleurs culturels du Qubec et du Canada sur la scne internationale, non plus que des agents au fait des affaires culturelles sur le terrain.

linstar des autres secteurs artistiques et culturels, des mdias et des lus des partis de lopposition qui ont dnonc les dcisions et les agissements du gouvernement Harper, la communaut de la danse professionnelle du Qubec espre ardemment quil entende raison. Labolition des programmes Promart et Routes commerciales compromet dangereusement, et court terme, lavenir de la danse professionnelle au Qubec et au Canada. Partie prenante dune industrie culturelle secoue par labolition dautres programmes de soutien, la communaut de la danse du Qubec et du Canada craint srieusement pour lavenir de la culture qubcoise et canadienne.

Nous avons collectivement, et sur plusieurs dcennies, beaucoup investi dans ldification dune culture et dune identit qui nous distinguent. Nous refusons de nous perdre dans la cacophonie du monde.


Call for Common Sense and Cultural Reason


Montreal, August 19, 2008 On behalf of over 500 Quebec dance professionals, RQD vehemently condemns the decision taken by the Harper government to abolish several arts support programs and the war tactics it has used to secure votes against artists. Every citizen has a right to demand that a democratically elected government, even one that is in a minority position, will act with integrity, accountability, rigour, watchfulness and transparency.
By adopting a piecemeal approach to how it releases information on the abolition of several support programs for artistic creation, promotion and training, organizational consolidation, international touring and the export of cultural products, the government has engaged Canada's cultural communities in a veritable war of nerves, particularly since rumour now has it that the government has set its sights on other programs, as well.

We are asking that the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Jose Verner, finally breaks her silence in response to media pressure, clarify her government's objectives and priorities with respect to culture and explain how they justify abolishing the programs that were cut last week. Out of simple respect for her constituents (artists, workers, business people, audiences, readers, art lovers, moviegoers, consumers of cultural products, teachers, students, etc.), we are asking her to respond as soon as possible with a complete list of the programs that her government plans to eliminate and the total amount of savings that it expects to achieve at the expense of arts and culture.

If Ms. Verner cannot guarantee that the appropriations for programs that have been or will be abolished will be maintained or transferred to the Canada Council for the Arts, we urge her to explain to artists and cultural workers how her government intends to help them do better with less funding.

As the Minister responsible for a sector that injects over $43 billion annually into the Canadian economy and on which the cultural and economic lives of our communities depend, we are asking her to become a tireless defender of arts and culture within the cabinet and to the public.

We expect David Emerson, the new Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, to fight tooth and nail in defence of cultural diplomacy as the third pillar of Canadian foreign diplomacy. We expect him to convince his colleagues within the government to not only bring back the PromArt program, but also to reinvest in the cultural budgets of Canada's embassies. Defending and promoting Canada's cultural distinctiveness is a critical political and trade issue, and Canada cannot afford to do without the natural ambassadors provided by Quebec's and English Canada's artists and cultural workers, first and foremost, not to mention the presence of our cultural trade agents in foreign markets.

Other artistic and cultural communities have denounced the Harper government's decisions and actions, as have the media and elected members of the opposition parties. Quebec's professional dance community fervently hopes that the government will listen to reason. Abolishing programs like PromArt and Trade Routes has seriously compromised the future of professional dance in the short term in both French and English Canada. As part of an industry that has been seriously affected by cuts to other support programs, the Quebec and English Canada dance communities are deeply concerned about the future of Canadian culture.

For several decades we have worked together to build a distinctive culture and identity. We refuse to have our point of view lost in the surrounding cacophony.

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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Soweto Gospel Choir at Massey Hall Dec. 17 & 18

Soweto Gospel Choir Returns to Toronto

For Two Performances Only!

December 17 & 18 Massey Hall

Tickets on sale TODAY!

Toronto, Ontario The exciting and dynamic Soweto Gospel Choir will return to Toronto for two performances only on December 17 and 18, 2008 at Massey Hall. The performances are presented by The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.

Two-time Grammy Award-winning Soweto Gospel Choir thrilled capacity audiences on each of their previous visits in 2005 and 2007. These return performances will include their newest holiday offerings as well as traditional favourites.

Expect earthy rhythms, rich harmonies, a cappella numbers as well as accompaniment by an exciting four-piece band and percussion section. Add energetic dancing and vibrant, colourful costumes, and the mix is awesome. The Choir performs in six of South Africas 11 official languages.

The popular Choir has made its mark on the international stage performing with such luminaries as Bono, The Eurythmics, Jimmy Cliff and many others. They have also performed for Nelson Mandela. Often referred to as the Voices from Heaven, the Choir reaches across cultural boundaries and each performance is uplifting, exhilarating and thrilling.

DETAILS

Dates: Dec. 17 & 18, 2008 at 8 p.m.

Location: Massey Hall

South side of Shuter Street, between Yonge & Victoria Streets

Tickets: On sale NOW: $18-$78 plus applicable service charges

Tickets can be purchased through the Massey Hall & Roy Thompson Hall Box Office by telephone 416-872-4255, in person at 60 Simcoe St., Toronto, online at www.masseyhall.com or through Ticketmaster by phone at 416-870-8000, online at www.ticketmaster.ca or in person at any Ticketmaster retail location.

GROUPS of 10 or more call Massey Hall Group Sales at 416-593-4822 ext. 225

Visit www.masseyhall.com for more details.

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COC Surpasses $10 Million in Advance Ticket Sales


COC DOES IT AGAIN: surpassING $10 MILLION IN ADVANCE TICKET SALES

Toronto, Ontario For the second year in a row and the second time in its history, the Canadian Opera Company has surpassed $10 million in gross subscription sales for the forthcoming season. This equates to over 96,000 seats sold and 16,000 subscribers so far for 2008/09.

Since the opening of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in 2006, the COC has celebrated an average attendance of 99%.

Tickets are still available for the 2008/09 season. Single tickets for Don Giovanni and War and Peace are on sale Monday August 25, 2008, as well as subscription packages and Multi Packs for 2008/09 season may be purchased by calling 416-363-8231, online at www.coc.ca, or in person at the

Four Seasons Centre Box Office (145 Queen St. W., Toronto).

Production Sponsor of Don Giovanni: RBC Financial Group

About the Canadian Opera Company

Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. The COC currently enjoys a remarkable 99% attendance rate for its mainstage season. The companys new home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, was designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. and is Canadas first purpose-built opera house. The contemporary expression of a traditional five-tiered, European horseshoe-shaped auditorium was specifically designed for opera with the highest level of acoustics and provides unparalleled intimacy between the audience and the stage. Acclaimed as one of the best opera houses in the world, the Four Seasons Centre is also the performance venue for The National Ballet of Canada.

Canadian Opera Company Website

The Canadian Opera Company website, at www.coc.ca, contains information on all productions including synopses, historical background, and production photographs.

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Monday, August 18, 2008

Silk Road Project Announces New Commissions


THE SILK ROAD PROJECT ANNOUNCES NEW COMMISSIONS

FOR YO-YO MA AND THE SILK ROAD ENSEMBLE

Acclaimed Composers and Musicians Gabriela Lena Frank, Rabih Abou-Khalil,

Giovanni Sollima, Sandeep Das, Siamak Aghaei and Colin Jacobsen

Create New Silk Road Ensemble Repertoire at Commissioning Workshop

and Open Rehearsal at Tanglewood Music Center, September 7-15, 2008

PROVIDENCE, R.I., August 18, 2008 The Silk Road Project, a non-profit organization founded by Artistic Director Yo-Yo Ma to connect musicians, composers, artists and audiences around the world, announces the commission of three new works by renowned composers Gabriela Lena Frank, Rabih Abou-Khalil and Giovanni Sollima, as well as two additional works by long-time Silk Road Ensemble members Sandeep Das, Siamak Aghaei and Colin Jacobsen. The works of these six composers and arrangers will offer a multitude of voices, echoes and overtonesranging from Peru and Jewish Eastern Europe, to Lebanon and Germany, to Sicily, Iran, India and the United States. The new pieces will be introduced into the Silk Road Ensembles repertoire during the Projects commissioning workshop at the Tanglewood Music Center from September 7-15, 2008. Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble will hold an open rehearsal of these newly unveiled works at Tanglewoods Seiji Ozawa Concert Hall at 7 p.m. on Monday, September 15.

New music is the lifeblood of the Silk Road Ensemble, stated Yo-Yo Ma. Our commissioning program forms the foundation for the remarkable exchanges that take place between musicians from so many different countries and traditions. One of my favorite things about the Ensemble is the way members introduce musicians and composers whose work they are passionate about. We're constantly saying to each other Youve got to hear this! I think that enthusiasm, combined with the time and effort we put into incubating new works, really makes the Silk Road Projects commissioning program unique.

The Silk Road Project must commission and arrange new works for the Silk Road Ensemble, since very little existing music is written for the Ensembles unique combinations of instruments. The Silk Road Projects commissioning program began at Tanglewood in Summer 2000, continued at LAcademie Musicale de Villecroze in southern France in Summer 2001, Tanglewood in Fall 2004 and Fall 2006, and returned to LAcademie Musicale de Villecroze in Summer 2007. Talented musicians, intrigued by the opportunity to compose music for instruments from the Western classical tradition and Silk Road regions, are selected to collaborate with Silk Road Ensemble members on the development of new pieces. The composers attend rehearsals of their works, which offers them the unique opportunity to refine their original ideas and test new approaches. The creation of new music is a constantly evolving process, with Ensemble members and composers working in tandem to create a diverse repertoire and expand opportunities for connections between artists and audience during performances. To date, the Silk Road Project has commissioned 64 works from composers from 17 countries, many of which have been recorded by the Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma and performed around the world.

With this round of commissions, Im especially excited because we are deepening some important relationships with Gabriela Lena Frank and Rabih Abou-Khalil and working for the first time with Giovanni Sollima, whose music embodies the centuries of wide-ranging influences that have long made Sicily a cultural crossroads, said Yo-Yo Ma. Its also been thrilling to watch Siamak, Colin and Sandeep develop as composers and arrangers, as well as musicians, in the eight years Ive known them. I cant wait to hear what they come up with.

Gabriela Lena Frank

Gabriela Lena Franks compositions are inspired by her diverse heritage as an American of Peruvian, Chinese, Lithuanian and Jewish descent. She has committed herself to exploring South American culture and folklore, and has been lauded as a musical anthropologist as her work often incorporates Latin American poetry, mythology, and native music styles into a Western classical framework. Franks Ritmos Anchinos, which combines Chinese and Andean musical influences, was commissioned for the 2006 workshop at Tanglewood and performed during the Silk Road Ensembles 2008 tour of Japan, and will be featured in upcoming performances during the Silk Road Projects 10th-anniversary season.

Rabih Abou-Khalil

An accomplished instrumentalist and composer raised in Beirut and Munich, Rabih Abou-Khalils compositions intertwine Arabic and Western musical traditions in a contemporary context. The Silk Road Ensemble met Abou-Khalil at the 2007 workshop in Villecroze, France, and he has arranged a performance of his celebrated Arabian Waltz for the Silk Road Ensemble, which has been a favorite of Silk Road Ensemble members and audiences. This is his first commission expressly for the Silk Road Ensemble. Other recent commissions include works for the Sdwesrfunk (Southwest German Radio) and BBC Concert Orchestra, and he has collaborated with the Ensemble Modern, one of the most renowned orchestras specializing in contemporary music.

Giovanni Sollima

Giovanni Sollima is an accomplished cellist and progressive composer whose diverse and eclectic approach is characterized by elements of classical, jazz and rock music. Sollima is influenced by ethnic sounds from his native Sicily, North Africa, the Middle East and the Balkan States. Despite his traditional Western classical roots, Sollimas compositions extend beyond conventionality, eluding fixed genres. In addition to performing as a soloist at world-renowned concert halls, his work has been commissioned for ensembles, film directors and choreographers. This will be Sollimas first collaboration with the Silk Road Ensemble.

Sandeep Das

A member of the Silk Road Ensemble since 2000, Sandeep Das is considered one of the premier tabla players today. His percussion expertise has made him a celebrity in India and earned him international renown. Das was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2005 for one of his approximately 20 collaborative albums.

Siamak Aghaei

A talented santur player, Siamak Aghaei is regarded as among the best Iranian classical musicians of his generation. An integral member of the Silk Road Ensemble since 2000, Aghaei has studied folk music traditions of Iran for the past decade.

Colin Jacobsen

A graduate of the Juilliard School and regular performer with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center among other New York ensembles, Jacobsen has performed with the Silk Road Ensemble since 2000. His most recent arrangement for the Ensemble has been of an ancient Persian song, Ascending Bird.

About the Silk Road Project

The Silk Road Project is a not-for-profit arts, cultural and educational organization founded in 1998 by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who serves as its artistic director, and led by Laura Freid, executive director and CEO. The Project has a vision of connecting the worlds neighborhoods by bringing together artists and audiences around the globe. Inspired by the interchange of culture and ideas along the historic trade route, the Silk Road Project presents performances by the Silk Road Ensemble; commissions new musical and multimedia works; and develops educational materials and programming. Partnering with other institutions to present musical, visual and narrative traditions from Silk Road regions, the Silk Road Project engages audiences throughout the world through performances, educational programs, and residencies in universities, colleges, museums and schools.

About Yo-Yo Ma

The many-faceted career of cellist Yo-Yo Ma is testament to his continual search for new ways to communicate with audiences and to his personal desire for artistic growth and renewal. Ma maintains a balance between his engagements as soloist with orchestras worldwide and his recital and chamber music activities. His discography includes more than 75 albums, including 16 Grammy award winners. One of Mas goals is the investigation of music as a means of communication and as a vehicle for the migration of ideas; in 1998, he established the Silk Road Project to promote the study of cultural, artistic and intellectual traditions along the ancient Silk Road trade routes. Ma was born in Paris to Chinese parents who later moved the family to New York. He began to study cello at the age of four, attended the Juilliard School and in 1976 graduated from Harvard University. He has received numerous awards, including the 1978 Avery Fisher Prize, the 1999 Glenn Gould Prize, the 2001 National Medal of Arts, the 2006 Sonning Prize, the 2006 Dan David Prize, and the 2008 World Economic Forums Crystal Award. In 2006, he was designated a United Nations Messenger of Peace by then Secretary-General Kofi Annan. In 2007, Secretary-General Ban Kimoon extended his appointment.

About the Silk Road Ensemble

The Silk Road Ensemble is a select group of performers and composers drawn from a wide range of cultural and international musical heritages. The Ensemble presents innovative and energetic performances that explore traditional and contemporary music from their diverse backgrounds, provide a creative platform for their own artistic growth and engage audiences in further learning about the Silk Road.

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Bernstein Opens NY Festival Of Song 9/23


NEW YORK FESTIVAL OF SONG 2008-2009, 21st SEASON
OPENS SEPTEMBER 23 IN NYC WITH A BERNSTEIN / BOLCOM CELEBRATION

NEW YORK CONCERTS AT MERKIN CONCERT HALL, WEILL RECITAL HALL, THE JUILLIARD SCHOOL

SASHA COOKE, JOAN MORRIS AND WILLIAM BOLCOM, KATE LINDSEY,
JOSEPH KAISER, DINA KUZNETSOVA, RINAT SHAHAM AMONG GUEST ARTISTS

NATIONALLY: TOURING TO KENNEDY CENTER, CARAMOOR FESTIVAL, CONNECTICUT, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, UTAH

BRIDGE RECORDS CD OF BASTIANELLO / LUCREZIA SCHEDULED FOR DECEMBER RELEASE

New York Festival Of Song (NYFOS, www.nyfos.org), co-founded and directed by pianists Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, who "reinvented the song recital during the 1990's with daring and dramatic programming" (The New Yorker), announces its 21st season (2008-2009).

The company's New York City concerts begin on September 23 at the newly renovated Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center, with A Bernstein / Bolcom Celebration. The concert pays tribute to two of NYFOS's guiding lights, Leonard Bernstein and William Bolcom; Bolcom and his wife, mezzo-soprano Joan Morris, will cap the evening with a selection of songs from their vast repertoire. The program also celebrates the ninetieth birthday of NYFOS's Founding Advisor, Leonard Bernstein, who bestowed the American premiere of his last work, Arias and Barcarolles, to the newly-formed company. Their subsequent recording of the work in 1989, with Judy Kaye and William Sharp, earned the composer a posthumous Grammy Award for Best New Composition.

Other concert programs this year include Fugitives (Nov. 18 and 20), works by composers who fled Europe during Hitler's rise to power; Voices of the Jewish Diaspora (Feb. 10 and 12), songs in many languages from the worldwide Jewish community; Songs of the Irish Poets, scheduled for St. Patrick's Day, featuring the lyricism of the Emerald Isle's greatest writers set to music by Beethoven, Britten and others; and The Welcome Shore (May 19 and 21), songs of rivers and oceans, by composers ranging from Brahms to Nol Coward. Special events include Latin Lovers (January 14), the fourth annual NYFOS@Juilliard concert. The collaboration between NYFOS and The Juilliard School's Vocal Arts Department celebrates the students' creative energy and superior vocal talent; alumni of the program have begun to participate in NYFOS's regular season concerts. NYFOS will also have a Gala Concert on April 17 at Weill Recital Hall, program to be announced.

In December, 2008, Bridge Records will release an original cast recording of John Musto's Bastianello and William Bolcom's Lucrezia, the critically acclaimed one-act comic operas commissioned and premiered by NYFOS last season. Both operas have librettos by Mark Campbell. Bastianello is a family fable of love and folly based on a poignant Italian folk tale; Lucrezia retells Machiavelli's La Mandragola from the point of view of its wise and captivating heroine. This wickedly funny seduction story is set in Argentina "A Latin American zarzuela as imagined by the Marx Brothers," according to the composer. The recording features soprano Lisa Vroman, mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, tenor Paul Appleby, baritone Patrick Mason and bass Matt Boehler, with pianists Steven Blier and Michael Barrett.

Curtain time for all concerts is 8 PM. Merkin Concert Hall at Kaufman Center is at 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY 10023. Single tickets are available by calling (212) 501-3330, or visiting www.kaufman-center.org. Student discounts are available. Free tickets for the January 14 concert at Juilliard will be available at The Juilliard School's box office beginning January 5.

Guest artists at NYFOS for 2008-2009 include mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, the Lucrezia in Bastianello / Lucrezia last spring, and soon to sing Kitty Oppenheimer in the Metropolitan Opera's New York Premiere of Doctor Atomic; mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey, who will be seen as Cherubino and in many other roles at the Metropolitan this season; tenor Joseph Kaiser, the Tamino of the Kenneth Branagh film version of The Magic Flute, and Narraboth in the Met's Salome this year as well as at Covent Garden; soprano Dina Kuznetsova, featured in NYFOS's Obsession la Russe, who will star as Alice Ford in a new production of Falstaff at Glyndebourne, and will appear with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; and mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham, who will be featured in opera and concert at Paris' Theatre de la Champs-lyses and the Lucerne Festival.

On its touring schedule, NYFOS brings Bastianello / Lucrezia, the acclaimed double-bill of one-act comic operas by William Bolcom and John Musto with librettos by Mark Campbell, to the Moab Music Festival in Utah on September 5; The Last Time I Saw Paris, French song from The Jazz Age to post-World War II, to the Robbie Colomore Concert Series in Chester, Connecticut (October 26) and the Andover Chamber Music Series in Massachusetts (November 9); Fugitives to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., presented by the Vocal Arts Society (November 14); Voices of the Jewish Diaspora to the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland at College Park (February 15); and Songs of the Irish Poets to the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, NY (March 14), which culminates a week-long professional training residency, Caramoor Vocal Rising Stars, sponsored by and presented at Caramoor. Leading the week's events will be NYFOS artistic directors and pianists Steven Blier and Michael Barrett who will be working with a select group of young singers from around the country invited to participate in this auspicious project. The program will be repeated as part of NYFOS's New York City 2008-2009 concert season at Merkin Concert Hall on March 17, 2009.
The initial season of the Caramoor Vocal Rising Stars Program will be underwritten, in part, by The Terrance W. Schwab Fund for Young Vocal Artists.


NEW YORK SEASON SCHEDULE

Tuesday and Thursday, SEPTEMBER 23 & 25, 2008
Merkin Concert Hall
"A Bernstein / Bolcom Celebration"
A tribute to two of New York Festival of Song's guiding lights, Leonard Bernstein and William Bolcom, quintessential American composers and great spirits who have long provided wisdom, guidance, and music to NYFOS. Songs from Bernstein's Peter Pan, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Songfest, Wonderful Town, On the Town, Arias and Barcarolles; Bolcom's Cabaret Songs, I Will Breathe a Mountain, Briefly It Enters, McTeague; and a special appearance by Joan Morris and William Bolcom, who will share signature songs from their repertoire.
Artists: Sari Gruber, soprano; Rebecca Jo Loeb, mezzo-soprano; Joan Morris, mezzo-soprano; Rene Tatum, mezzo-soprano; Alex Mansoori, tenor; William Sharp, baritone; Marc Webster, bass; William Bolcom, Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano


Tuesday and Thursday, NOVEMBER 18 & 20, 2008
Merkin Concert Hall
"Fugitives"
An evening of songs from the concert stage, the movies, Broadway, and Berlin's cabarets that trace the varied fortunes of the gifted composers who fled destruction during Hitler's rise to power--some to begin new lives and brilliant careers abroad, others to meet with darker fates. Music by Kurt Weill, Franz Schreker, Arnold Zemlinsky, Kurt Tucholsky, Erich Korngold, Hanns Eisler, Friedrich Hollaender, Emmerich Klmn, and many others.
Artists: Kate Lindsey, mezzo-soprano; Joseph Kaiser, tenor; Steven Blier, piano

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2009
Peter Jay Sharp Auditorium at The Juilliard School
"Latin Lovers: An Evening of Cuban and South American Song," the fourth annual NYFOS@Juilliard concert.
Songs by Guastavino, Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Lpez-Buchardo, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Ernesto Lecuona, and many others.

Tuesday and Thursday, FEBRUARY 10 & 12, 2009
Merkin Concert Hall
"Voices of the Jewish Diaspora"
Songs in many languages celebrate the culturally diverse Jewish communities that flourished as the tribes of Israel spread out across the globe. Sephardic melodies arranged by Alberto Hemsi and Roberto Sierra; Second Avenue specialties by Irving Berlin and Joseph Rumshinsky; art songs by Ravel, Milhaud, and Rubinstein; plus music by Gershwin and Bernstein.
Artists: Dina Kuznetsova, soprano; Rinat Shaham, mezzo-soprano; Steven Goldstein, tenor; Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano

Tuesday, MARCH 17, 2009
Merkin Hall
"Songs of the Irish Poets"
The lyricism of the Emerald Isle's greatest writers, including Thomas Moore, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, and Paul Muldoon, as set to music by Beethoven, Britten, Balfe, Barber and others; with a group of traditional Irish songs featuring the fiddle playing of Paul Woodiel.
Artists: Paul Appleby, tenor; other members of Caramoor's Terrence W. Schwab Vocal Rising Stars Program; Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano

TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2009
Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall
Spring Gala
Program TBA

Tuesday and Thursday, MAY 19 & 21, 2009
Merkin Concert Hall
"The Welcome Shore"
A hymn to rivers and oceans stirs the heart and the imagination as the summer season draws near. Music by Elgar (the magnificent Sea Pictures), Faur, Guastavino, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Nol Coward, Pauline Viardot, and many others.
Artists: Michelle Areyzaga, soprano; Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano; Philip Cutlip, baritone; Steven Blier and Michael Barrett, piano

New York Festival of Song
was founded in 1988 by Steven Blier and Michael Barrett. NYFOS is dedicated to creating intimate song concerts of great beauty, humor and originality, combining music, poetry, and history to entertain, educate and create community among audiences and performers. With a far-ranging repertoire of art songs, concert works and theater pieces, its thematic recitals have included programs from Brahms to the Beatles, from the nineteenth-century salons of Paris to Tin Pan Alley, from Russian art song to Argentine tangos, from sixteenth-century lute songs to new music. NYFOS particularly celebrates American song literature and culture, and specializes in premiering and commissioning new American works. They have produced five recordings on the Koch label, including a Grammy Award-winning disc of Bernstein's Arias and Barcarolles, as well as the Grammy-nominated recording of Ned Rorem's Evidence of Things Not Seen on New World Records, and the Bridge Records release of the NYFOS program Spanish Love Songs. NYFOS's concert series, touring programs, radio broadcasts, recordings, and educational activities have inspired a new interest in the creative possibilities of the song program, and have inspired the creation of thematic vocal series around the world.

Artistic Director Steven Blier has programmed, performed, translated and annotated over 100 song programs with repertoire spanning the entire range of American song, art song from Schubert to Szymanowski, and popular song from early vaudeville to Lennon-McCartney. In addition, Mr. Blier enjoys an eminent career as an accompanist and vocal coach. Among the many artists he has partnered in recital are Rene Fleming, Cecilia Bartoli, Samuel Ramey, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Susan Graham and Frederica von Stade. Associate Artistic Director Michael Barrett is also the CEO of Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, and General Director of the Caramoor International Music Festival. In 1992 Mr. Barrett and his wife Leslie Tomkins founded The Moab Music Festival in Utah, for which he serves as music director. He has conducted major orchestras here and abroad in the symphonic, operatic, and dance repertoire, and is the former director of the Tisch Center for the Arts at the 92nd Street Y. Mr. Barrett has conducted and played premieres by Bernstein, Blitzstein, Bolcom, Kernis, Sellars, Harrison, Takemitsu, Del Tredici and John Corigliano.

Funding for the Bastianello / Lucrezia CD release on Bridge Records was provided by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc. Commission and first performance of Bastianello by John Musto and Mark Cambell and Lucrezia by William Bolcom and Mark Campbell by New York Festival of Song, Inc. were supported by the New York State Music Fund, established by the New York State Attorney General at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.

NYFOS's New York City concert series is funded, in part, by the City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.




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Saturday, August 16, 2008

Amadeus Choir presents "Amadeus Choir and Friends" on Saturday, November 8.

Toronto's acclaimed Amadeus Choir, conducted by Artistic Director Lydia Adams, launches its 34th season Music for Life with a concert entitled AMADEUS CHOIR and FRIENDS on Saturday, November 8th, 2008 at 7:30, Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, 1585 Yonge Street, Toronto.

For this exciting season opener, the Amadeus Choir welcomes special friends The Gerald Fagan Singers and the Fanshawe Chorus, conducted by Gerald Fagan; plus featured guest artists soprano Leslie Fagan; tenor Darryl Edwards; baritone Mark Pedrotti; pianists Ruth Watson Henderson and Peter MacDonald; and The Bach Childrens Chorus with its director Linda Beaupr.

Two totally different works by two totally different composers are brought together to form a program that is uniquely complementary. The award-winning Canadian composer Ruth Watson Henderson was commissioned by the Amadeus Choir in 1991 to write a major work that would use the same forces as German composer Carl Offs scenic cantata Carmina Burana, and she did just that. Voices of Earth was written for three choirs, and combines poetry of Archibald Lampman with verses from Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis of Assisi. Two pianos and percussion will join the Amadeus Choir to present exciting, earthy, dramatic and always beautiful music.

Tickets: $35.00 General seating. To order, call the Amadeus Choir: 416-446-0188.

For more information about the Choirs 2008/09 concert series, visit: www.amadeuschoir.com

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Friday, August 15, 2008

Sweetwater Music Festival 2008

SWEETWATER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2008
September 19, 20, 21 2008

Artistic Director and critically acclaimed violinist Mark Fewer is pleased to announce the fifth annual SweetWater Music Festival, a series of chamber music concerts and free workshops for music students September 19 to 21, 2008 in Historic Leith Church and Division Street United Church in Owen Sound.

Artistic Director Mark Fewer (violin) and Associate Director Virginia Barron (viola) lead this year's all-star performer lineup which includes guest performer James Campbell (Artistic Director of Parry Sound's Festival of the Sound) and newcomer Michi Wiancko (violin), as well as returning performers Melanie Conly (soprano), Jonathan Crow (violin), Denise Djokic (cello), Peter Longworth (piano), Douglas McNabney (viola), Tom Wiebe (cello), and Rosanne Wieringa (flute).

This year's composer lineup includes: Boccherini, Colgrass, Brahms, Handel/Halvorsen, Haydn, Hindson, Hoiby, Murphy, Schnittke, Schoenberg, Schoenfield, and Stravinsky. Canadian composer Walter Buczynski's work "In Memoriam" will be perfomed in honour of teacher & pianist Earle Moss.

The Saturday pre-concert chat will be given by Artistic Director Mark Fewer. He will discuss the repertoire as well as speak about SweetWater and its presence at the local, national, and international levels. Sweetwater Music Festival will also continue the tradition of highlighting the work of local instrument makers during the series of concerts.

FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2008, 8pm, Historic Leith Church:
"transformations" works by Handel/Halvorsen, Colgrass, Stravinsky, Schnittke, Schoenberg.

SATURDAY, Sept. 20, 2008, 10am-12noon, Division Street Church in Owen Sound:
Student Master Classes (see below)

SATURDAY, Sept. 20, 2008, 8pm, Division Street Church in Owen Sound:
"about face" works by Hoiby, Boccherini, Buczynski, Murphy, Schoenfield, Hindson.
(Includes a pre-concert chat by Artistic Director Mark Fewer at 6:30pm)

SUNDAY, Sept. 21, 2008, 2pm, Historic Leith Church
"all good things" works by Haydn & Brahms

Student Master Classes Saturday, September 20, 10am - 12noon
Students interested in performing a solo or chamber work at this year's Masterclass can apply by mail to the address below. Applications should be submitted ASAP. For information, call 519-376-3517. Send applications to: Keith Medley, Box #392, Owen Sound ON N4K 5P7. Free to the performing students and open to the public.

Tickets:
Roxy Theatre Box Office 519-371-2833 (1-888-446-ROXY)
or call 519-371-1754
or email info@swmw.ca

Fri. Sept. 19 at Historic Leith Church: $30.00 (includes reception following)
Sat. Sept. 20 at Division Street Church: $25.00 (includes a pre-concert chat at 6:30pm)
Sun. Sept. 21 at Historic Leith Church: $30.00
Series tickets: $75.00

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TACF Awards Finalists Announced


Toronto Arts Council Foundation Announces Finalists for 2008 Awards

Today, the Toronto Arts Council Foundation (TACF) announced the shortlist for the 2008 Toronto Arts Council Foundation Awards. The jury, which includes prominent artists, cultural workers and arts supporters, has chosen 15 finalists for the prestigious awards. Winners of the 2008 Toronto Arts Council Foundation Awards will be announced on Friday, October 17, 2008 at the Mayors Arts Awards Lunch.

"There's no doubt that creativity is thriving in our city! From those who make art to those who support artistic endeavors, this year's awards shortlist is a proclamation of excellence, innovation, rigor and passion," says jury member Alana Wilcox of Coach House Books. "Serving on the 2008 jury is as much a privilege as it was a challenge. The jury saw such a range of worthy accomplishments that decisions were certainly difficult. Bravo to all finalists." Wilcoxs fellow jurors included Stephen Andrews, Laurie Brown (Chair), Adonis Huggins, Patty Jarvis, Molly Johnson, Michael Levine, Linda MacKenzie, ahdri zhina mandiela, Andrew Moodie, Rina Singha, Jason van Eyk, and dbi.young.anitafrika.

The 2008 Toronto Arts Council Foundation Awards, with cash prizes totaling $35,000, celebrate artists, cultural professionals and arts supporters from every creative discipline who have made significant contributions to Torontos artistic and cultural life. The 2008 finalists are:

Arts for Youth Award a $15,000 cash prize established in 2007 by Martha Burns, Jim Fleck and Jim Pitblado, this award celebrates an individual, collective or organization that has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to engaging Toronto youth in the arts.

Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (LKTYP) is a longtime visionary contributor to the development of Torontos youth. Through high quality theatre experiences designed specifically for young people, to multiple educational and community engagement programs, LKTYP invites young people to examine their evolving identities and the contexts in which they live.

Mammalian Diving Reflex (MDR) is an interdisciplinary company that creates opportunities for youth to be valued creators in their own right and have their voices respected in collaboration with adults through various youth-driven events, theatre-based performances, theoretical texts and community happenings.

SKETCH Working Arts for Street-Involved and Homeless Youth creates art-making opportunities for young people who are street-involved, homeless or who are considered to be at risk. By engaging marginalized youth in progressive learning opportunities within the context of a multi-disciplinary studio, SKETCH creates opportunities for personal and community development, enhanced job and life skills and cultural development and leadership.

The Globe and Mail Toronto Business for the Arts Award recognizes a local business that has made a significant contribution to the arts in Toronto. Established in 2006, this award is presented in partnership with Business for the Arts. The recipient will receive an original work of art created by Nobuo Kubota.

For many years, BMO Financial Group has contributed to the health of Toronto communities by supporting artistic companies, emerging artists and celebrated cultural institutions. BMO also sponsors myriad arts education initiatives, including outreach programs that bring the voices of youth to life in underserved areas across the GTA. BMO Financial Group believes in the transformative power of the arts and works to make them accessible to a wide range of participants.


Concord Adex Developments is dedicated to promoting art in the public realm by collaborating with and supporting artists, city staff and planners. From commissioning an installation for the Spadina Avenue underpass, to supporting the Art With Heart benefit for Casey House, Concord combines knowledge of the contemporary art scene with awareness of community needs. Through generous financial support and creative involvement in the projects they sponsor, Concord works to improve city spaces and the lives of those who live within them.

Torys LLP, a Toronto-based international law-firm, has partnered with CARFAC Ontario to form the Visual Artists Legal Clinic of Ontario (VALCO). Through VALCO, the Torys team of lawyers provides essential advice to artists regarding their legal rights and responsibilities. Since 2005, Torys has provided free legal expertise to CARFAC artists, the majority of whom would otherwise be unable to afford the service.

RBC Emerging Artist Award a $5,000 cash prize presented to an emerging Toronto artist working in any medium or performing arts discipline in celebration of their current accomplishments and future potential. Established in 2006 by RBC Foundation, this award is intended to support the development or completion of new work.

Actor, writer, producer and director Greg Atkins has brought his diverse talents to multiple self-created short films including Build which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2004 and went on to great acclaim, traveling to over forty festivals worldwide. His versatility, willingness to examine controversial issues, and notable experimentation with style have earned him recognition and ignited enthusiastic anticipation of his coming works.

Glenda del Monte Escalante is a piano soloist, chamber musician and performer of diverse cultural styles. Glenda is also an emerging cultural leader, taking action in such roles as musical director of the New Cuban Generation Group where she facilitates the meeting of different fields, cultures and ideas.

Director and dramaturge of Dora-nominated blood.claat and da kink in my hair, Weyni Mengeshas physical and intellectually grounded productions leave a lasting impression on Toronto audiences. Weyni is leader of the Playwrights Collective at Passe Muraille, and the force behind Stage 3. She is also dedicated to nurturing a new generation of artists and leaders through the A.M.Y. Project and her work with Ethiopian youth at the Salem Youth Leadership Program.

Roy Thomson Hall Award of Recognition a $10,000 cash prize presented to an individual, ensemble or organization to recognize creative, performing, administrative, volunteer or philanthropic contributions to Torontos musical life. This award was established by the Volunteer Committee of Roy Thomson Hall in 1984 to recognize and thank the community that supported the conception, building and establishment of the new concert hall. In 2002, the Corporation of Massey Hall and Roy Thomson Hall (RTH) asked the TACF to manage the award.

Conductor David Fallis is recognized as one of Canadas leading interpreters of operatic and choral/orchestral repertoire from before 1800. He is artistic director of the Toronto Consort, music director for Opera Atelier, and former conductor of the Toronto Chamber Choir. In addition, David works within the community to build partnerships, foster links among diverse cultural groups and attract new audiences.

New Music Arts Projects (NMAP) acts as a unifying organization for Torontos contemporary new music community. It creates a space for the diverse expressive possibilities within Toronto by supporting music that takes risks, challenges audiences and invites cross-disciplinary collaboration. NMAP works in cooperation with the Toronto Coalition of New Music Presenters to conceive of innovative events such as the soundaXis festivals that explore the interaction between music and other forms of expression and artistic practice.

Jazz musician and composer Richard Underhill brings his talents to multiple musical communities in the city including the African and Latin music scenes, the swing and blues communities, and his own free-spirited Shuffle Demons band. He also prioritizes community participation in music, as made evident by his work as the Musical Director for the Kensington Horns Community band since 2003, and musical director of the Festival of Lights since 2002.

William Kilbourn Award for the Celebration of Torontos Cultural Life a $5,000 cash prize presented to an individual performer, teacher, administrator or creator in any arts discipline, including architecture and design, whose work is a celebration of life through the arts in Toronto. Established in 1996, this award is funded through an endowment made possible by private donors who wished to celebrate the life of William Kilbourn (1926-1995). Kilbourn was an author, an educator, an historian and a politician, serving as alderman for the City of Toronto (1970-76) and as a board member of the Toronto Arts Council for seven years, serving as its president from 1981 to 1984.

David Anderson draws on the magic of theatre and puppetry to celebrate the local histories and current interests of Torontos diverse communities. He has been instrumental in developing a culture that supports rehearsal and performance in Torontos public spaces, and has taken full advantage of these asserted rights as founder of Clay and Paper Theatre. His efforts to captivate broad audiences have also led him to develop the wildly successful Day of Delight festival of love and desire and Night of Dread parade of fear and commemoration.

Marc Glassman is a community builder, facilitator and mentor with a flare for pushing artists and audiences alike to define and redefine the possibilities of artistic expression. In addition to co-founding the MOVING PICTURES and IMAGES festivals, his creative commitments range from work as an arts journalist and film curator to proprietor of Pages, Torontos famously extensive indie bookshop. He creates opportunities for other artists to share and grow their work such as the multi-disciplinary literary programme, This is Not a Reading Series.

Thomas Hendrys bold work as a playwright, theatre administrator and arts activist continues to have a meaningful impact on the Canadian arts community. Hendry has helped to define and develop Canadian theatre through his writing and his support of Canadian works and premieres. In addition, Hendry has developed policy and institutions that support the arts. His efforts as co-founder of Arts and the Cities and as Policy Director of the Toronto Arts Council (1984-1995) have contributed to dramatic increases in municipal spending on the arts and improved equal access to these benefits.

Toronto Arts Council Foundation, existing to provide the creative opportunity for donors to support the arts in Toronto, believes that a great city demands great art, and by supporting, celebrating, financing and advocating for Torontos local artists, were improving the quality of life of all Torontonians. Although separate entities, the Toronto Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council Foundation benefit by being run as sister organizations, ensuring close contact with the arts sector in Toronto and the continuous awareness of needs across the community.

For more information on the awards and the work of the Toronto Arts Council Foundation, please visit www.torontoarts.org/awards.html

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Thursday, August 14, 2008

Fall Theatre Event - Talisman Theatre

TALISMAN THEATRE
Presents the Montreal English premire of
DOWN DANGEROUS PASS ROAD
by Michel Marc Bouchard
translated by Linda Gaboriau
directed by Emma Tibaldo


DOWN DANGEROUS PASSES ROAD is a play that explores the complexities of the human experience through the poetry of tragedy and triumph. In an eternal moment of dja-vu, on Dangerous Passes Road, three brothers attempt to confront the consequences of their father's drowning thirteen years ago. Lines from his last poem repeat over and over in their headsthe same poem that had spun round and round in the whirlpool that had eventually pulled him down. Struggling to break the cycle, and striving for moments of frankness and lucidity, they repeat snatches of their conversations from that fateful day, over and over.

November 6 to 16, 2008 Tues. to Sat. - 8:00 pm
Sat. Matinees - 2:00 pm
Thtre La Chapelle
3700, St-Dominique
(514) 843-7738
www.talisman-theatre.com

Actors:
Marcelo Arroyo, Patrick Costello and Graham Cuthbertson
Set & Costume Designer:
Lyne Paquette
Lighting Designers:
David Perreault Ninacs & Sarah Yaffe
Composer/Sound Designer:
Michael Leon
Video and Visual Designer:
Mireille Couture

Ticket Prices
Adults: $25
Students: $20
Groups (10 or more): $20

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Fall Theatre event



OTHELLO

By William Shakespeare

Directed by Gabrielle Soskin

Shakespeare's timeless tragedy illustrates the devastating power of words to manipulate, persuade, and ultimately destroy.

Othello, a noble moor, a military hero, is caught in a terrifying web of deceit in Shakespeare's gripping masterpiece. Brimming with disturbing and conflicting emotions: love and hate, jealousy and ambition, sexual desire and individual integrity, as the characters struggle against the forces that overpower them.

DATES & TIMES: November 13 to 29 8:00 pm

Weekday matines: November 14, 17, 19, 20, 24 & 26 1:00 pm
Sunday matines: November 16 and 23 2:00 pm

VENUE: McCord Museum

690 Sherbrooke Street West

J. Armand Bombardier Theatre

Box office: (514) 398 - 7100 ext. 234

WEB SITE: www.persephoneproductions.org

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4th Line Theatre Adds Extra Play Date

Extra Date added for 4th Line Theatres Schoolhouse Play

4th Line Theatre has already enjoyed sold out shows for their remount of the Schoolhouse play this season, and have made available an extra performance on Monday, August 18th for their eager audiences. This has almost become an annual tradition, says General Manager, Simone Georges. We normally perform from Tuesday through Saturday, with a break for the actors on Sundays and Mondays but that extra Monday date has proved to be an invaluable practice for each of the productions these past two years. Mondays provide a great weekday alternative as it has proven to be very popular, and our Monday performance in July was one of the first dates sold out!

Despite the unusual rain this summer, the theatre experienced no rain cancellations throughout the month of July and has only cancelled twice this season. Always interested in the comfort and quality of experience for their patrons, 4th Line Theatre offers a complimentary shuttle service to the Farm venue from the Old Millbrook School this week (August 13th 16th) when their parking field at the venue became unusable due to the rain.

Performance start time is 6pm. For tickets call 705-932-4445 or 1-800-814-0055 or visit www.4thlinetheatre.on.ca

Schoolhouse

By Leanna Brodie

Directed by Kim Blackwell

August 5 to 30 / Previews: August 5 and 6 / Opening night: Thursday, August 7

Tuesday to Saturday at 6 p.m.

With an added performance on Monday, August 18

The year is 1938 and Miss Linton is the new teacher in a rural schoolhouse full of eager youngsters and underachieving big boys alike. The play recalls the passion of these young women teachers who shaped so many lives by inspiring loyalty, fear and a love of learning.

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Pianist Christina Petrowska Quillico featured in 08-09 performaces


CHRISTINA PETROWSKA QUILICO PLAYS MUSIC FROM LATEST CD

AT MUSIC MONDAYS, AUG. 25 AT CHURCH OF THE HOLY TRINITY

Pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico, whose latest recording, Ings, has been garnering much airplay, will perform selections from the two-CD set in a Music Mondays performance, August 25 at 12:15 p.m., at the Church of the Holy Trinity (behind the Eaton Centre). There is no charge, although a $5 donation would be appreciated. For more information, call 416-598-4521 ext. 304, or visit www.musicmondays.ca.

Among the works she will perform are Ann Southams Glass Houses, Masamitsu Takahashis Capriccio; Wannabe a Rag and All Boogies by Bill Westcott, some Art Tatum selections and a work by Olivier Messiaen.

Ings a two-CD compilation of live performances, mainly of Canadian and American composers, recorded by CBC Radio during the last few years has received much airplay on CBC Radio, particularly on both the weekday and weekend editions of The Signal. It has also been played on other Canadian stations and in the U.S. John Stape of Review Vancouver wrote, These pieces, so diverse in origin, are brought vividly to life, and each given loving treatment. The musicality is deft and knowing, and the intelligence informing the performances generous and warm. This is an album for the Ipod or MP3 player of anyone interested in the contemporary piano repertoire its already been transferred to mine.

Among other upcoming concerts in 2008-09 are two Toronto performances that she gave in July at the Sound Symposium in St. Johns, NL.

The first, Tuesday, October 7 at 7:30 pmHall, Accolade East, York University, will feature the Toronto premiere of Ann Southams new cycle of Creeks and Rivers, which includes new works written for her. at the Tribute Communities Recital Calling the concert Soundstill, she describes it as an hour and a half of introspective and virtuosic music. In the 17 movements are the premieres of Commotion Creek, Fidget Creek, Fiddle Creek and Noisy Creek, as well as Spatial View of Pond II.

Her second performance from the Sound Symposium will be a joint performance with dancer Terrill Maguire again featuring an Ann Southam work, (date and location TBA).

Another collaborative project will take place at York Universitys Tribute Communities Recital Hall, Accolade East, Tuesday, January 27, 7:30pm when she performs music for piano and violin with former Toronto Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Jacques Israelievitch, who has just joined the York University Fine Arts Faculty of which Petrowska Quilico is a Full Professor.

A great proponent of women composers, Petrowska Quilico is also planning a second CD of works by women composers (not counting her triple-CD set of Ann Southams Rivers on Centrediscs). She was also one of several pianists featured when CBC Radio commissioned 10 prominent Canadians to compose fugues in honor of Glenn Goulds 75th anniversary. Her performances of Ana Sokolovics Prelude and Fugue for GG and Kati Agocs Nostalgia for Airs Unheard have aired many times on CBC Radios The Signal and Music and Company.

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Opera.ca: Make arts part of our global advantage

Opera.ca logo

Opera.ca calls on Government of Canada to make arts part of our global advantage

Opera.ca and its members, opera companies and professionals across the country, deeply regret the cancellation of federal programs to support for international cultural diplomacy: the $4.7 million/year PromArt program of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) as well as the $9 million/year Trade Routes program of the Department of Canadian Heritage (DCH).
Through these two programs, Canadian artists and arts organizations, including opera companies, have been able to forward Canada's diplomatic and trade objectives on the international stage. The excellence of Canadian artists and the distinctive quality of Canadian art-making has long been used to make the case for the calibre of Canadian leadership in other fields, notably government and business. In 2006-07, the Department of Foreign Affairs invested in bringing The Queen of Puddings Music Theatre Company to England for the first ever presentation of a Canadian opera at Covent Garden; it contributed to bringing Opera Atelier to South Korea to perform its unique and highly acclaimed baroque opera; and helped bring Academy Baroque de Montal to Germany to perform. "Canada's artists and arts organizations help us put our country's best face forward", said James W. Wright Opera.ca Chair and General Director of Vancouver Opera. As the Government looks ahead to maximize Canada's global advantage, we urge it to consider the meaningful and important contribution that the arts make to cultural diplomacy." Opera.ca is the national association for opera companies and professionals in Canada. It works with members across the country to advance the interests of Canada's opera community and create greater opportunity for opera audiences and professionals alike. Opera.ca is a founding member of the Canadian Arts Coalition, the largest group of artists, arts executives and business leaders ever assembled from across the country who are united in the view that greater investment in the arts is essential to Canada's future.

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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Community service for Of Mice and Men cast


The cast and crew of Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men give back to the community
while undertaking on-site character studies

Sunday, August 24 from 10:30am to 1:00pm

Future Hudson Historical Society (541 Main Road, Hudson)

August 2008 Don't miss this real 'labour day' as the cast and crew of the Montreal Theatre Ensemble's (MTE) Of Mice and Men take their work into the community. The town of Hudson, like all good farmsteads, will provide the rakes, hoes, shovels, wheelbarrows, etc., as the cast undertakes a major cleanup involving clearing the brush, stacking logs and branches, carting off rocks, weeding and hoeing around a building recently acquired by the Town for use by the Hudson Historical Society.

Ten actors will offer some serious method acting. They'll spend the day in character and costume, working as farmhands would in 1937, for only their food. Bossing everyone around, the foreman for the day will be local resident James Parry. Lunch will be an authentic meal; cabbage, beans and bread, in keeping with the type of food labourers would have eaten during the depression.

Two of the actors play characters with disabilities (Bill Fletcher as Candy and Herschel Andoh playing Crooks) and will work with the physical handicaps given in the text. Christopher Moore as Curley, the boss' son, will do little but order people around and Rebecca Croll, playing Curley's wife, will be flirting with all the boys while they try to get their work done. These characters present obstacles and challenges to the group such as Lennie (Adam LeBlanc) having to be closely supervised, and Curley picking fights and doing little work, as he is immune from 'getting the sack'.

This interaction will give the actors something concrete to draw from when playing roles that modern actors might have trouble relating to, as comforts of today are wildly different from the harsh realities of that time. While doing this physical labour, the cast can experience one another as they would in the play, without the confines of the script.

West Island/Island-wide benefits

More importantly, the actors will give back to the community while learning in this unique setting. Hudson Mayor Elizabeth Corker is excited about this mutually beneficial event. She, along with representatives of the Hudson Historical Society will be on-site. This season, the John Abbott College Department of Theatre and Music embarks on a new venture by launching its Stage Two series. Here, John Abbott College's Professional Theatre Program welcomes outside theatre companies to share their experience and open their rehearsals to the present theatre students. The first visiting company is the Montreal Theatre Ensemble. This important program benefits culture all over the island.

Of Mice and Men, August 28-Sept. 13
Montreal Theatre Ensemble
Casgrain Theatre, in the Casgrain Building of John Abbott College
21, 275 Lakeshore Road, Ste. Anne de Bellevue
Reservations: (514) 515-9140

Of Mice and Men is presented in association with the John Abbott College Department of Theatre and Music

www.montrealtheatreensemble.com

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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Harbourfront Centre Courses & Workshops

Enjoy, learn, make friends and have the time of your life at Harbourfront Centre's Courses & Workshops!

TORONTO, Tuesday, August 12, 2008Harbourfront Centre is excited to offer a diverse and engaging line-up of contemporary culture courses throughout the fall and winter months. Adults can learn to paint; explore the world of circus arts; tour the city's culinary neighbourhoods; join a book club, and much more! Harbourfront Centre's Courses & Workshops are affordable and provide a perfect environment for adults to learn, and expand their social circle with like-minded individuals at Toronto's leading arts and cultural centre. Courses & Workshops begin on September 15, at Harbourfront Centre, 235 Queens Quay West. Register early as class size is limited. To register or for more information, the public can call

416-973-4093 or visit harbourfrontcentre.com/learn.



Fall/Winter 2008 Courses & Workshops



Visual Arts & Design

Ģ Drawing for Fashion Design (5 Mondays, September 15 to October 20, excluding Thanksgiving Monday)

Ģ Expressive Arts (8 Mondays, September 15 to November 10, excluding Thanksgiving Monday)

Ģ Creativity Kickstart (October 4)

Ģ Parent Workshop: Engaging Kids with Contemporary Arts (October 4 & December 4)

Ģ Artist Books (5 Mondays, November 3 to December 1, inclusive)

Ģ Sewing 101 (5 Mondays, November 3 to December 1, inclusive)

Ģ Painting (6 Tuesdays, November 4 to December 9, inclusive)

Ģ Fashion 101 (5 Tuesdays, November 4 to December 1)



Media Studies

Ģ Creating your own Website (5 Mondays, September 15 to October 20, excluding Thanksgiving Monday)

Ģ Demystifying the Digital Camera (September 27)

Ģ Podcasting (October 4-5)

Ģ Digital Photography Manipulation (November 15-16)



Performing Arts

Ģ Circus (4 Mondays, Session 1: September 15 to October 6; Session 2: November 3 to 24)

Ģ Hip Hop (5 Tuesdays, September 16 to October 14, inclusive)

Ģ Flamenco Dance (5 Thursdays, September 18 to October16)



Literary Arts

Ģ Authors at Harbourfront Centre (8 Tuesdays once a month, September to April)



Seasonal

Ģ Make Your Own Holiday Cards (November 15)



Urban & Cultural Studies

Ģ Artistic Architecture in the Public Space (6 Wednesdays, September 17 to October 22)

Ģ Explore Toronto's Culinary Neighbourhoods (September 20: Little India; September 27: Kensington/Chinatown; October 4: Little Italy;

October 11: Danforth)

Ģ Film & Food Club (3 Fridays, October 3 to 17, inclusive)

Ģ Surreal in the City (6 Wednesdays, October 29 to December 3, inclusive)

Ģ Urban Portraiture (6 Tuesdays, November 4 to December 9, inclusive)



Craft Studio Courses

Ģ Introduction to Jewellery (8 week year-round course, 3 hrs/week, evening/weekends available)

Ģ Intermediate Jewellery (8 week year-round course, 3 hrs/week, evening/weekends available)

Ģ Textiles (5 week year-round course, 3 hrs/week, evenings; 1-day year-round workshop, 6 hours)

Ģ Glass Blowing (Friday to Sunday from September to May, 20 hours in total)

Ģ Ceramics (8 week year-round course, 3 hrs/week, evenings)



FOCUS: Borders

Harbourfront Centre travels beyond Borders. Is the world smaller than you think? What would a world without borders look like? Can culture be a universal language? What are the limits of your personal space? Through to September, Harbourfront Centre wants you to read between the lines and consider borders through all of our programmingborders within countries, borders within relationships, open borders, psychological borders, shifting borders and more. Harbourfront Centreculture without borders.

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"Un piano dans la rue" - dition 2008

LES ALEXANDRES RCIDIVENT !

Deuxime dition du spectacle Un piano dans la rue Sorel-Tracy


Sorel-Tracy, le mardi 12 aot 2008 Aprs l'immense succs remport par l'vnement Un piano dans la rue l'an dernier, les AlexandreS prsenteront la deuxime dition de ce spectacle sous les toiles le vendredi 22 aot prochain, 20 heures.

Cette anne encore, trois musiciens exceptionnels contribueront l'panouissement culturel de la rgion de Sorel-Tracy en offrant ce concert extrieur gratuit devant le 8630, rue des Muguets (secteur Tracy). Cette production unique en son genre mettra en vedette cette anne le guitariste sorelois Alexandre thier (fondateur du groupe Forestare, gagnant d'un Prix Flix), le pianiste et promoteur de l'vnement Alexandre Vovan ainsi que le jeune chanteur populaire Alexandre Dsilets (Prix Granby, Prix Ma Premire Place des Arts , Prix Flix-Leclerc). Aussi, encore une fois cet t, en plus d'une clbration de la musique, l'vnement se veut un hommage rendu l'homme d'affaires Denis Allard, dont il souligne le deuxime anniversaire de dcs, et ce, dans un secteur qu'il a presque entirement dvelopp.

Pour l'occasion, les AlexandreS prsenteront, d'une faon bien particulire, des chefs-d'uvre du rpertoire classique parmi lesquels figurent des pices de Rachmaninov, de Chopin, de Bach, de Debussy et de Williams. De plus, les trois compres joindront leurs talents dans un arrangement classique d'une des chansons d'Alexandre Dsilets.

Tout comme l'an dernier, l'animation du spectacle sera assure par Andr Champagne (CJSO) qui se joindra en tant que co-animateur cette anne Monsieur Simon Durivage, animateur la tl de Radio-Canada. Georges Nicholson, personnalit connue du domaine de la musique classique, contribuera galement l'vnement. Il est tout aussi important de mentionner que cette deuxime dition de l'vnement a t rendue possible grce nos partenaires : Lussier Cabinet d'assurances, la Ville de Sorel-Tracy, le CIT Sorel-Varennes, Boulevard Musique, le dput Louis Plamondon, Page Cournoyer et le Festival de musique classique du Bas-Richelieu, ainsi qu' plusieurs autres commanditaires.

Un piano dans la rue, c'est le rendez-vous incontournable de l't Sorel-Tracy, le vendredi 22 aot 2008, 20 heures, devant le 8630, rue des Muguets Sorel-Tracy. Emmenez vos chaises et votre parapluie (le concert aura lieu beau temps, mauvais temps) !

Infos : (450) 743-8554 ou info@unpianodanslarue.com

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Monday, August 11, 2008

Concert gratuit : ShakeRattle'nBrass

ShakeRattle'nBrass
date:
Jeudi 14 aot 2008, 19H30
endroit:
Thtre de Verdure du Parc Lafontaine
intersection rue Duluth et avenue du Parc Lafontaine, Mtl. Qc.
Spectacle musical gratuit, entre libre
informations:
514.721.6513

Robert Prvost prsente ShakeRattle'nBrass, le dernier volet de la srie MundoArtBazar. Pour clore cette saison avec nergie, le lgendaire entertainer Pierre Perpall se joint au GEMU pour un spectacle saveur rock'n roll qui n'a rien de nostalgique. Ne manquez pas cette dernire chance de voir le GEMU cet t!

Le GEMU est un ensemble d'lite gomtrie variable regroupant 30 artistes choisis parmi les meilleurs musiciens et musiciennes provenant des mondes jazz et classique. Robert Prvost assure la direction musicale et la direction artistique de l'ensemble. Le GEMU prsente un style la croise des musiques d'aujourd'hui; le rpertoire est conu d'arrangements originaux crs spcifiquement pour l'ensemble par Robert Prvost. Le big-band est prsent ici en version moderne et clate, entirement revigor. Reconnu comme tant un des ensembles les plus excitants de la scne montralaise, le GEMU est voir encore et encore!!!

Segal Centre Gala


The Segal Centre for Performing Arts to be officially inaugurated with ribbon cutting ceremony August 19th.

Mayor Tremblay to attend event co chaired by Isabelle Hudon and Simon Brault

Montreal, August 11 2008 - On June 1, 2007, the Segal Centre for Performing Arts officially came into existence. Just over a year later renovations are now complete and final touches are being made to the new facility. On August 19th, at 8:30 pm, the Centre will officially open its doors to the community with a ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by Isabelle Hudon, President and CEO of the Montreal Board of Trade and Simon Brault, President, Culture Montreal and Vice-Chair, the Canada Council for the Arts, in the presence of Mr. Alvin and Mrs. Leanor Segal and Mayor Gerald Tremblay,

For Simon and myself, it is a great honour to be co chairing this gala event, said Ms. Hudon. The gala is not only a celebration of culture itself but also an important occasion at which to honour the support of the arts by the business community in particular, something that is so vital to the continued vibrancy of arts and culture in our city.

Simon Brault echoed Hudons sentiments, saying we are very fortunate that a new trend has emerged in our city whereby the private sector has become more engaged with the arts and culture milieu, not just as givers, but as active participants in what our artists of today and tomorrow are proposing for our citys future. It is truly a unique and timely event.

Indeed, the foundation of the new Segal Centre is built upon the belief and vision of Alvin and Leanor Segal that the arts and culture are not an option. A thriving arts and culture milieu are proof that a community is alive and well and looking to the future, they said.

Leanor and Alvin Segal have blazed a trail that allows those of us working in the arts and culture milieu the opportunity to dream big, said Bryna Wasserman, Artistic and Executive Director of the Segal Centre. It is our wish to have the Segal Centre become a home for arts and culture as diverse as our community itself, she added, and it is only by joining together with the community at large, with the business community in particular, that our wishes can be realized.

The Segal Centre for Performing Arts is built upon a structure of five pillars: The award-winning Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre, producing six professional English language plays per season to which 3500 patrons are currently subscribing; The world renowned Dora Wasserman Yiddish Theatre, now celebrating its fiftieth season; The Academy, where acclaimed professionals are nurturing talent in music, dance, theatre, media and circus arts; the Studio, a flexible multi-purpose venue to serve as a home for the diversity of Montreal artists; and the CinemaSpace and ArtLounge, Montreals newest boutique arts venue and oasis for artists.

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Domaine Forget


festin jazz en charlevoix


Qubec, le 11 aot 2008 Le jazz sera l'honneur l'occasion des deux derniers concerts de la saison estivale. Le vendredi 22 aot, le trompettiste Tiger Okoshi revient la Salle Franoys-Bernier en compagnie de ses fidles complices, la pianiste Lorraine Desmarais, le contrebassiste Michel Donato et le batteur Camil Blisle. Le samedi 30 aot, le public se laissera assurment charmer par le chanteur canadien Denzal Sinclaire, l'un des chanteurs prfrs de Diana Krall, dont le timbre rappelle celui des lgendaires Nat King Cole et Johny Hartman.


vendredi 22 aot, 20 h 30 tiger okoshi et ses complices


Clbration jazz au Domaine Forget

Les Concerts Jazz Industrielle Alliance


Le vendredi 22 aot, les amateurs seront heureux de retrouver le trompettiste Tiger Okoshi, la pianiste Lorraine Desmarais, le contrebassiste Michel Donato et le batteur Camil Blisle qui tous, enseignent l'Acadmie de musique et de danse du 17 au 24 aot pendant le nouveau stage de jazz instrumental.


Tiger Okoshi est un trompettiste versatile qui aborde tant le jazz fusion que le style plus traditionnel. tabli aux tats-Unis depuis 1972, il s'est d'abord fait remarquer alors qu'il jouait avec Gary Burton. Il a ralis de nombreux enregistrements dont un hommage Louis Armstrong, Echoes of a Note, qui comprend des versions trs modernes et inusites de classiques du rpertoire Dixieland. Tiger Okoshi est galement un pdagogue recherch et enseigne au Berklee College of Music de Boston. Il prend ce rle trs au srieux et aime prendre le temps de trouver la meilleure faon d'aider et de guider chacun de ses lves.


Le trompettiste retrouvera avec plaisir la pianiste Lorraine Desmarais et le batteur Camil Blisle avec qui il enregistrait en 2007 l'album Live at Club Soda. Parions qu'ils soulveront encore une fois la foule grce leur enthousiasme et leur grande complicit. Le contrebassiste Michel Donato, qui clbre cette anne ses 50 ans de carrire, se joindra eux pour offrir une passionnante soire jazz.


samedi 30 aot, 20 h 30 le charme de denzal sinclaire


Soire romantique avec Denzal Sinclaire

Les Concerts Jazz Industrielle Alliance


Le samedi 30 aot, l'occasion de la dernire soire jazz de la saison, le Festival accueille le chanteur, pianiste et compositeur Denzal Sinclaire, reconnu comme le chanteur jazz masculin le plus populaire au Canada. Il offrira des extraits de My One and Only Love, un album qui renferme quelques-unes des plus belles chansons d'amour du rpertoire.


Pour ce natif de Toronto vivant maintenant Berlin, chanter est aussi naturel que respirer. Son timbre de voix rappelle celui de lgendaires chanteurs tels Nat King Cole et Johnny Hartman. Cependant, grce une couleur toute personnelle, l'auditeur reconnat Denzal Sinclaire aprs quelques notes seulement. De plus, chaque prestation rvle un interprte remarquable la fois sensible et imaginatif. Denzal Sinclaire est l'invit de nombreux festivals de jazz en plus d'avoir chant avec des orchestres symphoniques et avoir anim sa propre mission de tlvision sur les ondes de Bravo ! En 2005, Denzal tait intronis au British Columbian Entertainment Hall of Fame.


information et rservations


(418) 452-3535 ou 1 888-DFORGET (336-7438)

Tlcopieur : au (418) 452-3503

www.domaineforget.com

Srie Les Concerts Jazz Industrielle Alliance

Soires jazz en Charlevoix



Vendredi 22 aot, 20 h 30

Tiger Okoshi et ses complices

Tiger Okoshi, trompette

Lorraine Desmarais, piano

Michel Donato, contrebasse

Camil Blisle, batterie

Samedi 30 aot, 20 h 30

Soire romantique avec Denzal Sinclaire

Denzal Sinclaire, piano, voix

Fraser Hollins, contrebasse

Richard Irwin, batterie

Joel Miller, saxophone

Cot : adultes : 37 $ ; ans (60 ans et plus) : 31,50 $ ; tudiants (13 21 ans) : 17 $ ;

enfants (12 ans et moins) gratuit. Les prix incluent toutes les taxes.

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Wild Dogs at Nightwood


"A perspective on love and loss [that] will haunt you for days." Entertainment Weekly

Love is like... wild dogs. If it hunts you down, it will not let you go. from Wild Dogs

NIGHTWOOD THEATRE LAUNCHES THEIR 2008-2009 SEASON

WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF HELEN HUMPHREYS

WILD DOGS

From the novel by Helen Humphreys / Arranged for the stage by Anne Hardcastle / Directed by Kelly Thornton

Starring: Tamara Podemski, Les Carlson, Steve Cumyn, Raven Dauda,

Stephen Joffe, Tony Nappo and Taylor Trowbridge

October 4 to November 8, 2008 - Berkeley Street Theatre, Downstairs

Produced by Nightwood Theatre in association with The Canadian Stage Company

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Toronto, ONĶ Nightwood Theatre is thrilled to embark on its 29th season with the world premiere of Helen Humphreys Wild Dogs, arranged for the stage by Anne Hardcastle. Winner of the 2005 Lambda Award for fiction; Wild Dogs was one of NOW Magazines Top 10 Books of 2004 and has been optioned for film. This world-premiere stars Tamara Podemski, who was the winner of the Sundance Film Festival 2007 Special Jury Prize for Acting both the first Canadian and first aboriginal in history to win this prize -- and an IFC nomination for her work in Four Sheets to the Wind.

Each evening at dusk, six people gather at the edge of the woods calling their dogs back dogs that have turned wild. Drawn together by need, this unlikely group forms a community until violence strikes unexpectedly. Wild Dogs is an unforgettable story about the wild in all of us.

It is not often that a script comes across my desk that excites me as much as Wild Dogs. It is one of he most daring and original texts Ive seen in some time, so much theatricality and an array of brilliant characters told with naked gusto. Its arrestingly honest with a profound message about love and our need to belong says Nightwood Artistic Director Kelly Thornton.

Joining Podemski, the acting ensemble for Wild Dogs includes such Canadian film, television and theatre luminaries as Les Carlson (renowned actor who has appeared on every major stage across the country including six seasons at Stratford Festival), Steve Cumyn (Dora Award-winning lead actor from Angels in America), Tony Nappo (Alias Godot, Da Vincis Inquest), Raven Dauda (Intimate Apparel, Da Kink in my Hair) and introduces Taylor Trowbridge and Stephen Joffe in their Toronto stage debuts.

Wild Dogs Details

DATES: October 4 to November 8, 2008

MEDIA/VIP: Thursday, October 9, 2008

SHOW TIMES: Monday to Saturday at 8:00 p.m., Wednesdays at 1:30 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m.

TICKETS: Single tickets: $20 - $42, Mondays: PWYC, Previews: $25

Tickets are available in advance by calling (416) 368.3110 or online at www.nightwoodtheatre.net

NIGHTWOOD PASSHOLDERS: Save up to 50% on tickets by calling (416) 944.1740 x8

LOCATION: Berkeley Theatre, Downstairs, 26 Berkeley Street

Mark the date!!

Upcoming at Nightwood:

I. Bear With Me written and performed by Diane Flacks

January 7 to January 24, 2009 (Opening Night: January 9, 2009)

Berkeley Upstairs Theatre

Produced by Nightwood Theatre

Directed by Kelly Thornton

Bear With Me finally hits the Toronto stage!! Based on her laugh out loud book by the same name comic marvel Diane Flacks serves up a hilarious and poignant account of her reluctant journey into the secret and insane world of motherhood. Ms. Flacks delivers a knock-out punch.

Tickets: $20-$42

Box Office: (416) 368.3110

II. Groundswell Festival 2009

January 26 to 31, 2009

Berkeley Upstairs Theatre

New Plays by: Madeleine Blais Dahlem, Lisa Codrington, Florence Gibson, Maia Kareda, Natalie Meisner, Beatriz Pizano, Sally Stubbs

Seven bold women playwrights grapple with war, religion, poverty, reconciliation and choice. Canadian work about the world around us.

Tickets: $10

Box Office: (416) 368.3110

lll. Prisoner of Tehran - Exclusive Sneak Peak

Based on the best-selling autobiography by Marina Nemat

Adapted by Maja Ardal / Directed by Kelly Thornton

May 16, 2009 - Nightwood Studio, Distillery District (Open only to Nightwood donors and passholders)

Based on her girlhood in Tehran, when Ayatollah Khomeini took power, the play chronicles Nemats unbelievable journey: captured at age 16, condemned to death and suddenly, in a twist of fate, spared her life. This inconceivable story is a testament to the sheer will and determination of a woman facing her darkest hour and a delicate portrait of youth and stolen dreams.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

ABOUT NIGHTWOOD THEATRE

Nightwood Theatre Artistic Director Kelly Thornton and Producer Monica Esteves.

As Canadas national womens theatre since 1979, Nightwood has launched the careers of many of the leading theatre artists in the country creating a repertoire of Canadian plays including Ann-Marie MacDonalds Goodnight Desdemona, Good Morning Juliet, Djanet Sears Harlem Duet and Sonja Mills The Danish Play.

We have touched the lives of thousands in our history and today we are thriving. We have won Canadas highest literary and performing arts awards and more than ever our success proves the need for theatre that gives voice to women and celebrates the diversity of Canadian society. Nightwood is a national theatre and we remain actively engaged in mentoring young women and promoting womens place on the local, national and international stage.

Wild Dogs is part of the Berkeley Street Project initiative, where The Canadian Stage Company, Nightwood Theatre and other vital theatre companies are partnering to transform the Canadian Stages Berkeley Street Theatre into a dynamic home for contemporary performing arts.

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Thursday, August 7, 2008

Le Met au cinma! The Met at the Movies!

Les diffusions du Metropolitan Opera :

en direct et en haute dfinition sont de retour

au grand cran dans les cinmas Cineplex Divertissement


Les billets pour la saison 2008-2009 seront mis en prvente le vendredi 22 aot 2008

Toronto, ON 07 aot 2008 Cineplex Divertissement commencera la prvente de billets pour l'vnement de divertissement le plus couru de l'anne, les diffusions du Metropolitan Opera : en direct et en haute dfinition , le 22 aot 2008. Puisque la rponse des amateurs d'opra a t extraordinaire au cours des deux premires saisons, les invits auront maintenant l'occasion d'apprcier encore plus de diffusions en direct et en haute dfinition et avec son ambiophonique Dolby dans les cinmas Cineplex Divertissement participants partout au pays. Le nombre d'opras prsents en direct pour la saison 2008-2009 est pass onze et il y aura dix rediffusions, ds le 22 septembre 2008 alors que la soire du Gala d'ouverture sera diffuse en direct du Lincoln Center New York, la salle attitre du Met.


Ds le dbut, les diffusions du "Metropolitan Opera : en direct et en haute dfinition" ont connu beaucoup de succs, et ce, au-del de nos attentes. La popularit de la srie ne se dment pas anne aprs anne , a affirm Par Marshall, Vice-prsidente, communications et relations avec les investisseurs chez Cineplex Divertissement. Cette anne, nous avons ajout de nouveaux cinmas notre liste dj tendue afin de rpondre la trs grande demande. Nous offrons galement nos invits l'occasion de se procurer une varit de forfaits d'abonnement. Les forfaits et billets individuels peuvent tre achets l'avance, permettant ainsi nos invits de se procurer des billets pour les opras de leur choix.


Les membres du programme de rcompenses SCNE et les membres du Met Opera peuvent profiter d'une priode exclusive d'achat de billets pour la saison 2008-2009 ds le vendredi 8 aot 2008. L'inscription au programme SCNE est gratuite et les invits peuvent s'inscrire en ligne au www.scene.ca.


Pour de plus amples dtails propos des billets et de l'abonnement au Met, consultez le www.metopera.org/hdlive ou tlphonez au 1 800 Met-Opera (1 800 638-6737).


Les billets seront en vente compter du vendredi 22 aot, en ligne sur www.cineplex.com et la billetterie des cinmas participants. Le prix d'entre s'chelonne de 12,95 $ 16,95 $ (taxes en sus) pour les enfants de 3 12 ans; il est de 18,95 $ pour les ans et de 21,95 $ (taxes en sus) pour les 13 ans et plus.


Les abonnements annuels sont en vente uniquement la billetterie des cinmas participants et ne peuvent tre achets en ligne. Le prix du forfait pour les dix opras est de 186,58 $ (taxes en sus). Il est galement possible de se procurer un forfait pour cinq opras au prix de 98,78 $ (taxes en sus) ou un forfait pour trois reprsentations au prix de 62,56 $ (taxes en sus). Nous offrons aussi des tarifs pour les groupes de 20 personnes et plus au cot de 16,95 $ par personne (taxes en sus). Pour de plus amples renseignements au sujet des rservations de groupe, prire de communiquer avec le 1 800 313-4461.


Le 22 septembre, le rideau se lvera de nouveau sur l'opra dans les cinmas Cineplex Divertissement slectionns partout au Canada. Ceux-ci prsenteront les productions suivantes en direct de New York :

Lundi 22 septembre 2008

18 h 30 (HNE)

Soire du Gala d'ouverture (avec Rene Fleming)

Samedi 11 octobre 2008

13 h (HNE)

Salome de Strauss

Samedi 8 novembre 2008

13 h (HNE)

Doctor Atomic de Adams

Samedi 22 novembre 2008

13 h (HNE)

La Damnation de Faust de Berlioz

Samedi 20 dcembre 2008

12 h (HNE)

Thas de Massenet

Samedi 10 janvier 2009

13 h (HNE)

La Rondine de Puccini

Samedi 24 janvier 2009

13 h (HNE)

Orfeo ed Euridice de Gluck

Samedi 7 fvrier 2009

13 h (HNE)

Lucia di Lammermoor de Donizetti

Samedi 7 mars 2009

13 h (HNE)

Madama Butterfly de Puccini

Samedi 21 mars 2009

13 h (HNE)

La Sonnambula de Bellini

Samedi 9 mai 2009

12 h 30 (HNE)

La Cenerentola de Rossini



noter, cette anne, la prsentation d'une production cre et conue par une compagnie de chez nous. En effet, le 22 novembre 2008, les amateurs d'opra auront la chance de voir et d'entendre La Damnation de Faust, opra de Berlioz, dans une mise en scne de Robert Lepage et une production d'Ex Machina, compagnie multidisciplinaire de Qubec que dirige le crateur du Moulin images, qui a remport un extraordinaire succs l'occasion du 400e anniversaire de la Ville de Qubec. La Damnation de Faust, version Ex Machina, a d'abord t prsente au Japon en 1999, puis l'Opra de Paris. Pour la reprise de 2008 au Met Opera de New York, le metteur en scne et son quipe renouvellent les images et les projections, notamment par l'intgration d'images interactives gnres par le mouvement des interprtes et par la voix des chanteurs.


Cineplex Divertissement prsentera aussi chacune des dix productions en rappel pour les invits qui ne peuvent se prsenter la premire reprsentation ou pour ceux qui souhaitent la revoir. Pour connatre la liste des cinmas qui prsentent les opras en rediffusion, prire de consulter le www.cineplex.com. Voici le calendrier des reprsentations en rappel :

Samedi 15 novembre 2008

13 h (HNE)

Salome de Strauss

Samedi 6 dcembre 2008

13 h (HNE)

Doctor Atomic de Adams

Samedi 17 janvier 2009

13 h (HNE)

La Damnation de Faust de Berlioz


Samedi 14 fvrier 2009

12 h (HNE)

Thas de Massenet

Samedi 21 fvrier 2009

13 h (HNE)

La Rondine de Puccini

Samedi 14 mars 2009

13 h (HNE)

Orfeo ed Euridice de Gluck


Samedi 4 avril 2009

13 h (HNE)

Lucia di Lammermoor de Donizetti

Samedi 18 avril 2009

13 h (HNE)

Madama Butterfly de Puccini

Samedi 25 avril 2009

13 h (HNE)

La Sonnambula de Bellini


Samedi 23 mai 2009

12 h 30 (HNE)

La Cenerentola de Rossini




Cineplex Divertissement prsentera les diffusions en direct du Metropolitan Opera : en direct, en haute dfinition dans les 13 cinmas suivants au Qubec :


Cinma Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin

350, rue mery

Montral, Qubec

Cinma Banque Scotia Montral

977, Ste-Catherine Ouest

Montral, Qubec

Cinma StarCit Montral

4825, avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin

Montral, Qubec

Cinma Cineplex Odeon Brossard

9350, boul. Leduc

Brossard, Qubec

Cinma Colossus Laval

2800, rue Cosmodme

Laval, Qubec

Cinma Colise Kirkland

3200, rue Jean-Yves

Kirkland, Qubec

Cinma Cineplex Odeon Boucherville

20, boul. de Montagne

Boucherville, Qubec

Cinma Cineplex Odeon Beauport

825, rue Clemenceau

Beauport, Qubec

Cinma Cineplex Odeon Ste-Foy

1200 boul. Duplessis

Ste-Foy, Qubec

Cinma Galaxy Sherbrooke

4204, boul. Bertrand-Fabi

Sherbrooke, Qubec

Cinma Galaxy Victoriaville

1121, Jutras Est

Victoriaville, Qubec

Cinma Fleur-de-Lys (Nouveau!)

4520, boul. des Rcollets

Trois-Rivires, Qubec

Cinma 9 Gatineau (Nouveau!)

120, boul. de l'Hpital

Gatineau, Qubec



propos de Cineplex Divertissement LP :

Cineplex Divertissement LP, dont le sige social est situ Toronto, possde, loue ou exploite en coentreprise 132 cinmas totalisant 1 337 crans et accueillant chaque anne quelque 61 millions d'invits. Cineplex Divertissement LP est la plus importante entreprise d'exploitation de salles de cinma au Canada. Elle exploite les cinmas des marques suivantes: Cineplex Odeon, Galaxy, Famous Players (dont les cinmas Colise, Colossus et StarCit), Cinema City et les cinmas Banque Scotia. Les parts du Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund, qui dtient environ 76 % de Cineplex Divertissement LP, sont ngocies la Bourse de Toronto sous le symbole. Pour plus de dtails, visitez cineplex.com.



Cineplex Entertainment will begin selling advance tickets to the hottest entertainment event of the year, The Metropolitan Opera: Live in High-Definition, on August 22nd.


Due to the extraordinary response by opera fans to the first two seasons, guests will be able to enjoy more live performances then ever before at select Cineplex Entertainment theatres throughout Canada in High Definition and Dolby Digital Surround Sound. The number of opera presentations for the 2008-2009 season has been expanded to 11 live and 10 encore opera transmissions, beginning September 22, 2008 in addition to the Opening Night Gala live from the Met's home at Lincoln Center in New York City.


"From the beginning, The Metropolitan Opera: Live in High-Definition series has been tremendously successful exceeding all of our expectations and continues to grow year after year," said Pat Marshall, Vice-President, Communications and Investor Relations, Cineplex Entertainment. "This year, we have added even more communities to an already expanded theatre list because of huge guest demand. We are also offering our guests the opportunity to purchase a variety of season ticket packages and these packages or individual tickets can also be purchased in advance ensuring guests get the operas they want."

SCENE members and Met Opera members enjoy an exclusive advance ticket window for the 2008-09 series beginning Friday August 8th.

Membership in the SCENE program is free and guests can apply online at www.scene.ca. For information on The Met Opera in New York or to obtain tickets or membership information, visit www.metopera.org/hdlive or call 1-800-Met-Opera (1-800-638-6737).


Beginning Friday August 22nd individual tickets are available online at www.cineplex.com as well as at participating theatre box offices. Admission for children ages 3 12 is $12.95-$16.95 + tax, seniors is $18.95 + tax and general admission is $21.95 + tax.


Season Tickets can be purchased in person only at any of the participating theatres and cannot be purchased online at this time. The package price for all ten performances is $186.58 + tax. Guests can also purchase tickets to any five operas for the package price $98.78 + tax or any three operas for the package price of $62.56 + tax. A special group rate is also available for groups of twenty or more at $16.95 per person. For more information on group rates, call 1-800-313-4461.


Beginning September 22nd, the curtains will rise at select Cineplex Entertainment theatres throughout Canada with the following performances being shown live from

New York:

Monday September 22, 2008

6:30 PM (EST)

Opening Night Gala (starring Rene Fleming)

Saturday October 11, 2008

1:00 PM (EST)

Strauss: Salome

Saturday November 8, 2008

1:00 PM (EST)

Adams: Doctor Atomic

Saturday November 22, 2008

1:00 PM (EST)

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust

Saturday December 20, 2008

12:00 PM (EST)

Massenet: Thas

Saturday January 10, 2009

1:00 PM (EST)

Puccini: La Rondine

Saturday January 24, 2009

1:00 PM (EST)

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice

Saturday March 21, 2009

1:00PM (EST)

Bellini: La Sonnambula

Saturday February 7, 2009

1 :00 PM (EST)

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor

Saturday May 9, 2009

12 :30 PM (EST)

Rossini : La Cenerentola

Saturday March 7, 2009

1 :00 PM (EST)

Puccini : Madama Butterfly


Cineplex Entertainment will also be showing encore presentations of the scheduled live performances for guests who may not be able to attend the live transmission or who simply want to watch it again. The encore presentation schedule is as follows:


Saturday November 15, 2008

1:00 PM (EST)

Strauss: Salome

Saturday February 14, 2009

12:00 PM (EST)

Massenet: Thas

Saturday December 6, 2008

1:00 PM (EST)

Adams: Doctor Atomic

Saturday February 21, 2009

1:00 PM (EST)

Puccini: La Rondine

Saturday January 17, 2009

1:00 PM (EST)

Berlioz: La Damnation de Faust

Saturday March 14, 2009

1:00 PM (EST)

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice




Saturday April 4, 2009

1 :00 PM (EST)

Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor

Saturday April 18, 2009

1 :00 PM (EST)

Puccini : Madama Butterfly

Saturday April 25, 2009

1:00PM (EST)

Bellini: La Sonnambula




Saturday May 23, 2009

12 :30 PM (EST)

Rossini : La Cenerentola






Cineplex Entertainment will present The "Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD" live performances at the following select theatres throughout the province of

Qubec:

Cineplex Odeon Quartier Latin Cinemas

350 rue mery

Montreal, PQ

StarCit Montreal Cinemas

4825, Avenue Pierre-de-Coubertin

Montreal, PQ

Colossus Laval Cinemas

2800 rue Cosmodme

Laval, PQ

Scotiabank Theatre Montreal

977 Ste-Catherine West

Montreal, PQ

Cineplex Odeon Brossard Cinemas

9350, boul. Leduc

Brossard, PQ

Coliseum Kirkland Cinemas

320,0 rue Jean-Yves

Kirkland, PQ

Cineplex Odeon Boucherville Cinemas

20 boul de Montagne

Boucherville, PQ

Cineplex Odeon Ste. Foy Cinemas

1200, boul. Duplessis

Ste. Foy, PQ

Galaxy Cinemas Victoriaville

1121, boul. Jutras-East

Victoriaville, PQ

Cineplex Odeon Beauport Cinemas

825 rue Clemenceau

Beauport, PQ

Galaxy Cinemas Sherbrooke

4204, boul. Bertrand-Fabi

Sherbrooke, PQ

Galaxy Cinemas Fleur-de-Lys (NEW!)

4520 boul. des Rcollets

Trois Rivires, PQ



Cinma 9 Gatineau (NEW!)

120, boul. de l'Hpital

Gatineau, PQ



For the list of theatre locations showing the encore performances, visit www.cineplex.com.


About Cineplex Entertainment LP:

Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, Cineplex Entertainment LP owns, leases or has a joint-venture interest in 132 theatres with 1,337 screens serving approximately 61 million guests annually. Cineplex Entertainment LP is the largest motion picture exhibitor in Canada operating the following brands: Cinema City, Cineplex Odeon, Coliseum, Colossus, Famous Players, Galaxy, SilverCity and Scotiabank Theatres. The units of Cineplex Galaxy Income Fund, which owns approximately 76% of Cineplex Entertainment LP, are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbol CGX.UN).

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Wednesday, August 6, 2008

OSM / Festival bel canto


Kent Nagano will give the downbeat to the Festival Bel Canto

at the opening concert on August 15

Additional tickets available

Montreal, August 6, 2008 The music director of the Orchestre symphonique de Montral, Kent Nagano, will kick off the Festival Bel Canto in Knowlton on August 15. In the first part of the recital by soprano Jennifer Larmore he will be conducting a chamber orchestra made up of young musicians performing works by bel canto composers, including Donizetti.

Moreover, the OSM is happy to announce that, in response to a growing demand on the part of music lovers, additional tickets will go on sale today.

It will be remembered that this festival, a presentation of the OSM and of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome in association with Bombardier and devoted to the art of bel canto ("beautiful singing"), will take place in the historic village of Knowlton from August 15 to 24, 2008. In a rustic and intimate setting, six concerts spread out over two weekends will be presented in a tent accommodating 600 spectators. In addition to two performances in a concert version of the opera Norma, taking place on Sunday, August 17 and 24, at 3 p.m., festival-goers will hear mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore in recital with pianist Antoine Palloc, and with the OSM under Kent Nagano soprano June Anderson and four young singers from the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia as well as coloratura soprano Sumi Jo. On a more popular note, well-known singer Gino Vannelli will be doing a show of Italian songs inspired by his most recent album, entitled "Canto," with the Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke under the direction of Stphane Laforest.

Free events

To reach as wide an audience as possible, the Festival has integrated into its programming concerts by the rising generation, master classes and Operamania, a series of lectures by musicologist Michel Veilleux. Admission to all these events is free. At the concerts, on August 16 Pascale Beaudin (soprano), Pierre-tienne Bergeron (baritone) and Marie-ve Scarfone (piano) of the Atelier lyrique de l'Opra de Montral will perform arias by Rossini, Donizetti, Verdi and Bellini. The Chur classique de l'Estrie, on August 23, can be heard in choral excerpts from Rossini's Barber of Seville, Verdi's I Lombardi alla prima crociata and Nabucco, and Bellini's Norma. A concert featuring Marianne Fiset, Grand Prize winner at the Montreal International Music Competition in 2007, together with musicians from the OSM (flute, violin, viola and cello), will be offering quartets by Boccherini and Viotti as well as arias by Bellini and Franz Liszt's Tre sonetti di Petrarca, on August 23. Canadian soprano Kimi McLaren, meanwhile, will present a recital on August 24.

At the master classes, young performers will get to benefit from the enlightened advice of three of the most renowned singers on the international scene: Jennifer Larmore, June Anderson and Massimiliano Murrali.

This edition of the Festival is taking place under the distinguished patronage of Italian soprano Renata Scotto.

Tickets on sale now at 514-842-9951 or (toll-free) at 1-888-842-9951

or

www.festivalbelcanto.com

or

www.osm.ca

The Orchestre symphonique de Montral is presented by Hydro-Qubec


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Opera Lyra Ottawa presents Le Nozze di Figaro

Opera Lyra Ottawa presents Le Nozze di Figaro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Opera Lyra Ottawa (OLO) presents Mozart's very popular and witty opera, Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), September 13, 15, 17 and 20 to launch the company's 24th season. OLO last presented Le Nozze di Figaro in 1995. From the first notes of the famous overture through to the very end, this opera is full of beautiful music with one breathtaking aria after another. The witty plot is masterfully combined with memorable music to create a satirical commentary on the class structure of European society in the late 18th century.


A stellar cast of Canadian and international artists come together for OLO's production of this comic masterpiece. Canadian baritone James Westman, internationally acclaimed for his "big, rich-grained" voice and "superb style," will make his OLO debut in the role of Count Almaviva. Mezzo-soprano Mariateresa Magisano, who was well-loved in OLO's The Barber of Seville, returns as the Count's wife, Susanna. Baritone Robert Gierlach will perform Figaro for which Opera Magazine says he brings "heaps of personality as well as vocal finesse," to the role.


Montreal-born bass, Gregory Atkinson, will bring his "round, juicy, and resonant" voice to the role of the vexing Dr. Bartolo. American mezzo-soprano, Adriana Zabala, recently praised by the New York Times as having "a vivid, fearless presence," will perform the role of Cherubino. Canadian tenor Peter Blanchet, who has gained a reputation as one of the most gifted and multi-faceted character tenors in the operatic world, returns to Ottawa in the roles of Basilio and Don Curzio. French-Canadian mezzo-soprano Genevive Desprs will sing the role of Marcellina, a role for which Opera Canada has praised her "strong, rounded mezzo with appealingly substantial proportions." First-place winner of the 2008 Houston Grand Opera Competition, soprano Caitlyn Lynch makes her company debut in the role of the Countess. Montreal baritone Marc-Antoine D'Aragon, a member of last year's OLO Opera Studio who won the 2008 OLO Opera Studio Competition, will return for the role of Antonio. OLO Opera studio member, soprano Christina Tannous, will perform the role of Barbarina.


Glynis Leyshon, director of OLO's highly praised Falstaff, returns as the Stage Director, bringing her "fluid" and "witty" flair to the production. The National Arts Centre Orchestra and the OLO Chorus will be led by Austrian conductor Christoph Campestrini who demonstrates "feeling for structure," and "careful attention to details and nuances." Once again, a matinee performance will be presented for the benefit of over 2000 students as part of Opera Lyra Ottawa's education programming. The third annual Young People's Opera Matinee of Le Nozze di Figaro will take place on September 19.


Sung in Italian with English and French Surtitles, performances of Le Nozze di Figaro will begin at

8:00 pm. Pre-opera chats are presented free of charge to all patrons one-hour prior to each performance in the lobby. These offer an opportunity to learn more about the composer, context and historical significance of the opera.


The Story

The alternate name for the Le Nozze di Figaro is "A Crazy Day" an apt description of the convoluted, twisting plot that follows the events of a single day in the chateau of Count Almaviva in 18th century Spain. It is the wedding day Susanna, the Countess' maid, and Figaro, who has given up his barbering and is now valet to the Count Almaviva. A host of hilariously complicated situations arise throughout the day as the Count, an unfaithful yet ironically jealous husband, makes advances on the bride-to-be; the young page Cherubino, amorous of every woman, is constantly getting into trouble; and the scheming Dr. Bartolo reminds Figaro of a debt owed to the spinster Marcellina whom he had rashly promised to marry if the debt was not repaid. It is soon revealed however that Figaro, who was stolen as an infant by thieves, is in fact the long lost son of Marcellina and Bartolo, and they enjoy a happy reunion. The Countess and Susanna seek to expose the count's infidelity and lay plans to catch him in the act and so a series of passed notes, humorous misunderstandings, disguises and misguided schemes add to the chaos of the day. At last the count is exposed for his philandering ways and is forced to admit to his jealous behaviours and indiscretions. He begs for his wife's forgiveness, which he ultimately receives and the opera wraps up as the household rejoices.


Background

Le Nozze di Figaro or The Marriage of Figaro is based on the second play in the Figaro trilogy by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. It is a good example of a successful literary sequel, following up on the success of his first play, The Barber of Seville. The opera marks the first collaboration between Mozart and librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte, perhaps one of the most outstanding teams of composers and writers in the world of opera. At the time the opera was written, three years prior to the French revolution, the play was considered to be very contentious, and indeed had initially been banned for its political edge. Both the opera and play explore the relationship between the classes, challenging the presumptions of society as the servants turn the tables on their aristocratic masters. The play was described at the time as "possibly the most spirited piece ever written," and "immoral, positively indecent." The decision to use Beaumarchais' play as an opera was apparently Mozart's, and it was only due to the connections and persuasive abilities of his new collaborator, Da Ponte, that permission was granted by the Emperor for the opera to be based on this work. The opera premiered on May 1, 1786 and was so well liked the encores forced it to run twice its normal running time. It has since become a perennial favourite amongst opera fans, remaining one of the most popular in opera houses throughout the world.


Ticket Information:

Single tickets, from $39 to $165, are available from the NAC box office and all Ticketmaster locations (service fees will be applied). Visit Ticketmaster online or call 613-755-1111. Subscriptions for the OLO Season are still available. Call 613-233-9200 ext 221. DISCOUNTS: For groups of 10 or more please call Opera Lyra Ottawa at 613-233-9200 and ask about our group rates. Students with a valid Live Rush membership card may buy up to 2 tickets per performance at a discounted price. Tickets may be purchased online or in person at the NAC Box Office on the day of the performance between 2 and 6 pm. More information is available at www.liverush.ca.


About Opera Lyra Ottawa

Opera Lyra Ottawa is a not-for-profit organization with the mandate to produce and present opera in the National Capital Region of the highest quality and to promote opera as an art form, making it accessible to as large a segment of the population as possible through community outreach and education. Wherever possible, Opera Lyra Ottawa is committed to encourage, nurture and support Canadian artists. For more information please visit www.operalyra.ca.

Opera Lyra Ottawa gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our sponsors who make the 2008-2009 season possible. We thank Bell, Season Sponsor, as well as our other Principal Sponsors: Bel-Air Lexus, Rio Tinto Alcan, Sun Life Financial, and Ottawa Citizen; Major Sponsors: Arosa Suites Hotel, Custom Printers, and Handa Travel. Opera Lyra would also like to thank the following agencies for their support: the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the City of Ottawa.

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La chanteuse Fabiola emporte par le cancer

LA CHANTEUSE FABIOLA EMPORTE PAR LE CANCER

La colonie artistique est en deuil, la Grande Faucheuse est venue chercher un autre de ses membres.

Une figure importante du Music-Hall, du vaudeville et du cabaret vient de nous quitterĶ

Chanteuse, comdienne et meneuse de revue, Fabiola, de son nom vritable Louisa Lozano, est dcde lundi dernier, des suites dun long combat contre le cancer, lge de 78 ans.

Dorigine andalouse, elle est ne Casablanca, au Maroc. Venue au Qubec avec son poux, Roger Trouve, au dbut des annes 50, elle devint trs vite vedette et quelques annes plus tard sillustra dans les revues de Guilda et par la suite, celles du Thtre des Varits de Gilles Latulippe.

En 1969, elle fut la premire qubcoise tenir laffiche dun spectacle Las Vegas; elle tait la meneuse de revue des Folies Bergres prsentes lhtel Tropicana.

Trs jolie femme, avec un corps de desse et des charmes qui ressortaient grandement, elle avait cette classe qui imposait en mme temps le respect et lenvie. Elle possdait un charisme et un sens de lhumour qui lui valurent laffection du grand public. Dans le mtier, elle ne comptait que des amis.

Son nom brilla en grandes lettres sur les marquises du Caf Conc du Chteau Champlain et des Folies Royales maintes reprises.

Ses dernires prestations sur scne eurent lieu aux cots des Gilles Latulippe, Suzanne Lapointe, Evan Joanness, Barbara Araya et Guilda.

Par la suite, elle ne remonta plus sur scne aprs la fermeture du Thtre des Varits.

Outre son poux, Roger Trouve, Fabiola laisse dans le deuil une fille, Sandra, et un petit fils de 15 ans, Alessandro. Selon ses dernires volonts, sa dpouille mortelle na pas t expose et elle a dj t incinre.

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Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Michel Rivard et l'Orchestre Symphonique de Laval


Michel Rivard sur scne avec lOrchestre symphonique de Laval

dans le cadre de Sainte-Rose en Bleu

Laval, le 5 aot 2008 Alain Trudel, directeur artistique et chef de lOrchestre symphonique de Laval, propose une rencontre exceptionnelle entre son orchestre et Michel Rivard. Ainsi, les musiciens de lOSL se feront complices de lun des plus fascinants crateurs qubcois, le temps de revisiter ses plus belles chansons et de leur donner une saveur toute symphonique ! Beethoven, Verdi, Brahms, Bizet et Dvorak seront galement au programme, alors que lOSL donnera un avant-got de la saison venir en prsentant des extraits de la programmation 2008-2009. Ce concert champtre unique sera prsent gratuitement dans le cadre de Sainte-Rose en Bleu, le dimanche 10 aot 16 h, devant lglise Sainte-Rose-de-Lima.

Touche--tout de gnie salu par la francophonie toute entire, Michel Rivard a plusieurs cordes son arc ! Auteur-compositeur, musicien, chanteur, comdien et animateur, il partage depuis plus de 30 ans ses nombreuses passions avec toujours ce mme bonheur contagieux et un talent fou. Incontournable de la scne musicale, on peut affirmer quil a, dans la foule des Leclerc, Vigneault et Ferland, contribu faire voluer la chanson dici vers de nouvelles formes et de nouveaux horizons. De laventure de Beau Dommage aux albums solo, en passant par le cinma, la tlvision, le thtre et la Ligue Nationale dimprovisation, Michel Rivard sest impos comme une figure majeure de la scne culturelle qubcoise.

Chevalier de lOrdre national du Qubec, Grand Prix international du disque Paul Gilson de lAcadmie Charles Cros, Prix Wallonie-Bruxelles du disque de chansons 1989, Gmeau du Meilleur spcial de varits, et plusieurs Flix, dont un pour lensemble de sa carrire, voil quelques-unes des nombreuses distinctions qui sont venues souligner lexcellence de son travail.

Michel Rivard et lOSL partagent la scne le temps dun concert inoubliable, le dimanche 10 aot ds 16 h, devant lglise Sainte-Rose-de-Lima. Noubliez pas vos chaises!

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Barrie New Music Fest

The First Annual Barrie New Music Fest Call for Artist Submissions

Event Overview

In a recent partnership, Admiral Entertainment and DOR Productions bring you the first annual Barrie New Music Fest.
The Barrie New Music Fest is a three-day live music venue festival in Barrie ON, scheduled for October 2, 3, and 4, 2008. The festival will feature over 50 artists/bands performing a series of concerts/showcases each night at Barrie's finest live music venues. The genres of music will range between venues but will include various rock, pop, folk, urban and acoustic acts over the three days. The festival will include music industry seminars and musical workshops on Saturday, October 4th at the Travelodge (300 Bayfield St. Barrie).


Charitable Info

A portion of proceeds are going to the 'Canadian Music Therapy Trust Fund', a bold non-profit initiative, designed to integrate, educate, celebrate and promote all facets of music therapy in Canada.

Call For Artist/Band Submissions
Artists/bands interested in submitting material for showcasing opportunities can visit:
www.newmusicfest.ca for more information and submission guidelines.
Deadline for artist submissions is Sept 8, 2008!

Ticketing
There will be a wristband policy in effect for the three-day event at each participating venue. Wristbands are $15 allowing entry to all participating venues over the 3 day festival. Wristbands will be available 3 weeks prior to the event at each participating venue.
All ticketing outlets and information is listed at www.newmusicfest.ca
Barrie New Music Fest 5 Confirmed Participating Venues - (More to be announced late August)

The Foundation Night Club The Last Class Georgian College
34 Dunlop St. A Building 1 Georgian Drive
Barrie, ON Barrie, ON
Kenzington deli & bar Tiff's Restaurant Bar
40 Dunlop St. East 130 Dunlop St. East
Barrie, ON Barrie, ON
Dine-esty Restaurant Lounge
28 Dunlop St. East
Barrie, ON
For more information, please visit: www.newmusicfest.ca

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Four Nights of Dream crowns The Vadstena Academy season 2008


A very successful series of performances has come to an end. Four Nights of Dream, Vadstena Academy's biggest success ever was played on the 3rd of August or the last time this summer. Moto Osada's opera premiered on the 19th of July and has been sold out ever since.

In a ghostdance at Vadstena Castle we find a meditating samurai and Asian rhythms. This is Moto Osada's newly written dream-opera. Here we meet the unknown what we see when we open up to our inner selves. In a Japanese dream-landscape, people's fears and desires are portrayed. Nils Spangenberg directed this international first performance that was both beautiful and primitive, comical and horrible, Japanese and European.

The opera consists of four dreams: One is mystical, one is funny, sexual and grotesque, one is a nightmare, and the final one is a beautiful dream about death.

"In the world of dreams, the natural laws do not rule, and the tyranny of time and space has been abolished. Everything is logical but kind of otherwise" claims director Nils Spangenberg.

"Four Nights of Dream" is Moto Osada's first operatic work, and he is responsible for both music and libretto. Four Nights of Dream is based on a Japanese cultural classic, "Ten Nights of Dream" by Soseki Natsume, written in 1908. Moto Osada, who grew up in Tokyo, has lived in New York for many years, where he studied at the Manhattan School of Music.

"The illusionary nature of the simple and imaginative stories found in Four Nights of Dream is particularly well suited for the medium of opera. Just as the settings and the characters are surreal, so is opera by nature, where the dialogue is sung instead of spoken. Indeed, at the heart of the story's development is the music itself, a characteristic that distinguishes opera from other media such as television and film. Four Nights of Dream deals with the issues that lurk in the depths of our own subconsciousness. Desire, anxiety, fear and ego, the universal themes of humanity." Moto Osada comments on Four Nights of Dream.

All reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. Quotes from the Swedish press:

"With the auditorium dressed entirely in white Vadstena Academy's first performance of Moto Osadas four Japanese dreams becomes a therapy of light. It is surreal, beautiful and extremely strong This dream may be at least as crisp and clear as the waking lifeThat makes this journey through dreams one of the strongest performances I have ever seen from Vadstena Academy."
Sara Nordin, Dagens Nyheter

"A dreamy wise move in Vadstena! The performance is interpreted with a clarity and inventiveness that is a pleasure to experience and the opera is presented with a mixture of action and commented storytelling, a bit like ancient choirs, settled for six singers and a mime This is Osadas first opera. Let it not be the last!"
Per Feltzin, Swedish Radio Culture News

"It is not the night's darkness, but the symbolic theatrical interpretation and the music's fascinating force that creates the dream of this different, fascinating and very notable opera event."
Karin Helander, Svenska Dagbladet

The Swedish Radio recorded the opera on the 2nd of August and it will be broadcasted on channel P2 the 20th of September 7.15 PM.


Moto Osada, composer of Four Nights of Dream. Photo: Markus Grder


Joa Helgesson as "The Samurai" in Moto Osadas Four Nights of Dream. Photo: Markus Grder


Akeo Hasegawa as "The Father" in Moto Osadas Four Nights of Dream. Photo: Markus Grder


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Monday, August 4, 2008

Hold the dates: Dangerous Liaisons, The Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre, Sept. 7-28

Hold the Dates!

The Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre and BMO Bank of Montreal

Present

Dangerous Liaisons

By Christopher Hampton

Directed by Alexandre Marine

Mark these dates in your fall calendar

Sunday, September 7-Sunday, September 28, 2008

88.5 CBC Radio One presents the Sunday-@-the-Segal lecture for Dangerous Liaisons on Sunday, September 7, 11 a.m.

Dangerous Liaisons

The Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre

At The Segal Centre for the Performing Arts at the Saidye

5170 Cote St. Catherine Rd.

Monday to Thursday at 8:00 p.m.

Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

Sunday at 7:00 p.m.

Matines: Wednesdays, 1:00pm and Sundays, 2:00 pm

Reservations: (514) 739-7944

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10e Festival d'automne Orgue et couleurs

10e Festival d'automne Orgue et couleurs

vendredi 26 septembre au dimanche 5 octobre 2008, Montral

glises Saint-Nom-de-Jsus, Trs-Saint-Rdempteur, Saint-Lon de Westmount,

du Ges, St John The Evangelist et St Andrew & St Paul

6 Grands concerts du soir (20 $ 25 $) - 5 Concerts apro (12 $ et 15 $)

5 Midis la carte - Orgues ouvertes (entre libre)

Renseignements : 514-899-0644 / Billetterie : 514-899-0938 / www.orgueetcouleurs.com

Forfaits disponibles

Montral, lundi 4 aot 2008 Sonnez, trompettes et violons, le FESTIVAL D'AUTOMNE ORGUE ET COULEURS ftera ses dix ans du 26 septembre au 5 octobre 2008, en faisant rsonner les grandes orgues des glises Saint-Nom-de-Jsus, Trs-Saint-Rdempteur de Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, son quartier d'origine qui clbre cette anne ses 125 ans, et celles plus l'ouest, Saint-Lon de Westmount, du Ges, St John The Evangelist et St Andrew & St Paul. Plus de cent artistes et ensembles de la scne nationale et internationale, nous rvleront le ct classique et moderne du Roi des instruments et la richesse de ses couleurs sonores. Convivial, le Roi partagera bien sr la scne avec des chanteurs et autres instrumentistes, noblesse oblige !

L'Orchestre Mtropolitain du Grand Montral, sous la direction de son chef Yannick Nzet-Sguin, avec les solistes invites Marianne Fiset (soprano) et Julie Boulianne (mezzo-soprano), ouvrira les festivits en prsentant son premier concert de saison, dans des uvres de Ravel, Rachmaninov et Moussorgsky. Le Festival se clturera avec l'Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivires, dirig par son chef Jacques Lacombe, dans un grand concert pour orgue et orchestre. Une soire spciale soulignant les 10 ans du festival et les 125 ans du quartier Hochelaga-Maisonneuve runira des artistes et ensembles originaires du quartier ; l'opra flirtera avec des comdies musicales de Broadway, pour de nouvelles histoires d'amour ; et il y aura mme un voyage interplantaire. Tout un programme !

Ainsi, Orgue et Couleurs, sous la direction gnrale et artistique de l'organiste Rgis Rousseau, convie le grand public six Grands concerts, dans des rencontres originales entre l'orgue et plusieurs autres instruments, travers divers rpertoires et poques, tous sont prcds de La Fanfare du 10e Festival, une courte pice pour orgue et quintette vent ; Cinq Midis la carte qui mettront en vedettes douze jeunes organistes en herbe, issus des grandes coles de musique au Qubec, lors de cinq rcitals ; Cinq concerts apro qui proposeront, l'heure de l'apro, des concerts intimes de musique de chambre o l'orgue se fera le complice de jeunes chanteurs d'opra; En prime, un atelier d'initiation l'orgue sera propos de jeunes lves, et plus de trente glises Montral et au Qubec ouvriront leurs portes et leurs tribunes, avec l'activit Orgues ouvertes, prsente dans le cadre des Journes de la culture 2008, le dimanche 28 septembre entre 11 h et 18 h.

Orgue et couleurs bnficie du soutien et de la collaboration de plusieurs partenaires dont le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Qubec, le ministre du Patrimoine canadien, le ministre des Affaires municipales et des Rgions du Qubec, le Conseil des arts de Montral, la Ville de Montral et Emploi Qubec.

Confrence de presse /dvoilement de la programmation

Mercredi 3 septembre 2008, 13 h, glise St-Nom-de-Jsus

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Ce week-end au Centre d'arts Orford

En plus des concerts du 8 et du 10 aot avec le pianiste Louis Lortie, ce sera lentre en scne de lOrchestre Mondial des Jeunesses Musicales sous la direction de Franz-Paul Decker ce samedi 9 aot.

Correctif apporter au programme de lOrchestre Mondial :

Edward Elgar Chanson du matin, Chanson de nuit et Salut damour ( Salut damour opus 12 et non Chanson damour )

Samedi 9 aot 20h (Salle de concert Gilles-Lefebvre) 39$

Double concerto de Brahms

Orchestre Mondial des Jeunesses Musicales

Maestro Franz-Paul Decker, chef dorchestre

Artistes invits : Laurence Lesser, violoncelle

Et Masuko Ushioda, violon

Edward Elgar Chanson du matin, Chanson de nuit et Salut damour

Johannes Brahms Double Concerto pour violon, violoncelle et orchestre

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Friday, August 1, 2008

Montreal Chamber Orchestra Pavarotti Concert


Montreal Chamber Orchestra to Honour Luciano Pavarotti



The Montreal Chamber Orchestra will mark the first anniversary of Luciano Pavarotti's death with a concert entitled "Hommage Pavarotti" that will take place on Saturday, August 9th at 7 p.m. in Parc Georges-St-Pierre in Notre Dame de Grace, at the corner of Oxford Ave and Upper Lachine Road. The concert, which is the opening event in Montreal's Italian Week, provides the perfect opportunity to hear much loved opera arias on a summer evening in a splendid outdoor setting.

For "Hommage Pavarotti", the Montreal Chamber Orchestra will be conducted by artistic director Maestra Wanda Kaluzny and the concert will be hosted by renowned tenor Manrico Tedeschi. Mr Tedeschi was a winner of the Pavarotti Voice Competition and alternated with the great tenor at La Scala. He will animate the evening, recounting personal anecdotes about Pavarotti. Internationally acclaimed soprano Makiko Awazu and tenor Francesco Verrecchia will join Manrico Tedeschi to perform 11 well-known arias (including E lucevan le stelle and O sole mio) made familiar to the world by Luciano Pavarotti. They will close with the ever popular Nessun Dorma, which was the last piece that Pavarotti sang in concert.

With this concert, the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, continues its tradition of making music accessible to Montrealers of all cultures and from all parts of the city. The concert is free and open to the public and holds the promise of a delightful summer evening filled with spectacular music.

Concert goers are advised to bring a chair.