Symphony Nova Scotia performs new music in partnership with the Canadian New Music Network

Halifax, NS ��� Symphony Nova Scotia partners with the Canadian New Music Network, Upstream Music Association, and Vocalypse Productions to present ���New Music for a New Year,��� an innovative concert of all-new Canadian music on Wednesday, January 7 at 7:30 pm at the Sir James Dunn Theatre, Halifax.

Conducted by Symphony Nova Scotia Music Director Bernhard Gueller, ���New Music for the New Year��� features six brand-new diverse Canadian works for orchestra by composers Mark Armanini, Sandeep Baghwati, J��r��me Blais, Tim Brady, Paul Cram, and Derek Charke. The performance also serves as the opening event of the Canadian New Music Network���s international Forum 2010 conference, ���Partnering Diversity.���

���Symphony Nova Scotia is always ready to rise to a challenge,��� says Gueller. ���And what can be more challenging for musicians and interesting for audiences than to have a whole concert dedicated to contemporary music?

���We are very happy to collaborate with the Canadian New Music Network. The music that was sent to me for consideration showed again what at what a high level our composers produce. The first challenge for me was to choose from amongst the submissions. I know audiences will also enjoy the challenge, for the pieces range from very free improvisation to formally structured notation, with lyricism and minimalism.���

Each of the works on the program presents an imaginative new vision of creating music in the 21st century. Paul Cram's Beyond Benghazi is a rollicking collision of jazz improvisation and high-energy orchestral composition, while Derek Charke's Inuit Throat Singing Games is a colourful score crossing cultural boundaries into the North.

Mark Armanini's Heartland features the ethereal playing of Vancouver erhu player Lan Tung, Jerome Blais' Dremlen Feigl oyf di tsvaygn is sung in Yiddish by Halifax's own Janice Jackson, and Tim Brady's Three or Four Days After the Death of Kurt Cobain uses music from the Nirvana song Smells Like Teen Spirit to create a haunting orchestral miniature.

The program also features Sandeep Baghwati's Steel 3 for James Tenney, a work that makes the conductor "compose" the music in real time, working with the players to create the piece during the performance.

During the concert, the composers and soloists will be interacting with the audience and musicians, sharing inside stories about the process, results, and motivations behind their works.

Tickets for this unique performance are $20 / $15 / $10, and are available at the Dalhousie Arts Centre Box Office at 494.3820 or 1.800.874.1669 or online at http://artscentre.dal.ca.

For more information about the Forum 2010 ���Partnering Diversity��� and other concerts during the conference, visit www.newmusicnetwork.ca.

About Symphony Nova Scotia

Symphony Nova Scotia is Nova Scotia���s orchestra. Each year more than 50,000 audience members (including 15,000 young music lovers) join us in communities across Nova Scotia for performances of the music they love ��� from baroque and classical to pop and rock and folk. Under the inspirational leadership of Music Director Bernhard Gueller, Symphony Nova Scotia is recognized as one of the finest orchestras in the country. Visit www.SymphonyNovaScotia.ca to learn more, listen online, or subscribe today!

About the Canadian New Music Network

The Canadian New Music Network (CNMN) / R��seau canadien pour les musiques nouvelles (RCMN) is a network of artists, ensembles, orchestras, production companies, record labels, music educators, music media, musicologists, music lovers and fans who believe in the importance and value of creative music making in Canadian society. The CNMN was founded in November 2005, after almost 3 years of discussions with the national new music community.

Symphony Nova Scotia is grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts, Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture, and Heritage, and the Halifax Regional Municipality for their continued support.

Performing Arts Looks Towards Greening Industry First Ever Survey and Study on Greening the Performing Arts Released

NEW YORK, NY ��� On Friday, January 8, 2010, Arts Presenters, in partnership with the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts and leading consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, will hold a press conference to announce the findings and analysis of the first study of greening in the performing arts industry. In a rapidly changing environment, Arts Presenters and its partners seeks to both raise awareness and activate change within the industry, and the individuals and communities it serves to collectively move towards sustainability.

WHO:	Sandra Gibson, President and CEO, Arts Presenters Terrence D. Jones, President and CEO, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts David Erne, Senior Associate, Booz Allen Hamilton
WHAT:	Press Conference
WHEN:	Friday, January 8, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. EDT
WHERE:	New York Hilton 1335 Avenue of the Americas (on Avenue of the Americas (6th Ave.) between West 53rd and West 54th Streets) Room: Petite Trianon

Beethoven���s Symphony No. 9 ���Ode to Joy���

Vancouver, BC ��� Beethoven���s Symphony No. 9 was his final complete symphony, and arguably the greatest piece of music ever written. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra presents this epic piece along with Beethoven���s Ah, Perfido! and Fidelio: Overture on January 2^nd and 4^th at 8pm at the Orpheum Theatre. Maestro Bramwell Tovey conducts a concert that features soprano Joni Henson, mezzo-soprano Norine Burgess, tenor Michael Colvin, baritone Greg Dahl and the Vancouver Bach Choir.

Truly one of the most profound creations of the human mind, Beethoven's Ninth is always fresh and current, and always the most inspiring, uplifting and joyful concert experience one can hope to have. The Ode to Joy also makes a particularly significant prelude to Vancouver's 2010 Winter Olympic Games, and rings in the new decade with a message of hope, joy and brotherhood.

Composed over a ten-month period in 1823/1824, the Ninth was Beethoven���s last symphony, a genre he had not written in for ten years. And as much as the Ninth is seen as being revolutionary, and in many ways it is, much of the work harks back to styles and influences of Beethoven���s past. Even the famous final melody was an earlier creation, dating to 1794 in the guise of a song called ���Gegenliebe��� (Mutual Love), then used again by Beethoven as the principal theme of the 1808 ���Choral Fantasia��� before finding its apotheosis as the choral finale of the Ninth. The truly revolutionary aspect of the Ninth was the addition of solo vocalists and a choir to the final movement. This had not been done before to any effect, and changed music forever. The choral finale of the Ninth is also no mere added bauble ��� it brings the work together with Beethoven���s musical setting of Frederick Schiller���s ode, ���To Joy���, a poem Beethoven had long desired to set to music (in fact, it seems Beethoven did manage to set the entire poem to music as he wanted to, but the work was tragically lost). The aggressive, operatic choral writing adds weight and brilliance to the conclusion, giving the words a profound credibility.

The Ninth is, in a very real sense, a musical and metaphorical journey, the centerpiece of which is a struggle for D minor to find its way to D Major, reflecting a very human struggle to overcome the troubles of the world with peace, and enter into the fields of Elysium. D Major ultimately finds its way, after being thwarted and parried and teased throughout, bursting forth triumphantly in the final movement in stunning fashion, heralding the arrival of the people into Elysium. The choral finale is of course the most famous part of the piece, and rightly so ��� it is a magnificent statement of hope, happiness and friendship, as well as a powerful, dramatic and joyful end to a musical journey, a musical career, and, in many ways, a musical life.

CONCERT INFO

PricewaterhouseCoopers Masterworks Silver Series

Saturday and Monday, January 2 & 4, 8pm, Orpheum Theatre

Beethoven���s Ode to Joy

Bramwell Tovey, conductor

Joni Henson, soprano

Norine Burgess, mezzo-soprano

Michael Colvin, tenor

Greg Dahl, baritone

Vancouver Bach Choir

Beethoven Fidelio: Overture

Beethoven Ah, Perfido!

Beethoven Symphony No. 9 in D minor

Visit Joni Henson at: www.jonihensonsoprano.com

Visit Norine Burgess at: www.norineburgess.com

Visit Michael Colvin at: www.michaelcolvin.com

Visit Greg Dahl at: www.gregorydahl.com

Visit the Vancouver Bach Choir at: www.vancouverbachchoir.com

Series Sponsor: PricewaterhouseCoopers

Video Screen Sponsor: TELUS

Special Video Screen Presentations Created and Produced by: Columbia Academy

Tickets: $25 - $78.50 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)

Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

BIOGRAPHIES

Bramwell Tovey, conductor

A musician of striking versatility, Bramwell Tovey is acknowledged around the world for his artistic depth and his warm, charismatic personality on the podium. Tovey���s career as a conductor is uniquely enhanced by his work as a composer and pianist, lending him a remarkable musical perspective. His tenures as music director with the Vancouver Symphony, Luxembourg Philharmonic and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras have been characterized by his expertise in operatic, choral, British and contemporary repertoire.

He continues as Principal Guest Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, and as founding host and conductor of the New York Philharmonic���s Summertime Classics series at Avery Fisher Hall. An esteemed guest conductor, Tovey has worked with orchestras in Europe and the UK including the London Philharmonic, London Symphony, Frankfurt Radio and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestras. This season, Tovey returns to the Ulster and Helsingborg Orchestras having made his successful debut in 2008/09 and to Opera North and Trondheim Symphony. He makes his debut with Bergen Philharmonic in 2009/10 and will also return to Melbourne as curator of the contemporary Metropolis Festival in summer 2010 and to the main subscription season in autumn 2011. That season, he will also conduct the Sydney Symphony Orchestra for the first time. In North America, along with his work with the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, Tovey has made guest appearances with the orchestras of Baltimore, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Seattle, Montreal as well as ongoing performances with Toronto, where he conducts each season.

With a profound commitment to new music, Tovey has established himself as a formidable composer and is the first artist to win a Juno Award in both conducting and composing. He has been commissioned by the Calgary Opera to compose the company���s third original full-length opera.

He has also recorded several DVDs, of works including Holst���s The Planets Suite with distinguished guests such as percussionist Evelyn Glennie, among many others.

Franz Welser-M��st leads The Cleveland Orchestra in concerts featuring Brahms���s Symphony No. 2 at Severance Hall on January 14, 15, and 16

Leila Josefowicz (Photo by J. Henry Fair)

Program for Thursday and Saturday includes Cleveland Orchestra premiere of Thomas Ad��s���s Violin Concerto with Leila Josefowicz as soloist

CLEVELAND, December 18, 2009 ��� Music Director Franz Welser-M��st will conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in a program featuring Brahms���s Symphony No. 2 at Severance Hall on Thursday, January 14, at 8:00 p.m.; Friday, January 15, at 11:00 a.m.; and Saturday, January 16, at 8:00 p.m.

The program for Thursday and Saturday evenings begins with Richard Strauss���s Don Juan, Opus 20, followed by the first Cleveland Orchestra performances of Thomas Ad��s���s Violin Concerto: Concentric Paths, Opus 23, with Leila Josefowicz as soloist. After intermission, the program concludes with Johannes Brahms���s Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 73. The Friday morning concert, performed without intermission, consists of the works by Strauss and Brahms.

About Thomas Ad��s���s Violin Concerto: Concentric Paths ���

British composer Thomas Ad��s���s Violin Concerto was written in 2004-05 and given its world premiere in September 2005. Born in London in 1971, Ad��s is widely regarded as the outstanding composer of his generation. In 2000, he became the youngest composer ever to receive the prestigious Grawemeyer Award, often described as ���the Nobel Prize of music.��� Program annotator Paul Schiavo has written that the Violin Concerto ���bears the title Concentric Paths, an allusion that carries possible poetic and certainly formal connotations. Circular patterns, both large and small, permeate the work. The music unfolds in a traditional concerto format of three movements [titled ���Rings,��� ���Paths,��� and ���Rounds���] �Ķ arranged in a familiar fast-slow-fast pattern�Ķ.���

Canadian violinist Leila Josefowicz attracts audiences around the world with her fresh approach to repertoire and dynamic virtuosity. She came to national attention with her Carnegie Hall debut in 1994, at the age of 16. In recognition of her advocacy and commitment to contemporary music, Ms. Josefowicz was awarded a 2008 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship. She has collaborated with contemporary composers including John Adams and Oliver Knussen, and last season she premiered concertos written for her by Steve Mackey, Colin Matthews, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Ms. Josefowicz first performed with The Cleveland Orchestra in July 1991 and most recently appeared with the Orchestra in October 2005.

Mixed Company Theatre Springs into 2010 with Ontario Arts Council Support

Toronto, December 18, 2009 - The Ontario Arts Council has confirmed their support for Mixed Company���s Spring 2010 Educational Tour. This assistance from the Ontario Arts Council will help students understand issues from the perspective of others through Mixed Company���s delivery of interactive, entertaining, and age-appropriate theatrical presentations. Secondary and elementary level offerings for the coming season include:

DISS - Touring March 22 ��� April 16 2010

For Grades 9-12

Why is gang life so appealing? Mixed Company���s acclaimed 2009 Summer production focuses on gang presence in our neighbourhoods and the pressures youth face finding social connection and identity. Created in collaboration with the Toronto Police Service and youth who have experienced violence, the plot covers snitching, family relationships, friendship, theft, gun violence and many other issues that affect young people living with gang presence in their communities.

Morro and Jasp...GO GREEN! - Touring April 12 ��� 30 2010

For Grades K-6

Mixed Company Theatre partners with UNIT - Up Your Nose and In Your Toes ��� to tour ���their best show yet: an eco-tainment piece about environmental issues that's both funny and informational for youngsters.��� (NOW Magazine, Toronto, July 4, 2008). Clowns Morro and Jasp turn assumptions about being green on their heads, teaching that every little bit does make a difference. This show delivers the ���going green��� message like never before!

Canadian Debut of Alt-Classical Quartet Highlight of January Performances

The New Year is almost upon us, and The Royal Conservatory will kick off the next decade with a wide ranging set of performances encompassing classical music, flamenco dance, and the blues.

Concerts begin on January 16, when musical globetrotters Quartetto Gelato come to Koerner Hall. Praised by The New York Times for their ���warm, endearing vitality,��� they will warm up the winter with selections from their latest disc, Musica Latina, which explores the hot and cool sounds of South America. Joining them in a double bill is New York-based alt-classical string quartet, ETHEL, in their Canadian debut. This amplified ensemble of Juilliard graduates has been described by The Guardian as ���the fiercest string quartet this side of hell.��� Having collaborated with everyone from Ornette Coleman to Lenny Kravitz, their music fuses classical, rock, blues, and jazz. Dedicated to educational outreach, the group will also present a free public master class on January 15. The concert is sponsored by CBC Radio 2, who will be recording the performance for future broadcast.

A blast of blues will hit Koerner Hall on January 18, when the TBS Maple Blues Awards come to The Royal Conservatory for the first time. Co-presented by the Toronto Blues Society, the 13^th edition of Canada���s only national blues awards program will honour the best blues musicians across Canada. Hosting duties will be handled by popular blues performer and radio host Danny Marks, along with Nanaimo���s Juno-nominated blues musician David Gogo. Performers include Quebec City���s Clio & The Blues Highway, Vancouver���s The Twisters, Toronto���s Paul Reddick, B.C.-based Harry Manx, and The Maple Blues Band, featuring Gary Kendall, Michael Fonfara, Teddy Leonard, Tom Bona, Al Lerman, Chris Whiteley, Pat Carey, and Chris Murphy.

Koerner Hall���s first dance performance comes courtesy of the electrifying Spanish touring company, Noche Flamenca, and its incomparable dancer, Soledad Barrio. Hailed for their emotional performances, Noche Flamenca is recognized as the most authentic flamenco touring group in the field today. The Village Voice has exclaimed that ���the company digs deep into flamenco���s dark soul.��� Their thrilling combination of music, song, and dance makes a welcome two night return to Toronto on January 30 and 31, as part of their North American tour.

Performances in Mazzoleni Hall begin on January 17, with distinguished Toronto musicians and Conservatory faculty members Bryan Epperson and Dianne Werner. These frequent collaborators will present a diverse program of Beethoven, Rachmaninov, and modern Polish composer Andrzej Panufnik.

Beautiful chamber music continues on January 31, when the highly sought-after ensemble, The Duke Trio, comes to Mazzoleni Hall. Having performed in recitals across North America, Conservatory faculty members Mark Fewer (violin), Thomas Wiebe (cello), and Peter Longworth (piano) will perform an all-Brahms program of duo and trio works, and will be joined by violist Douglas McNabney for the Piano Quintet in G Minor.

Founded in 1886, The Royal Conservatory is the largest and oldest independent arts educator in Canada. It is an internationally renowned centre for performance and learning, providing opportunities for personal development through music and arts education in over 300 communities across Canada and a dozen countries around the world. Each year, more than 500,000 Canadians take part in RCM programs, exams, and public school initiatives.

The Royal Conservatory acknowledges all of its donors and recognizes the remarkable generosity of:

TELUS ��� Official season sponsor of the 2009-10 Koerner Hall Concert Season

The Globe and Mail ��� Season media sponsor

CONCERTS AND EVENTS AT THE ROYAL CONSERVATORY ��� JANUARY 2010

KH ��� Koerner Hall; MH ��� Mazzoleni Hall; CT ��� Conservatory Theatre

ETHEL Master Class: Friday, January 15, 2010 at 5pm; FREE (CT)

Quartetto Gelato & ETHEL: Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 8pm; $20-$50 (KH)

Bryan Epperson with Dianne Werner: Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 2pm; $30 (students $20) (MH)

TBS Maple Blues Awards: Monday, January 18, 2010 at 7pm; $20-$28 (KH)

Noche Flamenca: Saturday, January 30, 2010 at 8pm and

Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 3pm; $30-$75 (KH)

The Duke Trio: Sunday, January 31, 2010 at 2pm; $30 (students $20) (MH)

INDEPENDENT PRESENTATIONS

Arianna Huffington: The Brave New World of the ���New Media��� (Advertising Week 2010):

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 4pm; $75 (KH)

Penderecki Plus! (Esprit Orchestra): Friday, January 29, 2010 at 8pm; $15-$43 (KH)

Tickets are available online at www.rcmusic.ca, by calling 416.408.0208,

or in person at the Weston Family Box Office, 273 Bloor Street West, Toronto

More information about upcoming concerts and events is available The Royal Conservatory website at www.rcmusic.ca.

Severance Hall offers free MLK Day Community Open House on Monday, January 18

Event includes performances by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus

Ensembles including Cleveland Metropolitan School District All-City Choir and Drum Line, Opera Per Tutti, and Gabriel���s Horns to perform during the day

CLEVELAND, December 17, 2009 ��� Severance Hall will hold its eleventh annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Open House on Monday, January 18, 2010, from 12:00 to 5:15 p.m. The free day of activities and performances celebrates the legacy of Dr. King and will include performances by some of Cleveland���s finest community performing arts groups, including the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus. Other performances include the Cleveland Metropolitan School District All-City Choir and Drum Line; ���On Ma Journey: A Celebration of the Negro Spiritual��� by Opera Per Tutti; and a big band/jazz performance by Gabriel���s Horns. Activities throughout the afternoon include the ���I Have a Dream��� wall where children can ���color their dreams,��� the ���Picture Yourself At Severance Hall��� photo activity, and popular DJ Terry Macklin���s Sounds of Entertainment.

Performances and Activities

The Community Open House kicks off in Reinberger Chamber Hall at 12:10 p.m. with a performance by the Cleveland Metropolitan School District All-City Choir. At 12:45 p.m., the Cleveland Metropolitan School District All-City Drum Line will lead concertgoers up into the Grand Foyer for their performance, then into the Main Concert Hall. The All-City Arts Program is a district-wide, after-school and weekend program providing artistic and college-readiness skill development for students of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

At 1:00 p.m. in the Main Concert Hall, an ensemble of French horn students from area middle schools, high schools, and colleges, and including members of The Cleveland Orchestra���s horn section, will perform selections by Weber, Schubert, and Bach, led by Loras John Schissel. The students are participating in a special day of clinics and masterclasses titled ���Hornapalooza,��� led by members of The Cleveland Orchestra���s horn section.

At 2:00 p.m., the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra will perform under its music director, James Feddeck. Their program includes Copland���s Fanfare for the Common Man, including members of The Cleveland Orchestra���s horn section; Copland���s ���Simple Gifts��� Theme from the Appalachian Spring Suite; Ravel���s Piano Concerto in G major featuring Stephanie Lee as soloist; George Walker���s Lyric for Strings; and the first movement of Brahms���s Symphony No. 4. The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra is supported by generous grants from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, and many other donors. Endowment support is provided by The George Gund Foundation and Christine Gitlin Miles.

At 3:00 p.m. in the Main Concert Hall, Opera Per Tutti will perform On Ma Journey: A Celebration of the Negro Spiritual. Opera Per Tutti is a non-profit organization that brings opera to Northeast Ohioans at performances throughout the community including the Art Walk in Little Italy, the annual Home & Garden Show at Cleveland���s IX Center, and al fresco concerts at the Italian Cultural Garden in Rockefeller Park.

At 4:00 p.m., Gabriel���s Horns will perform big band and jazz music in the Main Concert Hall. The ensemble, directed by James T. May, Jr., is a Cleveland-based, non-profit community jazz-praise big band whose members include professional and amateur musicians, music teachers, youth pastors, ministers, high-school and college students, and talented youth.

The Community Open House concludes with a 4:45 concert by the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus under its director, Frank A. Bianchi. The Youth Chorus program will feature music from around the world, including Glinka���s Russian folk tune Traveling Song, a traditional Negro spiritual Ezekiel Saw De Wheel (arranged by Moses Hogan), a Spanish folk song titled El Vito, and classical selections. The concert will conclude with a performance of Jai Ho, the theme song from the 2008 hit movie Slumdog Millionaire. The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus is supported by the Edward and Ruth Wilkof Foundation.

Throughout the day, and especially in between Concert Hall performances, attendees can enjoy a DJ from Terry Macklin���s Sounds of Entertainment ��� DJ-driven musical fun including line-dancing for the whole family, in the Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer. Attendees will have an opportunity to write their ���dreams for the world��� or color line drawings of Dr. King, to be included on the ���I Have a Dream��� Wall in Severance Hall���s Smith Lobby. And, attendees can participate in ���Picture Yourself At Severance Hall��� (sponsored by Macy���s Foundation) ��� a photo opportunity where you can pretend you are ���performing��� on the Severance Hall main stage.

A complete schedule of ���Community Open House��� performances and activities follows.

Shopping, Food & Parking

The Cleveland Orchestra Store, located in the Lerner Lobby, will be open to the public from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. Offering a unique shopping experience, the store features Cleveland Orchestra recordings and signature merchandise as well as specialty musical gift items and children���s toys.

Light concessions will be available for purchase in the Smith Lobby.

Parking will be available in the Case Western Reserve University Campus Center Garage (the underground garage located directly behind Severance Hall). Convenient off-site and alternative parking options include the Cleveland Botanical Garden, which offers two levels of covered parking. The garage is located on the corner of East Boulevard and Wade Oval Drive. CWRU Lot 1, located off Euclid Avenue across from Severance Hall, and University Circle Lot 13A on Adelbert Road are surface lots within walking distance of Severance Hall. There is also metered street parking along East Boulevard between Severance Hall and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Visit universitycircle.org for more details on parking.

* * *

The 2010 MLK Day Community Open House is sponsored by Medical Mutual of Ohio, the exclusive health insurer of The Cleveland Orchestra and a Cleveland Orchestra Partner in Excellence. Additional support is provided by Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and the Ohio Arts Council.

Cleveland Orchestra to perform 30th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert on January 17

Music Director Franz Welser-M��st to lead free program at Severance Hall featuring the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus, the Central State University Chorus, and Sphinx Competition prizewinner Tony Rymer

Mayor Frank G. Jackson to participate in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Community Service Award presentation

Pre-concert talk with James Rose to begin at 6:00 p.m.

Concert to be broadcast live on WCLV, WCPN, and WNWV radio stations

CLEVELAND, December 17, 2009 ��� The Musical Arts Association and Mayor Frank G. Jackson today announced The Cleveland Orchestra���s 30th annual concert in celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. The concert will take place at Severance Hall on Sunday, January 17, 2010, at 7:00 p.m., under the direction of Franz Welser-M��st. The program will feature selections by Ludwig van Beethoven, Anton��n Dvo��k, and Aaron Copland, as well as spirituals and gospel songs. Performing as cello soloist in this year���s celebration concert is Sphinx Competition prizewinner Tony Rymer. The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus and the Central State University Chorus, prepared by William Henry Caldwell, also will participate.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Chorus is a 125-member volunteer chorus from the greater Cleveland community, and the internationally acclaimed Central State University Chorus (directed by William Henry Caldwell) is the official choir of Central State University, located in Wilberforce, Ohio. Cellist Tony Rymer, first-prize winner from the 2009 Sphinx Competition for Black and Latino string players, Senior Division, will make his Cleveland Orchestra debut as soloist in a performance of Dvo��k���s Cello Concerto in B minor, Opus 104 (First Movement). The Orchestra���s performance of Bernstein���s ���One Hand, One Heart��� from West Side Story features two students from John Hay High School: soprano Imaris Rivera and tenor Martin Parries.


PRE-CONCERT TALK WITH JAMES ROSE
James Rose, vice president, sales and national accounts for OEConnections, will give the pre-concert talk, beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the Concert Hall. The talk is free to ticket holders for the evening���s concert. A native of Detroit, Mr. Rose has served as mentor for Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra musicians for more than 16 years, played horn with the Detroit Metropolitan Orchestra, and has been involved with the national Sphinx Competition.

COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARDS TO BE PRESENTED AT CONCERT
In cooperation with the City of Cleveland, The Cleveland Orchestra and the Greater Cleveland Partnership will present the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Community Service Awards at the Orchestra���s 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Concert. Awards will be presented in recognition of the services and achievements of an individual, a business or organization, and a youth who have positively impacted Cleveland in the spirit of the teachings and example of Dr. King.

Midemnet Lab Unveils 15 Innovative Startups

Paris, 17 December 2009 ��� MidemNet Lab, the showcase for cutting-edge digital initiatives, today unveils the 15 start-ups chosen to take part in the inaugural edition. This line-up, which covers every aspect of the music sector and brings together some of the most promising digital innovations of the moment, forms a palette of services responding to the music industry���s changing needs. The 15 companies will showcase their activities in the area of the market dedicated to the MidemNet Lab for the duration of MIDEM, from 23 to 27 January in Cannes.

���The first edition of MidemNet Lab is extremely encouraging. Thanks to a selection process designed by MIDEM, involving a call for entries and selection by a jury of entrepreneurs, we have succeeded in unearthing some very innovative projects from all around the world. It is extremely exciting to put these 15 companies in contact with the wider music industry,��� said Dominique Leguern, director of MIDEM.

The 15 start-ups chosen to participate in the MidemNet Lab by Music Ally and the entrepreneurs��� jury, operate across a wide range of digital fields that offer opportunities for the industry, such as live applications (Awdio, Songkick, Streamjam), digital licensing of sheet music and lyrics (DigiClef, TuneWiki), artist management (BandCentral), managing key data for artists (Band Metrics), digital distribution (Pops Worldwide), web radio (Radionomy), remixing (Aviary, GoMix and Tracksandfields), musical discovery (Thesixtyone), artistic financing (Kickstarter) and on-line advertising (Silence Media).

La SCENA lance sa Carte verte pour les amateurs d���art

Une solution encore plus ��conomique pour nos lecteurs soucieux de l���environnement

[English version]


Montr��al, QC ��� Le 8 d��cembre 2009 ���Les amateurs d���art soucieux de l���environnement peuvent maintenant lire les magazines de musique classique et de jazz les plus complets du Canada �� leurs ordinateurs. LSM, l���diteur de La Scena Musicale / The Music Scene / La SCENA, est fi��re de lancer cet hiver sa nouvelle Carte verte La SCENA pour les amateurs d���art. Les membres du club Carte verte ��conomiseront 15 $ �� l���abonnement et plus de 65 % du prix en kiosques.


Pour seulement 25 $ par ann��e, les membres recevront des versions ��lectroniques en haute r��solution des dix num��ros de La Scena Musicale (l���actualit�� en musique classique, jazz et musique du monde), 4 num��ros de La SCENA (sp��cialis��e dans les arts visuels, la danse, le th����tre et le cin��ma) et 2 num��ros de The Music Scene (couvrant la musique dans le Canada anglais). En tout, c���est 16 magazines chaque ann��e. Non seulement les abonn��s sont-ils les premiers �� conna��tre les concerts et disques �� venir, mais ils ont en plus un acc��s exclusif �� la vaste Discoth��que Naxos, o�� ils peuvent ��couter plus de 39 000 CD (c���est presque 3000 jours de musique ininterrompue !) et peuvent t��l��charger gratuitement chaque mois un nouveau CD D��couverte (produit en partenariat avec les Disques XXI) mettant en vedette les meilleurs musiciens du Canada du pass�� et du pr��sent. Les d��tenteurs de la Carte verte peuvent ��galement t��l��charger la totalit�� de la collection de CD D��couverte publi��e jusqu���ici (10 CD). Et ce n���est pas tout : la Carte verte vous donne droit �� des escomptes exclusifs dans d���autres commerces et institutions, dont Archambault, l���Orchestre symphonique de Montr��al et l���Op��ra de Montr��al. Qui plus est, nous offrons des CD et billets chaque mois �� un abonn�� chanceux et, comme membre du club, vous recevrez des invitations particuli��res �� des conf��rences, des lancements et d���autres ��v��nements sp��ciaux du secteur culturel.

G��tez-vous en cette fin d���ann��e et devenez membre du club. Et pendant que vous y ��tes, quoi de mieux que d���offrir �� vos amis et vos proches le cadeau de la musique et des arts �� domicile avec un abonnement �� LSM ? �� l���approche des f��tes, c���est le moment parfait. Chaque abonn�� joue un r��le actif dans la promotion de la musique classique et des arts en appuyant LSM, un organisme sans but lucratif enregistr��. Et avec la nouvelle Carte verte ainsi que notre forfait d���abonnement habituel, vous ��tes assur�� de faire plaisir �� tout amateur d���art sur votre liste de cadeaux de No��l.

Information:

• Page Web Carte verte La SCENA
• T��l. : 514-948-2520
• Courriel : SUB@scena.org

LSM lance sa campagne Fonds de dotation 2010

Chaque dollar donn�� �� LSM vaudra en contrepartie 1,50 $ du gouvernement du Qu��bec

[English Version]

Montr��al, QC ��� Le 8 d��cembre 2009 ��� La Sc��ne musicale / The Music Scene (LSM), l���organisme sans but lucratif qui publie les magazines d���art La Scena Musicale / The Music Scene / La SCENA, est heureuse d���annoncer qu���elle a obtenu le statut d���organisme ayant droit au programme de subventions de contrepartie Placements Culture du gouvernement du Qu��bec. Pour chaque dollar donn�� �� LSM avant le 30 novembre 2010, le gouvernement du Qu��bec versera 1,50 $ �� l���organisme.

Placements Culture est con��u pour inciter les organismes culturels sans but lucratif �� cr��er des fonds de dotation. LSM entend collecter 100 000 $ au cours des 12 prochains mois, ce qui, ajout�� �� la contribution gouvernementale de 150 000 $, cr��era un fonds de dotation de 250 000 $. Cela est extr��mement important pour la p��rennit�� des magazines La Scena Musicale, r��cipiendaire d���un Prix du magazine canadien, ainsi que La SCENA et The Music Scene, du site Web SCENA.org, couronn�� par de nombreux prix, et des autres activit��s de promotion des arts de LSM.

C��l��brant cette ann��e ses 14 ans d���existence, LSM est un organisme sans but lucratif vou�� �� la promotion de la musique et des arts dans ses trois magazines, un site Web et d���autres activit��s de diffusion. LSM r��unit les musiciens/artistes, la communaut�� des arts et les amateurs de musique et d���art au moyen de l���ducation et l���information. Aidez-nous �� poursuivre notre ��uvre en faisant un don (en argent, biens ou services) et en devenant b��n��vole.

Souhaitant profiter de cette nouvelle subvention de Placements Culture, LSM lance donc sa campagne Fonds de dotation 2010 et esp��re que durant cette saison des f��tes, les amateurs d���art de partout se montreront g��n��reux. Tous les dons faits avant le 31 d��cembre donneront droit �� un re��u d���imp��t pour 2009. En appuyant LSM, chaque donateur joue un r��le actif dans la promotion de la musique classique et des arts.

Donnez g��n��reusement !

Pour plus d���information, composez le 514-948-2520 ou allez �� info@lascena.org

Faites un don �� CanadaDon.org
ou par Paypal

No d���organisme de charit�� : 14199 6579 RR0001

Icewine Plus Jazz Equals A Unique Niagara Experience

Throughout January Niagara-on-the-Lake celebrates Icewine with the sounds of jazz

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Dec. 17, 2009) - On New Year's Day Niagara-on-the-Lake will launch a month-long Icewine and Jazz Celebration featuring numerous events in local restaurants and retailers, in the town's Heritage District and in the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake.

Icewine and jazz are a natural pairing because Niagara-on-the-Lake will soon be home to the future Canadian Jazz Hall of Fame, a national centre of recognition for the great jazz musicians of Canada.

In addition to daily events at the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake, three special weekends are planned for the town's Heritage District featuring Icewine culinary events, tasting seminars and an Icewine cocktail competition. On Sunday January 17, the Canadian Jazz Quartet will entertain jazz lovers at the Canadian Jazz Hall of Fame Brunch (which will also feature Icewine, of course).

Full details about the featured weekends and a complete listing of all wineries and restaurants Icewine and Jazz Celebration events are available at: www.wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com/icejazzjanuary.

"This is the only region in the world that produces and celebrates Icewine annually," said Sherri Lockwood, chair of the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake. "And since our Canadian Jazz artists -- some of the finest in the world -- will be celebrated here for all time at the new Jazz Hall of Fame, it's natural that we acknowledge their special place in Canadian culture together."

Special weekend packages -- including accommodations and admission to selected events -- are available, and each of the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake has special tour and tasting experiences scheduled during the month.

"Canadian wines are taking root with wine-lovers all over the world," added Ms. Lockwood, "but Icewine has already become a Canadian icon worldwide."

About the Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake

The Wineries of Niagara-on-the-Lake is a group comprised of 22 distinctive wineries located in one unforgettable place nestled below the Niagara Escarpment amidst a landscape of vineyards and orchards. The 22 wineries are: Cattail Creek, Chateau des Charmes, Coyote's Run, Hillebrand, Inniskillin, Jackson-Triggs, Joseph's, Konzelmann, Lailey, Maleta, Marynissen, Niagara College, Palatine, Peller, Pillitteri, Ravine, Reif, Southbrook, Stonechurch, Stratus, Strewn, Sunnybrook Farm. More information about each of the wineries can be found at www.wineriesofniagaraonthelake.com.

Le Festival de Lanaudi��re annonce la venue de l���Orchestre symphonique de Pittsburgh et de l���Orchestre symphonique de Montr��al

Montr��al, le 11 d��cembre 2009 ��� Alex Benjamin, directeur artistique du Festival de Lanaudi��re, est heureux d���annoncer deux concerts donn��s par l���un des orchestres am��ricains les plus r��put��s, l���Orchestre symphonique de Pittsburgh, et deux autres concerts par un grand orchestre de chez nous, l���Orchestre symphonique de Montr��al.

Le Festival re��oit l���Orchestre symphonique de Pittsburgh

Le Festival de Lanaudi��re est l���une des rares institutions qu��b��coises �� donner aux m��lomanes l���occasion d���entendre en concert de grands orchestres ��trangers. Depuis de nombreuses ann��es, il invite des ensembles marquants de la sc��ne internationale �� se produire �� l���Amphith����tre de Joliette et, en 2010, l���Orchestre symphonique de Pittsburgh, dirig�� par son directeur musical, l���autrichien Manfred Honeck, offrira deux concerts sur la sc��ne de l���Amphith����tre, les 23 et 24 juillet 2010.

Le vendredi 23 juillet, l���Orchestre livrera un concert tout Beethoven avec la Symphonie no 7 et le Concerto pour piano no 5 (�� Empereur ��), ��uvres toujours favorites du public. Le lendemain, le concert sera consacr�� �� Wagner (Lohengrin : Pr��lude), Richard Strauss (Don Juan) et Mahler (Symphonie no 1). Le plus r��cent enregistrement de l���Orchestre de la Symphonie no 1 de Mahler a d���ailleurs re��u un accueil unanime de la critique pour l���exceptionnel jeu des musiciens et la qualit��, l���audace et la fra��cheur de l���interpr��tation.

La cl��ture du Festival confi��e �� l���Orchestre symphonique de Montr��al

En 2010, l���Orchestre symphonique de Montr��al, dirig�� par Kent Nagano, se verra confier la cl��ture classique du Festival, les 6 et 7 ao��t, lors de deux concerts aux programmes tr��s diff��rents l���un de l���autre.

Le vendredi 6 ao��t, la violoniste Isabelle Faust se joindra �� l���OSM pour interpr��ter le Concerto pour violon en r�� majeur, op. 77, de Brahms. Le programme de ce concert sera compl��t�� par la Symphonie no 10 de Dmitri Chostakovitch, l���une des symphonies les plus connues du compositeur.

Les amateurs d���art lyrique se donneront certainement rendez-vous le samedi 7 ao��t pour entendre l���OSM, trois solistes et le Ch��ur St-Laurent dans ce qui est aujourd���hui consid��r�� comme l���un des plus grands chefs-d����uvre de Haydn, l���oratorio La Cr��ation.

Ch��ques-cadeaux en vente d��s aujourd���hui

Le public peut se procurer des ch��ques-cadeaux ��changeables �� la billetterie du Festival d��s aujourd���hui sur le site Internet www.lanaudiere.org, dans la section Boutique en ligne.

Ces certificats sont ��changeables pour l���ensemble des activit��s propos��es par le Festival en 2010.

La programmation compl��te disponible en mars 2010

La programmation compl��te de la 33^e saison du Festival de Lanaudi��re sera d��voil��e en mars 2010. Consultez le site Internet du Festival pour obtenir davantage de d��tails et pour vous inscrire pour la recevoir aussit��t qu���elle sera disponible au www.lanaudiere.org.

Le Prix Mn��mo 2010 est d��cern�� cette ann��e �� Jean-Nicolas Orhon pour l'excellence de son film Tant qu'il reste une voix.

La remise du Prix a eu lieu samedi dernier, le 12 d��cembre, �� la Maison de la culture Villeray ��� Saint-Michel ��� Parc-Extension (Salle le Pr��vost) dans le cadre de la Vir��e dans Villeray, organis��e conjointement par la Soci��t�� pour la promotion de la danse traditionnelle qu��b��coise (SPDTQ) et la Maison de la culture.

Tant qu���il reste une voix est une r��flexion po��tique sur la m��moire et le collectage qui ��pouse le regard et le parcours de Francine Brunel-Reeves. Sur les traces de La Blanche Biche ��� une chanson qui la passionne, transmise de bouche �� oreille, d���une culture �� une autre et d���un oc��an �� l���autre depuis des si��cles ��� elle remonte aussi le fil de sa propre vie.

Le cin��aste Jean-Nicolas Orhon rend hommage de tr��s belle fa��on �� la m��moire, au temps, �� la passion. La d��marche ethnologique est bien situ��e. Francine Brunel-Reeves place bien ses mots, ses id��es et ses ��motions tandis que les divers intervenants, du chanteur au chercheur, donnent un appui solide au discours ethnologique qui met en valeur la tradition orale par le fil conducteur de la Blanche biche.

De plus, la mise en images, le choix des intervenants et l'utilisation d'archives contribuent �� faire sentir la continuit�� dans le temps. Ce patrimoine oral et souvent intangible voyage au gr�� des souvenirs et des apparitions dans les r��pertoires de l'un ou de l'autre. Il rena��t �� chaque fois comme dit si bien Francine, c'est une de ses beaut��s. On fait comprendre aux gens que ce n'est pas que pass��iste tout ��a. Il met en relief la possibilit�� de recherche sur chaque chanson mais surtout la passion qui anime autant les chercheurs que les amateurs ou les simples passeurs. On y sent aussi le plaisir, la convivialit��, le partage!

TANT QU���IL RESTE UNE VOIX
Un documentaire de Jean-Nicolas Orhon
2008, 52 minutes, HD, couleur
Disponible aux Distributions Netima. Vous pouvez l'acheter en ligne au co��t de 25$.
Plus de d��tails �� venir sur le site du Centre Mn��mo

The National Arts Centre English Theatre Company extends A Christmas Carol!

National Arts Centre English Theatre

Peter Hinton, Artistic Director

Based on the Novel by Charles Dickens
Performance added ��� Sunday, December 27
2 p.m. in the NAC Theatre

Ottawa, Ontario ��� With tickets selling at a brisk pace this holiday season, the NAC English Theatre is pleased to announce that an additional performance of Charles Dickens��� A Christmas Carol has been added on Sunday, December 27 at 2 p.m.

A Christmas Carol is as well known as any work can be. For the first time, a faithful telling of Charles Dickens��� cherished holiday story of a miser���s last chance for redemption is presented by the National Arts Centre English Theatre, on the full Shakespearean thrust stage.. The production stars Stephen Ouimette as Scrooge alongside the 40^th Anniversary NAC English Theatre Acting Company.

Purchase your tickets at the NAC Box Office, by phone at 613-755-1111, or at Ticketmaster.ca.
To learn more about the NAC English Theatre Company���s production of A Christmas Carol, go to www.nac-cna.ca/en/theatre/0910/christmascarol.

The Ottawa Citizen is a proud sponsor of Theatre5 Series.
Supported by Trinity Development Group ��� Share the Spirit.

A Christmas Carol plays December 8 - 27, 2009 in the Theatre at the National Arts Centre.

Adults: $20 - $61
Students: $11.25 - $31.75

For any information, please call:
Sean Fitzpatrick, Communications Officer, National Arts Centre English Theatre
613-947-7000 ext. 389; e-mail: sfitzpat@nac-cna.ca
or visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca

Cirque du Soleil unveils Viva ELVIS

Written and Directed by Vincent Paterson

LAS VEGAS ��� December 15, 2009 ��� Cirque du Soleil, in partnership with Elvis Presley Enterprises, a CKX, Inc (NASDAQ: CKXE) company, was thrilled to unveil today its latest resident show Viva ELVIS�Ѣ, at ARIA Resort & Casino�Ѣ at CityCenter in Las Vegas. Preview performances for Viva ELVIS will start on December 18, 2009.

The show

Viva ELVIS, a harmonious fusion of dance, acrobatics and live music, is a tribute to the life and music of Elvis Presley. Nostalgia, modernity and raw emotion provide the backdrop for his immortal voice and the exhilaration and beauty of his music.

Created in the image of The King of Rock ���n��� Roll ��� powerful, sexy, whimsical, truly unique and larger than life ��� the show highlights an American icon who transformed popular music and whose image embodies the freedom, excitement and turbulence of his era.

Significant moments in his life ��� intimate, playful and grandiose ��� blend with timeless songs that remain as relevant today as when they first hit the top of the charts. Viva ELVIS focuses on the essential humanity of the one superstar whose name will forever be linked with the history of Las Vegas: Elvis Presley.

���On a creative level, it was extremely stimulating to draw our inspiration from this musical icon,��� said Guy Lalibert��, Founder of Cirque du Soleil. ���Viva ELVIS showcases the raw energy and pure talent of Elvis and highlights the exhilaration and beauty of his music on a grand scale.���

���It makes perfect sense that Elvis should live on in Las Vegas, where his iconic status was cemented,��� said Robert F.X. Sillerman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CKX, Inc. ���When we teamed with Cirque du Soleil, we knew that any show they created would match Elvis��� larger-than-life presence. So we were pleased to open the vaults at Graceland and make available to Cirque du Soleil historic archival materials, recordings and concert footage that would help them create a show that will carry Elvis��� legacy into the future.���

���An evolutionary destination designed to transform Las Vegas at its core, CityCenter is larger than life, just like Elvis himself,��� said Bill McBeath, President and COO of ARIA Resort & Casino. ���We want to bring the element of fun to ARIA, the centerpiece of CityCenter. Viva ELVIS will bring the King of Rock ���n��� Roll back to Las Vegas for millions of his fans and create a buzz that will enable his persona to attract untold numbers of new followers.���

���Elvis has always been in the forefront of new, contemporary entertainment and technology,��� said Priscilla Presley. ���I believe Viva ELVIS continues this and reaches out and expands his legacy in a new, creative and exciting way.���

���The show���s acrobatic elements, set designs and other artistic components are part of an overall creative vision designed to showcase the timeless music of Elvis, his unique voice and unequaled talent as a performer,��� said Gilles Ste-Croix, Senior Vice-president of Creative Content and New Project Development at Cirque du Soleil.

���The unique strength and power of Elvis was in his voice,��� said Vincent Paterson, the show���s Writer and Director. ���I was greatly inspired by the originality and complexity of this musical legend. What I tried to paint, in all humility, is the show he might have created today.���

The creative team

Artistic Guide Guy Lalibert��

Artistic Guide Gilles Ste-Croix

Writer and Director Vincent Paterson

Director of Creation Armand Thomas

Musical Director and Arranger Erich van Tourneau

Set Designer Mark Fisher

Costume Designer Stefano Canulli

Acrobatic performance Designer Daniel Cola

Acrobatic Equipment

and Rigging Designer Guy St-Amour

Lighting Designer marc brickman

Image Content Designer Ivan Dudynsky

Sound Designer Jonathan Deans

Choreographers Bonnie Story

Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo

Mark Swanhart

Catherine Archambault

Props Designer Patricia Ruel

Makeup Designer Nathalie Gagn��

Viva ELVIS will be presented exclusively in the custom-built Elvis Theater at ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter in Las Vegas. Preview performances for Viva ELVIS begin December 18, 2009. The premiere will be held Friday, February 19, 2010.

TICKET PRICES

*$175, $150, $125, $99

All preview performances* will be discounted 25 percent.

*Preview performances for Viva ELVIS begin December 18, 2009. During these performances, the creative team is in the very final stages of production for the show. The audience���s reaction and participation is an important step in this process.

Please consult the most current show schedule at www.cirquedusoleil.com/vivaelvis. Schedule is subject to change without notice.

Following the preview period and beginning February 21, 2010, Viva ELVIS will be performed Friday through Tuesday at 7:00 pm & 9:30 pm. There will be no shows on Wednesdays or Thursdays.

TO RESERVE TICKETS

By phone: 877-253-5847 or 702-531-2031

Online: www.cirquedusoleil.com/vivaelvis

In person: At the Elvis Theater box office at ARIA Resort & Casino at CityCenter or any of the MGM MIRAGE box offices in Las Vegas.

Appel aux artistes de la r��gion

La Maison Trestler invite tous les artistes de la r��gion �� soumettre une ��uvre d���art pour son exposition/vente d����uvres d���arts annuel �ļ�ļEntre-Nous�Ć�Ć. Le vernissage aura lieu le jeudi 14 janvier 2010 �� 19h30; l���exposition se poursuivra jusqu���au dimanche 21 f��vrier 2010. Les ��uvres seront re��ues les 5 et 6 janvier 2010 de 10h00 �� 12h00 et entre 13h00 �� 15h30 �� la Maison Trestler. Le tableau doit ��tre encadr�� ou avoir des rebords finis et ne devra d��passer le format maximal de 36" x 36", incluant l���encadrement. Les sculptures seront aussi accept��es. Un bref curriculum vitae et une description de la d��marche artistique, dactylographi��s sur papier 8����� X 11��� seraient appr��ci��s. Un co��t de participation de 10.00$ sera exig�� lors de votre inscription. Pour obtenir plus de d��tails, voir l���invitation sur le panneau �� l���ext��rieur de la Maison Trestler, 85 chemin de la Commune �� Vaudreuil-Dorion. N���h��sitez pas �� communiquer avec nous au (450) 455-6290 ou par courriel : info@trestler.qc.ca. Veuillez noter que la Maison Trestler sera ferm��e du 18 d��cembre �� midi au 3 janvier 2010 inclusivement.

Sybarbite5 and the cell announce 2010 residency

���SYBARITE5@the cell,��� 338 W. 23RD STREET: JANUARY 22-24; OCTOBER 22-24; DECEMBER 10-12

NINE-CONCERT RESIDENCY JUXTAPOSES THE WORKS OF STRAVINSKY, DVORAK, AND MOZART WITH RE-IMAGINED ARRANGEMENTS OF RADIOHEAD AND OTHER WORKS WRITTEN FOR SYBARITE5

Sybarite5, known for breaking down musical boundaries, embarks on a nine-concert residency, ���Sybarite5@the cell.��� The residency, part of the ensemble���s Alternative Venue Initiative, continues the group���s tradition of innovative programming in non-traditional performance spaces.

The three weekend-long programs explore the spectrum of Sybarite5���s artistic mission, juxtaposing the works of Dvorak, Mozart, Piazolla and Stravinsky, with arrangements of Radiohead songs and works by contemporary composers Piotr Szewczyk, Dan Visconti, Matt Van Brink, Deborah Barnekow and Thomas Osborne.

As Louis Levitt the Director of Sybarite5 says, ���Our programming has always tried to reflect our commitment to both the traditional chamber music repertoire and the music of our generation. By performing the music of Radiohead alongside composers like Stravinsky and Dvor��k we hope to move chamber music into the future while still respecting the traditions of the past.

"We are excited to embark on this residency with the cell. We hope this collaboration will establish a new venue for New York���s music lovers to hear interesting chamber music. Chelsea will now have a resident string quintet at their front door.���

Nancy Manocherian, Founding Director of the cell, ���We are thrilled to expand our programming to include top-notch chamber music. We look forward to collaborating with Sybarite5 to establish a new home for great music.���

Tickets for individual programs are $20; tickets for all three programs $50 available by calling (513) 543-1981 or rsvp@sybarite5.org or at the cell box office: 338 W.23rd Street, NYC.

The complete programs are as follows (subject to change):

January 22, 2010 (repeated January 23, 24, 2010)

ORIGINS/ROOTS/UMAMI:
Examining the roots of the ensemble, in classical music and as individuals.

Piotr Szewczyk - The Rebel
Igor Stravinsky - Pulcinella Suite, arr. Levitt/Barnes
---
Dan Visconti - Black Bend
Astor Piazolla - Tango Suite
Radiohead Remixed Project - Arr. Paul Sanho Kim
Selections TBD


October 22, 2010 (repeated October 23, 24, 2010)

EXPLORE/INNOVATE/ADVANCE:
Exploring new works commissioned for the ensemble along with pieces that have changed the landscape of classical music.

Matt Van Brink - Tureasca
Deborah Barnekow - Yesterday���s Rose (NY Premier)
Led Zeppelin
Selections TBD
---
Dave Brubeck - Blue Rondo a la Turk
Radiohead Remixed
Selections TBD
Thomas Osborne- Furioso: Vendetta for String Quintet

December 10, 2010 (repeated December, 11, 12, 2010)

JUXTAPOSE/CONTRAST/SHUFFLE:
Pressing the shuffle button on a live iPod: Sybarite5. Mozart, Radiohead, Stravinsky, Dvorak, Led Zeppelin, Visconti & many more.

About Sybarite5:

Devoted to expanding the repertoire for string quintet, SYBARITE5 challenges conventional musical boundaries to boldly step forward into a new genre of chamber music. SYBARITE5 has been featured on American Public Radio���s Performance Today, the CBS Early Show, Strings Magazine and the international classical music channel Medici.tv. They have performed at Lincoln Center in New York City and numerous Aspen Music Festival Concerts in Colorado. In August of 2008, they were invited to perform for former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice & Madeline Albright. Their innovative fusion of the Baroque with multi-media resulted in the critically acclaimed DIDO Project; a new production of Henry Purcell���s Dido and Aeneas, performed at the Samsung Experience in New York City.

They were the first string quintet admitted to the Aspen Music Festival and School���s Advanced Quartet Studies program, where they worked with Earl Carlyss of The Juilliard Quartet, bassist Edgar Meyer, as well as the Cavani, American, and Ying String Quartets.

Recent projects include: Radiohead Remixed- commissioning, performing, and recording classical works inspired and influenced by the British band Radiohead; as well as The DIDO Project- melding art technology & humanism in the heart of New York���s Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle.

Other ongoing projects include: the Alternative Venues Initiative seeking out untraditional performance venues as well as an International Composition Contest. In June of 2009 SYBARITE5 represented the Aspen Music Festival in a new capacity as the AMFS Alumni Ensemble.

Based in New York City, SYBARITE5 is a non-profit arts organization that continues to perform and educate at the Aspen Music Festival and across the US.

For more information on Sybarite5 please visit www.sybarite5.org

About the players:

Sami Merdinian, violin

Argentinian violinist Sami Merdinian has received worldwide recognition for his outstanding performances as a soloist and chamber musician. Sami has recently appeared as a soloist with the Montevideo Philharmonic, the Argentinian National Symphony, The Charlemagne Orchestre, Symphony Pro Musica, The Gagneung Philharmonic in South Korea, and Philharmonia of the Nations at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. As chamber musician, Mr. Merdinian has performed in Spoleto, Italy, The Perlman Chamber Music Workshop, The Festival of The Hamptons, Bargemusic, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Concertgebouw, among other venues. Also a member of Sejong Soloists since 2008, Sami has performed throughout the United States and Asia, including a West Coast Tour with Gil Shaham, and has recorded for Universal Records. Mr. Merdinian has been prize-winner in several international competitions including Gold Medal in the XII International Young Solo Instrumentalists Competition in Argentina and the New Talent Competition in Slovakia organized by the European Radio. He has also received the Rising Star Award by Tiffany & Co. and was named Outstanding Artist of the Year by the Argentinian Press. While at The Juilliard School and Yale University, Mr. Merdinian was a pupil of Dorothy Delay, Naoko Tanaka and Peter Oundjian, and has participated in masterclasses for artists such as Itzahk Perlman, Ruggiero Ricci, Emmanuel Ax, Pamela Frank and members of the Tokyo, Cleveland and Guarnieri String Quartets.

Sarah Whitney, violin

Sarah Whitney, an active solo, and chamber musician, has been heard worldwide across stages in Europe, Asia, South America and the United States. As a chamber musician, Ms. Whitney has performed as guest artist on the Cleveland Institute of Music Faculty Concert Series, the Cleveland Composer���s Guild and the Memphis Chamber Music Society Solo Concert Series As a soloist she received second prize in the 2000 Philharmonic Society of Arlington, MA Young Artists Competition. Most recently, Ms. Whitney led the Cleveland Central Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra as concertmaster on tour to Carnegie Hall and again returned to the stage with the New World Symphony. She has participated in festivals in Italy, France, and China as well as the Aspen Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West and the Spoleto Music Festival USA. She has also collaborated with the Josh Ritter Band and can be heard on their latest album, The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter, produced by Sony Music BMG. Ms. Whitney received her M.M. from the Cleveland Institute of Music and her B.M with honors from the University of Michigan. Her teachers include Kathleen Winkler, Aaron Berfosky, Cyrus Forough, Stephen Shipps, Paul Kantor and William Preucil. Ms. Whitney plays on a Luigi Sofritti violin made in 1885.

Angela Pickett, viola

Angela Pickett has performed as a violist, violinist, and fiddler throughout North America and Europe. A member of the Princeton Symphony, Angela has also performed with Wet Ink Music, Ne(x)tworks, Continuum, and recently premiered a new version of Helmut Lachenmann���s Mouvement with the Argento Chamber Ensemble. In 2006, Angela performed Ann Southam���s Re-Tuning for viola and tape at the 34th International Viola Congress, and a subsequent performance of Re-Tuning at the 2006 International Sound Symposium was recorded for national radio broadcast. As a fiddler, she has performed with Irish tenor John McDermott, the Chieftains, and appeared on numerous recordings of Irish/Newfoundland traditional music. A doctoral candidate in viola performance at the Manhattan School of Music, Angela completed a Masters degree from The Juilliard School and a Bachelor of Music in her hometown of St. John���s, Newfoundland, Canada. Angela has attended Tanglewood Music Centre, Aldeburgh Festival, Banff Centre for the Arts, Centre d���Arts Orford, and has twice been a recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts��� Grant for Classical Musicians. Angela���s principal teachers include Michael Tree, Samuel Rhodes, Karen Tuttle and Karen Dreyfus.

Laura Metcalf, Cello

Cellist Laura Metcalf enjoys an active performing career in and around New York City, having been heard recently such venues as Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, the French Consulate of New York, the Tenri Cultural Institute, the J.P. Morgan Library, St. John the Divine Cathedral, and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. As a member of the Stella Piano Trio, she gave her Carnegie Hall debut at Weill Recital Hall in 2006, and in 2007 participated in the ARD Competition in Munich, Germany, where the trio was the top-ranked North American ensemble. She gave her New York concerto debut in 2007 performing Beethoven���s Triple Concerto with the Ensemble 212 Orchestra, and was named a semi-finalist in the 2007 Hudson Valley Concerto Competition. Laura has performed at music festivals including Taos, IMS Prussia Cove, Sarasota, Aspen, and Fontainebleau (France). As an orchestral musician, she was recently appointed assistant principal cellist of the Chamber Orchestra of New York, and performs regularly as a member of Michael Tilson Thomas���s New World Symphony. She studied with Timothy Eddy and Michael Reynolds, and is a faculty member at the Opus 118 Harlem School of Music.

Louis Levitt, double bass

Louis Levitt has performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the New World Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Orchestra of the S.E.M. and was principal of the Springfield Symphony. An active chamber musician Mr. Levitt has performed along side the Grammy nominated Quartet San Francisco, and multiple Grammy-winning composer Bob James. Other appearances include the Aspen Music Festival Salida Chamber Series, American Modern Ensemble, LaSalle Chamber Music Series in Cincinnati Ohio, as well as the Telluride Music Festival in Colorado. He has appeared as a soloist performing Frank Proto's Carmen Fantasy with orchestra, Jean Francaix's Mozart New Look, and most recently David Anderson���s Capriccio at the WABASS Institute for 21st Century Bassists. Mr. Levitt received his degrees from the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music where he studied with Albert Laszlo. He has also received multiple fellowships to the Aspen Music Festival where he studied with Paul Ellison, Albert Laszlo, Eugene Levinson, Bruce Bransby, and Stuart Sankey. Mr. Levitt is originally from Sarasota Florida, where he studied with John Miller.

About the cell:

the cell���s mission is to incubate and present new works that mine the mind, pierce the heart and awaken the soul. the cell is located at 338 W. 23rd Street, NYC.

For more information please visit www.thecelltheatre.org org>

Parsons Dance presents Remember Me

an all-new version of the dance/rock opera
with the lead vocalists and music of the
Grammy Award-nominated
EAST VILLAGE OPERA COMPANY
The Joyce Theater, February 2 - 14, 2010

Parsons Dance presents REMEMBER ME, an all-new version of last season's collaboration with the lead vocalists of East Village Opera Company (EVOC), featuring the music of the acclaimed rock opera band at The Joyce Theater from February 2-14, 2010. Following last season's World Premiere at The Joyce Theater, a PBS Special and a year-long national tour, REMEMBER ME returns to NYC with new choreography, lighting design by Tony Award-winning designer Howell Binkley and costume design by Project Runway designer Austin Scarlett. Program A features REMEMBER ME with EVOC's two lead vocalists live onstage with Parsons Dance. Program B will feature Parsons Dance favorites including the stroboscopic Caught.

"Awesome dancing and a backbeat to knock it all home. Eye-popping digital effects. Excellent showbiz-savvy performers. Perpetually smoldering. Lusty, sensual movement."
- Deborah Jowitt, The Village Voice

David Parsons, Tyley Ross (lead male vocalist and co-founder of EVOC) and AnnMarie Milazzo (lead female vocalist) have created a storyline that connects EVOC's signature operatic arias (fourteen songs from the band's albums) with David Parsons' original choreography. REMEMBER ME is a thoroughly modern re-telling of a classic story of a tragic love triangle. With contemporary dance, aerial dance, live and recorded music, video projections, complex digital lighting and visual effects, REMEMBER ME is the most ambitious production created by Parsons Dance in its 22 year history.

"After completing our first national tour of Remember Me, we are thrilled to bring this show back to New York audiences, in a completely revamped version," said David Parsons, artistic director of Parsons Dance.

EVOC's signature works re-imagine opera arias as popular songs, including pieces by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart and Schubert. These classics collide with electric sounds from the golden era of rock and roll, pop, R&B, and soul, exploding into a mosaic of sound in a triumphant musical celebration. They have received commissions to pen new works from both the New York Public Theatre and New York City Opera, with whom they have also performed at Lincoln Center. EVOC alternately headlines in prestigious classical concert halls and rock clubs, and records exclusively for Decca/Universal records. They have released three CD's. "Pop-infused, hard-hitting arrangements of arias and ensembles from classic operas. The group has won fans among both opera buffs and rockers."- The New York Times

Parsons Dance creates American works of extraordinary artistry that are engaging and uplifting to audiences throughout the world. It is the goal of Parsons Dance to make contemporary dance accessible to the widest possible audiences. In addition to choreography and performance, Parsons Dance positively impacts children, students, and communities through student performances, lecture-demonstrations, master classes, post-show discussions and more. Parsons Dance has a company of eleven full-time dancers and maintains a repertory of more than 70 works choreographed by David Parsons, twenty of which feature originally commissioned scores by leading composers and musicians, including Dave Matthews, Michael Gordon and Milton Nascimento. Parsons Dance has collaborated with many other leading artists, including Julie Taymor, William Ivey Long, Annie Leibovitz, Donna Karan and Alex Katz (to name a few). The New York Times called David Parsons "one of the great movers of modern dance." New York Magazine referred to him as "one of modern dance's great living dance-makers."

Parsons Dance dancers are Julie Blume, Eric Bourne, Sarah Braverman, John Corsa, Zac Hammer, Lauren Putty, Miguel Quinones, Abby Silva, Billy Smith, Melissa Ullom and Steven Vaughn.

The two programs follow:

Program A:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday at 7:30pm; Thursday - Saturday at 8pm
REMEMBER ME featuring the music of EVOC: Overture, Maria, Mari!, Habanera, Che Gelida Manina, Flower Duet, La Donna E Mobile, Ave Maria, O Mio Babbino Caro, Una Furtiva Lagrima, Ebben? Ne Andro Lontana, When I Am Laid in Earth, Butterfly Duet

Program B:
Saturday and Sunday at 2pm - Family Matinees
Caught (female dancer), Hand Dance, Wolfgang, Sleep Study, Scrutiny, Caught (male dancer)

Caught (1981) is an internationally renowned stroboscopic dance masterpiece that features a solo dancer performing more than 100 leaps in less than six minutes. Each leap is "caught" by the flash of a strobe light, to create a breathtaking illusion of flight. Caught has been performed thousands of times, worldwide, for more than 27 years. Hand Dance (2003), a playful work set to the vibrant music of Kenji Bunch, features ten "hands" that decide to take on a life of their own. Through gesture and mime, five dancers offer "an endless variety of imaginative evocations, from grasping and forming pistons of a locomotive to playing air cello." Imaginative and fun, Hand Dance leaves audiences laughing and begging for more. A relentless display of movement, Wolfgang (2005) juxtaposes the classical music of Mozart with the modern choreography of David Parsons. This piece highlights the dancers' technique and musicality, while underscoring their ability to make the constant motion seem effortless and fluid. Sleep Study (1987), a delightfully charming crowd-pleaser, translates common, universal movements into clever choreography. Audience-goers of all ages can easily recognize and identify with the familiar bedtime stirring that David Parsons has cleverly infused with humor, creating a true slumber party. In Scrutiny (1987), David Parsons explores the societal pressures to conform. This work premiered with the Parsons Dance Company on August 25, 1987 in Beckett, Mass. as part of Jacob's Pillow. It received a land grant from Jacob's Pillow.

Parsons Dance will perform February 2-14, 2010 at The Joyce Theater, with performances Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday at 7:30pm; Thursday - Saturday at 8pm; and Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC. Tickets start at$10 and are available by phone at 212-242-0800 or joyce.org.

Parsons Dance is committed to building new audiences for contemporary dance by creating American works of extraordinary artistry that are engaging and uplifting to audiences throughout the world. The company tours regionally, nationally and internationally. Since 1985, Parsons Dance has toured an average of 32 weeks per year, to a total more than 235 cities, 30 countries, six continents and millions of audience members. Many others have seen Parsons Dance on PBS, Bravo, A&E Network, and the Discovery Channel. Millions watched Parsons Dance perform live in Times Square as part of the internationally broadcast, 24-hour Millennium New Year's Eve celebration. In New York City, Parsons Dance has been featured at The Joyce Theater, City Center, New Victory Theater, Central Park Summerstage, Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art and The World Trade Center.

David Parsons (Artistic Director/Founder) has enjoyed a remarkable career as a performer, choreographer, teacher, director and producer of dance. Mr. Parsons was born in Chicago and raised in Kansas City. He was a leading dancer with The Paul Taylor Dance Company, where Mr. Taylor created many roles for him in works such as Arden Court, Last Look and Roses. He is a recipient of the 2000 Dance Magazine Award, as well as the 2001 American Choreography Award, for his work as a co-producer of AEROS, a production featuring the Romanian Gymnastic Federation that was featured on Bravo. Mr. Parsons has created more than 70 works for Parsons Dance. He has received commissions over the years from The American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the American Dance Festival, Jacob's Pillow, the Spoleto Festival and Het Muziektheater in Amsterdam, to name a few. His work has been performed by Paris Opera Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Nederlands Danse Theatre, National Ballet of Canada, Hubbard Street Dance and BatSheva Dance Company of Israel, among many others. In June 2007, Mr. Parsons was honored to be the very first contemporary choreographer ever to stage work at the centuries-old Arena di Verona, in Verona Italy, where he choreographed Verdi's Aida. The Arena is one of Italy's most respected operatic venues. In September 2007, he directed and choreographed Gotham Chamber Opera's production of Mar��a de Buenos Aires, which made its world premiere at a sold-out engagement in New York, at NYU's Skirball Center for the Arts.

East Village Opera Company was formed in New York City's East Village in 2004 by Canadians Peter Kiesewalter and Tyley Ross. The East Village Opera Company turned the heads of New York's music community with a series of electric genre defying shows at Joe's Pub, the intimate venue housed by the Public Theatre. Initially meant as a one-off project, they were quickly signed to Decca/Universal records and met with universal praise from both classical and rock critics and fans. The Washington Post proclaimed that "Opera crossover acts are becoming a veritable cottage industry, but the East Village Opera Co. is markedly different." They have toured the world with a unique live show, combining a seemingly incongruous classical string section with a powerhouse rock band. Time Out New York stated that the group "electrifies the classics for a new generation." The Associated Press mused the band was "dramatic" and "mesmerizing" while the Wall Street Journal agreed, noting "The band rocks hard, and deranges the opera stuff with savvy skill." In a rare feat not many artists can claim, EVOC headlines around the world in both eclectic rock clubs as well as some of the most prestigious classical concert halls. The band's appeal is evident in both cases. The Chicago Tribune raved "Nobody puts a fresher, friskier contemporary spin on opera's greatest hits than the East Village Opera Company." The band has also performed at esteemed events such as the Sundance Film Festival, the Miss USA pageant (nationally televised on NBC), and the world-premiere of "The Da Vinci Code" in Hong Kong. EVOC's PBS Special "EVOC LIVE" was celebrated with an Emmy at the 2006 Emmy Awards. Their most recent Decca album entitled Olde School was nominated for a Grammy in the Classical Crossover Album category.

Tyley Ross (Male Vocalist / EVOC co-founder) A native of Ottawa Canada, Tyley started performing professionally in his early teens while still a student at Canterbury's school of the Arts. In the years since then, has been a street busker, a cartoon and voice artist, acted for the small and large screen, written and recorded two solo albums (his composition You Take My Breath Away was featured in the film Woman Wanted directed by Kiefer Sutherland and starring Holly Hunter), and he has performed as a guest soloist with orchestras across Canada and in the USA. After being discovered by Pete Townshend of The Who in 1994, Tyley was cast in the title role of the Canadian premiere of the Who's Tommy. For his work in that show, he was honored with the Dora Award for Outstanding Performance in a Musical. He spent the next ten years on musical stages across North America, including starring roles at the Shaw and Stratford Festivals, and on Broadway. In 2001, Tyley was introduced to Peter Kiesewalter and they began experimenting with recording opera arias in a variety of modern contexts. This project led to the release of the CD La Donna and the unveiling of the East Village Opera Company in 2004 with a series of acclaimed performances at New York's Joe's Pub. Within a year the band had signed a multi-record deal with Decca/Universal, and has since released two CD's: East Village Opera Company (2005) and Olde School (2008). Tyley has his master's degree in voice studies from London's Central School of Speech and Drama.

AnnMarie Milazzo (Female Vocalist) is a singer, arranger, composer and lyricist living in NYC. She has done the vocal arrangements for Spring Awakening, the Broadway musical at the Eugene O'Neill Theater; Next To Normal, which premiered Off Broadway at Second Stage Theatre; Bright Lights, Big City at New York Theatre Workshop; and the Paramount feature film "The Marc Pease Experience" starring Ben Stiller. Some of her most recent work includes a new musical Pretty Dead Girl, which premiered at The Sundance Film Festival and is now being produced by the Araca Group in New York City, book by David Henry Wang. Also currently in progress is the musical Sea Change based on the Lois Gould novel, book by Karen Hartman. AnnMarie is the lyricist for Franco Dragone's Carmen, which premiered at The Jolla Playhouse and will open in Madrid, 2009. She is currently writing lyrics for Cirque du Soleil's, Le Reve, at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. AnnMarie's singing credits include working with artists such as Angelique Kidjo on her Black Ivory Soul Tour also singing with Carlos Santana. She also toured with Jonatha Brooke and performed on her DVD Back In The Circus, shot live in NYC.

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community and its audiences since 1982. The founders, Cora Cahan and Eliot Feld, acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea, which opened as The Joyce Theater in 1982. The Joyce is named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther's clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to establish the theater. One of the only theaters built by dancers for dance, The Joyce Theater has provided an intimate and elegant New York home for more than 290 domestic and international companies. The Joyce has also commissioned more than 130 new dances since 1992. In 1996, The Joyce created Joyce SoHo, a dance center providing highly subsidized rehearsal and performance space to hundreds of dance artists. New York City public school students and teachers annually benefit from The Joyce's Dance Education Program, and adult audiences get closer to dance through pre-engagement Dance Talks and post-performance Humanities discussions. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48 weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000. Additionally, for the last five years The Joyce has co-produced Evening Stars as part of the River To River Festival in Battery Park.

The World Premiere production is made possible by lead commissioning support from The Ellsworth Kelly Foundation; and Dr. and Mrs. Edward J. Prostic, in honor and memory of their daughter Elizabeth Anne Prostic.

For more information, visit parsonsdance.org and eastvillageoperacompany.com.

PARSONS DANCE
The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue (at 19th Street), NYC
February 2-14, 2009
Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday at 7:30pm; Thursday - Saturday at 8pm; Saturday and Sunday at 2pm
Tickets start at $10
JoyceCharge: 212-242-0800
joyce.org

Les Productions Strada pr��sentent Kadou - Chansons pour le solstice d'hiver

Occitanie, Angleterre, Mexique, Hanouka, G��orgie, Pologne, Bulgarie, Gr��ce

Lundi 21 d��cembre ��glise Saint-Jean-Baptiste �� 19 h 30
4237, avenue Henri-Julien

10$ par personne, 12 ans et moins gratuit

Mardi 22 d��cembre St. Matthias' Church �� 19 h 30

10 avenue Church Hill

10$ par personne, 12 ans et moins gratuit

Montr��al le 7 d��cembre 2009 - Depuis la nuit des temps, le solstice hivernal a donn�� lieu �� des f��tes entourant le retour de la lumi��re. Des quatre coins de l���Europe, Strada en rapporte les plus belles traditions musicales.

Tour �� tour m��nestriers ou bergers, les artistes du spectacle Kadou chantent, jouent et racontent les histoires qui ont forg�� l���imaginaire qui nous habite toujours. ��labor�� autour des no��ls de Provence, le r��pertoire s���ouvre aux colinde de Bulgarie, aux kalantas grecs, aux alilos de G��orgie et aux chansons de la F��te des Lumi��res juive : Hanouka. Un ��tonnant voyage musical et un merveilleux kadou �� s���offrir en famille, durant les longs mois d���hiver.

Kadou : d��riv�� du roumain cadou qui signifie cadeau ou ��trenne.

Pierre Langevin (clarinettes, fl��tes, cornemuses et dulcimer), Gabrielle Bouthillier (fl��tes, cromorne et voix), Liette Remon (violon, clarinette, cornemuse et voix),

Jean-Philippe Reny (oud et banjo), Pierre Tanguay (percussions et guimbardes) et Andrew Wells-Oberegger (bouzouki et laouto)

Concerts Kadou ��� chansons pour le solstice d���hiver �� Qu��bec

Samedi 19 d��cembre ��glise de Cap-Rouge, Qu��bec �� 19 h 30

1460, rue Provancher, Cap-Rouge

10$ par personne, 12 ans et moins gratuit, billets en vente �� la porte

Dimanche 20 d��cembre La Chapelle du Mus��e, Qu��bec �� 14 h

2, c��te de la Fabrique, Qu��bec

10$ par personne, 12 ans et moins gratuit, billets en vente �� la porte

www.strada.ca

Curtis Celebrates Centenary of Samuel Barber (���34) with New Production of Antony and Cleopatra by Curtis Opera Theatre

PHILADELPHIA ��� A principal theme of the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music���s performance season is the 100^th birthday of composer Samuel Barber (���34), one of the school���s most illustrious alumni. Events center around the Barber anniversary in March 2010, with Curtis 20/21, the school���s contemporary music ensemble, performing an all-Barber program on the composer���s 100^th birthday, March 9. Later that month, the Curtis Opera Theatre presents Barber���s Antony and Cleopatra at the Perelman Theater in Philadelphia���s Kimmel Center, in a new production directed by Chas Rader-Shieber and conducted by George Manahan. Curtis On Tour marks the centenary with performances of Barber���s String Quartet No. 1, the source of the famous Adagio for Strings, in New York and nationwide in February and March.

The Curtis Symphony Orchestra performs Barber���s Symphony No. 1 under conductor Giancarlo Guerrero at Philadelphia���s Verizon Hall on April 24. Curtis alumni will also join the centennial celebrations, giving two special recitals at the school���s Field Concert Hall in January and March; and Curtis student recitals from January through May also feature works by the celebrated alumnus.

One of the most important American composers of the last century, Samuel Barber (1910-81) made distinguished contributions to the orchestral, choral, operatic, piano and chamber music repertories. His Adagio for Strings is widely considered a modern masterpiece. Barber came from a musical family, and was among the first students to enter the Curtis Institute of Music when it opened in 1924. Studying composition with Rosario Scalero and piano with the renowned Isabelle Vengerova, he added a third major, voice, in 1926. It was while studying at Curtis that he met his future collaborator and life-partner, opera composer and librettist Gian Carlo Menotti (���33).

Even before his graduation from Curtis in 1934, Barber���s works were premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra and Eugene Ormandy. The composer soon established himself within America���s classical community, winning the favor of such important artists as Koussevitzky and Horowitz.

While espousing no one school or style, Barber has sometimes been labeled ���neo-Romantic.��� His work is essentially tonal, and yet too dissonant and experimental to be considered anything but modern. His numerous honors include two Pulitzer Prizes, the Rome Prize, and election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

On the 100^th anniversary of Barber���s birth, March 9, 2010, Curtis 20/21 ��� the school���s contemporary music ensemble, dedicated to the music of the 20^th and 21^st centuries ��� presents a celebratory program in Field Concert Hall. Curtis 20/21 will perform vocal and chamber works by Barber, and Barber-inspired works by Curtis alumnus Jonathan Holland (���96) and current student Christopher Rogerson. Two days earlier, the same concert will be performed in Barber���s hometown, West Chester, PA, at his family church, the First Presbyterian Church; and on March 15, Curtis 20/21 takes the celebratory program to the Library of Congress in Washington, DC.

Also in March, the Curtis Opera Theatre will present Barber���s Antony and Cleopatra at the Perelman Theater at Philadelphia���s Kimmel Center. This new production is directed by Chas Rader-Shieber, described as ���a force to be reckoned with in the opera world��� (Toronto���s Classical 96.3 FM). Presented in association with Kimmel Center Presents and the Opera Company of Philadelphia, the production features a cast of Curtis opera and voice students with the Curtis Symphony Orchestra under George Manahan. The opera was first performed in New York City in 1966, at the grand opening of the new Metropolitan Opera House, and then substantially revised eight years later, with the help of Menotti. Writing in the New York Times in 1984, Tim Page reported that ���Barber always felt that Antony and Cleopatra was his finest work.��� After Manahan conducted a performance of the opera at Carnegie Hall this past January, the New York Times���s Anthony Tommasini praised ���the fervent and sensitive performance that Mr. Manahan presided over,��� and described the work itself:

���Barber���s score is rich with restless chromatic harmony, arching melodic outpourings, lush orchestration, percussive flourishes to evoke the conquering Romans, and reedy, harmonically astringent writing to conjure up Egyptian exotica. �Ķ[I]n recent decades plenty of safely conventional, neo-Romantic new operas have been produced that showed nothing like the intelligence and ingenuity of this Barber work.���

Curtis On Tour, which continues to bring the extraordinary artistry of the Curtis Institute to audiences nationwide and abroad, marks the centenary with performances of Barber���s String Quartet No. 1 (1936), whose slow movement is the source of his popular Adagio for Strings. Violinist Ida Kavafian and cellist Peter Wiley (���74), both Curtis faculty members, appear with Curtis students on the 2009-10 tour, which includes a special New York appearance on March 10 at the Allen Room in Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. One of New York���s most spectacular venues, this lovely setting overlooks Central Park South. Its superb acoustic will beautifully complement a program that presents the Barber quartet alongside Dvor��k���s Piano Quintet No. 2 and world premieres of new works commissioned from two current composition students at Curtis: Christopher Rogerson and Daniel Shapiro. In addition to the New York performance, stops on the tour include Detroit, MI; Davis, CA; Seattle, WA; Rockport, ME; and Highland Park, IL.

Called ���an orchestra that any city would be lucky to have as its professional ensemble��� (Philadelphia Inquirer) and praised for its ���professional level of sophistication��� (New York Times), the Curtis Symphony Orchestra performs Samuel Barber���s Symphony No. 1 under conductor Giancarlo Guerrero on April 24 at Verizon Hall. Barber wrote his first symphony ��� a one-movement work in three sections ��� in Rome in 1936 after winning the Rome Prize. In his program note for the New York premiere the following year, the composer described its form as ���a synthetic treatment of the four-movement classical symphony���; the New York Times reports that ���warm applause�Ķgreeted the world premiere,��� and the work has since been praised for the ���compositional mastery and sincerity of feeling [Barber] commanded��� in it (London���s Independent, 1992). Rounding out the April program will be Mussorgsky���s Songs and Dances of Death, featuring soloist John Relyea (���96); Ligeti���s Atmosph��res; and Strauss���s Also sprach Zarathustra.

January 17 sees the first of two Curtis alumni events in the school���s Field Concert Hall celebrating the centennial. The Dolce Suono Ensemble offers a performance titled ���Samuel Barber at 100 ��� The Composer and His World���. Founded by flutist and artistic director Mimi Stillman (���99), the Dolce Suono Ensemble includes many Curtis alumni. The group will perform music by Barber and his contemporaries and successors, all of whom have connections to Curtis, from emeritus faculty member Ned Rorem (���44) to current faculty member Jennifer Higdon (���88). Soon after the centenary itself, on March 16, Leon McCawley (���95) performs a piano recital juxtaposing Barber���s works with those of Chopin. McCawley, whose extensive discography includes Barber���s complete works for piano on the EMI/Virgin Classics label, is a leading member of England���s new generation of pianists. The New York Times described his New York debut as a ���lyrical, heartfelt performance.���

A chronological listing of Curtis���s Barber centenary performances follows.

About the Curtis Institute of Music

Described by the New York Times as ���one of America���s elite conservatories��� and recently highlighted in U.S. News and World Report���s 2010 college survey as the most selective institution in the United States for students seeking a bachelor���s degree, the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music presents an exciting season with more than 130 concerts, operas, and recitals. With an enrollment of 160, Curtis provides an intimate environment in which students receive personalized attention from a celebrated faculty. A busy schedule of performances is at the heart of Curtis���s distinctive ���learn by doing��� approach. Since the school���s founding in 1924, this philosophy has produced an impressive number of notable artists, from such legends as Barber and Leonard Bernstein to current stars Juan Diego Fl��rez, Alan Gilbert, Hilary Hahn, Jennifer Higdon, Lang Lang, and Time for Three.

CURTIS INSTITUTE OF MUSIC

Samuel Barber Centenary

2009-10 Season

Sunday, January 17 at 3pm

Guest recital: Dolce Suono Ensemble���s ���Samuel Barber at 100 ��� The Composer and His World���

Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia

Barber Summer Music; Capricorn Concerto

Rorem Trio

Higdon Autumn Music

Ludwig Haiku Catharsis

February 26 ��� March 26

Curtis On Tour (venues and dates below)

Barber String Quartet No. 1, Op.11

Rogerson Lullaby: no bad dreams

Shapiro Sonata for Viola and Piano

Dvor��k Piano Quintet No. 2 in A, Op. 81

Ida Kavafian and Benjamin Beilman, violins; Hyo Bi Sim, viola; Peter Wiley, cello (���74); Yekwon Sunwoo, piano

Philadelphia ��� Friday, February 26 at 8pm

Detroit ��� Sunday, February 28 at 7pm

Seattle ��� Tuesday, March 2 at 7:30pm

Davis, CA ��� Saturday, March 6 at 8pm and Sunday, March 7 at 2pm

New York ��� Wednesday, March 10 at 8pm

Kennett Square, PA ��� Saturday, March 13 at 8pm

Orono, ME ��� Friday, March 19 at 8pm

Rockport, ME ��� Saturday, March 20 at 7pm

Highland Park, IL ��� Friday, March 26 at 8pm

For ticket and venue information, visit www.curtis.edu/html/50600.shtml#tour

Tuesday, March 9 at 8pm

Curtis 20/21: Samuel Barber Centenary Celebration

Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia

Barber Hermit Songs; Dover Beach; Sonata in E-flat minor; Summer Music

Rogerson Lullaby: no bad dreams

Holland commissioned work TBA

This program will also be performed on March 7 at 3pm at First Presbyterian Church, West Chester, PA; and on March 15 at 12pm at Coolidge Auditorium of Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Tuesday, March 16 at 8pm

Guest recital: Leon McCawley, piano (���95)

Field Concert Hall, Curtis Institute of Music, 1726 Locust Street, Philadelphia

Chopin Four Mazurkas, Op. 6; Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 35;

Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 1

Barber Excursions; Nocturne: Homage to John Field; Sonata in E-flat minor

Wednesday, March 17 at 7:30pm

Friday, March 19 at 8pm

Sunday, March 21 at 2:30pm

Barber: Antony and Cleopatra

Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia

Curtis Opera Theatre

George Manahan, conductor

Chas Rader-Shieber, stage director

Presented by Kimmel Center Presents in association with the Opera Company of Philadelphia

Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 8pm

Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center, Philadelphia

Curtis Symphony Orchestra

Jack Wolgin Orchestral Concerts

Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor

John Relyea, bass-baritone (���96)

Barber Symphony No. 1

Mussorgsky Songs and Dances of Death

Ligeti Atmosph��res

R. Strauss Also sprach Zarathustra

www.curtis.edu

Dr. Norman Bethune Celebrates new Works by Richard Saucedo

Monday May 31, 7:30 p.m., musicians from Dr. Norman Bethune C.I. invite you to celebrate spring with their musicians and vocalists at Markham Theatre. The concert will feature new and published works by the composer Richard Sausedo who will conduct his works.

In addition to the band works, the concert will feature the choir led by Ann Willoughby; Jazz Ensemble led by Rick Humphrey; Drum Line led by Jason Alaksa and featuring the premiere of a work by Bill Thomas, educator and composer. The Junior Band led by Nora Mular-Richards will perform Saucedo���s work Meeting at Tryon Palace and the Senior Band will perform the premiere of a new work by Saucedo.

Tickets are $15. For further information or tickets, please call 416-396-8200 ext. 20137.

Un concert de musique classique Franz Schubert sera donn�� le 16.01.2010 au Th����tre du Conservatoire National Sup��rieur d'Art Dramatique (au profit de

Au programme : Trio en Mi b majeur D.929 et Quintette en La majeur "Die Forelle" D.667

Mich��le Scharapan: piano
Thomas Gautier: violon
H��l��ne Desaint: Alto
Martine Bailly: violoncelle
Marc Marder: contrebasse

Amis dans la vie, musiciens sur sc��ne, ces 5 artistes joueront pour notre plaisir dans le magnifique d��cor du conservatoire d���art dramatique de Paris. La salle o�� Berlioz cr��a la symphonie fantastique b��n��ficie d���une acoustique remarquable. Elle sera rendue, pour un soir, �� sa vocation premi��re.
Un rendez vous �� ne pas manquer.

Informations pratiques
16.10.2010 �� 20h30
Th����tre du Conservatoire National Sup��rieur d'Art Dramatique
2 bis rue du conservatoire, 75009 Paris (metro Grands Boulevards)
Placement libre
Billetterie
- en ligne http://boutique.l214.com/index.php?cat=9
- par messagerie �� chiavedimi@demaret.eu
- par t��l��phone au 06 23 08 55 55 apr��s 16 heures (ch��ques �� l���ordre de Chiave di Mi)

20�Ǩ tarif normal - 15�Ǩ ��tudiants et ch��meurs - 10�Ǩ groupe �� partir de 10 personnes
Propos�� par Mich��le Scharapan http://www.michele-scharapan.com

Andre Mathieu Music on Art & Fine Living with Jona Radio Show Dec. 2009

By Jona Rapoport
Jona Rapoport Artist Management/Radio Host
December 15, 2009


Art & Fine Living with Jona marks the end of 2009 with a special program to air four (4) times, from December 20th to the 30th, 2009. It is dedicated entirely to the music of Canadian pianist/composer Andre Mathieu (1929-1968). Mathieu's Songs for Choir and Orchestra and his entire Concerto No. 4 in E Minor are presented on the program. These appear on the 2008 Analekta recording with pianist Alain Lefevre, who was given the lost piano recordings and commissioned the full orchesration of the concerto.

The very first West Coast performance of Mathieu's Concerto No. 4 will be conducted by Israeli-born Nir Kabaretti, music and artistic director of The Santa Barbara Symphony, in January 2010.

Closed captioning for this program is provided by:

Composer Lori Laitman: Vedem Oratorio premiere, Music of Remembrance, May 2010.

Conductor Nir Kabaretti: Ooh La La:Pianist Alain Lefevre in works by Mathieu/Franck, Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra, January 23-24, 2010.



Music: Andre Mathieu: Concerto No.4; Orchestral Works - Alain Lefevre/George Hanson & Tucson Symphony Orchestra (Analekta, 2008)

Art & Fine Living with Jona airs on 1650 AM in Montreal, and live stream on our website at www.radio-shalom.ca.

Art & Fine Living with Jona is the brainchild of Montreal radio host and producer, Jona Rapoport, who has contributed to Radio Shalom for over a decade. It is a veritable showcase of some of the world���s renowned and emerging talents in music, theatre, cinema, dance, literature, visual and performing art. The show has been lauded as a unique platform which supports the arts through insightful interviews, cultural news, coverage of upscale lifestyle trends and presentation of new releases in classical music and jazz. The show is the proud media partner of L���Opera de Montreal, The Centaur Theatre Company and The Montreal Bach Festival. Jona Rapoport is also an artist manager and publicist who represents acclaimed American composer Lori Laitman. Art & Fine Living with Jona has been endorsed by some of Canada's leading cultural institutions and presenters, among them Celebritas, The Centaur Theatre Company, The Montreal Symphony Orchestra, The Opera de Montreal, I Musici Chamber Orchestra and many others.

Guests who appeared on Art & Fine Living with Jona include, among many others, the prolific piano virtuoso Lang Lang, Director Gordon McCall, Orford Artistic Director Davis Joachim, Festival Lanaudiere Artistic Director Alex Benjamin, Jazz vocalist Susie Arioli, Montreal International Jazz Festival Programming Director, Caroline Johnson, Violinist Alexandre da Costa, Playwright Vittorio Rossi, Singer Sean Lennon, Soprano Marie-Josee Lord, Violinist Gil Shaham, Actor/Director Maurice Podbrey, Pianist Elena Bashkirova, Soprano Natalie Dessay, Film director Mike Newell, Cellist/Conductor Yuli Turovsky, Vocalist Nikki Yanofsky, Poet David Mason,Soprano Measha Brueggergosman, Ritz Chef Paul Little, Actress Caroline Cave, Saxophonist Walter Blanding, Choreographer Peter Quanz, Director Bryna Wasserman, Conductor Yoav Talmi, Saxophonist Bill Prouten, Opera Atelier director, Chantal Lambert, Conductor Jacques Lacombe, Grand Ballets Alain Dancyger, Composer Lori Laitman, Violinist Jonathan Crow, Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Playwright Daniel Lillford, Comedy duo Bowser & Blue, Bassist Alain Caron, Bass Denis Sedov, Soprano Suzie Leblanc, Recital series director Richard Turp, Dancer Callie Robinson, Choreographer Stijn Celis, Director Peter Hinton, Violinist James Ehnes, Choreographer Shen Wei, Tenor Richard Margison, Photographer Varda Pollak-Sahm, Choreographer Ohad Naharin, Composer Ofer Ben-Amots, Director Roy Surette, Pianist Simon Tedeschi, Tenor Marc Hervieux, Composer Ofer Ben-Amots, Film Producer George Weiss, Cellist Denise Djokic, Dancer/Choreographer Margie Gillis, Conductor Bernard Labadie, Jazz Vocalist Sophie Milman, Artist Boaz Kaizman, Tenor Ben Heppner and dozens of other fine artists.

Richard King, recording engineer and associate professor at the Schulich School of Music nominated for 5 Grammy Awards

Montreal, Tuesday, December 15, 2009 ��� Richard King, recording engineer and associate professor of at McGill University, has been nominated for 5 different Grammy and Grammy Gratis Awards by the Academy of Recording Arts. The awards will be presented at the 52^nd annual Grammy Awards to be held at the end of next month.

King has been nominated for:

• Best Classical Album (Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) if other than the Artist):

Bernstein: Mass

Marin Alsop, conductor; Jubilant Sykes; Steven Epstein, producer;

Richard King, engineer/mixer (Asher Edward Wulfman; Baltimore Symphony

Orchestra; Morgan State University Choir & Peabody Children's Chorus)

[Naxos]

• Best Classical Crossover Album:

The Melody Of Rhythm

Leonard Slatkin, conductor; B��la Fleck, Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer

(Detroit Symphony Orchestra)

[E1 Music]

Yo-Yo Ma & Friends: Songs Of Joy And Peace

Yo-Yo Ma (Odair Assad, Sergio Assad, Chris Botti, Dave Brubeck, Matt

Brubeck, John Clayton, Paquito d'Rivera, Ren��e Fleming, Diana Krall,

Alison Krauss, Natalie McMaster, Edgar Meyer, Cristina Pato, Joshua

Redman, Jake Shimabukuro, Silk Road Ensemble, James Taylor, Chris Thile, Wu Tong, Alon Yavnai & Amelia Zirin-Brown)

[Sony Classical]

• Best Tropical Latin Album (Vocal or Instrumental):

Bach In Havana

Tiempo Libre

[Sony Classical]

• Best Contemporary Jazz Album (For albums containing 51% or more playing time of INSTRUMENTAL tracks):

Sounding Point

Julian Lage

[Emarcy/Decca]

• Best Classical Vocal Performance (Award to the Vocal Soloist(s)):

Verismo Arias

Ren��e Fleming (Marco Armiliato; Jonas Kaufmann; Orchestra Sinfonica Di Milano, Giuseppi Verdi; Coro Sinfonica Di Milano Giuseppi Verdi)

[Decca]

The Grammy Awards are the only peer-presented award to honour artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry without regard to album sales or chart position. The 52^nd Grammy Awards will be held on January 31^st, 2010, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Schulich Music Students Win Awards / Les ��tudiants de l����cole de musique Schulich gagnent des prix

Montreal, December 11, 2009 ��� Schulich School of Music Students end the year with prizes and nominations from the OSM Standard Life Competition, The Canada Council for the Arts and the Recording Academy.

OSM Standard Life Competition

Masters students Tristan Longval-Gagn��, piano and Benjamin Duinker, percussion have each won first prizes at the 70^th OSM Standard Life Competition, held November 18-21. Longval-Gagn�� won $10,000 in the piano category (class A) and also claimed the $2,000 prize for ���Best Performance of a Canadian Work,��� and also received an Orford Arts Center prize, covering tuition and accommodation for a two-week music session at the Orford Arts Center in 2010. Duinker, who won the $10,000 first prize in the percussion category, also claimed a $2,000 prize for ���Best Performance of a Canadian Work��� in the percussion category. In addition to the first place wins, percussion student Noam Bierstone won third prize in that category and received the Domaine Forget Prize, a scholarship covering tuition and accommodation for a two-week music session at Domaine Forget in 2010.

Grammy nomination

Graduate voice students Jonathan Woody and Garry McLinn, vocal students of baritone Sanford Sylvan, are part of a cast recording of John Musto���s ���Volpone,��� which has been nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. The Grammy Awards are the only peer-presented award to honour artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry without regard to album sales or chart position. The 52 Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, January 31, 2010.

Jules L��ger Prize

Doctoral Composition Student Jimmie LeBlanc won the Canada Council for the Arts 2009 Jules L��ger Prize for New Chamber Music for his work ���L���Espace int��rieur du monde���. The work was created for 15 musicians and electronics, and premiered in March 2008 in Lyon, France by the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. The $7500 prize, established in 1978, is designed to encourage the creation of new Canadian chamber music and to encourage its performance by Canadian ensembles. LeBlanc���s winning work will be broadcast nationally by CBC Radio 2 and also by Radio Canada���s Espace-Musique at a later date.

About the Schulich School of Music:

Founded in 1904, the Schulich School of Music of McGill University embodies the highest international standards of excellence in professional training and research. The school is renowned for its orchestral, operatic, jazz, contemporary and early music training programs as well as its music research disciplines.Its leadership in sound recording and music technology are unparalleled in North America, and helps foster unique collaborative projects each year. The Schulich School of Music is recognized as one of the top music schools in North America and abroad and the reputation of its more than 240 professors attracts over 850 undergraduate and graduate students each year. The school presents approximately 700 concerts and events annually.

***

Montr��al, le 11 d��cembre 2009 ��� Les ��tudiants de l'��cole de musique Schulich terminent l'ann��e en r��coltant prix et nominations du Concours OSM Standard Life, du Conseil des Arts du Canada et de la Recording Academy.

Concours OSM Standard Life

Les ��tudiants de ma��trise Tristan Longval-Gagn��, pianiste, et Benjamin Duinker, percussionniste, ont remport�� chacun des premiers prix au 70^e Concours OSM Standard Life qui s'est tenu du 18 au 21 novembre. M. Longval-Gagn�� a obtenu le prix de 10 000 $ dans la cat��gorie piano (classe A) et s'est vu ��galement octroyer le prix de 2 000 $ pour la �� meilleure ex��cution d'une ��uvre canadienne ��; il a aussi re��u un prix du Centre d'Arts Orford qui couvre les frais et l'h��bergement pour un stage de musique d'une dur��e de deux semaines au Centre en 2010. M. Duinker a gagn�� le premier prix de 10 000 $ dans la cat��gorie percussion ainsi qu'un prix de 2 000 $ pour la �� meilleure ex��cution d'une ��uvre canadienne �� dans cette cat��gorie. En plus des premiers prix gagn��s, le troisi��me prix dans la cat��gorie percussion a ��t�� d��cern�� �� l'��tudiant percussionniste Noam Bierstone qui a ��galement m��rit�� le prix Domaine Forget, soit une bourse couvrant les frais et l'h��bergement pour un stage de musique de deux semaines au Domaine Forget en 2010.

Nomination pour un prix Grammy

Les dipl��m��s en chant Jonathan Woody et Garry McLinn, ��tudiants du baryton Sanford Sylvan, font partie du groupe d'enregistrement de l'op��ra Volpone de John Musto qui a ��t�� mis en nomination pour le Grammy 2009 du meilleur enregistrement d'op��ra. Les prix Grammy sont les seuls prix remis par des pairs pour souligner la r��alisation artistique, le savoir-faire technique et l���excellence g��n��rale dans l���industrie de l���enregistrement sans ��gard au nombre d���albums ni �� la position au palmar��s. Les 52 prix Grammy annuels seront d��cern��s le dimanche 31 janvier 2010.

Prix Jules-L��ger

L���tudiant en composition au doctorat Jimmie LeBlanc a ��t�� le laur��at du Prix Jules-L��ger 2009 de la nouvelle musique de chambre du Conseil des Arts du Canada pour son ��uvre �� L���Espace int��rieur du monde ��. L����uvre a ��t�� cr����e pour 15 musiciens et ��lectronique, et a ��t�� jou��e pour la premi��re fois en mars 2008 �� Lyon, France, par le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne. Le prix de 7 500 $ ��tabli en 1978 a pour but d���encourager la cr��ation de nouvelles ��uvres de musique de chambre canadienne et d���encourager leur ex��cution par des ensembles canadiens. L����uvre prim��e de M. LeBlanc sera diffus��e �� l���chelle nationale sur Radio 2 de CBC et sur Espace Musique de Radio-Canada �� une date ult��rieure.

��cole de musique Schulich

Fond��e en 1904, l����cole de musique Schulich de l���Universit�� McGill incarne les plus hauts standards internationaux d���excellence en formation professionnelle et en recherche. Elle est r��put��e pour ses programmes en formation orchestrale et op��ratique, en jazz, en musique ancienne et contemporaine. Son statut de chef de file en enregistrement sonore et technologie de la musique lui permet d���uniques possibilit��s de collaboration avec le milieu musical. Reconnue aujourd���hui comme l���une des ��coles les plus importantes d���Am��rique du Nord, la r��putation de ses 240 professeurs, les quelque 750 concerts et ��v��nements pr��sent��s par ann��e ainsi que ses programmes de recherche en technologies attirent chaque ann��e plus de 850 ��tudiants du Qu��bec, du Canada et de l���tranger.

Ludovico Ensemble presents the 2010 Roman Garnett Concert Series

(BOSTON ��� DECEMBER 2009) The Ludovico Ensemble, now entering into its seventh season as an Ensemble-in-Residence at The Boston Conservatory, presents the second annual Roman Garnett Concert Series featuring two evenings consisting of a prelude and main event concert of evening length works.

Tickets are $12 general admission, $7 for seniors and free to all students. Tickets can be purchased starting on January 13, 2010 through The Boston Conservatory Box Office: 617-922-9222 or online at http://bostonconservatory.ticketforce.com/.

Concert I

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 6:00pm

Recitations by George Aperghis

with Jennifer Ashe, soprano

Concert II

Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 8:00pm

Aspern Suite by Salvatore Sciarrino

with Aliana de la Guardia, soprano, and Jeffery Means, conductor

Concert III

Saturday, January 30, 2010, 5:00pm

Klavierst��ke by Karlheinz Stockhausen (selected)

with Karolina Rojahn, piano

Concert IV

Saturday, January 30, 2010, 8:00pm

Strange and Sacred Noise by John Luther Adams

with percussionists Nicholas Tolle, Jeffrey Means, Aya Kaminaguchi, and Tomas Schmidt

Restriction has been the underlying theme in Ludovico���s past for several seasons, and this year the ensemble takes it a bit further: one piece per concert.

���Pieces of this length are often difficult to program because of how much room they take up on a program, but we sought them out for precisely that reason.��� ��� Nicholas Tolle, Director

The Ludovico Ensemble, founded in 2002 by percussionist Nick Tolle, dually promotes rarely heard works of the European avant-garde as well as works by Boston-area composers. The core of this ensemble consists of four local artists; Pianist Karolina Rojahn, Soprano Aliana de la Guardia, Percussionist Nick Tolle and Cellist Eliza Jacques. In addition to the core members, the ensemble expands as required by the repertoire often inviting accomplished guest artists to participate in the concert series.

La Fondation Arte Musica pr��sente le Temps des F��tes en Musique

Sous les fresques de Michel-Ange

Concerts de musique polychorale avec le Studio de musique ancienne de Montr��al (SMAM) sous la direction de Christopher Jackson

Le dimanche 27 d��cembre �� 14 h
le mardi 29 d��cembre �� 14 h
et le mercredi 30 d��cembre �� 14 h

***
Salle des miroirs du pavillon Michal et Renata Hornstein
Mus��e des beaux-arts de Montr��al
1379, rue Sherbrooke Ouest
fondationartemusica.ca

Montr��al, le 3 d��cembre 2009 ��� La Fondation Arte Musica pr��sente une nouvelle s��rie de concerts de musique vocale entre No��l et le jour de l���An. Cette p��riode de l���ann��e offrant peu de concerts, la Fondation est heureuse de convier le public �� une pause favorable au recueillement dans le d��cor ��vocateur de la Salle des miroirs.

Cette ann��e, l���ensemble invit�� est le Studio de musique ancienne de Montr��al (SMAM) qui pr��sente un concert intitul�� Sous les fresques de Michel-Ange. Ces concerts ��voquent la musique entendue �� la chapelle Sixtine au XVIe si��cle. Au programme, des ��uvres de Palestrina, Roland di Lassus et Luis de Victoria, ainsi que le c��l��bre motet Miserere d���Allegri. Ces ma��tres de la Renaissance ont cultiv�� l���criture �� plusieurs ch��urs qui tire partie de l���espace et du son dans une st��r��ophonie avant la lettre. Veuillez noter que le programme est le m��me pour chacun des concerts.

Reconnu comme l���un des meilleurs ensembles vocaux de musique ancienne au pays, le SMAM est form�� de 12 chanteurs choisis pour la puret�� et la clart�� remarquables de leurs voix. Il a ��t�� fond�� en 1974 par Christopher Jackson qui le dirige encore avec la passion des premiers jours.

Atelier choral gratuit
Ne manquez pas l���activit�� pr��-concert pour la famille : un atelier choral gratuit (avec billet de concert) qui sera pr��sent�� dans le Lab Design le dimanche 27 d��cembre de 13 h 15 �� 13 h 45. Dirig�� par le jeune chef de ch��ur et clarinettiste de formation Xavier Brossard-M��nard, l���atelier permettra aux petits et aux grands de chanter en famille un canon de la Renaissance, en lien avec le r��pertoire qui sera entendu au concert du SMAM !



Programme des concerts

Musique polychorale de la Renaissance

Fleuron de la civilisation occidentale, la polyphonie vocale atteint son apog��e au XVIe si��cle. Se jouant de toutes les complexit��s au moyen d���un contrepoint aussi souple que savant, les ma��tres de la Renaissance cultivent l���criture �� plusieurs ch��urs, dans une st��r��ophonie avant la lettre qui tire partie �� la fois de l���espace et du son.

Giovanni de Macque (v.1550-1614)
Motet Ave Regina c��lorum �� 12 voix en 3 ch��urs

Tom��s Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)
Motet Ave Maria (In annuntiationis Beata Maria Virginis) �� 8 voix

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (v.1525-1594)
Motet Laudate pueri Domine �� 8 voix en 2 ch��urs

Luca Marenzio (1553-1599)
Motet Lamentabatur Jacob �� 12 voix en 3 ch��urs

Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652)
Motet Miserere �� 9 voix en 2 ch��urs

Luca Marenzio
Motet Super flumina Babylonis �� 12 voix en 3 ch��urs

Nicolas Gombert (1495-1560)
Motet Tulerunt meum Dominum �� 8 voix

Roland de Lassus (v. 1532-1594)
Motet Domine quid multiplicati sunt �� 12 voix en 3 ch��urs

Tom��s Luis de Victoria
Motet Laetatus sum �� 12 voix en 3 ch��urs

Billets de concert :
Grand public : 25 $
30 ans ou moins : 12,50 $
VIP du MBAM : 18 $
16 ans ou moins : GRATUIT

En vente :
par t��l��phone (jusqu���au 23 d��cembre �� 16 h) : 514-285-2000 # 5
en ligne : mbam.qc.ca/concerts
en personne �� la Billetterie du Mus��e
ou �� l���entr��e de la Salle des miroirs �� partir de 12 h 30 le jour de chaque concert

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Appoints New Concertmaster

Music Director Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra today announced the appointment of violinist David Coucheron as ASO Concertmaster, effective September 2010. Mr. Coucheron���s chair is endowed by Mr. and Mrs. Howard R. Peevy. He succeeds Cecylia Arzewski, who completed her tenure with the Atlanta Symphony at the end of the 2007-08 season.

Originally from Oslo, Norway, Mr. Coucheron began playing violin at the age of three. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from The Curtis Institute of Music, his Master of Music from The Juilliard School, and his Master of Musical Performance from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, studying with teachers including Igor Ozim, Aaron Rosand, Lewis Kaplan, and David Takeno Mr. Coucheron has worked with conductors such as Robert Spano, Alan Gilbert, Michael Tilson Thomas, Simon Rattle, Mstislav Rostropovich, David Zinman, Roger Norrington, Simone Young, and Charles Dutoit, and performed as a soloist with orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (Maxim Vengerov conducting), the Sendai Symphony Orchestra, the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra. He has played solo recitals at the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall (London), the Kennedy Center, the Olympic Winter Games (Salt Lake City, Utah), as well as in Beograd, Serbia, and Shanghai, China. Mr. Coucheron���s chamber music performances have included appearances at Suntory Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, and Alice Tully Hall. His recordings with sister, and pianist, Julie Coucheron, include ���David and Julie��� (Naxos/Mudi), and ���Debut��� (Naxos). Some of his awards and recognitions are first prize at the Concorso Internazionale di Musica ���Citta di Pinerolo��� Competition in 2009 (Turin, Italy), first prize at The Princess Astrid Competition in 2002 (Trondheim, Norway), and Third Prize at the Manchester International Violin Competition in 2005 (Manchester, U.K.). Mr. Coucheron plays a 1725 Stradivarius.

���Mr. Coucheron impressed us all through this long and detailed search process,��� said Music Director Robert Spano. ���It is very exciting to have such a vital and dynamic talent join us. We eagerly anticipate welcoming him to Atlanta.���

���I am so excited to work with the warm, wonderful, and talented musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra,��� said Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Designate David Coucheron. ���I am especially anticipating collaborations with Music Director Robert Spano and Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles ��� they are both so inspiring, and always bring out the very best in this Orchestra. Although it is early in my career, I recognize the responsibilities that come with this position. I am thrilled to be here, and I look forward to heightening the musicianship of this great Orchestra so that we continue to offer the very best musical experience for our audience.���

���I am just delighted for David,��� said violinist and teacher Aaron Rosand. ���David worked with me for five years at The Curtis Institute ��� he is a gifted and thorough musician, and resonates qualities of leadership, presence, and a very gentle character with a wonderful demeanor. I think David is the ideal person for this position, and I know the ASO���s audience will love him.���

Continuum Contemporary Music presents Chrysalis: A workshop for emerging composers

Sunday, January 24, 2010 (2-6 pm)

Gallery 345 ��� Free Admission

Toronto, December 14, 2009: Intrigued by the creative process of composing? Continuum invites audience members to step inside the creative process by presenting Chrysalis, Sunday, January 24 (2-6 pm) at Toronto���s Gallery 345. The concert / workshop led by the insightful Victoria composer Christopher Butterfield is a rare opportunity to gain insight into the specific challenges of writing music, through discussion and performance. Composers Anna Hostman, Lan-Chee Lam, William Peltier, Chris Thornborrow and Hiroki Tsurumoto (selected from a local call for scores) will have works performed by Continuum���s ensemble. Shedding a light on the craft of writing music, the lively composition master class - a discussion between Butterfield and participating composers ��� can be described as a ���behind-the-scene��� experience. The event also includes a performance of Butterfield���s four pearls for piccolo, violin, cello and piano. Admission is free.

The Continuum ensemble���s experienced musicians (Anne Thompson, flute; Max Christie, clarinet; Carol Lynn Fujino, violin; Paul Widner, cello; Laurent Philippe, piano; and Ryan Scott, percussion) and their unique ensemble chemistry promise a memorable event for participants and audience alike as they perform ghosts of swallows (Anna Hostman); La Defense (Lan-Chee Lam); Springtime for Gentle Risings within Gridlock (William Peltier); Music for Marionettes (Chris Thornborrow); and Code Thumbnail 1 (Hiroki Tsurumoto). Continuum has performed workshops at UBC, Banff, U of T, York University, University of Aberdeen (Scotland), and Trinity College of Music (England).

Christopher Butterfield has established himself as one of Canada���s leading composers and educators through

performance art, rock n��� roll, opera, installations, multi-disciplinary work, and chamber music (for which he has received the Jules-L��ger Prize). His music has been played and broadcast across Canada, as well as in Finland, Slovakia, France and Russia. He studied composition with Rudolf Komorous at the University of Victoria (B.Mus. 1975) and with B��lent Arel at the State University of New York at Stony Brook (M.A. 1977). He lived in Toronto between 1977 and 1992, where he was active as a performance artist, rock guitar player, and composer. In 1979/1980 he taught in the graduate visual arts department at Concordia University in Montreal, and in 1986 and 1989 he taught in the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver. In 1992 he was appointed assistant professor of composition at the University of Victoria. His music has been performed across Canada and in Europe, and is recorded on the CBC and Artifact labels.

Featured composers:

• A doctoral student in composition at the University of Toronto, Anna Hostman has written works ranging from opera and orchestral to chamber and installation.
• Lan-chee Lam trained in her native Hong Kong and is now a doctoral student at the University of Toronto. She has received numerous international awards, including the Grand Prize of the Georges Enescu Competition (symphonic section).
• William Peltier is a composer re-emerging after a lengthy hiatus. He has some history at Wilfrid Laurier and McGill and early on was performed at Gaudeamus Music Week in Amsterdam; more recently he has had performances in New York, Cuba and various places in Europe.
• Chris Thornborrow studied at Wilfrid Laurier University and is now in the doctoral programme at the University of Toronto. He is a member of Toy Piano Composers Collective.
• Hiroki Tsurumoto has an undergraduate degree in economics, and degrees in composition from the CUNY and the University of Toronto. His works have been performed in Asia, North America and Europe.

Led by artistic director Jennifer Waring, Continuum presents concerts featuring the core ensemble of flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion, as well as unusual instrumental combinations. The organization has commissioned and premiered more than 100 new works from emerging Canadian and international composers, and also established composers charting new territory. Increasingly the group engages in collaboration and interdisciplinary work. Continuum has toured to Banff, Brandon, Kitchener, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Winnipeg; touring twice to Europe, it has appeared in Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Ghent, Huddersfield, Leeuwarden, London, and ���s-Hertogenbosch. The group has recorded two CDs on its own label, formed the recording ensemble for a Centrediscs release of works by Chris Paul Harman and is soon to record a CD of works by James Rolfe, also for Centrediscs.

Continuum���s 25^th anniversary season continues on February 28^th with a performance of chamber works by James Rolfe at The Royal Conservatory���s Mazzoleni Hall, in preparation for a Centrediscs recording of Rolfe���s works. The season concludes with performances May 20^th, as part of the free concert series at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre, and May 21^st at the Music Gallery, both featuring soprano Carla Huhtanen, the latter headlined by actor RH Thomson as narrator in works by Tom Johnson and a commission by Juliet Palmer on a text by Thomas King.

Continuum is generously supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, SOCAN Foundation, the George Cedric Metcalf Charitable Foundation through its Strategic Initiatives programme and many private donors.

Continuum Contemporary Music presents

Chrysalis

A workshop for emerging composers

Sunday, January 24, 2010, 2-6 pm at Gallery 345

345 Sorauren Avenue, south of Dundas

Free admission, open to the public

For more information on this concert please visit www.continuummusic.org,

email josh@continuummusic.org or call (416) 924-4945.

Production 30e Anniversaire : Tosca de Giacomo Puccini

TOSCA

de Giacomo Puccini

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts

30 janvier, 3, 6, 8, 11 f��vrier 2010 �� 20 h & 13 f��vrier 2010 �� 14 h

AIMER �� MORT

Montr��al, 14 d��cembre 2009 ��� Il y a 30 ans, l���Op��ra de Montr��al lan��ait sa compagnie avec le drame et la passion de Tosca de Giacomo Puccini. Pour souligner ses trente ans d���existence, l���Op��ra de Montr��al remet �� l���affiche l����uvre de Puccini, ici au sommet de son art, dans une nouvelle production du San Diego Opera. Pour incarner l���histoire tragique de Floria Tosca confront��e �� un dilemme insoluble pour sauver la vie de son amant, deux chanteurs qui font leurs d��buts �� la compagnie : la soprano germano-italienne Nicola Beller Carbone incarnera l���intense r��le-titre et le t��nor canadien David Pomeroy celui de son amant, le peintre Mario Cavaradossi. �� leurs c��t��s, le baryton-basse am��ricain Greer Grimsley (Barbe-Bleue ��� 2003) incarnera le sinistre Scarpia, le chef de la police, le baryton-basse canadien Alexandre Sylvestre (L����toile ��� 2005), celui du Sacristain et le baryton-basse canadien Stephen Hegedus, le r��le de Cesare Angelotti.

La production ��voluera dans des d��cors sign��s par le concepteur fran��ais Jean-Pierre Ponnelle, des costumes de Malabar et des ��clairages d���Anne-Catherine Simard-Deraspe. La mise en sc��ne a ��t�� confi��e au Canadien Michael Cavanagh qui signait Turandot (1997), Madame Butterfly (2002) et Rom��o et Juliette (2007) pour la compagnie. L���Orchestre M��tropolitain et le Ch��ur de l���Op��ra de Montr��al seront dirig��s par le chef Paul Nadler. Messieurs Cavanagh et Nadler ont d���ailleurs contribu�� �� la r��ussite de la production de Rom��o et Juliette pr��sent��e �� la compagnie en 2007.

Ap��ro �� l���Op��ra

La grande gagnante du projet Ap��ro �� l���Op��ra, la soprano Annie Sanschagrin (Crabtree), participera ��galement �� la production de Tosca : dans les d��cors et avec orchestre, elle chantera le grand air Vissi d���arte et le duo du premier acte avec le t��nor de la production David Pomeroy lors de la repr��sentation du 13 f��vrier 2010 et ce, apr��s la repr��sentation r��guli��re. Ap��ro �� l���Op��ra fait l���objet d���une s��rie documentaire de sept ��pisodes en collaboration avec La Presse T��l�� et diffus��e sur ARTV d��s le mardi 26 janvier �� 19 h (rediffusion : les samedis �� 15 h 30 et dimanches �� 9 h et 18 h); cette s��rie pr��sentera toutes les coulisses du projet et le travail des six candidats qui ont suivi une formation intensive de chanteurs d���op��ra tout l���automne �� l���Op��ra de Montr��al.

Puccini

Puccini pense �� mettre en musique la pi��ce de Sardou d��s 1896, �� peine six mois apr��s la premi��re de La boh��me, et finit par obtenir l���autorisation de l���auteur qui accepte la suppression d���un acte mais exige le maintien de la fin rapide et violente de l����uvre. La premi��re repr��sentation fut un ��chec complet, mais Tosca ralliera tr��s vite le public. Le livret de Giacosa et d���Illica resserre la trame narrative et ��vacue pratiquement le contexte historico-politique. Il concentre l���action sur l���affrontement entre Tosca, Cavaradossi et Scarpia, v��ritable moteur du drame. L���intrigue correspond �� la mise en place du pi��ge qu���il manigance et qui le m��ne �� la mort avant de se refermer sur Tosca et Mario.

Avec son superbe th��me caract��ristique, Puccini compose une ��uvre forte o�� le dialogue dramatique pr��domine et colle au v��risme par l���expression des passions expos��es cr��ment et ce souci du r��alisme. L���atmosph��re est sombre (Puccini choisit des tessitures basses et une seule voix f��minine) et oppressante, et la fine musique de Puccini ne c��de �� aucun d��bordement. Le pivot dramatique de l����uvre, l���acte II, est l���affrontement �� huis clos des trois protagonistes, o�� Puccini d��peint avec beaucoup d���acuit�� l���touffement, le pi��ge qui se referme sur les amants. Avec Tosca, Puccini brille d���efficacit�� et livre l���motion, qu���on pense seulement �� l���air de lamentation du deuxi��me acte o�� Tosca chante sa douleur (Vissi d���arte, vissi d���amore), et celui de d��sespoir de Cavaradossi au d��but du troisi��me acte (E lucevan le stelle).

Parmi les plus c��l��bres cantatrices qui ont interpr��t�� le r��le de Tosca, une place particuli��re doit ��tre r��serv��e �� Maria Callas qui y d��buta le 27 ao��t 1942, et acheva sa carri��re sc��nique par ce r��le f��tiche, le 5 juin 1965. Elle est consid��r��e comme la �� Tosca du si��cle ��.

T O S C A

de GIACOMO PUCCINI

A R G U M E N T

La cantatrice Floria Tosca est la ma��tresse du peintre Mario Cavaradossi, qui vient d'aider son ami Angelotti �� fuir Rome. Le chef de la police, Scarpia, joue sur la jalousie de Tosca pour pi��ger Cavaradossi. On annonce la victoire de Napol��on �� Marengo. Cavaradossi est arr��t�� et Scarpia exerce un odieux chantage sur Tosca : qu'elle c��de et son amant sera sauv��. Tosca accepte et Scarpia donne l'ordre qu'on simule l'ex��cution de Cavaradossi. Discr��tement, il donne un contre-ordre, puis signe le sauf-conduit des deux amants. Lorsqu'il s'approche de Tosca, cette derni��re le poignarde. Elle se pr��cipite au ch��teau Saint-Ange et rassure son amant : I'ex��cution ne sera qu'un simulacre. Mais Mario est fusill�� et c'est un cadavre cribl�� de balles que Tosca retrouve. La mort de Scarpia est d��couverte. Tosca enjambe le parapet et se jette dans le vide.

Op��ra : Puccini ��� Tosca | 30 janvier, 3, 6, 8, 11 f��vrier 2010 �� 20 h & 13 f��vrier 2010 �� 14 h

Genre : Drame tragique

Structure : En trois actes

Langue : En italien avec surtitres fran��ais et anglais

Livret : Giuseppe Giacosa et Luigi Illica (d���apr��s la pi��ce de Victorien Sardou)

Cr��ation : Rome, Teatro Costanzi, le 14 janvier 1900

Production : San Diego Opera

Derni��re production �� la compagnie : mars 2002

DISTRIBUTION

Floria Tosca

Nicola Beller Carbone, soprano (Allemagne)

Directrice artistique du Piccolo Teatro Sant���Andrea et membre de Le Arti Orafe Academy de Lucques, Nicola Beller Carbone ��tudie d���abord l���art dramatique avant de se tourner vers le chant. Parmi ses engagements des derni��res saisons, on remarque le r��le-titre de Salome �� l���Aalto Theater d���Essen, au Deutsches Nationaltheater de Weimar, au Teatro Regio de Turin et au Grand Th����tre de Gen��ve ; le r��le-titre dans Tosca au Staatstheater de Darmstadt, �� l���Op��ra de Nice, �� l���Op��ra de Nantes et �� l���Op��ra National de Gr��ce ; Marie (Wozzeck) �� l���Aalto Theater d���Essen ; Jenny (Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny) et Santuzza (Cavalleria rusticana) au Deutsche Oper de Berlin. D��buts �� l���OdM.

Cavaradossi

David Pomeroy, t��nor (Canada)

Dot�� d���une riche voix de t��nor et de notes aigu��s sensationnelles, David Pomeroy a attir�� l���attention des directeurs artistiques partout �� travers le monde. Ses engagements r��cents lui ont permis d���aborder Ladislov (Les deux veuves) au Edinburgh Festival en ��cosse, Pinkerton (Madame Butterfly) �� l���Opera Theatre de St. Louis et au Michigan Opera Theatre, Ruggero (La Rondine) aussi au Michigan Opera Theatre, Skuratov (De la maison des morts) �� la Canadian Opera Company, le Duc de Mantoue (Rigoletto) au Calgary Opera et Don Jos�� (Carmen) au Vancouver Opera. Il a aussi chant�� avec la plupart des orchestres et soci��t��s chorales d���importance au Canada, en plus de participer �� des enregistrements pour la compagnie Centrediscs. Derni��re pr��sence �� l���OdM : D��buts �� l���OdM.

Scarpia

Greer Grimsley, baryton-basse (��tats-Unis)

Greer Grimsley est reconnu �� travers le monde pour ses dons remarquables de chanteur et d���acteur, en plus d���tre un chef de file parmi les interpr��tes du r��pertoire wagn��rien. Il a fait ses d��buts au Metropolitan Opera dans le r��le du Capitaine Balstrode (Peter Grimes) pour ensuite y interpr��ter Escamillo (Carmen), Jokanaan (Salom��), Scarpia (Tosca), Telramund (Lohengrin) et Amfortas (Parsifal). Il a d���abord retenu l���attention internationale dans Escamillo (La trag��die de Carmen) partout �� travers le monde. Parmi ses plus r��centes apparitions sur sc��ne on remarque Don Pizzarro (Fidelio) avec l���Opera Company of Philadelphia, le Portland Opera et l���Op��ra National Portugais, ainsi que Scarpia (Tosca) avec le San Diego Opera. Derni��re pr��sence �� l���OdM : Le ch��teau de Barbe-Bleue (2004).

Le Sacristain

Alexandre Sylvestre, baryton-basse (Canada)

Ancien membre de l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al, Alexandre Sylvestre a fait ses d��buts �� l���Op��ra de Montr��al dans les r��les de Zalzal et du Chef de police (L���toile) en 2005, pour ��tre ensuite invit�� �� chanter au Gala 2006. Parmi ses plus r��centes prises de r��le : le Duc de V��rone (Rom��o et Juliette), le Prince Yamadori (Madame Butterfly) et Jack Wallace (La fanciulla del West) �� l���Op��ra de Montr��al, le deuxi��me Pr��tre (La fl��te enchant��e) pour le Pacific Opera de Victoria et Orchestra London, ainsi que le Stabat Mater de Haydn avec Les Violons du Roy. Derni��re pr��sence �� l���OdM : Le Gala (2009).

Angelotti

Stephen Hegedus baryton-basse (Canada)

Un ancien de l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al, Stephen Hegedus a ��t�� d��crit comme �� un acteur charmant et, mieux encore, un chanteur au potentiel ��norme �� (Opera Canada). Il a fait ses d��buts �� l���Op��ra de Montr��al dans le r��le de Silvano (Un bal masqu��) et y revient en Gr��gorio (Rom��o et Juliette), Fiorello (Le barbiere de S��ville) et Il Commissario (Madame Butterfly). Parmi ses engagements r��cents : le r��le-titre des Noces de Figaro au Teatro Municipal de Santiago, le r��le de Don Alfonso (Cos�� fan tutte), avec l���Atelier lyrique, et la Messe en si mineur de Bach au Carnegie Hall. Derni��re pr��sence �� l���OdM : Macbeth (2009).

Spoletta

AARON FERGUSON, T��NOR (Canada)

Pr��sentement en premi��re ann��e �� l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al, il chantera Charles Gill (Nelligan) dans la production de l���Atelier et Le Doyen de la Facult�� (Cendrillon) �� l���Op��ra de Montr��al. Aussi, il est soliste du spectacle No��l �� l���op��ra avec l���Orchestre M��tropolitain et dans le Requiem de Mozart avec l���Orchestre symphonique de Laval. R��cemment, il a chant�� Apollo (Semele) et un C��nobite (Tha��s) au Pacific Opera Victoria, de m��me que dans l���Ode to St. Cecilia���s Day de Handel avec le Victoria Symphony. Derni��re pr��sence �� la compagnie : Le Gala (2009).

Sciarrone

Roy del Valle, baRYTON (MEXIQUE)

Natif du Mexique, Roy Del Valle en est �� sa deuxi��me saison �� l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al. Il a chant�� dans plusieurs productions canadiennes notamment au Banff Centre for the Arts, �� l���Institut d���tudes m��diterran��ennes de Montr��al, avec le McGill Chamber Orchestra, l���Orchestre M��tropolitain et l���Atelier lyrique et l���Op��ra de Montr��al. �� l���Op��ra de Montr��al, il chantera Le Surintendant des Plaisirs (Cendrillon). Derni��re pr��sence �� la compagnie : Macbeth (2009).

Ge��lier

Pierre Rancourt, barYTON (Canada)

En premi��re ann��e �� l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al, Pierre Rancourt participe cette saison aux productions de Gianni Schicchi, La fl��te enchant��e, Tosca et Cendrillon �� l���Op��ra de Montr��al et �� celle de Nelligan de l���Atelier lyrique. Avant son entr��e �� l���Atelier, il a chant�� Don Magnifico (La Cenerentola) �� Opera NUOVA, Giove (La Calisto) �� l���Atelier d���op��ra de l���Universit�� Laval et la Messe Nelson de Haydn avec l���Ensemble Polyphonia de Qu��bec. Derni��re pr��sence �� la compagnie : La fl��te enchant��e (2009).

Berger

Suzanne Rigden, SOPRANO (CANADA)

En premi��re ann��e �� l���Atelier lyrique, Suzanne Rigden a d��j�� re��u de nombreux prix de chant dont le Metropolitan Opera First Encouragement Award 2009; elle est l���une des laur��ates du concours des Jeunes ambassadeurs lyriques 2009. On a pu l���entendre r��cemment sur notre sc��ne dans l���un des trois esprits dans La fl��te enchant��e et chantera Gertrude (Nelligan) dans la production de l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al. Derni��re pr��sence �� la compagnie : La fl��te enchant��e (2009).

Chef d���orchestre

Paul Nadler (��tats-Unis)

L���un des chefs les plus enthousiasmants les plus respect��s au monde, il a dirig�� plus de 50 repr��sentations au Metropolitan Opera, parmi lesquelles Rigoletto, Un bal masqu��, Aida, Le barbier de S��ville, Tannh��user, Don Carlo, Andrea Ch��nier, La traviata, Carmen et Fidelio, avec des vedettes telles Luciano Pavarotti, Pl��cido Domingo, Karita Mattila, Bryn Terfel et Ben Heppner. Il a aussi collabor�� avec des solistes renomm��s : Garrick Ohlsson, Emmanuel Ax, Misha Dichter, Elmar Olivera et Glenn Dicterow. Il est le directeur musical honoraire du Southwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, principal chef invit�� du Filarmonica de Stat Iasi (Roumanie), co-directeur et fondateur de l���International Vocal Arts Institute et fondateur du Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Derni��re pr��sence �� l���OdM : Le Gala (2008).

Metteur en sc��ne

Michael Cavanagh (Canada)

L���un des metteurs en sc��ne les plus polyvalents et les plus populaires de tout le Canada, il a dirig�� des op��ras partout au pays : au Vancouver Opera (L���Italienne �� Alger, Carmen, The Rake's Progress, Don Giovanni, Madame Butterfly), au Edmonton Opera (Macbeth, Of Mice and Men, La traviata, La boh��me, The Rake's Progress), Opera Lyra Ottawa (La fille du r��giment, Un bal masqu��, Les p��cheurs de perles), �� l���Op��ra de Montr��al (Turandot, Madame Butterfly), au Manitoba Opera (Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci) et au Calgary Opera (Tosca, Le barbier de S��ville, La traviata, La Cenerentola). Aux ��tats-Unis, il a travaill�� pour plusieurs compagnies, parmi lesquelles le Minnesota Opera, le Hawaii Opera Theatre, l���Arizona Opera, l���Austin Lyric Opera et le Tulsa Opera. Derni��re pr��sence �� l���OdM : Rom��o et Juliette (2007).

D��cors

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (FRANCE)

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (1932-1988) a ��t�� un grand metteur en sc��ne qui a laiss�� sa marque sur plusieurs op��ras, aupr��s des plus grandes maisons d���Europe et des ��tats-Unis. Il fit ses d��buts en Allemagne en 1952 avec la conception de l���op��ra Boulevard Solitude de Henze. Apr��s avoir fait les d��cors et la mise en sc��ne de Tristan und Isolde en 1962, il d��cida de s���occuper de tous les aspects de la mise en sc��ne d���op��ra. Il fut un partisan de la premi��re heure des co-productions internationales, dans lesquelles deux ou plusieurs compagnies d���op��ra partagent le succ��s d���une nouvelle mise en sc��ne. Parmi ses ��uvres, on compte de nombreuses productions au Metropolitan Opera et au San Francisco Opera, mais aussi des versions film��es d���op��ras pour la t��l��vision et le cin��ma. D��buts �� l���OdM.

��clairages

ANNE-CATHERINE SIMARD-DERASPE (Canada)

Au th����tre, elle a con��u les ��clairages pour Les fourberies de Scapin (Th����tre Denise-Pelletier), Le caillou de saturne (Th����tre du p'tit loup), Le p��re L��onidas et la R��action (Montreal Arts Interculturel), Ce fou de Platonov (Th����tre Prospero); Moli��re en hiver (Bain St-Michel) et Th����tre sans animaux (Th����tre La Licorne) �� l���op��ra, elle a r��alis�� les ��clairages pour Il tabarro/Suor Angelica (Op��ra de Montr��al, 2006) et ��tait assistante aux ��clairages pour Tha��s (Palm Beach Opera). Directrice technique et conceptrice pour I Musici de Montr��al, elle est pr��sentement directrice technique au Centre d'Arts Orford. Derni��re pr��sence �� la compagnie : La fl��te enchant��e (2009).

M��trOp��ra autour de Puccini et l���op��ra italien par les chanteurs de l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al. Dates : �� d��terminer ; station : Berri-UQAM.

Pr��Op��ra - conf��rence sur l����uvre, donn��e par le musicologue Pierre Vachon avant chaque repr��sentation, �� 18 h 45 (soir��e) ou 12 h 45 (matin��e), au Piano Nobile de la PDA.

Op��ra de Montr��al | Saison 0910

Tous les op��ras sont pr��sent��s en langue originelle, avec surtitres bilingues projet��s au-dessus de la sc��ne.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier de la Place des Arts (PDA)

Verdi ��� Simon Boccanegra | 13, 17, 20, 22, 25 mars 2010 �� 20 h

Massenet ��� Cendrillon | 22, 26, 29, 31 mai 2010 & 3 juin 2010 �� 20 h

Monument-National

Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al

Gagnon-Tremblay ��� Nelligan | 6, 8, 10, 11 mars 2010 �� 20 h & 13 mars 2010 �� 14 h

Vente de Billets

Abonnement pour les 18 �� 30 ans : La banque td t���emm��ne �� l���op��ra

Gr��ce au soutien de TD Canada Trust, l���Op��ra de Montr��al poursuit son offre sp��ciale d���abonnement destin��e aux jeunes de 18 �� 30 ans : 30 $ le billet avec l���abonnement ! Achat minimal requis de deux op��ras de la saison r��guli��re. Abonnements offerts �� la billetterie de la Place des Arts.

Billets �� la Pi��ce

Billetterie de la Place des Arts : 514-842-2112 �Ģ 1 866 842-2112

�� partir de 46 $.

operademontreal.com

And If the Song Be Worth A Smile: An Evening of American Song, Featuring The Work of Six Living Composers

SOPRANO LISA DELAN, WITH MATT HAIMOVITZ AND KRISTIN PANKONIN, PERFORM THE ART SONGS OF BOLCOM, GETTY, HEGGIE, GARNER, CORIGLIANO, AND WOOLF, FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2010, 8 P.M.

AT ROSE THEATER IN FREDERICK P. ROSE HALL

HOME OF JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER

Soprano Lisa Delan, pianist Kristin Pankonin and cellist Matt Haimovitz, present a rich and varied collection of art songs by living American composers entitled AND IF THE SONG BE WORTH A SMILE: AN EVENING OF AMERICAN SONG, Friday, May 21, 2010 at 8 p.m. at Rose Theater in Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street.

This evening of music, presented by PentaTone Classics, pays tribute to the American art song, a form which has grown in popularity and stature in recent years. The program will include works by William Bolcom, John Corigliano, David Garner, Gordon Getty, Jake Heggie and Luna Pearl Woolf.

The program celebrates the release of the SACD available from PentaTone Classics also entitled AND IF THE SONG BE WORTH A SMILE (PTC 5186 099), featuring the same performers.

Tickets to the May 21 concert are $25-$35, Students/Seniors $15.

For Tickets:

Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office

Broadway at 60th Street, Ground Floor

Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12pm-6pm

CenterCharge 212-721-6500

www.jalc.org

The program is as follows (subject to change):

Four Cabaret Songs William Bolcom

(b. 1938)

Amor

Oh Close the Curtain

Waitin

Toothbrush Time

Poor Peter Gordon Getty

(b. 1933)

Where is My Lady

Tune the Fiddle

The Ballad of Poor Peter

Three Songs Jake Heggie

(b. 1961)

Barb���ry Allen

He���s gone away

The Leather-Winged Bat

Phenomenal Woman David Garner

(b. 1954)

Call Letters: Mrs. V.B.

Impeccable Conception

Lord, in My Heart

The Gamut

Request

No Loser, No Weeper

Phenomenal Woman

Three Cabaret Songs John Corigliano

(b. 1938)

Dodecaphonia

Marvelous Invention

End of the Line

Odas de Todo el Mundo Luna Pearl Woolf

(b. 1973)

Michael Kaeshammer makes his orchestral debut with the Victoria Symphony

Victoria, BC ��� On December 19, at the Royal Theatre, charismatic jazz sensation Michael Kaeshammer makes his orchestral debut with the Victoria Symphony. Performing uniquely stylized Christmas favourites and songs from his latest album lovelight, this concert provides a brilliant and broad range of entertainment.

Michael Kaeshammer, the triple threat sensation singer/songwriter/pianist, selected the Victoria Symphony for his orchestral debut. Conducted under the baton of Giuseppe Pietraroia, The Days of Christmas concert features charming seasonal songs such as ���Merry Christmas Baby,��� ���I'll Be Home for Christmas,��� ���Marshmallow World,��� and ���Mary's Little Boy Child��� along with the gorgeous pop ballad ���Isabelle��� and a cover of Sam Cooke���s ���Cupid��� with lyrical piano playing and a jaunt melody.

���Having my orchestral debut with the Victoria Symphony is a very special moment for me. Victoria is my home and I started my career here, so performing my music with the Victoria Symphony Orchestra means a lot to me. It being Christmas makes it even more personal. I can���t wait!��� exclaims Michael Kaeshammer.

Kaeshammer���s live rhythm section, noted Toronto players Marc Roger (bass) and Mark McLean (drums) will join the Victoria Symphony���s orchestra on stage, providing a broad stylistic range of songs. Kaeshammer���s vocal work is both relaxed and convincing, exhibiting an appealing confident and sexy swagger. His boyish good looks, natural and quick-witted sense of humour, and endless talent sells out his shows nationally and internationally.

Michael Kaeshammer���s on stage charm has helped him become an in-demand entertainer across North America and Europe, recently selling out across Germany and in Toronto. He has received a Juno Award nomination for three of his albums and, in 2002, Kaeshammer won the West Coast Music Awards in the Musician of the Year and Performer of the Year categories. Kaeshammer has been nominated for three Smooth Jazz Awards in the categories Male Vocalist of the Year, Keyboardist/Pianist of the Year, and Best Original Composition (for ���Isabelle���), just announced last month.

Giuseppe Pietraroia, conductor in residence for the Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera Victoria, has been the Music Director of the Victoria Choral Society since 2005. Giuseppe Pietraroia is the recipient of the George and Jane Heffelfinger Pacific Opera Victoria Artist of the Year Award and the Canada Council���s Jean-Marie Beaudet Award in Orchestral Conducting.

The Victoria Symphony is Vancouver Island���s largest and most active arts organization performing for more than 125,000 people each year, including 10,000 schoolchildren. Showcasing the outstanding talents of its musicians and guest artists, the Victoria Symphony���s 2009-2010 season offers a diverse and exciting line-up of over 50 concerts led by its vibrant Music Director Tania Miller.

Michael Kaeshammer ��� The Days of Christmas

December 19 at 8:00pm, Royal Theatre

250.385.6515 or 250.386.6121

$12, $35, $45

www.victoriasymphony.ca.

L'Olympiade culturelle de Vancouver 2010: les corps en mouvement dans l'��il des cin��astes canadiens, et de nouvelles avenues dans la mire de CODE En d

VANCOUVER, le 14 d��c. /CNW/ - Deux danseurs en une ��treinte passionn��e, qui pirouettent pour ensuite fusionner, donnant vie �� une danse originale �� couper le souffle : telle est l'essence du court-m��trage Duet, o�� la beaut�� de la danse rivalise avec l'ing��niosit�� de la cr��ation. Dans un entrep��t de Vancouver, les visiteurs voient la place qu'ils occupent dans l'univers gr��ce �� la juxtaposition de leur position et du noir de l'espace, projet intitul�� We Are Stardust. Il s'agit l�� de deux ��uvres qu'on pr��sentera pendant les Jeux dans le cadre de CODE, l'��dition num��rique de l'Olympiade culturelle de Vancouver 2010.

L'annonce d'aujourd'hui marque la fin du d��voilement des projets qui constituent l'Olympiade culturelle de Vancouver 2010, une pr��sentation de Bell. Ces projets auront lieu un peu partout dans la r��gion m��tropolitaine de Vancouver et le corridor Sea to Sky pendant le festival de grande envergure, qui commencera le 22 janvier 2010. Cet ��v��nement culturel de huit semaines, qui s'inscrit dans l'esprit Des Jeux pour tout le Canada, est le premier �� int��grer �� l'exp��rience olympique la technologie du num��rique pour c��l��brer la culture et les arts.

    CODE Cin��-kin��
   --------------

Duet est l'un des 16 courts-m��trages de 2 minutes cr����s express��ment pour les Jeux d'hiver de 2010, qu'un jury a s��lectionn��s parmi plus de 200 ��uvres re��ues de tous les coins du pays. Les films, que des dizaines de milliers de spectateurs et d'athl��tes olympiques pourront d��couvrir sur les grands ��crans aux sites de c��l��brations de la r��gion m��tropolitaine de Vancouver et de Whistler utilis��s pendant les Jeux, mettront en vedette les corps humains en mouvement. Dans certains cas, ils feront voler en ��clats les id��es pr��con��ues des spectateurs et changeront compl��tement leur fa��on de voir les limites du corps et de l'esprit humains confront��s �� des situations extr��mes. Tous les films b��n��ficient d'un financement qui provient de T��l��film Canada et leur agence provinciale ou territorial respective.

D'une vision humoristique de notre passion pour les sports d'hiver �� une exploration enjou��e des jeux d'enfants, en passant par un portrait poignant de toutes les ��tapes de la vie, les films illustrent un grand ��ventail de sujets et d'��motions et donnent voix �� diff��rentes r��gions du pays.

"La port��e, la vision et le talent artistiques des cr��ations qu'ont pr��sent��es des r��alisateurs de tout le Canada nous ont subjugu��s", explique Burke Taylor, vice-pr��sident, programme de culture et c��l��brations du Comit�� d'organisation des Jeux olympiques et paralympiques d'hiver de 2010 �� Vancouver (COVAN). "Nous avons pu compter sur l'aide d'un comit�� de s��lection repr��sentant nos partenaires, T��l��film Canada et l'association des organismes provinciaux et territoriaux de financement de films, pour proc��der �� la s��lection des ��uvres ��poustouflantes qui composent le programme annonc�� aujourd'hui."

On peut voir cinq (5) des 16 films en avant-premi��re d��s maintenant sur le r��seau olympique de Bell Mobilit�� �� compter de la mi-d��cembre, et pendant toute la dur��e des Jeux. Gr��ce �� cette initiative, les Canadiens pourront faire l'exp��rience de ces courts-m��trages sur leurs appareils portatifs, o�� qu'ils soient. L'un des cinq films que Bell pr��sente est Inuit High Kick, de la r��alisatrice Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, du Nunavut. Mettant en vedette Johnny Issaluk, l'��uvre tourn��e au ralenti fait d��couvrir aux spectateurs tous les efforts musculaires qu'exige ce sport unique pratiqu�� dans le Grand Nord canadien.

CODE Cin��-kin�� pr��sentera ��galement 15 autres courts-m��trages, tous r��alis��s par des cin��astes diff��rents. Il s'agit de 365 (Matt Embry, Alb.); Aerial Artistry (Talia Pura, Man.); Climb (Brett Bell, Sask.); Duet (Raul Inglis, C. B.); Geared-Up (Kenneth Sharman, Ont.); Hand to Hand (Tamas Wormser, Qc); Joy (Zuzana Hudackova, Ont.); Patin Fute (Emmanuel Lagac��, Priscillia Rousseau, Jonathan Beaudry, M��lanie Breton, Diana M. Cortijo et Christine Th��riault, Qc); Play (Lisa Porter, T. N. L.); Momentum (Sheona McDonald, C. B.); RGB Move (Ryan Enn Hughes, Ont.); Sheng Qi (Maxime-Claude L'��cuyer, Qc); Skywriter (Josh Usheroff, Qc); Spring (Lynne Kamm, Ont.); et The Rushing of Time (Daniel Conrad, C. B.). Pendant les Jeux, il sera aussi possible de voir les films �� l'adresse www.vancouver2010.com/codefr et �� bord des vols d'Air Canada, soci��t�� a��rienne officielle des Jeux d'hiver de 2010, qui les offrira dans son syst��me de divertissement.

    CODE En direct
   --------------

We Are Stardust est l'une des quelque 40 ��uvres d'art num��rique de CODE En direct, un ��v��nement sp��cial d'une dur��e de 18 jours qui se tiendra en f��vrier lors de l'Olympiade culturelle de Vancouver 2010. Dans le cadre de cet ��v��nement, les visiteurs pourront admirer tout �� fait gratuitement une exposition d'��uvres d'art visuel r��alis��es par de grands artistes avant-gardistes canadiens et de renomm��e internationale, dont ceux annonc��s aujourd'hui. Ils pourront ��galement assister, sur pr��sentation d'un laissez-passer, aux performances nocturnes de musiciens exceptionnels, notamment lors des spectacles du ph��nom��nal platiniste vid��o Mike Relm, du duo britannique Addictive TV, de Kid Koala et de Chromeo ainsi que lors du Hard Rubber Orchestra's Drum & Light Festival. Les laissez-passer sont en vente �� l'adresse www.vancouver2010.com.

CODE En direct d��butera le 4 f��vrier 2010 dans trois grands ��tablissements de Vancouver favorisant la cr��ativit�� et l'ouverture d'esprit : le Campus Great Northern Way (577, Great Northern Way), l'Emily Carr University (1399, rue Johnston) et la Biblioth��que publique de Vancouver (350, rue Georgia Ouest), situ��e en plein centre-ville. Des installations individuelles seront aussi expos��es un peu partout dans la ville et �� la Surrey Art Gallery.

CODE En direct b��n��ficie du soutien de Bell, du minist��re du Patrimoine canadien et du Conseil des arts du Canada ainsi que de la contribution financi��re d'artistes de l'Alberta, de l'Ontario, du Qu��bec et du Nunavut.

"CODE pr��sente des projets tr��s diversifi��s, du spectacle de lumi��res Vectorial Elevation projet�� sur la baie English aux v��tements interactifs, en passant par les courts-m��trages et la musique ��lectronique, mais ces projets sont tous anim��s par le m��me esprit. Nous utilisons la technologie num��rique pour ��largir l'espace cr��atif dans lequel les artistes et le public cr��ent des liens", explique Rae Hull, directrice artistique de CODE. "Le but est de rapprocher le spectateur de l'art, que ce soit en lui donnant simplement plus de choix quant au moment ou �� la fa��on de s'engager ou encore en le pla��ant au c��ur du travail de cr��ation. CODE se veut un outil de rapprochement, de cr��ation et de collaboration."

Au Campus Great Northern Way, on pr��sente le projet n��erlandais Dune 4.0, cr���� par Studio Roosegaarde, o�� les visiteurs sont invit��s �� emprunter un sentier bord�� de lumi��res DEL qui s'illuminent et se balancent sur leur passage, comme un champ de bl�� au vent. �� l'int��rieur de la galerie, les visiteurs peuvent ��galement explorer la profondeur de l'espace et faire un voyage panoramique autour du monde gr��ce aux projets We Are Stardust et Vested, cr����s respectivement par George Legrady et Don Ritter.

�� l'Emily Carr University, on propose aux visiteurs d'essayer des v��tements ��lectroniques qui sont sensibles au toucher ou qui agissent de fa��on impr��visible dans le cadre du spectacle de groupe Electromode. On leur propose ��galement de faire le tour de Granville Island et de d��couvrir comment on les observe �� partir des installations cr����es par Simon Levin, Jer Thorpe et les ��tudiants de l'universit�� pour CODE.lab.

Gr��ce au Mus��e des beaux-arts du Canada, les visiteurs les plus aventureux peuvent ��galement d��couvrir une salle de cin��ma miniature et visionner The Paradise Institute, un court-m��trage canadien de renomm��e internationale cr���� par Janet Cardiff et Georges Bures Miller qui permet au spectateur de plonger dans un monde o�� la r��alit�� et la fiction s'entrem��lent de fa��on inattendue et d'explorer un environnement sonore compl��mentaire.

L'atrium du rez-de-chauss��e et le foss�� de l'��tage inf��rieur de la Biblioth��que publique de Vancouver sont tout d��sign��s pour accueillir des ��uvres d'art ax��es sur la culture, le mouvement et la collectivit��. Seen, de David Rokeby, enregistre le mouvement des passants et le reproduit par juxtaposition sur des ��crans adjacents, ce qui donne lieu �� des motifs surprenants. Le projet d'art participatif Room to Make your Peace donne aux visiteurs l'occasion de collaborer en ligne avec des contributeurs et de r��fl��chir sur ce qu'il faut faire pour r��tablir la paix, dans le cadre de l'initiative Tr��ve olympique pour Vancouver 2010.

Remarque aux ��diteurs de photos

Il est possible de t��l��charger en haute r��solution les images des projets dans la galerie d'images du Centre des m��dias, �� www.vancouver2010.com/fr/plus-information-2010/centre-des-m��dias/galerie-d'images/photos-de-l'olympiade-culturelle/.

Au sujet de l'Olympiade culturelle

L'Olympiade culturelle de Vancouver 2010, pr��sent��e par Bell, est une s��rie de festivals multidisciplinaires et de programmes num��riques pr��sentant le meilleur de la culture populaire et des arts canadiens et internationaux. Lanc�� en 2008, le programme se terminera en grand avec l'Olympiade culturelle 2010 d'une dur��e de 60 jours (du 22 janvier au 21 mars 2010), qui commencera avant les Jeux et se poursuivra pendant les Jeux olympiques et paralympiques d'hiver en 2010. CODE est l'��dition num��rique de l'Olympiade culturelle, une s��rie de programmes con��us pour encourager de fa��on cr��ative la participation du public national et international gr��ce �� la technologie num��rique.

Partenariats

Bell

Bell est la plus grande entreprise de communications du Canada, offrant aux consommateurs et aux entreprises des solutions �� tous leurs besoins de communications, y compris les services sans fil de Bell Mobilit��, les services haute vitesse Bell Internet, les services de t��l��vision directe par satellite Bell T��l��, le service local et interurbain Bell T��l��phonie, les services IP-large bande ainsi que les services des technologies de l'information et des communications. Bell est fi��re d'��tre un Grand partenaire national et le partenaire exclusif en mati��re de t��l��communications des Jeux olympiques et paralympiques d'hiver de 2010 �� Vancouver. Bell est la propri��t�� exclusive de BCE Inc. (TSX, NYSE : BCE). Pour plus d'information sur les produits et services de Bell, visitez le site www.bell.ca; pour plus d'information sur BCE, visitez le site www.bce.ca.

T��l��film Canada

T��l��film Canada est un organisme culturel f��d��ral vou�� au d��veloppement et �� la promotion de l'industrie audiovisuelle canadienne. Il offre un soutien financier au secteur priv�� pour cr��er des produits distinctement canadiens qui rejoignent un auditoire national et international. La soci��t�� administre aussi les programmes de financement du Fonds du long m��trage du Canada, du Fonds canadien de t��l��vision et du Fonds des nouveaux m��dias du Canada. Visitez www.telefilm.gc.ca.

Association des organismes provinciaux et territoriaux de financement de films

Cette association est un regroupement d'organismes provinciaux et territoriaux responsables du d��veloppement de l'industrie canadienne de la production cin��matographique et t��l��visuelle. Ces organismes travaillent en collaboration dans le but de r��pondre aux questions nationales et d'appuyer les initiatives qui contribuent �� la croissance du secteur.

Gouvernements

L'Olympiade culturelle de Vancouver 2010 est reconnaissante du soutien du gouvernement du Canada et des gouvernements de toutes les provinces et de tous les territoires canadiens, ainsi que de leurs agences culturelles respectives : Colombie-Britannique, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Qu��bec, Nouvelle-��cosse, Nouveau-Brunswick, ��le-du-Prince-��douard, Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, Nunavut, Territoires du Nord-Ouest et Yukon. En plus des entreprises partenaires et des partenaires gouvernementaux de l'Olympiade culturelle, le Conseil des Arts du Canada et l'Office national du film du Canada appuient fi��rement CODE. New Media BC et Wavefront Innovation Society participent aussi activement au projet. Le Conseil des Arts du Canada appuie g��n��reusement le Programme de tourn��e et de spectacles nationaux.

�� propos du COVAN

Le COVAN est responsable de la planification, de l'organisation, du financement et de la tenue des XXIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver et des Xes Jeux paralympiques d'hiver en 2010. Les Jeux olympiques d'hiver de 2010 auront lieu �� Vancouver et �� Whistler du 12 au 28 f��vrier 2010. Vancouver et Whistler accueilleront les Jeux paralympiques d'hiver du 12 au 21 mars 2010. Visiter www.vancouver2010.com.

Sophie Lemaire poursuit sa route artistique

(Montr��al, 14 d��cembre 2009) - Le projet Ap��ro �� l���Op��ra auquel Sophie Lemaire participait depuis le d��but de l���automne s���est termin�� en grande pompe sur la sc��ne Wilfrid-Pelletier de la Place des Arts �� Montr��al, dimanche dernier avec la pr��sentation du majestueux Gala 2009. Le projet Ap��ro �� l���Op��ra comportait deux prix : un premier grand prix (chanter dans Tosca) et un deuxi��me prix (chanter au Gala).

Rappelons que Sophie Lemaire, apr��s six semaines intenses de formation �� l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al, avait ��t�� proclam��e laur��ate du prix qui ��tait de chanter au Gala. Pour l���occasion, elle y a interpr��t�� LE NOZZE DI FIGARO, Acte IV de Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Elle partageait cet honneur avec deux de ses pairs, Lise Brunelle et Annie Sanschagrin. C���est d���ailleurs cette derni��re qui a remport�� le grand prix de chanter dans Tosca.

�� Sophie Lemaire poss��de des qualit��s vocales, musicales et sc��niques qui manquent �� bien des professionnels. �� - Claude Gingras, La Presse

L���aventure se poursuit pour Sophie Lemaire car, en plus d���avoir v��cu cette exp��rience tr��s enrichissante, elle sera la doublure d���Annie Sanschagrin pour son r��le dans Tosca. Ce mandat implique qu���elle suive toutes les ��tapes de r��p��titions de Tosca comme sa premi��re interpr��te. Pour Sophie Lemaire, cette prochaine exp��rience lui permet de profiter, encore une fois, d���une aventure hors du commun et d���un milieu de formation exceptionnel.

Sophie Lemaire ne boude pas la chanteuse populaire en elle pour autant. Elle pr��pare aussi son propre spectacle qui fera ��cho �� la sortie de son premier album, Toujours dimanche. Elle sera d���ailleurs sur la sc��ne du Studio-th����tre de la Place des Arts le 27 f��vrier 2010 dans le cadre de la s��rie Les week-ends de la chanson Quebecor.

D���ici l��, son album Toujours dimanche et les billets de son spectacle du 26 f��vrier prochain s���av��rent de tr��s bonnes id��es cadeau! Pour plus d���informations, visitez www.sophielemaire.com

Sym��trie f��te ses 10 ans !

Depuis 1999, Sym��trie se consacre exclusivement �� la musique �� travers la publication d���ouvrages de r��f��rence, de beaux livres, de revues et de partitions.

Cr��ation de la collection �� Sym��trie Recherche ��

�� l���occasion de cet anniversaire, Sym��trie a le plaisir de vous annoncer la cr��ation de sa nouvelle collection de livres scientifiques, Sym��trie Recherche, dirig��e par un comit�� scientifique pr��sid�� par Patrick Ta��eb. Cette collection accueille des ouvrages de fond sur la musique sous ses diff��rentes formes et dans ses rapports multiples avec les autres arts, l���histoire et la soci��t��.

Sym��trie Recherche se d��cline en plusieurs s��ries th��matiques :

�Ģ Anciens et Modernes, s��rie consacr��e �� la musique ancienne, du Moyen ��ge �� l���poque baroque, dirig��e par Marc Desmet (universit�� Jean-Monnet de Saint-��tienne) ;

�Ģ Musique romantique fran��aise, s��rie en partenariat avec le Palazzetto Bru Zane, dirig��e par Alexandre Dratwicki (Centre de musique romantique fran��aise, Venise) ;

�Ģ 20-21, s��rie d��di��e aux musiques contemporaines, des ann��es 1920 �� nos jours, dirig��e par Nicolas Donin (IRCAM-Centre Pompidou, Paris) ;

�Ģ Histoire du concert, s��rie proposant des outils de recherche et des essais, dirig��e par Patrick Ta��eb (R.P.C.F. et universit�� de Rouen).

Sym��trie Recherche s���inscrit dans un d��sir toujours renouvel�� de proposer au public des ouvrages alliant rigueur scientifique, conception ��ditoriale de qualit�� et go��t du savoir partag��.

L���quipe de Sym��trie

Fond��e par des musiciens dipl��m��s du Conservatoire national sup��rieur de musique et de danse de Lyon, Sym��trie est riche d���une ��quipe de 12 personnes qui prennent en charge toutes les ��tapes d���un processus ��ditorial de qualit��. Gr��ce �� la pr��sence en interne de toutes les comp��tences (pr��paration, ��dition, correction, gravure musicale, recherche iconographique, typographie, graphisme, informatique et P.A.O.), Sym��trie peut int��grer �� ses ouvrages de nombreux ��l��ments : fac-simil��s, iconographie en couleur, exemples musicaux, index d��taill��s, disques compacts audio, c��d��roms interactifs. La ma��trise des technologies modernes lui permet ��galement de d��velopper des bases de donn��es ou des sites compagnons associ��s �� certains ouvrages ainsi que des livres ��lectroniques.

Nos partenaires

Les ouvrages de Sym��trie re��oivent r��guli��rement le soutien de nombreuses institutions, publiques et priv��es, parmi lesquelles l���Acad��mie musicale de Villecroze, l���Agence Rh��ne-Alpes pour le livre et la documentation (ARALD), le Centre national de la recherche scientifique (C.N.R.S.), le Centre national du livre (C.N.L.), le Ch��teau-Mus��e de Dieppe, l����cole des hautes ��tudes en sciences sociales (E.H.E.S.S.), la Fondation d���entreprise La Poste, la Fondation Francis et Mica Salabert, l���Institut de recherche sur le patrimoine musical en France (I.R.P.M.F.), l���Observatoire international de la cr��ation et des cultures musicales (O.I.C.C.M.), la Soci��t�� des auteurs, compositeurs et ��diteurs de musique (SACEM), l���universit�� Paris Sorbonne-Paris IV, l���universit�� Jean-Monnet (Saint-��tienne), l���universit�� de Rouen, l���universit�� Fran��ois-Rabelais (Tours)�Ķ

Sym��trie a ��galement men�� des projets ��ditoriaux en collaboration avec le Concours international de musique de chambre de Lyon (C.I.M.C.L.), le Conservatoire national sup��rieur de musique et de danse de Lyon (C.N.S.M.D.), Deutsche Grammophon, les ��ditions Durand-Salabert, les ��ditions Leduc, France culture, France musique, la Lettre du musicien, les Presses de l���universit�� de Saint-��tienne (PUSE), Universal music�Ķ

Sym��trie est en outre l���diteur associ�� du Palazzetto Bru Zane ��� Centre de musique romantique fran��aise, qui a pour vocation de valoriser le r��pertoire musical fran��ais de la p��riode 1780-1920, notamment �� travers la recherche et l���dition de partitions et de livres.

Nous profitons ��galement de ce message pour vous souhaiter de bonnes f��tes de fin d���ann��e.

Tel Aviv Museum of Art Opens Critical Exhibition of Mature Israeli Artist Joram Rozov

17 Dec 2009 through 13 Feb 2010

Joram Rozov's (b. 1938) exhibition Landscapes and Milestones features works from the series "Landscapes" (1983-2009), which presents vistas embedding his overt and covert life story, and "Milestones" (2003-2009), which presents landmarks extracted from the vast panorama of the artist's life: childhood, military service, engagement with wars, educational and other travels in the world. Through his immediate surroundings���landscapes of the Galilee, Hebron, Africa, Tuscany, views of foliage, trees, Sabra hedges, etc.���and their modes of symbolization, he delves into broad, intricate realities.

Over the course of time, Rozov's works have come to indicate the end of the age of innocence of Eretz-Israeli Zionism. The disillusionment with the Zionist dream was already discernible in his early works where he portrayed pilots, soldiers, and arms, and subsequently in the depictions of cracked walls, and his turning to distant views during his travels. Concurrently, the artist's fascination with the "Other" manifests his search for broader, hidden strata of meaning.
Rozov creates a threatening atmosphere; a sense of destruction often reminiscent of apocalyptic cinematic scenes. Violence is often present in his works in an indirect, restrained manner. Some of the scenes are depopulated, and are typified by excessive detail, attesting to anxiety. Many of them feature battle situations, solitude, alienation, and pain associated with political, national, religious or personal violence. The portrayals of wartime reality form an indirect, personal allusion to the death of the artist's father, in June 1967, the month in which the Six-Day War was fought.

Addressing violence linked with situations of excess or lack, Rozov frequently ties the beautiful with the terrible, spectacle with horror. His works possess a documentary facet, often abstract or implied, out of conscious decision to avoid direct depictions of atrocity, or possibly due to the desire to transcend the particular case and engage in the universal, mythical dimension.
Rozov's works combine local and European painterly traditions. They are characterized by realism abounding with textures, and by intricate baroque compositions with rich coloration and accentuated voluminosity. Most of Rozov's works fuse "warm" personal expression with "cold" technical photographic mediations���instilling his works with an air of desistence. The camera functions as a tool which may facilitate renewal of the lost affinity with the local setting, as well as "conquest" of a foreign territory.

GENERAL INFORMATION:
Tel Aviv Museum of Art�Į
Sun CLOSED; Mon, Wed 10-16; Tues, Thurs 10-22; Fri 10-14; Sat 10-16�Į
Box Office+972 3 6077020, Reservations by phone 14-21 daily
�ĮAddress: 27 Shaul Hamelech Boulevard, Tel Aviv, Israel�Į
Website: www.tamuseum.com

2010: The Concert announces hosts for Celebration of Culture

Winnipeg, MB ��� December 12, 2009 ���Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), Winnipeg Cultural Capital of Canada 2010, and Manitoba Homecoming 2010 are pleased to announce that Monique LaCoste and Wab Kinew will be the hosts for 2010: The Concert. The event, which was announced earlier, will feature a diverse and impressive array of seventeen performances that will dazzle and awe the audience!

Bios on the hosts and featured guest artists are detailed below:

Hosts:

Monique LaCoste: A seasoned TV and radio host, Monique LaCoste is best known for her many years with Radio-Canada Manitoba. Fluently bilingual, this veteran voice over artist and Master of Ceremonies has lent her voice to hundreds of commercials, documentaries, and corporate projects worldwide. In February, she will realize her Olympic dream by taking part in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, as an announcer for the team welcome ceremonies as well as the curling venue.

Wab Kinew: Wab Kinew (pron: WOB ka-NOO) is a one-of-a-kind musical talent, becoming one of the artists ���to watch for��� emerging from the Prairie Provinces. He is a hip-hop artist and CBC radio producer/host based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wab exemplifies what it means to be multicultural in Canada today, holding both a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and training in the traditional Medicine ways of his Anishinaabe people.

Guest Artists:

Monica Huisman: Touted as the ���next great voice on the Canadian Opera scene exuding dramatic flair with a resonant voice as rich as melted chocolate��� (Winnipeg Free Press), lyric soprano Monica Huisman has already made her mark in the musical world. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ms. Huisman received her operatic training at the University of Toronto in the studio of Mary Morrison. Ms. Huisman continued on to the International Opera Centre of the Netherlands, where she made her European debut at the famous Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She has sung with Pacific Opera Victoria, Vancouver Opera, Edmonton and Calgary Opera and Opera Hamilton and, of course, Manitoba Opera.

School of Contemporary Dancers: is recognized as a leading national centre for professional contemporary dance training in Canada whose mandate is to prepare students for careers in contemporary dance performance. The Professional Program of The School of Contemporary Dancers is a four-year professional training program for dancers seeking a career in contemporary dance performance. The Fourth-Year of the Program is a special bridging year from the professional student to the professional emerging artist level. Fourth-Year dancers are given opportunities to connect with the professional community and to undertake professional projects. The School of Contemporary Dancers is co-directed by Odette Heyn-Penner and Faye Thomson.

Steve Bell: Singer, song writer, story teller, Steve Bell���s music offers an astonishing combination of familiar and fresh, provocative and comforting, exuberant and reflective, salty and sweet. Immediately attractive, it rewards repeated listening: the genuine beauty on the surface gives away to treasures in the depths. In a normal year of touring, Steve Bell performs about one hundred concerts. Steve���s concerts feature his award winning songwriting and evocative tenor vocals, as well as his scintillating finger style acoustic guitar artistry and his captivating story telling.

D.Rangers: From where else but Winnipeg could come an operation like the D.Rangers? Their brand of music is simultaneously dangerous-as-hell and brilliantly inventive. Blending bluegrass, western swing, punk rock, and just about anything else, the D.Rangers are one of a kind. Described as ���mutant bluegrass,��� un-country, and ���arm-swinging hillbilly-stomp,��� their live shows are an engaging mix of originals, traditional classics and off-the-wall covers.

Fred Penner: At a recent keynote address to an early childhood education conference, acclaimed family entertainer, singer/songwriter, composer, actor, writer, author, TV host and keynote speaker Fred Penner delivered a simple, yet powerful message. "Never underestimate your ability to make a difference in the life of a child." A gentle giant with kind eyes and an undeniable ability to make you feel good about yourself, this musical master brings 25 years of commitment, consistency and depth to a career that skillfully blends the many genres of performing and communication. Dubbed "Mr. Multi-Media" by Billboard Magazine, his diverse repertoire includes a prolific 12 Children���s albums and countless energetically packed live shows for throngs of eager audiences across North America.

Fubuki Daiko: Audiences everywhere are energized by Fubuki Daiko's (Blizzard Drums) high-powered style of Japanese drumming. The group's North American roots push the envelope of tradition to create a truly eclectic experience that is part martial arts, part meditation and all rhythm. For Hiroshi Koshiyama, Naomi Guilbert, and Bruce Robertson, taiko is not just a performance art form but a way of life. Performing, training, and teaching year-round, each member has over ten years of taiko experience including four years of traditional Japanese apprenticeship under the watchful and highly critical eye of Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka, founder of the San Francisco Taiko Dojo and the father of North American taiko. After performing at Carnegie Hall and leaving with their Sensei's blessing, the three core members relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba where they expanded into the five member professional touring ensemble that is Fubuki Daiko. The group has since gone on to electrify audiences in festivals, rodeos, bars, temples, schools, legions, hockey arenas, land fills and concert halls from San Francisco to Prince Edward Island with their innovative brand of taiko.

Camerata Nova: Camerata Nova was founded in Winnipeg in 1996 as a choral ensemble dedicated to the exploration and performance of a cappella Renaissance music. As the group has evolved, it has branched out well beyond this period to medieval and early Baroque works as well as 20th-century repertoire, including compositions by Andrew Balfour, the group���s Artistic Director. Camerata Nova takes an increasingly innovative approach to performance, experimenting with unusual venues and exploring the use of unconventional sounds, including throat and overtone singing, and instruments such as crystal bowls, sackbut, and didgeridoo, in contemporary compositions and in arrangements of traditional works.

Sierra Noble: Best known as a fiddle virtuoso who breezes through Celtic, Bluegrass, Jazz, World beat and other styles of music with stunning ease, Sierra's breadth of experience is impressive. Her talent has taken her around the world where she has visited countries in Asia, Europe and North America. She amazes audiences with compelling contemporary performances which feature exceptional instrumentals, beautiful innovative vocals, and her infectious down to earth charm. Sierra dedicates much of her time to various causes, from her involvement with the global fight to ban landmines, her work with welcoming war-affected refugee families to Canada, as well as programs for inner-city youth in Winnipeg, all in an effort to make the world a better place.

Anna-Lisa Kirby: Before moving to Winnipeg in 2003, Anna-Lisa Kirby established her professional career as a jazz vocalist in New York City. She has had the privilege of sharing the stage with many world-class jazz artists. Some of these include Steve Kirby, Wynton Marsalis, Cyrus Chestnut, Ted Nash, Stefon Harris and Xavier Davis. Anna-Lisa is featured on the Larry Roy and Steve Kirby 2008 CD-release Wicked Grin and is the vocalist for Steve Kirby���s acclaimed Oceanic Jazz Orchestra.

Steve Kirby���s career as a jazz musician spans over 25 years of performance collaboration with many of the finest artists in the field, both in North America and abroad. Throughout these years, his role as an educator has been a fundamental and vital part of his commitment to music. Steve has performed extensively and recorded with some of the most high profile jazz artists on the scene today. He spent two years as bassist for Elvin Jones and Jazz Machine and four years with Cyrus Chestnut Trio. He is the bass player on two of Mr. Chestnuts Atlantic Recordings: the critically acclaimed Dark Before the Dawn and Earth Stories. He has also performed in club and/or concert hall settings with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz @ Lincoln Center, opera star Kathleen Battle, legendary Jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln, Jazz violinist Regina Carter and The Joanne Brackeen Trio featuring Horatio "El Negro" Hernandez. In the summer of 2003, Steve Kirby accepted the position as the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Manitoba. Since then, Steve has overseen a full-fledged rejuvenation of the jazz scene in Winnipeg.

Momentum Aerial: Momentum is comprised of performers who share a background of dance, gymnastics, and the aerial arts. The performance group is dedicated to bringing dance, acrobatics, and the circus arts of aerial fabric, hoop, and trapeze together in the spirit of exploration to create exciting new works for Winnipeg audiences in both indoor and outdoor venues. Troupe members have studied and performed across Canada, the United States and Europe. Locally, members have performed during the 1999 Pan Am Games, The Festival of the Arts at The Forks, The Festival of Trees & Lights at The Winnipeg Convention Centre, The MTS Opening, The Junos held at MTS Centre, and various school and sporting events throughout Winnipeg.

Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble: For nearly half a century Rusalka has been capturing the imagination of audiences around the world with its often fiery, always colourful presentation of Ukrainian dance. Tours of North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, combined with performances for heads of state, religious figures and royalty, have placed Rusalka among the most widely recognized Ukrainian dance groups in the world. The Ensemble embarks on a new era as it begins preparing for its 50th Anniversary in 2012 under the Artistic Directorship of Marijka Stanowych, a former Rusalka dancer/instructor and professional Ballet teacher with Canada���s Royal Winnipeg Ballet Schools, who studied at the Choreographic School of the Ukrainian Folk Dance Ensemble named after Pavlo Virsky. Deep within each dancer burns a passion to showcase the power and beauty of Ukrainian dance and they are eager to enchant audiences with the experience that is, Rusalka!

James Keelaghan: "I love touching people with my music as a performer," James Keelaghan says. "Putting a song across so that people get inside the story. I love the immediacy of it, the feedback.��� James is one of Canada's greatest songwriters, and he's written songs recorded by the likes of Cry,Cry,Cry. But he can sing too, you know. Like, really sing. In a resonant baritone voice that has been called everything from sweet and smooth, to coffee-rich, to glorious. "Keelaghan's voice is so easy to listen to that the thorns in his lyrics can catch the listeners unawares," comments Dirty Linen. "I am not just a pen," James points out wryly. "I am a voice as well."

Daniel ROA: Daniel ROA = francophone pop with a worldly twist and a unique blend of socially aware, witty and intelligent lyrics, touching matters of the heart and of everyday life. Daniel ROA's fiery musical universe is rich in flavor, overflowing with humor, candor and intelligence. In love with life, song and poetry, Daniel presents an alternative pop woven with original sounds in a style like no other. With an ear consistently attuned to new sounds, and an eye forever gazing on the human condition, the leader of the highly-acclaimed Johnny Cajun performs music that will have you dancing to a Rio swing before exploding into modern pop, with stops from spacious all the way to funky.

Stacey Nattrass: Stacey Nattrass is a versatile vocalist known to musical theatre, jazz and classical audiences alike. In addition to performing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, she has appeared with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Winnipeg���s Classical Guitar Society, and Winnipeg���s Contemporary Dancers. Stacey���s stage credits include The Full Monty, The Sound of Music, The Wizard Of Oz, Miss Saigon, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Footloose (Rainbow Stage), My Fair Lady (MTC), and Strike!

Royal Winnipeg Ballet: Versatility, technical excellence, and a captivating style are the trademarks of Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet; qualities that have garnered both critical and audience acclaim. These qualities keep the RWB in demand as it presents more than 100 performances every season. Founded in 1939, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet holds the double distinction of being Canada's premier ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. In 1953, the Company received its royal title, the first granted under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1958, Arnold Spohr was appointed artistic director, and under his direction, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet grew and developed to take its place among the world's internationally renowned companies.

Eagle & Hawk: One listen to Eagle & Hawk���s distinctive sound and you���ll be hooked. By blending inspired vision with musical talent, Eagle & Hawk have created a progressive style of ���rock��� steeped in roots, fusion, and solid songwriting that continues to earn fans ��� and loads of fanfare ��� worldwide. Eagle & Hawk���s music takes the lead in defining the genre of contemporary Indigenous music. Envisioning a sound that fused modern rock with traditional elements, guitarist and bandleader Vince Fontaine founded Eagle & Hawk in 1994. The journey took the band from Winnipeg, Manitoba to stages in European capitals where they blasted onto the scene with a powerful live show. While their effervescent performances won over international and national audiences, their talent and determination quietly garnered respect from fans and critics alike.

Tickets to 2010: The Concert are affordably priced at $20.10 in order to be accessible to all Winnipeggers. The faster you buy tickets the better chance you have at choice seating.

To purchase tickets, please call the WSO Box Office at 949-3999; go to www.wso.ca; call Ticketmaster at 780-3333 or go to www.ticketmaster.ca.

Winnipeg, MB ��� December 12, 2009 ���Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), Winnipeg Cultural Capital of Canada 2010, and Manitoba Homecoming 2010 are pleased to announce that Monique LaCoste and Wab Kinew will be the hosts for 2010: The Concert. The event, which was announced earlier, will feature a diverse and impressive array of seventeen performances that will dazzle and awe the audience!

Bios on the hosts and featured guest artists are detailed below:

Hosts:

Monique LaCoste: A seasoned TV and radio host, Monique LaCoste is best known for her many years with Radio-Canada Manitoba. Fluently bilingual, this veteran voice over artist and Master of Ceremonies has lent her voice to hundreds of commercials, documentaries, and corporate projects worldwide. In February, she will realize her Olympic dream by taking part in the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, as an announcer for the team welcome ceremonies as well as the curling venue.

Wab Kinew: Wab Kinew (pron: WOB ka-NOO) is a one-of-a-kind musical talent, becoming one of the artists ���to watch for��� emerging from the Prairie Provinces. He is a hip-hop artist and CBC radio producer/host based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Wab exemplifies what it means to be multicultural in Canada today, holding both a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and training in the traditional Medicine ways of his Anishinaabe people.

Guest Artists:

Monica Huisman: Touted as the ���next great voice on the Canadian Opera scene exuding dramatic flair with a resonant voice as rich as melted chocolate��� (Winnipeg Free Press), lyric soprano Monica Huisman has already made her mark in the musical world. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Ms. Huisman received her operatic training at the University of Toronto in the studio of Mary Morrison. Ms. Huisman continued on to the International Opera Centre of the Netherlands, where she made her European debut at the famous Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She has sung with Pacific Opera Victoria, Vancouver Opera, Edmonton and Calgary Opera and Opera Hamilton and, of course, Manitoba Opera.

School of Contemporary Dancers: is recognized as a leading national centre for professional contemporary dance training in Canada whose mandate is to prepare students for careers in contemporary dance performance. The Professional Program of The School of Contemporary Dancers is a four-year professional training program for dancers seeking a career in contemporary dance performance. The Fourth-Year of the Program is a special bridging year from the professional student to the professional emerging artist level. Fourth-Year dancers are given opportunities to connect with the professional community and to undertake professional projects. The School of Contemporary Dancers is co-directed by Odette Heyn-Penner and Faye Thomson.

Steve Bell: Singer, song writer, story teller, Steve Bell���s music offers an astonishing combination of familiar and fresh, provocative and comforting, exuberant and reflective, salty and sweet. Immediately attractive, it rewards repeated listening: the genuine beauty on the surface gives away to treasures in the depths. In a normal year of touring, Steve Bell performs about one hundred concerts. Steve���s concerts feature his award winning songwriting and evocative tenor vocals, as well as his scintillating finger style acoustic guitar artistry and his captivating story telling.

D.Rangers: From where else but Winnipeg could come an operation like the D.Rangers? Their brand of music is simultaneously dangerous-as-hell and brilliantly inventive. Blending bluegrass, western swing, punk rock, and just about anything else, the D.Rangers are one of a kind. Described as ���mutant bluegrass,��� un-country, and ���arm-swinging hillbilly-stomp,��� their live shows are an engaging mix of originals, traditional classics and off-the-wall covers.

Fred Penner: At a recent keynote address to an early childhood education conference, acclaimed family entertainer, singer/songwriter, composer, actor, writer, author, TV host and keynote speaker Fred Penner delivered a simple, yet powerful message. "Never underestimate your ability to make a difference in the life of a child." A gentle giant with kind eyes and an undeniable ability to make you feel good about yourself, this musical master brings 25 years of commitment, consistency and depth to a career that skillfully blends the many genres of performing and communication. Dubbed "Mr. Multi-Media" by Billboard Magazine, his diverse repertoire includes a prolific 12 Children���s albums and countless energetically packed live shows for throngs of eager audiences across North America.

Fubuki Daiko: Audiences everywhere are energized by Fubuki Daiko's (Blizzard Drums) high-powered style of Japanese drumming. The group's North American roots push the envelope of tradition to create a truly eclectic experience that is part martial arts, part meditation and all rhythm. For Hiroshi Koshiyama, Naomi Guilbert, and Bruce Robertson, taiko is not just a performance art form but a way of life. Performing, training, and teaching year-round, each member has over ten years of taiko experience including four years of traditional Japanese apprenticeship under the watchful and highly critical eye of Grandmaster Seiichi Tanaka, founder of the San Francisco Taiko Dojo and the father of North American taiko. After performing at Carnegie Hall and leaving with their Sensei's blessing, the three core members relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba where they expanded into the five member professional touring ensemble that is Fubuki Daiko. The group has since gone on to electrify audiences in festivals, rodeos, bars, temples, schools, legions, hockey arenas, land fills and concert halls from San Francisco to Prince Edward Island with their innovative brand of taiko.

Camerata Nova: Camerata Nova was founded in Winnipeg in 1996 as a choral ensemble dedicated to the exploration and performance of a cappella Renaissance music. As the group has evolved, it has branched out well beyond this period to medieval and early Baroque works as well as 20th-century repertoire, including compositions by Andrew Balfour, the group���s Artistic Director. Camerata Nova takes an increasingly innovative approach to performance, experimenting with unusual venues and exploring the use of unconventional sounds, including throat and overtone singing, and instruments such as crystal bowls, sackbut, and didgeridoo, in contemporary compositions and in arrangements of traditional works.

Sierra Noble: Best known as a fiddle virtuoso who breezes through Celtic, Bluegrass, Jazz, World beat and other styles of music with stunning ease, Sierra's breadth of experience is impressive. Her talent has taken her around the world where she has visited countries in Asia, Europe and North America. She amazes audiences with compelling contemporary performances which feature exceptional instrumentals, beautiful innovative vocals, and her infectious down to earth charm. Sierra dedicates much of her time to various causes, from her involvement with the global fight to ban landmines, her work with welcoming war-affected refugee families to Canada, as well as programs for inner-city youth in Winnipeg, all in an effort to make the world a better place.

Anna-Lisa Kirby: Before moving to Winnipeg in 2003, Anna-Lisa Kirby established her professional career as a jazz vocalist in New York City. She has had the privilege of sharing the stage with many world-class jazz artists. Some of these include Steve Kirby, Wynton Marsalis, Cyrus Chestnut, Ted Nash, Stefon Harris and Xavier Davis. Anna-Lisa is featured on the Larry Roy and Steve Kirby 2008 CD-release Wicked Grin and is the vocalist for Steve Kirby���s acclaimed Oceanic Jazz Orchestra.

Steve Kirby���s career as a jazz musician spans over 25 years of performance collaboration with many of the finest artists in the field, both in North America and abroad. Throughout these years, his role as an educator has been a fundamental and vital part of his commitment to music. Steve has performed extensively and recorded with some of the most high profile jazz artists on the scene today. He spent two years as bassist for Elvin Jones and Jazz Machine and four years with Cyrus Chestnut Trio. He is the bass player on two of Mr. Chestnuts Atlantic Recordings: the critically acclaimed Dark Before the Dawn and Earth Stories. He has also performed in club and/or concert hall settings with Wynton Marsalis and Jazz @ Lincoln Center, opera star Kathleen Battle, legendary Jazz vocalist Abbey Lincoln, Jazz violinist Regina Carter and The Joanne Brackeen Trio featuring Horatio "El Negro" Hernandez. In the summer of 2003, Steve Kirby accepted the position as the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Manitoba. Since then, Steve has overseen a full-fledged rejuvenation of the jazz scene in Winnipeg.

Momentum Aerial: Momentum is comprised of performers who share a background of dance, gymnastics, and the aerial arts. The performance group is dedicated to bringing dance, acrobatics, and the circus arts of aerial fabric, hoop, and trapeze together in the spirit of exploration to create exciting new works for Winnipeg audiences in both indoor and outdoor venues. Troupe members have studied and performed across Canada, the United States and Europe. Locally, members have performed during the 1999 Pan Am Games, The Festival of the Arts at The Forks, The Festival of Trees & Lights at The Winnipeg Convention Centre, The MTS Opening, The Junos held at MTS Centre, and various school and sporting events throughout Winnipeg.

Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble: For nearly half a century Rusalka has been capturing the imagination of audiences around the world with its often fiery, always colourful presentation of Ukrainian dance. Tours of North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, combined with performances for heads of state, religious figures and royalty, have placed Rusalka among the most widely recognized Ukrainian dance groups in the world. The Ensemble embarks on a new era as it begins preparing for its 50th Anniversary in 2012 under the Artistic Directorship of Marijka Stanowych, a former Rusalka dancer/instructor and professional Ballet teacher with Canada���s Royal Winnipeg Ballet Schools, who studied at the Choreographic School of the Ukrainian Folk Dance Ensemble named after Pavlo Virsky. Deep within each dancer burns a passion to showcase the power and beauty of Ukrainian dance and they are eager to enchant audiences with the experience that is, Rusalka!

James Keelaghan: "I love touching people with my music as a performer," James Keelaghan says. "Putting a song across so that people get inside the story. I love the immediacy of it, the feedback.��� James is one of Canada's greatest songwriters, and he's written songs recorded by the likes of Cry,Cry,Cry. But he can sing too, you know. Like, really sing. In a resonant baritone voice that has been called everything from sweet and smooth, to coffee-rich, to glorious. "Keelaghan's voice is so easy to listen to that the thorns in his lyrics can catch the listeners unawares," comments Dirty Linen. "I am not just a pen," James points out wryly. "I am a voice as well."

Daniel ROA: Daniel ROA = francophone pop with a worldly twist and a unique blend of socially aware, witty and intelligent lyrics, touching matters of the heart and of everyday life. Daniel ROA's fiery musical universe is rich in flavor, overflowing with humor, candor and intelligence. In love with life, song and poetry, Daniel presents an alternative pop woven with original sounds in a style like no other. With an ear consistently attuned to new sounds, and an eye forever gazing on the human condition, the leader of the highly-acclaimed Johnny Cajun performs music that will have you dancing to a Rio swing before exploding into modern pop, with stops from spacious all the way to funky.

Stacey Nattrass: Stacey Nattrass is a versatile vocalist known to musical theatre, jazz and classical audiences alike. In addition to performing with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, she has appeared with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Winnipeg���s Classical Guitar Society, and Winnipeg���s Contemporary Dancers. Stacey���s stage credits include The Full Monty, The Sound of Music, The Wizard Of Oz, Miss Saigon, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Footloose (Rainbow Stage), My Fair Lady (MTC), and Strike!

Royal Winnipeg Ballet: Versatility, technical excellence, and a captivating style are the trademarks of Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet; qualities that have garnered both critical and audience acclaim. These qualities keep the RWB in demand as it presents more than 100 performances every season. Founded in 1939, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet holds the double distinction of being Canada's premier ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. In 1953, the Company received its royal title, the first granted under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. In 1958, Arnold Spohr was appointed artistic director, and under his direction, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet grew and developed to take its place among the world's internationally renowned companies.

Eagle & Hawk: One listen to Eagle & Hawk���s distinctive sound and you���ll be hooked. By blending inspired vision with musical talent, Eagle & Hawk have created a progressive style of ���rock��� steeped in roots, fusion, and solid songwriting that continues to earn fans ��� and loads of fanfare ��� worldwide. Eagle & Hawk���s music takes the lead in defining the genre of contemporary Indigenous music. Envisioning a sound that fused modern rock with traditional elements, guitarist and bandleader Vince Fontaine founded Eagle & Hawk in 1994. The journey took the band from Winnipeg, Manitoba to stages in European capitals where they blasted onto the scene with a powerful live show. While their effervescent performances won over international and national audiences, their talent and determination quietly garnered respect from fans and critics alike.

Tickets to 2010: The Concert are affordably priced at $20.10 in order to be accessible to all Winnipeggers. The faster you buy tickets the better chance you have at choice seating.

To purchase tickets, please call the WSO Box Office at 949-3999; go to www.wso.ca; call Ticketmaster at 780-3333 or go to www.ticketmaster.ca.

En primeur �� Qu��bec chez Sillons le disquaire, CD M��lomane et Musique du Faubourg d��s le 15 d��cembre 2009

Michel C��t��, saxophone

Andr�� Lachance, guitare

Fran��ois C��t��, batterie

Guillaume Bouchard, contrebasse et composition

En magasin d��s le 19 janvier 2010

Qu��bec, le 11 d��cembre 2009 - Apr��s Happy Blue, duo de contrebasses avec Michel Donato enregistr�� en 2006 sous le label parisien Zig-Zag Territoires, le contrebassiste qu��b��cois Guillaume Bouchard lance son nouveau disque Chemins. Guillaume Bouchard nous surprend par ses compositions o�� les m��lodies qui nous transportent se m��lent �� une harmonie toujours riche et recherch��e. Entour�� des excellents musiciens Michel C��t�� (saxophone), Andr�� Lachance (guitare) et Fran��ois C��t�� (batterie), Guillaume Bouchard nous pr��sente cet album, qui se place dans la grande lign��e du jazz traditionnel, comme un voyage dans son univers musical.

Lancement de l���album le 22 d��cembre 2009 �� 17h

au bar de l���H��tel Clarendon, 57 rue Sainte-Anne, Qu��bec

La carri��re du chef d���orchestre qu��b��cois Jean-Micha��l Lavoie progresse rapidement !

Montr��al, 11 d��cembre 2009 ��� Install�� en France depuis un an, le jeune chef d���orchestre qu��b��cois Jean-Micha��l Lavoie se d��marque de plus en plus comme ��tant un chef au talent remarquable et au professionnalisme irr��prochable.

Tout derni��rement, il a ��t�� finaliste pour le poste de Directeur musical et Chef Principal de l'Orchestre de Besan��on Franche-Comt��. Pour un nouveau venu, se rendre �� ce stade de la comp��tition rel��ve presque du miracle, ce qui d��montre l���int��r��t rapide et grandissant que les ��tablissements fran��ais portent �� Jean-Micha��l Lavoie.

�� preuve, voici les engagements qui jalonnent l���horaire de Jean-Micha��l pour les prochains mois :

- Chef Associ�� du Choeur Accentus pour l���automne 2009
- Chef invit�� de l'Ensemble orchestral de Paris (11-12 d��cembre 2009 et 11, 17, 18, 19 f��vrier 2010)
http://www.ensemble-orchestral-paris.com/orchestre/ensemble-orchestral-paris orchestral-paris.com/orchestre/ensemble-orchestral-paris>
- Chef invit�� de l'Orchestre de Bretagne pour une tourn��e de 7 concerts (juin-juillet-ao��t 2010)
- Avril 2010 : Enregistrement d'un disque pour l'��tiquette Na��ve avec l'Orchestre de Bretagne
http://www.orchestre-de-bretagne.com/ <http://www.orchestre-de-bretagne.com/>

Pour en savoir plus sur la carri��re de Jean-Micha��l Lavoie, consultez son site internet :
www.jean-michaellavoie.com <http://www.jean-michaellavoie.com/>


***

Choisi par Pierre Boulez et Susanna M��lkki pour ��tre chef assistant de l���Ensemble intercontemporain (EIC), s��lectionn�� parmi 47 candidats et premier canadien �� occuper ce poste, Jean-Micha��l Lavoie a rapidement gagn�� la confiance de la prestigieuse formation parisienne. Il a dirig�� son premier concert �� la t��te de l���Ensemble en janvier 2009.

Natif de Saint-C��saire en Mont��r��gie, Jean-Micha��l Lavoie compl��te ses ��tudes musicales �� Montr��al �� la Schulich School of Music de l���Universit�� McGill, o�� il a ��tudi�� le piano dans la classe de Richard Raymond en plus de se sp��cialiser en direction d���orchestre, analyse, orchestration et histoire de la musique.

Chef d���orchestre actif au Canada, il est d���abord chef assistant du McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble de 2003 �� 2007 et chef assistant �� Opera McGill en 2005 et 2006. Il fait des d��buts tr��s remarqu��s en 2006 �� la SMCQ �� l���occasion du concert d���ouverture du 40e anniversaire de la Soci��t��. Il est tout de suite r��invit�� pour diriger deux cr��ations nord-am��ricaines lors du Festival international Montr��al/Nouvelles Musiques en mars 2007. D���abord chef assistant du Ch��ur de Radio-Canada depuis f��vrier 2006, il est rapidement nomm�� directeur artistique adjoint pour la saison musicale 2007/08.

LSM launches 2010 Endowment Fund Campaign

Every $1 Donated Will be Matched by $1.50 From Quebec Government

[Version fran��aise]


Montreal, QC ��� December 8, 2009 ��� La Sc��ne musicale / The Music Scene (LSM), the non-profit organization that publishes the arts magazines La Scena Musicale / The Music Scene / La SCENA is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a spot in the matching program, Placements Culture, by the Quebec government. For every $1 donated to LSM by November 30, 2010, the Quebec government will contribute $1.50.


Placements Culture is designed to create endowment funds for charitable arts organizations. LSM plans to raise $100,000 over the next 12 months, which, combined with the government contribution, will create a $250,000 endowment. This is highly important for the longevity of the Canada National Magazine Awards-honoured La Scena Musicale, La SCENA and The Music Scene magazines, the multiple award-winning website SCENA.org, and LSM���s other arts promotion activities.


Now celebrating its 14th year, LSM is a registered non-profit charity promoting music and the arts through three magazines, a website, and other outreach activities. It connects musicians/artists, the arts community and music/art lovers together through education and information. Help us continue our work with a donation (cash and goods are helpful) and by volunteering.


In light of the new Placements Culture subsidy, LSM is launching its 2010 Endowment Fund campaign and hopes that during this holiday season of giving, arts lovers everywhere will donate generously. All contributions made by December 31 will qualify for a 2009 tax receipt. Every donor will play an active part in promoting classical music and the arts by supporting LSM.

Donations Requested:

For more information, please contact 514-948-2520 or info@lascena.org

Donate at CanadaHelps.org or through Paypal

Charitable tax no. 14199 6579 RR0001

La SCENA Green Card Launched For Arts Lovers

[Version fran��aise]

Environmentally-Friendly Membership Offers Cheaper Alternative

Montreal, QC ��� December 8, 2009 ��� Environmentally conscious arts lovers can now enjoy Canada���s most comprehensive classical music and jazz magazines from the comfort of their computers. La Scena Musicale / The Music Scene / La SCENA (LSM) proudly launches the new La SCENA Green Card for Arts Lovers this winter. Green Card club members will save $15 off the traditional subscription fee and over 65% off newsstand prices.

For only $25 a year, members will receive high-resolution electronic versions of all 10 issues of La Scena Musicale (the latest in classical, jazz, and world music), 4 issues of La SCENA (specializing in visual arts, dance, theatre, cinema), and 2 issues of The Music Scene (focus on music in English-language Canada): that���s 16 magazines every year. Not only are subscribers the first to know about upcoming concerts and recordings but they gain exclusive access to the extensive Naxos Music Library , where they can listen to over 39,000 CDs (that���s almost 3,000 non-stop days of music!), as well as receive a new Discovery CD monthly (in partnership with XXI Records) featuring Canada���s top musicians of the past and future for download. Green Card members can also download the entire past Discovery CD Collection (10 CDs already). And that���s not all: the Green Card gives you access to special subscriber-only discounts from other retailers and institutions including Archambault, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and the Op��ra de Montr��al. What���s more, we give away CDs and tickets each month to a lucky subscriber, and as a special club member you will always receive select invitations to conferences, launches, and other special arts industry events.

Treat yourself this season and join the club. While you are at it, what can be better than offering your friends and family the gift of music and the arts at their doorstep with a LSM subscription? As the holidays approach, this is the perfect time to give LSM. Every subscriber plays an active part in promoting classical music and the arts by supporting LSM, a registered non-profit charity. And with the new Green Card as well as our traditional subscription package to choose from, you are sure to please any arts lover on your shopping list.

Info:

• La SCENA Green Card web page
• Phone: 514-948-2520
• Email: SUB@scena.org

Japanese Opera Star Mihoko Kinoshita to Sing in Phoneix

WILL STAR AS CIO-CIO-SAN IN PHOENIX OPERA���S MADAMA BUTTERFLY

ACCLAIMED BY CRITICS FOR HER BUTTERFLY INTERPRETATION

Madama Butterfly

February 12, 14, 2010

In February Phoenix Opera will present an internationally renowned soprano in the role of Cio-Cio-San in Puccini���s Madama Butterfly at the Orpheum Theatre. Mihoko Kinoshita has been called by some ���the greatest Cio-Cio-San��� due to her rich and incomparably controlled voice, and her unparalleled portrayal of the wide spectrum of emotions necessary for the role. Kinoshita has sung the role of Butterfly throughout Europe, Japan, and several major cities in the United States to enthusiastic reviews:

����ĶKinoshita���s vocal accomplishment is absolute. �Ķbound up in Kinoshita���s vocal prowess is her stage savvy. Her acting instincts elevate her singing to a devastating naturalism. We believe in this ingenuous Butterfly as surely as she believes in her marriage to the long-departed Lt. Pinkerton.���

- The Detroit News

����Ķgaining strength and richness; dramatically on target, with a wealth of detail in the acting. Kinoshita left quite a vivid mark on the [Butterfly] role�Ķ���

- Baltimore Sun

���Soprano's brilliant performance carries ���Butterfly'���

- Midland Daily News

Mihoko Kinoshita was born in Kagoshima, Japan. She completed both her Bachelor and Master's Degree at the Musashino Academy of Music. In 2001, she began studying abroad in Italy. She has been awarded numerous prizes, such as first place in the Santa Margherita International Opera Competition and Bevagna International Opera Competition, as well as second place in Verdian voice International Competition in Busseto and the Riccardo Zandonai International Opera Competition. She was also awarded the New Nippon Steal Award-Fresh artist award (2006), and the Idemitsu Music Award (2007), one of Japan's highest awards in the field of arts.

In 2007, Kinoshita was awarded first prize in the Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation Competition and caused a sensation in their winner's concert at Lincoln Center. Her "One Fine Day" (Un bel di vedremo) fascinated not only her audience but also the other winners.

She had her Baltimore Opera debut, in May 2008, as Madama Butterfly, following her debut with the Midland Symphony Orchestra in the same role. She also made her Detroit Opera debut at Michigan Opera Theater (MOT) in November. In all of the performances, her brilliant talent showed her full range of the Butterfly character, and won her much approval from critics and the public. Even now, audiences seldom have the chance to see such a talented Japanese singer, who can perform the title role as brilliantly.

In December, she was invited to the Puccini 150th Anniversary Gala Concert by Di Capo Opera and sang the "Love Duet" from Madama Butterfly with Raul Melo at Lincoln Center.

She has recognized as major interpreter of the role of Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly, having sung the role at the Santa Margherita Opera Festival in Italy (2002), Belgrade Opera (2003), Sofia National Opera (2004), Tokyo Bunkakaikan of Nikikai Opera Theater (2004, 2006), the Kanagawa Philharmonic (2004) and the Sofia summer Festival (2006).

Kinoshita will make her Canadian debut as "Cio-Cio-San" at Vancouver in 2010. She resides in New York.

In the opera, Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton marries a young Japanese girl, Cio-Cio-San. Taking his marriage vows lightly, Pinkerton abandons Cio-Cio-San and returns to America where he finds a new wife. Only realizing that she had been abandoned three years later, shortly before a return visit by Pinkerton and his new wife, Cio-Cio-San begins to set the stage for the third act���s shocking conclusion. Madama Butterfly premiered at LaScala. In Milan, in 1904 and has consistently been one of the most performed operas in the repertoire.

Puccini���s Madama Butterfly will be presented on February 12^th and 14^th, 2010 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Phoenix. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster or by calling the Orpheum Theatre at 602-262-7272.

Classiques: ��v��nements d'int��r��t communautaire / Community Events

��v��nement d'int��r��t communautaire

��v��nement : Cours de violon pour tous

Date : D��s maintenant

Heure : Sur rendez-vous

Adresse : 176, chemin du Bord-du-Lac ��� Lakeshore, Pointe-Claire

Co��t : Varie selon le niveau de l���l��ve.

Description : Apprendre �� jouer du violon, un instrument des plus expressifs�Ķ pourquoi pas ? Nos trois professeures hautement qualifi��es utilisent la M��thode Suzuki avec les enfants qui apprennent tout en s���amusant et d��veloppent un sentiment de confiance en soi et de fiert��. Il reste encore quelques places tard en apr��s-midi les mardis, mercredis et samedis. Pour les 5 �� 85 ans�Ķ ou plus ! Ne tardez pas, t��l��phonez pour plus d���information.

Organisation : Centre culturel de Pointe-Claire, Stewart Hall

Contact : R��ceptionniste

T��l��phone : 514-630-1220

Community Event

Event: Violin Lessons

Date: On going

Time: By appointment only

Address: 176 ch. du Bord-du-Lac ��� Lakeshore, Pointe-Claire

Cost: Varies according to student���s level

Description: Why not learn to play the violin, a most expressive and versatile instrument? Give yourself or your kids this very special and enjoyable skill. Using the Suzuki Method with the children, our three highly qualified and experienced professors make learning the violin a fun experience, instilling at the same time a sense of accomplishment and pride. There are still spaces available in the late afternoon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. All ages are welcome! Don���t wait, call us for information.

Organization: Pointe-Claire Cultural Centre, Stewart Hall.

Contact name: Receptionist

Telephone: 514-630-1220

��v��nement d'int��r��t communautaire

��v��nement : Cours de fl��te traversi��re (pour enfants ou adultes)

Date : D��s maintenant

Heure : Sur rendez-vous seulement

Adresse : 176, chemin du Bord-du-Lac ��� Lakeshore, Pointe-Claire

Co��t : Varie selon le niveau de l���l��ve.

Description : Ah, la fl��te ! Qui peut rester indiff��rent �� la musique exquise et si douce qui ��mane de cet instrument ? Rares sont ceux qui ne peuvent apprendre �� le jouer avec plaisir, surtout avec notre professeur remarquable, Claire Marchand, fl��tiste renomm��e. Offrez-vous ce plaisir ou offrez �� votre enfant un passe-temps qui cultivera aptitudes rythmiques et m��lodiques tout en d��veloppant concentration et confiance en soi, un don qui lui servira toute la vie. Pour les jeunes et moins jeunes. Ne tardez pas, venez nous parler : c���est sans obligation aucune.

Organisation : Centre culturel de Pointe-Claire, Stewart Hall

Contact : R��ceptionniste

T��l��phone : 514-630-1220

Community Event

Event: Transverse Flute Classes (for children or adults)

Date: Register now

Time: By appointment only

Address: 176 ch. du Bord-du-Lac ��� Lakeshore, Pointe-Claire

Cost: Varies according to student���s level

Description: Ah, the flute! Who is not moved by the exquisite and gentle music emanating from this instrument? Few cannot learn to play it with pleasure, especially with our outstanding professor, Claire Marchand, a flutist of some renown. Give yourself this most satisfying pleasure, or give your child a pass-time that will develop rhythmic and melodic ability, and foster concentration and self confidence at the same time, a gift that will last a lifetime! For young and old. Don���t wait, call now! There���s no obligation.

Organization: Pointe-Claire Cultural Centre, Stewart Hall.

Contact name: Receptionist

Telephone: 514-630-1220

Jordan Wentworth Farrar���s The Day Boy and the Night Girl

A World Premiere Opera

An operatic re-imagining of a classic Victorian fairy tale

The Day Boy and the Night Girl

Written by Jordan Wentworth Farrar

Directed by Louisa Jonason and Rebecca Bani Kerr

Conducted by Jordan Wentworth Farrar

Adapted from the book by George MacDonald



Commissioned by the After Dinner Opera Company to commemorate its 60th anniversary.



Leonard Nimoy Thalia Hall at Symphony Space

December 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m.

2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York, NY 10025

Tickets: $12 students and seniors, $15 general admission, $10 each for groups of 10 or more.

Call 212-864-5400 or go to symphonyspace.org.



New York, N.Y.���The After Dinner Opera Company presents the world premiere of Jordan Wentworth Farrar���s The Day Boy and the Night Girl, an operatic re-imagining of the classic Victorian fairy tale by George MacDonald. Wentworth Farrar���s new three-act opera debuts at Symphony Space on December 29, 2009.


The Day Boy and the Night Girl follows the lives of Phytogen and Nycteris, both of whom have been imprisoned by the sorcery of Watho, the she-wolf. The boy, Phytogen, has been cursed never to see night while Nycteris, the girl, is doomed never to see the light of day. This retelling of the fairy tale was adapted by Wentworth Farrar from her memory of reading the story as a child. ���I wanted to take the premise of the book and make it my own,��� she says.


According to Curator Magazine, ���Wentworth Farrar���s music is tonal, with haunting melodic themes interspersed with tightly stacked vocal harmonies... a new and unusual work.���


DigitalCity notes "an eerie yet beautifully melodic chorus adorned with splendid vocal harmonies reverberates out from a fantastical scene of dancing fireflies, mystical mermaids and other apparitions."


The Village Voice calls it "An enchanted evening."


The opera also marks the 60th anniversary of the After Dinner Opera Company, which commissioned The Day Boy and Night Girl to celebrate its milestone birthday. Since 1950, the After Dinner Opera has produced hundreds of American chamber operas by more than 70 composers, including Duke Ellington and Leonard Bernstein.



About Jordan Wentworth Farrar:
Jordan Wentworth Farrar is a New York City based composer and singer. Her performances include roles and solo engagements with Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona, New York���s Amato Opera, Austin Civic Opera, and the Civic Light Opera of Seattle. The Day Boy and the Night Girl


For more information about THE DAY BOY AND THE NIGHT GIRL by JORDAN WENTWORTH FARRAR please visit dayboynightgirl.com.


Hear music samples from The Day Boy and the Night Girl on the DBNG Facebook page.
is her first opera.

Highlights at Midem Jazz 2010

Sophie Hunger �� Benoit Peverelli Tigran Hamasyan �� Christian Ducasse Klaus Doldinger �� Warner Music Group Paris, 11 December 2009 ��� The MIDEM Jazz event will once again be welcoming a selection of international artists next month. A sparkling line-up of performers will take the stage at the event���s jazz club in the Salon Z��phyr at the Hotel Carlton from 24-26 January 2010. For the third consecutive year, the Talent Jazz stage will offer one concert each evening from Sunday through Tuesday: �Ģ Sunday 24 January, Swiss singer Sophie Hunger will transport the audience to her unique universe, where folk meets pop and jazz. The composer, pianist, guitar player and singer will be joined by trombonist Michael Flury and Christian Prader (flute, piano and guitar). �Ģ Monday 25 January will see Tigran Hamasyan performing his virtuoso improvisations. The 22 year old New York-based Armenian pianist has already produced three albums, won prizes from international competitions (Montreux, Juan-les-Pins and the Martial Solal Competition) and collaborated with the likes of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and John McLaughlin. �Ģ Tuesday 26 January is when Canadian pianist Fran��ois Bourassa will share his daring musical explorations. This master of polyrhythm, whose remarkable compositions are heavily influenced by French music, has spent the last twenty five years travelling the world with his musical collaborators. Each night, Talent Jazz will be followed by MIDEM Jazz Club, from 11pm to 1.30am: �Ģ Sunday 24 January will have a Spanish flavour with two of the hottest acts from the Catalan scene: Double bass player Giulia Valle will explore her experimental rhythms, followed by a concert from the Xavier Dotras Trio. �Ģ Monday 25 January, MIDEM will be presenting the Carte Blanche SACEM evening. The line-up includes guitarist Louis Winsberg, winner of the Django d���Or 2008, and his amazing Jaleo project where jazz blends with flamenco and Indian music. The second part of the evening will be dedicated to Davy Sicard, with his Creole-tinted jazz and its Madagascan, Indian and African influences. �Ģ Tuesday 26 January, MIDEM will be honouring German producer Siggi Loch, founder of the Act label. Two exceptional events will mark the celebrations: The reforming of the mythical jazz fusion group of the 1970s that made his name, Passport, with its leader Klaus Doldinger; followed by a unique session with artists from his hotbed of budding talent brought together under the moniker Act Family Band: Niels Landgren, Michael Wollny, Lars Danielsson, Fr��y Aagre, Wolfgang Haffner and Nguyen L��. New this year: �Ģ MidemNet for free! - Access to the cutting-edge digital business conference included in MIDEM registration. �Ģ MidemNet Lab - Discover the latest digital innovations through the selection of 15 promising start-ups, chosen by a jury of successful entrepreneurs. �Ģ MIDEM+ - Innovative networking solutions and one-on-one expert guidance to boost business efficiency. �Ģ Redesigned exhibition zone - Networking, knowledge and open meeting places right at the heart of the market. �Ģ The Fringe - A friendly and efficient manner to showcase artists to the world. Discover all the latest news on our website www.midem.com.

Time For the WSO to ���Go Baroque���

Winnipeg, MB ��� December 10, 2009 ��� The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), together with Virtuosi Concerts, are proud to present Baroque I ��� Bach & Sons. The two concerts being held at the Eckhardt-Gramatt�� Hall at The University of Winnipeg, on December 12 and 13, will feature the WSO���s Gwen Hoebig, Yuri Hooker, and the Baroque Chamber Players performing classics by Bach. Johann Sebastian Bach's towering musical stature produced sons whose music reflected both their heritage and their times. With stories and insights to complement the music, we explore the mightiest of musical families. Recognized as one of Canada's most outstanding violinists, Gwen Hoebig is a graduate of the Juilliard School in New York City and has been the WSO concertmaster since 1987, a position she was awarded by a unanimous choice of the audition committee. Gwen was recently recognized at the 50th anniversary celebrations for the Canadian Music Centre for her exemplary commitment to the performance of the music of Canadian composers. Principle Cellist with the WSO and Manitoba Chamber Orchestra (MBO) and an avid chamber musician, Yuri Hooker has performed with a variety of ensembles at numerous venues throughout Western Canada and the United States. In past seasons he has performed concertos with the WSO, MCO and MusikBarock, arranged and performed music for the MCO Chamber Music Night, and has been featured on CBC Radio's Arts Encounters. For more information, visit www.wso.ca or www.virtuosi.mb.ca. In partnership with Virtuosi Concerts, the WSO presents Baroque I on Sunday, December 12 at 8 pm and Saturday, December 13 at 2 pm at the Eckhardt-Gramatt�� Hall at The University of Winnipeg. Regular tickets are $29 and student tickets are just $10. Tickets for Saturday are nearly sold out and are only available through Virtuosi at 785-9000. Tickets for Sunday are available at the WSO box office until noon on Friday, December 11, at 949-3999 or wso.ca. After noon, tickets will be available through Virtuosi.

Vivaldi���s Four Seasons with the VSO and Elizabeth Wallfisch

Vancouver BC ��� Vivaldi���s Four Seasons is a timeless classic and a staple of the Holiday season. This year, Elizabeth Wallfisch will lead the orchestra from the violin in her interpretation of the piece, as well as chamber works by Purcell and Handel. Additionally, VSO Principal Oboist Roger Cole will be featured in Bach���s Concerto for Oboe d'amore in A Major. The concerts take place on December 18^th and 19^th at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts and Massey Theatre in New Westminster on December 21^st for one performance at 7:30pm.

Elizabeth Wallfisch is in demand world-wide as a soloist on both modern and period instruments, and as leader directing from her instrument. Her playing has taken her from the Lincoln Center in New York, where she led the Orchestra of the Enlightenment in the opening concert of the 2003 Handel Festival, to Zimbabwe, where she appeared as soloist with the Harare Symphony Orchestra. Libby - as she is universally known - proves herself time and again as a favourite with both audiences and orchestras because of her superb instrumental abilities, her generous and sparkling personality and her impeccable musicianship.

Vivaldi���s Four Seasons is one of the most popular works ever written. Vivaldi played a significant role in many important music developments, most notably the rise of the concerto. He wrote over five hundred concerti for various instruments, the most popular of those being for the violin. Vivaldi was paid the tremendous compliment of having Johannes Sebastian Bach transcribe many of his concerti. The Four Seasons are of course Vivaldi���s most enduringly popular works, probably due both to their exceptional quality and the programmatic, or descriptive, nature of the music. Vivaldi made pioneering efforts in the area of descriptive composition, and was explicit to a greater degree than any of his other compositions in terms of his elaborate description of what the music portrays. The Four Seasons has become an iconic work, standing alongside the likes of Beethoven���s 9^th as the most recognized and loved music ever written.

CONCERT INFO

Friday and Saturday, December 18 and 19, 8pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC

Monday, December 21, 7:30pm, Massey Theatre

Vivaldi���s Four Seasons

Elizabeth Wallfisch, conductor/violin

Roger Cole, oboe d���amore

Purcell Abdelazar, Z.570: Suite

Handel Concerto Grosso, Op 6, No. 9, HWV 327, in F Major

JS Bach Concerto for Oboe d'amore in A major, BMV 1055

Vivaldi The Four Seasons

Wonderful violinist and Baroque conductor Elizabeth Wallfisch leads from the violin in a program that includes Bach���s deliciously beautiful Concerto for Oboe d���amore ��� with VSO Principal Oboist Roger Cole taking a solo turn ��� and Vivaldi���s timeless classic The Four Seasons, which has stayed on the top of the charts for over two hundred and eighty years.

The presentation of this series is made possible in part through the generous assistance of the Chan Centre for Performing Arts of the University of British Columbia.

Bach & Beyond Series Endowed By: The Chan Foundation of Canada

Bach & Beyond Series Radio Sponsor: CHQM-FM

Tickets for December 18^th & 19^th: $35 - $62.50 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)

Tickets for December 21^st: $28 - $37 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)

Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

BIOGRAPHIES

Elizabeth Wallfisch, leader/violin

The violin gives Elizabeth Wallfisch a voice not only as a prominent interpreter of baroque and classical repertoire but also as the instrument of an inspiring leader and director. Always grounded in period performance practice, Libby - as she is universally known - proves herself time and again as a favourite with both audiences and orchestras because of her superb instrumental abilities, her generous and sparkling personality and her impeccable musicianship.

She is in demand world-wide as a soloist on both modern and period instruments, and as leader directing from her instrument. Her playing has taken her from the Lincoln Center in New York, where she led the Orchestra of the Enlightenment in the opening concert of the 2003 Handel Festival, to Zimbabwe, where she appeared as soloist with the Harare Symphony Orchestra (and brass band from the local police department!) in a rendition of Brahms' Violin Concerto. She has appeared with and directed Les Musiciens de Louvre, Tafelmusik, Apollo's Fire, L'Orfeo Barokorchester, Hanover Band, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque and many others. For 15 years she has been the concert master of the prestigious Carmel Bach Festival in California. In January 2007 she was the Music Director of National Music Camp Australia.

Elizabeth Wallfisch's long and impressive discography offers a window onto her expansive musical world. From the High Baroque Italian violinist-composers such as Vivaldi, Corelli, Veracini, Tartini, Geminiani and the Classical and Romantic greats from Mozart to Mendelssohn, she also embraces the music of their lesser-known contemporaries such as Myslivecek and Abel. She has explored the music of Paganini and Viotti and has recorded most of the music of the great Baroque tradition, from the earliest Italian violin music of Cima, to Biber, Telemann, Bach and the rich, sensual music of the French Baroque. She has recently recorded Vivaldi's L'Estro Armonico with Tafelmusik in Toronto, to be released in September 2007. Future guest-directing engagements include the European Union Chamber Orchestra, the Music of the Baroque Orchestra in Chicago, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra in Vancouver and the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester.

Elizabeth has collaborated with ensembles such as the Purcell Quartet, Convivium (formerly Locatelli Trio) and now the 'Wallfisch Band'. With Jaap ter Linden and David Breitman she has formed the Oberlin Fortepiano Trio, exploring the languages of Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven and Brahms on period instruments.

Elizabeth Wallfisch also teaches at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. So far she has published one treatise, specifically on fundamental aspects of baroque violin playing: The Art of Playing Chin-Off for the Brave and the Curious, published by King's Music.

Roger Cole, oboe

Roger Cole has been principal oboist of the Vancouver Symphony and the CBC Radio Orchestra since 1976. He received his early musical training in Seattle, Washington and went on to become a scholarship student at Yale University and The Juilliard School where he studied with the renowned American oboist, Robert Bloom.

Mr. Cole has participated in summer music festivals at Aspen, Tanglewood,and Marlboro. Since 1998 he has been the principal oboist of the Carmel Bach Festival in California and in June 2003 Mr. Cole was named Music Director and Senior Orchestra Conductor of the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra.

He performs regularly in solo and chamber music recitals and has appeared as soloist with the VSO and the CBC Vancouver Orchestra many times. He has recorded a CD for CBC Records entitled "The Expressive Oboe".

Mr. Cole currently teaches at the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver Academy of Music.

The weather outside is frightful, but the ESO���s holiday music is so delightful�Ķ

December 10^th, 2009

A Very Merry Pops

Friday, December 18^th ��� 8:00 pm

Saturday, December 19^th ��� 8:00 pm

A Family Christmas Concert

Saturday, December 19^th ��� 2:00 pm

Edmonton, AB �Ķ The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) wraps up its holiday season at the Francis Winspear Centre for Music with not only two of the most-anticipated Robbins Pops performances of the season, but also a special family matin��e that will get young sugar-plums dancing around the Christmas tree! In A Very Merry Pops, Steven Reineke, Music Director of the New York Pops and favourite ESO guest conductor, returns to lead Edmonton���s orchestra in its popular potpourri of seasonal songs, carols, light classics, and sing-alongs. On Saturday afternoon, Mr. Reineke will be joined by ESO Resident Conductor, Lucas Waldin, in A Family Christmas Concert.

Lustrous baritone Tyler Hamilton, with his rich vocals and engaging stage presence, along with nearly 100 voices from the Greenwood Singers and the Cantilon Chamber Choir, will light up the stage with their dynamite mix of talent and charisma in A Very Merry Pops. The Cantilon Chamber Choir returns for the family concert, which features medleys of everyone���s favourite carols, plus a presentation of the film The Snowman. This wordless animated adventure about a young boy who makes a snowman that magically comes to life, will be projected above the stage as the orchestra performs the score live. This charming family film, with music by Howard Blake, has become a favourite with ESO audiences in the last few seasons. A Family Christmas Concert will last approximately 75 minutes, without intermission.

Limited single ticket seating remains for these ESO holiday concerts. Ticket prices for A Very Merry Pops range from $20 ��� $69 (agency fees apply). Ticket prices for A Family Christmas Concert are Adult $30 / Child $15 (agency fees apply). Call the Winspear Centre Box Office at (780) 428-1414, toll-free 1-800-563-5081, or purchase online at www.edmontonsymphony.com.

The ESO will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Edmonton Food Bank at concerts throughout the month of December.

The next Robbins Pops performances will take place on January 29^th & 30^th, 2010. The ��ran and Kokopelli Choirs join the ESO to take audiences down The Great White Way with Broadway���s most recent hits.

The next special performance for the ESO will take place on March 10^th, 2010. Piano Spectacular, a unique concert all things pianistic, features Bill Eddins, Angela Cheng, Jon Kimura Parker, and Michael Massey, performing entertaining piano solos, duets, and excerpts from concerti.

Thank you to our generous Robbins Pops series sponsor, Bill and Mary Jo Robbins, and our season media sponsors CBC and the Edmonton Journal.

Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to Marc Carnes, Director of Development, at (780) 401-2518.

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, marking its 58^th season in 2009-2010, has taken its place as one of Canada's foremost orchestral ensemble. Its current roster includes 56 musicians from Canada and around the world, performing a wide-ranging repertoire from the great classical masterworks to pops and children's concerts. The presence of the orchestra and its enrichment of the community's quality of life are key elements in the stature and profile of Edmonton on the national and international scene.

The Cleveland Orchestra presents second ���Musically Speaking��� concert of the season, focusing on Tchaikovsky���s Symphony No. 4, at Severance Hall on Jan

Narrator Gerard McBurney

Beyond the Score^�� program narrated by Gerard McBurney illuminates music through multimedia approach

Dutch conductor Jaap van Zweden makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut with week of subscription concerts

CLEVELAND, December 10, 2009 ��� The Cleveland Orchestra will perform the second concert in its ���Musically Speaking��� series of Sunday afternoon concerts on January 10, at 3:00 p.m. Jaap van Zweden (pronounced YAP van ZVAY-den), music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, will conduct the program, which focuses on a single work: Tchaikovsky���s Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Opus 36. Mr. van Zweden makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut with concerts on January 7, 8, 9, and 10.

This Musically Speaking concert will be a Beyond the Score^�� event, a series launched by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra during the 2005-06 season. As written and created by the CSO���s creative director, Gerard McBurney, Beyond the Score^�� shares the illuminating stories found ���inside��� the music, through narrative and video, calling on the orchestra to provide live musical examples that illustrate the structure of each composition. Mr. McBurney has commented, ���Above all else, I want to give listeners a sense that this music is there for them and that there are thousands of different ways to listen to it.���

The first half of the January 10 program will feature a multi-media presentation of Tchaikovsky���s Symphony No. 4, allowing the audience to learn the work���s rich context in history, how it fits into the composer���s output of works, and the details of the composer���s life that influenced its creation. When Gerard McBurney presented this program in Chicago one year ago, The Chicago Tribune wrote that his exploration ���took apart Tchaikovsky���s music movement by movement, theme by theme, examining it in light of the composer���s melancholy personality, his repressed homosexuality, his brief and disastrous marriage and, above all, his deeply rooted belief in fate���s implacable hold over human existence.���

Gerard McBurney will appear as narrator at this concert, in his Cleveland Orchestra debut. Actor Terence Cranendonk will read from Tchaikovsky���s letters. Mr. Cranendonk made his Cleveland Orchestra debut in the first Musically Speaking concert of the season, on November 29. He has appeared with the Cleveland Play House, Cleveland Public Theatre, and New World Performance Lab. After intermission, the Orchestra will perform the Symphony No. 4 in its entirety, straight through. Listeners are invited to stay after the concert for a question-and-answer session with guest artists and musicians. Click here to watch or download Beyond the Score^�� on Tchaikovsky���s Symphony No. 4.

The third and final ���Musically Speaking��� concert of the 2009-10 season will take place on Sunday, March 7, 2010 (���Wolfgang ��� Mozart the Man���).

FREE PRELUDE CONCERT

Another aspect of the ���Musically Speaking��� series, which The Cleveland Orchestra inaugurated during its 2005-06 season, is the Prelude Concert of chamber music performances given by members of the Orchestra in Reinberger Chamber Hall beginning at 2:00 p.m. These extremely popular programs highlight interesting connections with the music on the program for that afternoon���s Orchestra concert. The January 10 Prelude Concert features Chul-In Park, Sae Shiragami, Patrick Connolly, Joanna Patterson, Paul Kushious, and David Alan Harrell performing the first movement (Allegro con spirito) from Tchaikovsky���s Souvenir de Florence, Opus 70 (for two violins, two violas, and two cellos), and Peter Otto and Eli Matthews performing Eug��ne Ysa��e���s Sonata for Two Violins, Opus posthumous.

Cleveland Orchestra performs third concert in Fridays@7 series at Severance Hall on January 8

Polygraph Lounge (from left) Mark Stewart, Rob Schwimmer, Melissa Fathman

Jaap van Zweden leads program featuring

Tchaikovsky���s Fourth Symphony

Polygraph Lounge to perform post-concert

CLEVELAND, December 10, 2009 ��� Jaap van Zweden (pronounced YAP van ZVAY-den), music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, will conduct The Cleveland Orchestra in its third Fridays@7 concert, at Severance Hall on Friday, January 8, at 7:00 p.m. Mr. van Zweden will be making his Cleveland Orchestra debut with concerts on January 7, 8, 9, and 10. The January 8 program, titled Tragedy to Triumph, features Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky���s Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Opus 36, which was written during a time of great personal crisis for the composer that was also one of the greatest periods in his artistic career, culminating with his Fourth Symphony. The opening work on the program is Johan Wagenaar���s Cyrano de Bergerac Overture, Opus 23.

The new Fridays@7 series offers early-evening programs that are about 75 minutes long, performed straight through, followed by informal performances of music curated by Cleveland percussionist Jamey Haddad. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with bars open to serve drinks and light food. Each concert begins at 7 p.m. and runs without intermission. After the concert, audience members can move to the Bogomolny-Kozerefski Grand Foyer just outside the Concert Hall and sample interesting cuisine, enjoy cocktails, and mingle with musicians while listening to world music. The first two concerts in the series drew large, enthusiastic audiences.

On January 8, the featured post-concert performers will be the New York duo Polygraph Lounge, called ���zany, musically tight, and lyrically brilliant��� by New York magazine. The members of Polygraph Lounge, Mark Stewart and Rob Schwimmer, will be joined by vocalist Melissa Fathman and an ensemble of Cleveland Orchestra members to introduce ���inspired lunacy from an arsenal of musical instruments plundering the cultural currency of our times.��� Audience participation will be highly encouraged.

Upcoming Fridays@7 programs:

February 19, 2010: Musical Obsession, with Music Director Franz Welser-M��st conducting orchestral music by Richard Wagner

April 30, 2010: Royal Drums & Trumpets, with baroque specialist Bernard Labadie guest-conducting Handel���s Water Music

Jaap van Zweden makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut in concerts featuring Tchaikovsky���s Symphony No. 4 at Severance Hall on January 7 and 9

Jaap van Zweden

Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster William Preucil

is soloist in Marc Neikrug���s Violin Concerto at the

January 7 and 9 concerts

CLEVELAND, December 10, 2009 ��� Jaap van Zweden (pronounced YAP van ZVAY-den), music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, will make his debut with The Cleveland Orchestra conducting a program featuring Tchaikovsky���s Symphony No. 4 at Severance Hall on Thursday, January 7, and Saturday, January 9, at 8:00 p.m. (He will also conduct the Orchestra���s Fridays@7 concert on January 8 at 7:00 p.m. and the Musically Speaking concert on Sunday, January 10, at 3:00 p.m., both of which also feature Tchaikovsky���s Fourth Symphony.) The January 7 and 9 concerts present Marc Neikrug���s Violin Concerto, with Cleveland Orchestra Concertmaster William Preucil as soloist. The program for January 7 and 9 begins with Johan Wagenaar���s ���Cyrano de Bergerac��� Overture, Opus 23, and continues with the Neikrug concerto. After intermission, the program concludes with Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky���s Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Opus 36.

About Johan Wagenaar���s ���Cyrano de Bergerac��� Overture:

This concert overture, the most successful work composed by Johan Wagenaar, a Dutch composer who lived from 1862-1941, is based on the play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand. In addition to the success of Cyrano de Bergerac onstage, it has been adapted as a film, most recently for the 1987 movie Roxanne, starring Steve Martin. Wagenaar���s overture is written in the Late Romantic style, and is reminiscent of the tone poems of Richard Strauss. This is the first piece by Wagenaar to be performed by The Cleveland Orchestra.

About Marc Neikrug���s Violin Concerto:

American composer Marc Neikrug���s Violin Concerto was written in 1982 and given its world premiere in 1984 by violinist Shlomo Mintz with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, which had commissioned the work, under the direction of Sergiu Comissiona. Program annotator Richard Rodda has written that the Violin Concerto contains ���music of decidedly modernist harmony, melody, and texture, yet at its core lies a deeply expressive, almost Romantic expression.���

Soloist William Preucil served as first violinist of the Grammy-winning Cleveland Quartet and as concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra before being named as concertmaster of The Cleveland Orchestra in April 1995. He has appeared regularly as a soloist with the Orchestra in concerto performances at both Severance Hall and the annual Blossom Festival. Mr. Preucil���s most recent solo appearances with the Orchestra were in November 2008.

Lancement du disque l���Ensemble R��MI-JEAN LEBLANC

(Moncton, N.-B., 10 d��cembre 2009) - R��mi-Jean LeBlanc, jeune bassiste acadien tr��s actif dans le domaine musical montr��alais, vient de lancer son premier disque ��ponyme (��tiquette CAMPNOFUN). Enti��rement compos�� de musique originale, le disque met aussi en vedette John Roney, Samuel Joly, Jean-S��bastien Williams, Chet Doxas, Yannick Rieu et Jocelyn Tellier.

��g�� de 25 ans, R��mi-Jean LeBlanc s'est d��j�� taill�� une place dans les hauts cercles de la communaut�� musicale montr��alaise en participant aux albums de Ginette Reno (Fais-moi la tendresse), Yannick Rieu (Spectrum) et Carl Naud (L'Ascenseur).

Il a de plus particip�� �� divers projets avec le Steve Amirault Trio, le Joel Miller Band, le Chet Doxas Quartet, le John Roney Trio, le Dan Thouin Large Ensemble et le James Gelfand Trio pour ne nommer que ceux l��. Il revient d���un s��jour de 4 mois �� Paris o�� il a suivi un cours de ma��tre (masterclass) avec le bassiste Linley Marthe (Zawinul Syndicate).

Depuis quelques ann��es, le bassiste versatile a mont�� sur sc��ne dans plusieurs coins du monde y inclus les grandes villes des ��tats-Unis (tourn��e Frank Marino), P��kin, Shanghai, Paris, Londres, Azerbaijan et l���ouest canadien. Il a aussi ��t�� mis en vedette lors des derni��res ��ditions du Festival international de jazz de Montr��al.

Dans la r��gion du Grand Moncton, le disque est disponible chez Frank���s Music (Centre Trinity) et au Spin-It Records (rue Main), ou en composant le (506) 383-8668.

Le Conseil qu��b��cois de la musique appuie les recommandations du Comit�� parlementaire du patrimoine

Montr��al, le 10 d��cembre 2009 - Dans un rapport d��pos�� le 8 d��cembre, le Comit�� parlementaire du patrimoine recommande le r��tablissement des programmes de subventions accord��s au Conseil des Arts du Canada pour les musiques sp��cialis��es. Rappelons que ce rapport fait suite aux coupures annonc��es �� ce sujet par Patrimoine canadien, le 31 juillet dernier.

Le Conseil qu��b��cois de la musique se r��jouit que le Comit�� reconnaisse la n��cessit�� de programmes sp��cifiques pour les musiques sp��cialis��es. Il se r��jouit ��galement que le rapport d��montre l'impact positif des programmes rattach��s au volet diversit�� de la musique canadienne pour des centaines d'artistes et ensembles sur le plan de la recherche, de la cr��ation, du d��veloppement et de la promotion.

Dans le cadre de leur mandat, les membres du Comit�� parlementaire du patrimoine ont entendu plusieurs t��moignages, dont celui du Conseil qu��b��cois de la musique, qui a notamment fait ressortir les cons��quences n��fastes de ces coupures sur tout un secteur de la diversit�� musicale du pays.

Tout comme les porte-parole des partis d'opposition en mati��re de patrimoine - et de concert avec la communaut�� musicale -, le Conseil qu��b��cois de la musique demande au ministre du Patrimoine canadien et des Langues officielles de tenir compte de ce rapport et de r��tablir d'une fa��on ou d'une autre sans tarder les deux programmes abolis.

Le Conseil qu��b��cois de la musique est un organisme sans but lucratif, dont la vocation est de regrouper des organismes et des individus professionnels ouvrant dans le domaine de la musique de concert.

Ce dossier peut ��tre suivi sur site Web du Conseil qu��b��cois de la musique : www.cqm.qc.ca.

In the midst of the Copenhagen Summit, here is a new perspective on the subject of climate change�Ķ

Hot News from the Arctic

ARCTIC SYMPHONY

By Vincent Ho

World Premiere Performance: February 6, 2010

At Opening Gala of 2010 Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra���s New Music Festival

Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg

December 10, 2009: Following his once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Canada���s arctic aboard a scientific research vessel in 2008, Vincent Ho - Composer-in-Residence at the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra- delivers Arctic Symphony, a piece of music that expresses his new-found spiritual connection to the land he describes as ���wondrous and full of angelic beauty untouched by utilitarian society.��� The 30-minute symphony will be premiered as part of the opening gala of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra���s New Music Festival, February 6, 2010 at Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg. The performance will include the Nunavut Sivuniksavut Performers, a group of throat singers from various Nunavut communities, and recorded sound-files of the Arctic environment. WSO���s Music Director Alexander Mickelthwate conducts the awaited performance, which will be recorded by CBC Radio Two and broadcasted coast to coast as part of ���The Signal��� with host Laurie Brown on February 13, and ���In Concert��� with host Bill Richardson on February 28, 2010. Arctic Symphony will also be available for streaming on CBC's website as a ���Concert on Demand��� (http://www.cbc.ca/radio2/cod/).

For 2010, the WSO New Music Festival���s theme is ���Earth���, and features music that reflects our connection with nature. The creation of Ho���s Arctic Symphony coincides with the International Polar Year. The commissioning of the piece was part of a partnership between WSO and the worldwide climate change research community. Many of the people involved in this arctic research project have been invited to attend the gala concert, including some of the world's leading climate change scientists to celebrate arctic research, which will be featured throughout the Festival.

About Arctic Symphony: ���In the summer of 2008, I was provided with the opportunity to visit the Arctic region as part of an ���Artist on Board��� program through the Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study (CFL),��� explains Vincent Ho. ���I was taken on board a state-of-the-art research vessel, the CCGS Amundsen, where I was introduced to studies conducted by many of the world���s leading arctic research scientists. I was also taken to Inuit communities to learn about their culture and how the current state of the environment has impacted their way of life. The goal was to provide me with first-hand experience of the Northern region while gaining a better understanding of climate change (from both the scientific and the cultural perspective) so it may inspire the composing of a large-scale symphonic work. During my limited time there, I spent my days and nights observing the landscape. Though the information given to me from the scientists and local Inuit communities was invaluable in broadening my perspective, I ultimately felt that the musical work had to be my own interpretation of the region. Writing it from any other perspective (let it be from the scientists��� or Inuit point of view) would be creatively disingenuous and unrepresentative of my connection to the North. As well, I found myself developing a spiritual connection with the environment, and for good reason: I was in a vast open area; I was constantly being subjected to the environmental conditions of the region; and I was continually surrounded by nature���s angelic beauty, untouched by utilitarian society. I therefore felt that the music needed to express this spiritual connection that had formed.���

The work is written in five movements: I. Prelude ��� Lamentations; II. Meditation; III. Aboard the Amundsen; IV. Nightfall; and V. O Glorious Arcticus ��� Postlude.

Vincent Ho aboard the CCGS Amundsen

Photo by Doug Barber

About Vincent Ho: Born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1975, Vincent Ho has emerged as a much sought-after composer and is the winner of numerous awards and prizes. During his academic studies, his works were already being performed by many prestigious ensembles and orchestras, including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and l���Orchestre de la Francophonie canadienne. His music has also been featured at numerous festivals such as the Winnipeg New Music Festival, New York���s MATA New Music Festival, Parry Sound���s Festival of the Sound, Markham Music Festival, Toronto���s Massey Hall New Music Festival, Ottawa���s Strings of the Future Festival, and Bakersfield���s New Directions Series. In addition to North America, his works have been performed in China, France and Italy. He is currently the Composer-In-Residence to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. After studying music in Ottawa, Calgary and Toronto, he received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Southern California in 2005. He also studied in Europe. An accomplished pianist, Vincent Ho is also a former dance teacher and an avid runner. He enjoys exploring the vast world of creative thinking, bridging Eastern and Western musical languages.

Upcoming projects include Hellshock: A Pulp Fiction Symphony (for full orchestra) and Five Snapshots of a Dream (for flute and piano), both to be premiered during the WSO���s 2011 New Music Festival; Red Zen (re-orchestrated version of an existing work for wind symphony) to be performed during the WSO���s 2012 New Music Festival; and a new piano piece to be written for internationally acclaimed pianist Jenny Lin.

About the International Polar Year: As part of the International Polar Year (IPY), the Canadian Government has funded the Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study (CFL) through the University of Manitoba (www.ipy-cfl.ca). The study has brought together over 300 scientists from 27 countries including Russia, USA, France, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Japan, Spain, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, UK, Sweden, China and Canada, for a multi-year climate change study in the Canadian high Arctic. For more details about the International Polar Year, please visit: www.ipy.org .

For more information, please visit:

�� Vincent Ho: http://vinceho.com/

�� Circumpolar Flaw Lead System Study: http://www.ipy-cfl.ca/

�� Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra: http://www.wso.ca/

Arctic Symphony

By Vincent Ho

World Premiere Performance: February 6, 2010

Pre-concert talk at 7:30PM; 8PM performance

Opening Gala of 2010 Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra���s New Music Festival

Program also includes works by Steven Stucky and John Tavener

Alexander Mickelthwate, WSO Director

Centennial Concert Hall: 555 Main St Winnipeg, Manitoba

For tickets, visit https://tickets.wso.mb.ca

Un incontournable de la 28e ��dition du FIFA Premi��re qu��b��coise du nouveau documentaire d���Antonine Maillet : Antonine Maillet ��� Les possibles sont i

FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DU FILM SUR L'ART

Montr��al, le jeudi 10 d��cembre 2009 ��� Le FIFA, seul festival de films sur tous les arts en Am��rique du Nord, est fier d���annoncer que le documentaire Antonine Maillet ��� Les possibles sont infinis sera pr��sent�� en premi��re qu��b��coise �� Montr��al le vendredi 19 mars 2010 dans le cadre de sa 28^e ��dition et ce, en pr��sence de l���crivaine. Cet ��v��nement incontournable fera plaisir aux cin��philes car ce sera l���occasion d���en apprendre davantage sur cette auteure au parcours unique, entre autre r��cipiendaire d���un prix Goncourt pour son roman P��lagie-la-Charrette.

Ren�� Rozon, directeur et fondateur du FIFA, se r��jouit d���accueillir cette grande artiste au Festival et cette ��uvre acadienne sur ses ��crans : �� La cin��aste Ginette Pellerin a r��ussi �� faire de son film une incursion complice dans la vie et l����uvre de cette femme de lettres exceptionnelle, qui s���y r��v��le comme jamais. ��

�� propos d���Antonine Maillet ��� Les possibles sont infinis

Devenue c��l��bre en 1971 gr��ce �� l���immense succ��s de La Sagouine, puis port��e au sommet de la gloire avec l���obtention du prix Goncourt pour P��lagie-la-Charrette, en 1979, Antonine Maillet fait r��sonner depuis 50 ans la voix du peuple acadien dans le monde entier. Seule laur��ate canadienne du Goncourt �� ce jour, elle a publi�� une cinquantaine d����uvres en autant d���ann��es. Antonine Maillet ��� Les possibles sont infinis convie le spectateur �� visiter les lieux marquants de la vie de l���crivaine, de Bouctouche �� Montr��al, en passant par Moncton et le Th����tre du Rideau Vert. Montrant une discipline de fer, un dynamisme, une assurance et une lucidit�� face �� sa vie et �� son ��uvre, Antonine Maillet aura rarement parl�� d���elle-m��me avec autant de transparence et de g��n��rosit��, laissant ainsi un t��moignage autobiographique incontournable. Le film est produit par Murielle Rioux-Poirier du Studio Acadie de l���ONF, en coproduction avec Pauline Bourque d���Am��ri Ka Productions.

La r��alisatrice Ginette Pellerin

Ginette Pellerin travaille dans le secteur de la production t��l��vision et cin��ma-vid��o depuis 1981. Titulaire d���un baccalaur��at en arts visuels de l���Universit�� de Moncton et cofondatrice des Productions Phare-Est inc. et d���Am��ri Ka Productions, elle s���est tourn��e vers la cr��ation d����uvres documentaires. Depuis le d��but des ann��es 1990, elle a r��alis�� de nombreux films, dont L����me s��ur, Se donner des �� elles ��, ��vang��line en qu��te, Mathilda, la passionnaria acadienne et Durelle, tous produits ou coproduits par l���ONF, ainsi que plusieurs ��pisodes de la s��rie documentaire Tr��sors vivants. Entre autres distinctions, elle a remport�� en 2002 le prix Historia de l���Institut d���histoire de l���Am��rique fran��aise pour Anna Malenfant d���Acadie, qui a aussi ��t�� en nomination au Gala des prix G��meaux. Trois ans de travail ont ��t�� n��cessaires �� la r��alisation du film Antonine Maillet ��� Les possibles sont infinis.

Don't miss A CHRISTMAS CAROL on Geordie's Mainstage, now playing until Sunday, December 20th

** SPECIAL UPDATE **

December 10, 2009

************ EXTRA PERFORMANCES ADDED! ************

A Christmas Carol | By Charles Dickens | Adaptation by Alexandria Haber
Directed by Dean Patrick Fleming | Set & Lights by Ana Cappelluto | Costumes by James Lavoie

It's Christmas Eve on a dark Victorian night and the wealthy miser Mr. Scrooge is haunted by a series of ghosts who show him the inevitable consequences of his selfish ways, if he doesn't change. As the bell in the clock-tower rings, Scrooge is taken on an unforgettable journey into his past, present and future that will help him discover the true spirit of the holidays and open his heart to love.

PERFORMANCES REMAINING:
Friday, Dec. 11 at 7pm
Saturday, Dec. 12 at 4pm
Sunday, Dec. 13 at 1pm & 4pm
ADDITIONAL PERFORMANCES: Saturday Dec 19 at 4pm & Sunday Dec 20 at 1pm

TICKETS: $20 Adults / $18 Senior or Student / $15 Child (14 & under) / Group rates available
=> Subscribe to the season! Tickets as little as $13 when purchased as part of a package!
VENUE: D.B. Clarke Theatre, Concordia's Hall Building| 1455 de Maisonneuve W, Montreal
AGE RECOMMENDATION: Children age 7+ and adults of all ages
SHOW'S RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes plus intermission

BOX OFFICE and INFORMATION: (514) 845-9810 or purchase online

To read the press release, please click here >>
To watch the promotional video, please click here >>

�� No��l, Offrez la Haute Couture !

HAUTE COUTURE. PARIS, LONDRES, 1947-1957.
L����GE D���OR, DU 4 F��VRIER AU 25 AVRIL 2010

Qu��bec, le jeudi 10 d��cembre 2010 �� Cette ann��e, offrez un cadeau sign�� Dior, Balmain, Fath
et Balenciaga. Comment? En glissant dans le bas de No��l de l���tre cher un ch��que cadeau qui lui
permettra de visiter l���exposition internationale Haute couture. Paris, Londres, 1947-1957. L���ge
d���or pr��sent��e au Mus��e national des beaux-arts du Qu��bec d��s le 4 f��vrier 2010. Un cadeau
distinctif et abordable qui plaira �� coup s��r!

Par t��l��phone
418 643-2150 / 1 866 220-2150
�� la billetterie du Mus��e
Parc des Champs-de-Bataille, Qu��bec
�� Place Ste-Foy, jusqu���au 26 d��cembre
Kiosque du Mus��e (face �� Simons)

CONCOURS
Achetez vos billets en d��cembre et courez la chance de gagner 2 laissez-passer pour la Semaine de Mode de Montr��al (mars 2010) et 2 nuit��es en occupation double au Loews H��tel Vogue Montr��al, une valeur approximative de 1 100 $. Vous avez jusqu���au 31 d��cembre 2009 pour participer. Le tirage aura lieu le 15 janvier 2010.

RENSEIGNEMENTS (grand public) :
418 643-2150 ou 1 866 220-2150 / www.mnba.qc.ca

The Choral Art Society Presents the Epiphany Celebration at the Immanuel Baptist Church January 2 in Portland�Į�Į

PORTLAND, Maine ��� Celebrate the new year with the Choral Art Society���s annual Epiphany Celebration at Immanuel Baptist Church in Portland on Saturday, January 2 at 7:30 p.m.�Į�Į

The concert features the Camerata chorus, the most select group of The Choral Art Society, and instrumentalists including organist Dan Moore.�Į�Į

���The Epiphany Celebration is a wonderful way to usher in 2010 and reenergize after the holidays,��� notes Robert Russell, music director of Choral Art Society. ���This concert will offer hope, inspiration, and celebration for the upcoming year.��� �Į�Į

Tickets are available at www.choralart.org or by calling 828-0043. They are priced at $15.00 for advance sales and $20.00 at the door at time of the performance. Tickets are also available at the fine stores that support Choral Art Society: Longfellow Books and Starbird Music in Portland, Books etc. in Falmouth, and Gulf of Maine Books in Brunswick. �Į�Į

The concert is sponsored by Duffy Anderson Investment Management, Inc.

About The Choral Art Society:�Į
The Society has more than 150 members who perform in three distinct ensembles: the symphonic Masterworks Chorus, the mid-sized Choral Art Singers, and the intimate a cappella Camerata. All singers are skilled amateurs, selected by audition. The Society offers an annual concert series and appears regularly as guests of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Robert Russell, professor of music at the University of Southern Maine, is the conductor and artistic director of The Choral Art Society.

For more information about The Choral Art Society and the season of performances visit www.choralart.org or call (207) 828-0043.

Dans le cadre des Rendez-vous Loto-Qu��bec Le Ch��ur de l���Orchestre symphonique de Qu��bec Offre un concert gratuit de chants traditionnels

Le vendredi 18 d��cembre, 18 h
Cour Centrale, Place Ste-Foy

Qu��bec, le 10 d��cembre 2009 ��� Dans le cadre des Rendez-vous Loto-Qu��bec, le Ch��ur de l���Orchestre symphonique de Qu��bec propose les grands classiques de No��l. Un concert magique et enjou�� qui saura vous transporter dans l���ambiance des F��tes.

Le Ch��ur de l���OSQ, dirig�� par David Rompr��, vous offre en cadeau les plus beaux chants traditionnels de No��l. Au programme et pour le plus grand plaisir de tous, venez fredonner les Minuit, Chr��tiens, Mon beau sapin, Adeste fideles, Sainte Nuit, et plusieurs autres chants qui bercent encore nos souvenirs en ce temps de r��jouissances�Ķ

Le Ch��ur de l���Orchestre symphonique de Qu��bec propose les classiques de No��l �� la Cour Centrale de Place Ste-Foy, le vendredi 18 d��cembre, �� 18 h.

�� Le r��cit de la Nativit�� �� Carols, cantigas, lieder et cantiques anciens pour le temps de No��l

Le r��cit de la Nativit��, en paroles et en musique, voil�� ce que vous proposent les musiciens de l���Ensemble Viriditas, dirig�� par Ang��le Laberge. Les textes sont tir��s des ��vangiles de Luc et de Mathieu et les carols, cantigas, lieder et cantiques reprennent, d��veloppent ou commentent les ��pisodes du r��cit. Le r��pertoire, tr��s vari��, comprend des pi��ces du Moyen ��ge et de la Renaissance et des chansons traditionnelles de diff��rents pays d���Europe dans des harmonisations plus r��centes. L���auditeur peut ainsi appr��cier le caract��re particulier de chaque tradition musicale qui se refl��te ��galement dans le type d���instruments utilis��s : fl��tes, chal��mie, hautbois, clarinette, cor anglais, nyckelharpa, violon, vi��le, vielle �� roue, bouzouki, guitare baroque, harpe, percussions.

L���histoire qui sera racont��e met en sc��ne Marie, Joseph et l���Enfant, les anges, les bergers, les Rois mages, le b��uf, l���ne et le cruel H��rode, mais ��galement des nonnes, des berg��res, des comm��res, des voisins, des conteurs�Ķtous ceux qui nous ont transmis ce r��cit que l���on raconte encore aujourd���hui. Mais l���image qui domine, c���est celle de la m��re, qui tient dans ses bras son enfant et lui fredonne �� l���oreille de douces m��lodies�ĶLe r��pertoire du concert est donc r��parti en 5 sections : 4 ��pisodes du r��cit de la Nativit�� (Annonciation, Naissance de l���enfant, Annonce aux bergers, Visite des rois mages) et une section de chants de louange �� la Vierge-m��re. C���est l���cho de sa voix qu���on entend dans les berceuses qui nous font passer en douceur d���un ��pisode �� l���autre du r��cit.

L���ensemble Viriditas pr��sente ainsi, par le mariage harmonieux des timbres vocaux et instrumentaux, un spectacle vivant, color��, original, qui plaira aux auditeurs de tous les ��ges. Il r��unit pour ce programme : Martine Chiasson, instruments �� cordes frott��es, Marie-Jos��e Goyette, mezzo-soprano, Ang��le Laberge, soprano et harpe, Mathieu Lavoie, instruments �� cordes pinc��es et percussions, Catherine Messier, instruments �� vent et Anne Saint-Denis, soprano et narration.

Le concert sera pr��sent�� :

Dimanche, 20 d��cembre 2009 �� 16hres �� l���glise St-Michel de Vaudreuil, 414 avenue St-Charles, Vaudreuil-Dorion, autoroute 40 sortie 35 (Vaudreuil Centre-Ville)

Adultes : 10 $, gratuit pour les enfants de moins de 12 ans

Renseignements : 450-455-4282

L���Institut Douglas et Les Impatients ouvrent les portes d���un espace de cr��ation et de vente

Montr��al, le mercredi 9 d��cembre 2009 ��� Les Impatients et l���Institut universitaire en sant�� mentale Douglas inauguraient aujourd���hui un nouvel espace de cr��ation et de vente sur la rue Wellington �� Verdun en pr��sence de Barry Crago, chef clinico-administratif au Douglas et responsable du Centre Wellington, Lorraine Palardy, directrice g��n��rale des Impatients, Cl��mence Desrochers, porte-parole des Impatients et Andr�� Savard, conseiller d���arrondissement et maire suppl��ant de Verdun.

Une entente qui porte des fruits

La revitalisation des installations du Centre Wellington s���inscrit dans le contexte d���une entente de collaboration r��cemment convenue entre le Douglas et Les Impatients. Cette entente facilite le d��veloppement de la cr��ation de tous ceux et celles qui participent aux activit��s des deux organismes. �� Le Centre Wellington de l���Institut Douglas s���ouvre �� une plus grande communaut�� en accueillant Les Impatients dans ses murs pour promouvoir l'expression via des activit��s artistiques. �� souligne Barry Crago.

Les Impatients sont fiers d���apporter leur esprit cr��ateur �� cette grande institution qu���est le Douglas. �� Cette association avec l���Institut Douglas nous permet d���tendre nos services dans l���ouest de Montr��al. D��sormais, Les Impatients de Wellington seront au c��ur de nos diverses activit��s.�� fait remarquer Lorraine Palardy.

�� la boutique, des pr��sents qui font une diff��rence

Des objets originaux sont offerts au Centre Wellington. Ceux et celles qui les offriront �� No��l contribueront �� aider des personnes souffrant d���une maladie mentale �� faire un pas de plus dans leur d��marche vers une participation active �� la soci��t��. Tous les profits de la vente des objets de la boutique serviront �� financer la tenue des ateliers de cr��ation. Jusqu���� Noel, la boutique sera ouverte du mardi au samedi, entre 12 h et 17 h.

L���Institut Douglas et Les Impatients ouvrent les portes d���un espace de cr��ation et de vente

Montr��al, le mercredi 9 d��cembre 2009 ��� Les Impatients et l���Institut universitaire en sant�� mentale Douglas inauguraient aujourd���hui un nouvel espace de cr��ation et de vente sur la rue Wellington �� Verdun en pr��sence de Barry Crago, chef clinico-administratif au Douglas et responsable du Centre Wellington, Lorraine Palardy, directrice g��n��rale des Impatients, Cl��mence Desrochers, porte-parole des Impatients et Andr�� Savard, conseiller d���arrondissement et maire suppl��ant de Verdun.

Une entente qui porte des fruits

La revitalisation des installations du Centre Wellington s���inscrit dans le contexte d���une entente de collaboration r��cemment convenue entre le Douglas et Les Impatients. Cette entente facilite le d��veloppement de la cr��ation de tous ceux et celles qui participent aux activit��s des deux organismes. �� Le Centre Wellington de l���Institut Douglas s���ouvre �� une plus grande communaut�� en accueillant Les Impatients dans ses murs pour promouvoir l'expression via des activit��s artistiques. �� souligne Barry Crago.

Les Impatients sont fiers d���apporter leur esprit cr��ateur �� cette grande institution qu���est le Douglas. �� Cette association avec l���Institut Douglas nous permet d���tendre nos services dans l���ouest de Montr��al. D��sormais, Les Impatients de Wellington seront au c��ur de nos diverses activit��s.�� fait remarquer Lorraine Palardy.

�� la boutique, des pr��sents qui font une diff��rence

Des objets originaux sont offerts au Centre Wellington. Ceux et celles qui les offriront �� No��l contribueront �� aider des personnes souffrant d���une maladie mentale �� faire un pas de plus dans leur d��marche vers une participation active �� la soci��t��. Tous les profits de la vente des objets de la boutique serviront �� financer la tenue des ateliers de cr��ation. Jusqu���� Noel, la boutique sera ouverte du mardi au samedi, entre 12 h et 17 h.

D��voilement des laur��ats des Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al 2009 : TELUS, Les Brasseurs du Nord et Me Maurice Forget

English to follow. Montr��al, le 9 d��cembre 2009 - Les copr��sidents du Comit�� d'honneur des Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al, Michel Leblanc, pr��sident et chef de la direction de la Chambre de commerce du Montr��al m��tropolitain, et Louise Roy, pr��sidente du Conseil des arts de Montr��al, ont d��voil�� les noms des trois laur��ats de l'��dition 2009 des Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al. Cette ann��e, TELUS (cat��gorie Grande entreprise), Les Brasseurs du Nord (cat��gorie PME) et Me Maurice Forget, associ�� chez Fasken Martineau (cat��gorie Personnalit�� Arts-Affaires), raflent les honneurs. Chaque ann��e, ces prestigieux prix sont d��cern��s �� une grande entreprise, �� une PME et �� une personnalit�� d'affaires qui s'impliquent activement dans la culture. Cet appui peut se faire de diverses mani��res : pr��t d'une collection, campagne de financement, participation �� un conseil d'administration, etc. Ce sont les organismes culturels de la grande r��gion de Montr��al qui soumettent la candidature des entreprises et des gens d'affaires qui leur ont apport�� un pr��cieux soutien. �� Le secteur culturel montr��alais est cr��ateur de richesse : il g��n��re 12 milliards de dollars en retomb��es ��conomiques annuelles, dont huit milliards en retomb��es directes, soit 6 % du PIB de la m��tropole. Malgr�� cela, le coeur cr��atif de la m��tropole demeure fragile. En effet, les revenus des artistes, auteurs, compositeurs et interpr��tes repr��sentent la moiti�� du salaire moyen �� Montr��al. Le secteur priv�� est d��j�� un acteur important dans le financement de la culture, mais le d��fi est de trouver des moyens d'approfondir notre apport. Les Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al ont justement ��t�� cr����s pour favoriser les rapprochements entre les milieux des affaires et des arts. En r��compensant les grands m��c��nes et en faisant rayonner leur engagement, nous esp��rons qu'ils en inspireront d'autres �� suivre leurs traces ��, a d��clar�� Michel Leblanc, pr��sident et chef de la direction de la Chambre de commerce du Montr��al m��tropolitain. �� Les trois laur��ats des Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al 2009 montrent bien que l'engagement des entreprises et des gens d'affaires a un impact significatif et structurant sur le d��veloppement des organisations artistiques. Mais l'inverse est tout aussi vrai. Il est difficile de mesurer l'effet d'une oeuvre d'art au mur d'un bureau, d'un midi concert, d'une soir��e th����trale ou plus simplement d'un ��change avec un artiste. Pourtant, l'impact sur la performance et la cr��ativit�� des employ��s et des dirigeants est tout aussi significatif et structurant pour les entreprises. Les deux communaut��s ont beaucoup �� gagner �� travailler ensemble ��, a d��clar�� Louise Roy, pr��sidente du Conseil des arts de Montr��al. Dans la cat��gorie Grande entreprise, c'est TELUS qui s'est vu remettre le Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al, parrain��e par l'��cole nationale de th����tre du Canada (��NT). Gr��ce �� l'implication de TELUS, depuis plus de trois ans, l'��NT peut offrir �� ses ��tudiants un volet de formation suppl��mentaire, le Th����tre jeune public. TELUS a ��galement re��u des lettres d'appui de huit autres organismes culturels. Les laur��ats de la cat��gorie PME sont Les Brasseurs du Nord, qui soutiennent depuis bient��t 10 ans Vues d'Afrique, mais ��galement de tr��s nombreux ��v��nements culturels, particuli��rement ceux li��s �� l'��mergence de la rel��ve musicale qu��b��coise. Enfin, c'est Me Maurice Forget, associ�� chez Fasken Martineau, qui a remport�� le Prix Arts-Affaires dans la cat��gorie Personnalit�� Arts-Affaires. Figure bien connue du milieu culturel montr��alais, Maurice Forget remporte les honneurs gr��ce �� sa remarquable implication aupr��s de la Galerie d'art Stewart Hall, mais ��galement de 22 autres organismes qu'il soutient activement. Le jury ��tait compos�� de M. Wah Keung Chan, ��diteur et r��dacteur en chef de La Scena Musicale, de Mme Arlette C��t��, directrice corporative, Communications et affaires publiques �� Loto-Qu��bec, de M. Daniel Dion, directeur g��n��ral et artistique d'Oboro, de M. Fran��ois Forget, consultant chez Forget Id��ation-Conseil, et de Mme V��ronique Lacroix, directrice artistique de l'Ensemble contemporain de Montr��al. �� propos des Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al Les Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al sont une initiative de la Chambre de commerce du Montr��al m��tropolitain et du Conseil des arts de Montr��al, en collaboration avec le quotidien Le Devoir et ARTV, en vue de r��compenser les soci��t��s d'affaires et les individus qui ont apport�� leur soutien �� des organismes artistiques et culturels montr��alais. �� propos de la Chambre de commerce du Montr��al m��tropolitain La Chambre de commerce du Montr��al m��tropolitain compte quelque 7 000 membres. Sa mission est de repr��senter les int��r��ts de la communaut�� des affaires de l'agglom��ration urbaine de Montr��al et d'offrir une gamme int��gr��e de services sp��cialis��s aux individus, aux commer��ants et aux entreprises de toutes tailles de fa��on �� les appuyer dans la r��alisation de leur plein potentiel en mati��re d'innovation, de productivit�� et de comp��titivit��. La Chambre est le plus important organisme priv�� au Qu��bec vou�� au d��veloppement ��conomique. �� propos du Conseil des arts de Montr��al Partenaire dynamique de la cr��ation artistique montr��alaise, le Conseil des arts de Montr��al soutient et reconna��t l'excellence dans la cr��ation, la production et la diffusion artistiques professionnelles au moyen d'appui financier, de conseils et d'actions de concertation et de d��veloppement. Depuis plus de 50 ans, le Conseil des arts de Montr��al contribue par ses actions structurantes au d��veloppement de �� Montr��al, m��tropole culturelle ��. ***

Announcement of the winners of the 2009 Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al: TELUS, Les Brasseurs du Nord and Mr. Maurice Forget

Montr��al, December 9, 2009 - The co-chairs of the Honorary Committee for the Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al, Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, and Louise Roy, President of the Conseil des arts de Montr��al, have announced the names of the three winners of the 2009 edition of the Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al. This year, TELUS (Large enterprise category), Les Brasseurs du Nord (SME category) and Mr. Maurice Forget, a partner at Fasken Martineau (Arts/Business Personality category), take home the honours. Every year, these prestigious prizes are awarded to a large enterprise, an SME and a business personality who have been actively involved in culture. Their support can take a variety of forms: the loan of a collection, a fundraising campaign, sitting on a board of directors, etc. Cultural organizations in the Greater Montr��al area nominate the companies and businesspeople that have offered them invaluable support. "Montr��al's cultural sector is a source of wealth: it generates $12 billion in annual economic benefits, $8 billion of that in direct benefits, or 6% of the city's GDP," says Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. "In spite of this, the city's creative core remains fragile. The income of artists, authors, composers and performers is half the average salary in Montr��al. The private sector is already an important player in funding culture, but the challenge is to find the means to further our support. The Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al have been created specifically to encourage the worlds of business and the arts to come together. By recognizing the major patrons and making their commitment known, we hope to inspire others to follow in their footsteps." "The three winners of the 2009 Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al demonstrate that the commitment of companies and businesspeople has a significant and formative impact on the development of arts organizations," says Louise Roy, President of the Conseil des arts de Montr��al. "But the reverse is just as true. It's difficult to measure the effect of a work of art on the wall of an office, a noontime concert, an evening at the theatre or a simple discussion with an artist. And yet, the impact on the performance and creativity of employees and managers is just as significant and formative for companies. The two communities have a lot to gain from working together." In the Large enterprise category, TELUS earned the Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al, sponsored by the National Theatre School of Canada (NTS). Thanks to the involvement of TELUS, for over three years the NTS has been able to offer its students an additional stream of training, called Theatre for Young Audiences. TELUS has also received letters of support from eight other cultural organizations. The winner in the SME category is Les Brasseurs du Nord, which has supported not only Vues d'Afrique for almost 10 years now, but also a large number of cultural events, particularly related to the emergence of new talent in Quebec music. Finally, Mr. Maurice Forget, a partner at Fasken Martineau, has won the Prix Arts-Affaires in the Arts-Business Personality category. A well-known figure on the Montr��al cultural scene, Maurice Forget is being honoured for his outstanding contribution to the Stewart Hall Art Gallery, but also to 22 other organizations that he actively supports. The jury was made up of Mr. Wah Keung Chan, publisher and editor of La Scena Musicale, Ms. Arlette C��t��, Corporate Director, Communications and Public Affairs at Loto-Qu��bec, Mr. Daniel Dion, General and Artistic Director of Oboro, Mr. Fran��ois Forget, a consultant with Forget Id��ation-conseil, and Ms. V��ronique Lacroix, Artistic Director of the Ensemble contemporain de Montr��al. About the Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al The Prix Arts-Affaires de Montr��al are an initiative of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and the Conseil des arts de Montr��al, in collaboration with daily newspaper Le Devoir and ARTV, that aim to reward businesses and individuals who have shown their support for Montr��al arts and cultural organizations. About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has some 7,000 members. Its primary mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montr��al and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization. About the Conseil des arts de Montr��al A dynamic partner of Montr��al artistic creation, the Conseil des arts de Montr��al supports and recognizes excellence in professional artistic creation, production, and distribution through financial support, advice, and cooperative and development actions. For over 50 years, the Conseil des arts de Montr��al has contributed through its actions to the development of "Montr��al, cultural metropolis."

One of Vancouver���s favourite musical traditions: A Phonix Christmas

December 9, 2009 - (Vancouver, BC) ��� The countdown is on to one of Vancouver���s favourite musical traditions: A PHOENIX CHRISTMAS, on Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 8:00PM.

Under the direction of Dr. Ramona Luengen, Vancouver���s Phoenix Chamber Choir has become the most successful choir in the history of the CBC Choral Competition, and was the only North American adult-choir finalist in the 2007 prestigious International Let the Peoples Sing Competition. Last year Phoenix celebrated 25 years with 3 world premi��res of specially commissioned works and the Canadian premi��re of Joby Talbot���s Path of Miracles.

A Phoenix Christmas offers an escape far removed from the hustle and bustle of the season, a magical, joy-filled evening of traditional carols and heartwarming music, both new and old, presented in the reflective ambiance that makes this a very special concert indeed. Come be moved by the strikingly original and heartrending portraits of the three kings by Jonathan Dove, the eloquent search for peace in I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day by Canadian composer Mark Sirett, and the sumptuous beauty of Morten Lauridsen���s O magnum mysterium. Following a long and rewarding tradition of collaboration, the choir will once again be joined by Vancouver���s gifted organist Roy Campbell.

Last year���s concert sold out. Order your tickets early!

Who:
Vancouver���s Phoenix Chamber Choir ��� the most celebrated choir in the history of the CBC Choral Competition with renowned conductor and composer Ramona Luengen

What:
A Phoenix Christmas ��� one of Vancouver���s favourite musical traditions

When/Where:
Sunday, December 20, 8:00PM

Shaughnessy Heights United Church

1550 W. 33^rd Avenue, Vancouver

Tickets:

$25 Adults|$20 Students/Seniors|$15 for groups of 10 or more

Online: tickets@phoenixchamberchoir.bc.ca or call 604.584-4755

www.phoenixchamberchoir.bc.ca

Composer / Pianist Gregg Kallor Releases New CD "Exhilaration - Dickinson and Yeats Songs," with Mezzo-Soprano Adriana Zabala

Exhilaration ��� Dickinson and Yeats Songs, a new recording of Gregg Kallor���s settings of poems by Emily Dickinson and William Butler Yeats, has been released on the composer���s own independent label (GKM 50020-1). The recording features mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala, who premiered these song cycles with Mr. Kallor at his Carnegie Hall debut recital in 2007. Also included on the disc are his setting of Christina Rossetti���s poem, Song, and Lullaby, to lyrics by Herschel Garfein.

The contents of the CD, with music by Gregg Kallor, follows:

Song (2:29)

(Poem by Christina Rossetti)

Yeats Songs

(Poems by William Butler Yeats)

Ribh in Ecstasy (2:43)

He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven (2:40)

A Coat (1:59)

The Lady���s First Song (2:23)

A Drunken Man���s Praise of Sobriety (2:08)

Exhilaration

(Poems by Emily Dickinson)

Exhilaration is the Breeze (2:00)

It bloomed and dropt, a Single Noon ��� (2:50)

Bee! I���m expecting you! (1:08)

We Cover Thee ��� Sweet Face ��� (2:27)

Wild Nights ��� Wild Nights! (1:50)

What Inn is this (1:41)

I should not dare to leave my friend (3:02)

Still own thee ��� still thou art ��� (1:39)

Exhilaration ��� is within ��� (3:36)

Lullaby (3:07)

(Lyrics by Herschel Garfein)

About the Repertoire

In his liner notes for the recording, Gregg Kallor observes about Emily Dickinson, ���A poem, for her, was no mere abstraction, but a vital force ��� a prayer, a comfort, an inspiration. She felt impelled to let others hear the ���noiseless noise in the Orchard��� and her poems incite us to seek that noise ��� that essence ��� ourselves.���

About his response to the poetry of William Butler Yeats, Mr. Kallor has said: ���Yeats��� lilting rhythms and strong cadences ��� the very sounds of his words ��� are captivating, but it is the vulnerability in his poems that I find so moving. Amidst the stronger, more Bard-like poems are moments of great tenderness.���

And Mr. Kallor writes about the opening and closing songs on the recording: ���Christina Rossetti���s Song is a love letter at life���s end; Lullaby is a musical kiss to a life just beginning.���

About Gregg Kallor

Gregg Kallor was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1978, and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut. From the age of six, he studied classical and jazz piano, and started composing and improvising. In high school he performed in jazz ensembles and rock bands, appearing at The White House and touring Europe. Mr. Kallor studied with Kenny Barron at Rutgers University, and Fred Hersch at the New England Conservatory of Music. After moving to New York City, he continued piano study with Sophia Rosoff and composition with Herschel Garfein.

In March 2007, the Abby Whiteside Foundation presented Gregg Kallor���s official New York concert debut as pianist and composer in Carnegie Hall���s Weill Recital Hall. The performance featured the premiere of his Dickinson and Yeats song cycles (with Adriana Zabala), and solo works by Ginastera, Scriabin, Bach and Rachmaninoff. Harris Goldsmith wrote: ���It took but a few impeccably shaped phrases to make it plain that Kallor is a formidably well-trained technician and a master of stylish proportion as well�ĶThis superb recital debut truly established a new, important voice in our musical annals.���

Again presented there by the Abby Whiteside Foundation in April 2009, he played a rich and innovative program -- classic repertoire by Brahms, Prokofieff and Rachmaninoff, improvisation, contemporary pieces (including music by Brad Mehldau and Elliott Smith) and the premiere of two original compositions. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra commissioned and premiered his ���Fantasy Overture��� in 2009.

In 2002 Gregg Kallor released his first recording, There���s a Rhythm, with his jazz trio (bassist Chris Van Voorst Van Beest and drummer Kendrick Scott). Exhilaration is his second recording.

More information is available on Mr. Kallor���s website: www.greggkallor.com.

About Adriana Zabala

Mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala recently joined the Minnesota Opera in the title role of the American premiere of Jonathan Dove���s The Adventures of Pinocchio. For her role in Waiting for the Barbarians by Philip Glass, The New York Times hailed her as ���a vivid, fearless presence,��� and the Los Angeles Times called her ���extraordinary - a young, vibrant mezzo.���

An avid recitalist, Ms. Zabala has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and the Barns at Wolf Trap. She studied lieder as a Fulbright Scholar at the Mozarteum, and served for five years as the Artistic Director of the Southeastern Festival of Song. Ms. Zabala is an alumna of Louisiana State University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. She has appeared in over 50 opera productions throughout the U.S. and abroad, and has been guest soloist on concerts with the Virginia Symphony and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, among many others.

Upcoming engagements include the role of Hansel with the Austin Lyric Opera, and a return engagement to the Opera Reina Sofia in Valencia, Spain, in productions of Carmen and Salome under Zubin Mehta.

Naxos Digital CD Release: Grammy-Nominated Pianist Adam Neiman Performs Anton Arensky

ACCLAIMED AMERICAN PIANIST BRINGS TO LIGHT SOLO PIANO WORKS BY ONE OF THE BRIGHTEST STARS OF PRE-REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA ��� ANTON ARENSKY

FULL CD RELEASE OF THE ALBUM TO FOLLOW IN JUNE, 2010

An album featuring an intriguing program of solo piano works by the brilliant 19^th-century Russian composer Anton Arensky, recorded by Grammy-nominated pianist Adam Neiman for the Naxos label, was digitally released this month and is available for download. The full album release is scheduled for June, 2010.

The unique choice of repertoire made by Mr. Neiman, an acclaimed American soloist, recitalist and chamber musician, pays homage to an essential figure in romantic music of pre-revolutionary Russia whose talents were overshadowed by his better-known mentor Rimsky-Korsakov and the unavoidable influence of Tchaikovsky. However, time has allowed Arensky���s unique voice to resurface, gaining recognition more and more as a wonderful contribution to the great style of Russian romanticism, worthy of inclusion into the company of the great Russian masters.

���His piano music has a wonderful stylistic blend between the lyricism and refinement of Frederic Chopin and the melancholic harmonic mysticism of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakoff��� writes Neiman. ��� Arensky has a wonderful, unique style within the tradition of Russian romantic music, and I think listeners will be touched by the beauty of his piano writing when they hear some of these pieces on the recording. ���

This album joins Adam Neiman���s earlier release by Naxos of his world premiere performance of Jennifer Higdon's Piano Trio, live from the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. Other recordings include an award-winning 2-CD solo recital set for the VAI label entitled "Adam Neiman Live in Recital", chosen by the American Record Guide as it's "Critic's Choice" for 2007 and 2008. A recording of complete Brahms��� Viola and Piano Sonatas for Deutsche Grammophon with violist Richard O���Neill is currently underway, scheduled to be released in 2011.

The CD contains Six Pieces, Opus. 53; Four Etudes, Opus 41; Twelve Etudes, Opus 74 and Pres de la Mer, Opus. 52; and is available for digital download at www.classicsonline.com, among other.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Adam Neiman���s full statement about the recording:

���Anton Arensky was a pivotal figure in Russian romantic music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As a teacher his most illustrious pupils included Rachmaninoff and Scriabin, and as a composer his works works spanned every genre. His piano music has a wonderful stylistic blend between the lyricism and refinement of Frederic Chopin and the melancholic harmonic mysticism of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakoff. It was, in fact, his close association with and the powerful influence of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakoff that ultimately served to bury Arensky's reputation under a cloak of obscurity, as the older masters panned Arensky as a cheap copy of themselves, a judgement that history has proven wrong. Arensky has a wonderful, unique style within the tradition of Russian romantic music, and I think listeners will be touched by the beauty of his piano writing when they hear some of these pieces on the recording. He didn't compose any large-scale works for piano solo -- only short etudes and concert pieces -- and thus I created a program cycle of four sets of short works. It is my belief that Arensky's piano music could easily fit into the standard repertory of every pianist who loves to play Russian music, and I hope this recording serves to help bring some added awareness to this deserving composer.���

About Adam Neiman:

American pianist Adam Neiman is hailed as one of the premiere pianists of his generation, praised for possessing a truly rare blend of power, bravura, imagination, sensitivity, and technical precision. With a burgeoning international career and an encyclopedic repertoire that spans over fifty concertos, Neiman has performed as soloist with the symphony orchestras of Belgrade, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Saint Louis, San Francisco, Umbria, and Utah, as well as with the New York Chamber Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C. He has collaborated with such conductors as Jiri Belohlavek, Giancarlo Guerrero, Carlos Kalmer, Uros Lajovic, Yoel Levi, Andrew Litton, Peter Oundjian, Leonard Slatkin, and Emmanuel Villaume.

An acclaimed recitalist, Neiman has toured throughout North America, playing in the major halls of La Jolla, Miami, New York, Phoenix, Seattle, Vancouver, Washington D.C., and at Caramoor and Ravinia. His European recital tours have brought him throughout Italy, France, Germany, and Japan, where he made an eight-city tour culminating in his debut at Tokyo's Suntory Hall.

Neiman's '09-'10 season highlights include his debut with the Orchestra Verdi of Milan, a major tour of Slovenia as soloist with the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, a tour of New England performing as soloist with the Manchester Chamber Orchestra, as well as performances with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Chile, Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, Sacramento Philharmonic, Santa Cruz Symphony, Oakland Symphony, Symphony in C, and Plano Symphony, among others. In addition, he will perform as a recitalist in Washington D.C., Seattle, Vancouver, and Chicago, and he will take part in prestigious festivals in Seattle, Manchester, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Diego, as well as at the International Festival Cervantinos in Mexico. A major exponent of contemporary music, Neiman will perform works by Elliott Carter, Lera Auerbach and George Tsontakis, and he is to receive a concerto dedication by the renowned composer Benjamin Yusupov.

Neiman continues to expand his widely varied discography with his latest commercial release: a 2-CD set of Mozart's early keyboard concertos K. 238, 246, and 271 with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, distributed internationally by VAI Audio. Other recordings for VAI include his award-winning 2-CD solo recital set entitled "Adam Neiman Live in Recital", proclaimed by the American Record Guide as it's "Critic's Choice" for 2007 and 2008, as well as a DVD entitled "Adam Neiman: Chopin Recital".

Neiman has signed a contract with Naxos for an upcoming recording of solo piano music by Anton Arensky, due for digital release in November 2009 and full CD release in June 2010. Naxos also recently released his world premiere performance of Jennifer Higdon's Piano Trio, live from the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.

In addition, Neiman will pair up with acclaimed violist Richard O'Neill for a recording of the complete Viola and Piano Sonatas of Brahms for Deutsche Grammophon, due for release in 2011.

Radio and television broadcasts featuring Neiman regularly span international airwaves, and his live performance of the Brahms Rhapsodies, Op. 79 at the Gilmore International Keyboard Festival on NPR's "Performance Today" was nominated for a Grammy Award. Chosen as a featured artist by the Academy Award nominated director Josh Aronson, Adam Neiman appeared in the PBS documentary film "Playing for Real", which aired worldwide, and continues to air on the Bravo and Ovation networks.

Born in 1978, Neiman has captured the attention of audiences and critics alike since his concerto debut at 11 in Los Angeles' Royce Hall. Clavier Magazine wrote: "Adam Neiman gave a performance that rivaled those of many artists on the concert stage today...his playing left listeners shaking their heads in disbelief." At 14 he debuted in Germany at the Ivo Pogorelich Festival, and at 15 he won second prize at the Casagrande International Piano Competition in Italy, the youngest winner in the competition's history. In 1995 Neiman also became the youngest ever winner of the Gilmore Young Artist Award. The following year he won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and went on to make his Washington D.C. and New York recital debuts at the Kennedy Center and the 92nd Street Y. The Washington Post remarked, "A collection of Chopin's Waltzes and Nocturnes danced and stormed, and Prokofieff's Second Sonata enthralled with a dazzling display of inner voices rather than a mere display of muscle. This was playing of wisdom and light befitting an artist in the autumn of his career." Young Concert Artists additionally bestowed upon Neiman the Michaels Award and presented him in a critically acclaimed solo recital at Alice Tully Hall.

Two-time winner of Juilliard's Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, Neiman was honored with the Rubinstein Award upon his graduation in 1999, the same year in which he received the Avery Fisher Career Grant. Neiman's principal teachers have included Trula Whelan, Hans Boepple, and Herbert Stessin, and he has participated in master classes with legendary pianists Gyorgy Sandor and Jacob Lateiner.

In addition to his career as a concert pianist, Adam Neiman devotes time to composition. He has written works for solo piano, voice, chamber ensemble, and symphony orchestra. He frequently performs his works in recital, and his newest chamber work, Two Elegies for Clarinet and Piano, will be premiered in Mexico at the International Festival Cervantinos with Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinetist. In addition, he has composed the score for a documentary film entitled "Forgiveness" by the Emmy Award-winning director Helen Whitney, due to air over two nights on PBS. Mr. Neiman is managed exclusively by Isabella Puccini Artists Management, LLC. www.adamneiman.com

About Anton Stepanovich Arensky: (compiled by David Truslove)

Born in Novgorod on 12 July 1861 Anton Stepanovich Arensky belonged to the generation of Russian composers, including Glazunov, Gretchaninov and Lyadov, who came to prominence in the closing decade of the nineteenth century. He was blessed with musical parents: his father, a doctor, was a keen cellist and his mother a fine pianist, and by the time he was nine he had already composed several songs and piano pieces. Between 1879 and 1882 he studied under Rimsky-Korsakov at the St Petersburg Conservatory, an institution founded by Anton Rubinstein just two decades earlier. Having completed his training and won a gold medal, Arensky took up a teaching appointment as one of its youngest professors at the Moscow Conservatory where his pupils included Rachmaninov and Scriabin. Whilst there, where Tchaikovsky���s encouragement was particularly beneficial, he gained attention as a conductor of the Russian Choral Society. His varied creative energies during this period included two symphonies, a number of chamber and choral works and his first opera, A Dream on the Volga, which enjoyed considerable success at its 1891 premi��re.

From this year Arensky also produced an impressive Violin Concerto, a work contemporary with his two piano collections, the Six Esquisses and Six Pi��ces. In 1895 Arensky returned to St Petersburg when he succeeded Balakirev as Director of the Imperial Chapel, relinquishing this post six years later with a comfortable pension of 6000 roubles. From this time until his untimely death aged 45 his work was compromised by a life-style which Rimsky-Korsakov described as ���a dissipated course between wine and card-playing���. To these last years, where his health was irreparably undermined by tuberculosis, also belong the twelve Etudes. Perhaps it was these pieces that Taneyev played at a soir��e at Rimsky-Korsakov���s house less than a year after Arensky���s death in Finland in February 1906.

As a gifted pianist Arensky wrote nearly a hundred works for his own instrument across a composing career spanning almost 25 years. He appended his first opus number to the Six Canonic Pieces, a student work for piano of 1882 and his penultimate opus number, 74, to the twelve Etudes belonging to 1905. Unlike Glazunov and Tchaikovsky, the medium of the sonata held no interest for Arensky, whose creative impulse and easy command of keyboard textures found outlet in dozens of small scale and attractive pieces such as Caprices, Preludes, Romances and Etudes. In addition, Arensky also contributed to the scant repertoire for two pianists in his five Suites for two pianos. His early Piano Concerto in F minor (Naxos 8.570526) demonstrates his absorption of Chopin and Liszt (amongst others) whose stylistic influence, along with the lyricism of Mendelssohn and Grieg, was to remain part of his musical vocabulary for his subsequent piano works. Although Arensky did not extend the piano���s expressive potential, as Scriabin, Medtner and Rachmaninov were later to do, he nonetheless made a welcome contribution to the keyboard repertoire in numerous beautifully spun miniatures.

The Piano Concerto also appeared to presage a glittering future, and while his career flared briefly in the musical world of pre-Revolutionary Russia where he gained success as composer, conductor, pianist and teacher, these accomplishments have been mostly overlooked. Despite enthusiastic support during his lifetime from many significant admirers including Balakirev, Taneyev and Tchaikovsky his early promise never quite translated into lasting achievements owing to a combination of dissolute living and the lack of a distinctive personal style. These shortcomings prompted his erstwhile teacher Rimsky-Korsakov to remark ���he will soon be forgotten���, a blunt observation from his memoirs Chronicle of My Musical Life published in 1909. This prediction has not proved entirely true as whilst there is still no biography in English, his Variations on a theme by Tchaikovsky, and Piano Trio in D minor continue to hold a place on the fringes of the orchestral and chamber repertoire and confirm his innate craftsmanship and lyric gifts.

This gift for melody is readily apparent in his Six Pieces, a collection comprising contrasting movements in the shape of a Suite: indeed, the opening Prelude makes its stately progress in the grand French manner, its repeated dotted rhythmic patterns enlivened by expressive dissonances. An extended three-part Scherzo follows in which fast chordal writing embraces a calmer central section, its syncopated melody and arpeggio flourishes add to the movement���s playful spirit. In the charming El��gie sighing phrases reach a brief climax before yielding to a central passage marked by cross rhythms, its understated Russian melancholy typical of the composer. Echoes of Tchaikovsky can be detected in the spirited Mazurka while the Romance attempts to reach a deeper emotional expression. In the concluding Etude a more robust side of Arensky���s personality makes its presence known.

If the Six Pieces show Arensky���s wide stylistic awareness then the strongly characterised Four Etudes, Op. 41, reveal echoes of Chopin especially in the harmonic idiom, rippling left hand and long-breathed melodic line of the opening Allegro molto. Only in its use of 5/8 does Arensky show an original touch, a metre whose recurring use prompted Tchaikovsky to rebuke him in a letter in 1895 warning that his predilection for 5/4 rhythms threatened to become a habit and suggesting that ���the otherwise beautiful��� basso ostinato in his Six Pieces, Op. 5, would have been better in either 3/4 or 6/4 time. Internal melodic lines feature in both the second and third Etudes; ���hidden��� in the right hand in the first and shared between the right hand���s outer fingers amid constant arpeggio movement in the second. In the fourth Etude playing in sixths, rhythmic drive and (in a central episode) expressive phrases combine to make these studies more than just technical exercises.

These Etudes share with the Op. 74 set, written during his final year, an undimmed melodic facility and wealth of invention despite the composer���s rapidly deteriorating health. Indeed Arensky endows these richly varied Etudes with every pianistic resource making full use of his trademark quintuplet metre, ardent lyricism and, in the fourth Etude, daring harmonic turns. It is possible that Arensky intended to write a further twelve studies since these begin in C major and rise chromatically if somewhat irregularly through the keys to reach G sharp minor for the final Etude (although the eleventh is in A flat major). He also skillfully varies weight and texture and in the sixth a more flamboyant effect is heard. It is astonishing that these magnificent pieces have yet to be published.

Of his Op. 52 Six Esquisses, Pr��s de la mer, the first is dominated by a recurring arpeggio flourish that prefaces each of the many falling phrases. There follows a rondo in five sections propelled forward by a Lisztian turbulence. The restraint of the third is all the more sharply felt with its poignant lyricism and undulating accompaniment. Its ���calm waters��� give way to a Schumannesque movement, while the fifth comprises recurring ideas in short abbreviated episodes that never quite hide the salon prettiness. The last movement is an exhilarating affair, sustaining interest until the final triumphant bar.

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Allez voter sur BANDEAPART.FM pour le palmar��s de la d��cennie !

Montr��al, mercredi 9 d��cembre 2009 ��� Avant de tourner la page de la d��cennie 2000 et de passer �� 2010, Bande �� part vous invite �� dresser le palmar��s des dix artistes francophones d���ici qui ont le plus marqu�� les dix derni��res ann��es.

Une liste de 50 artistes est pr��sentement en ligne au Bandeapart.fm. Les auditeurs et internautes ont jusqu���au 29 d��cembre pour aller voter pour les dix artistes qui, selon eux, ont ��t�� les plus marquants de la d��cennie, se sont impos��s �� notre imaginaire collectif et ont influenc�� la sc��ne musicale d���ici. Pour vous aider �� faire votre choix, il y a des fiches d���artistes �� consulter et des extraits �� ��couter.

Le palmar��s des artistes francophones de la d��cennie sera d��voil�� le 31 d��cembre 2009 �� midi lors d���une ��mission sp��ciale de Bande �� part �� la radio satellite Sirius (fr��quence 87). On le retrouvera ensuite en ligne sur le site.

C���est une invitation �� ne pas manquer! Venez parcourir la liste des 50 artistes s��lectionn��s au Bandeapart.fm et votez pour les dix artistes devant faire partie du palmar��s de la d��cennie.

Cleveland Orchestra, C.G. Conn to hold Hornapalooza on January 18

Clinics, workshops open to French horn players of all skill levels, culminating with performance on Severance Hall main stage

CLEVELAND, December 9, 2009 ��� On January 18, 2010, The Cleveland Orchestra, in partnership with C.G. Conn, invites French horn players of all skill levels to participate in Hornapalooza, a day of clinic sessions, and a culminating performance on Severance Hall���s main stage. The event will take place from 9:00 a.m. ��� 2:00 p.m. on Monday, January 18, 2010, at Severance Hall.

The event includes clinic sessions teaching fundamental horn skills led by members of The Cleveland Orchestra���s horn section, and a group performance under conductor Loras John Schissel on the main stage of Severance Hall. Participants can also visit with experts from C.G. Conn to learn about horn care and maintenance.

Hornapalooza will culminate in a main stage group performance at 1:00 p.m. The performance is part of the free 2010 Martin Luther King Day Community Open House, which runs from noon to 5:15 p.m. that day. The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra concert at 2:00 p.m. will feature members of The Cleveland Orchestra���s horn section.

Registration forms for Hornapalooza are due by December 18 and are available at clevelandorchestra.com or by emailing education@clevelandorchestra.com or calling The Cleveland Orchestra���s Office of Education and Community Programs at (216) 231-7355. There is a registration fee of $15.

Hornapalooza is part of The Cleveland Orchestra���s Community Music Initiative, a series of artistic initiatives and new programs aimed at diversifying the Orchestra���s offerings and reaching more children, adults, teachers, students, musicians, and families than ever before. These diverse programs offer everyone, from preschool children to adults, the opportunity to experience music in a variety of ways, throughout their lives, and throughout the community.

C.G. Conn brass instruments are manufactured and distributed by Conn-Selmer, Inc. The largest manufacturer of band and orchestral instruments and accessories in the United States, Conn-Selmer, Inc. is a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. To contact Conn-Selmer, write to P.O. Box 310 Elkhart, IN 46515-0310 U.S.A. or visit www.conn-selmer.com.

Actor Pierre Collin joins Porte Parole for Sexy b��ton III: Abandon

By Annabel Soutar. Dramaturgical consultant, Carole Fr��chette.
Directed by Sophie Vajda
January 11 to 21 at the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts
5170, ch. de la C��te-Ste-Catherine (Just a five-minute walk from Metro C��te-Ste-Catherine)

Starting January 11, 2010, Porte Parole presents the last chapter in the story of the collapse of the Concorde overpass. Sexy b��ton III: Abandon reveals the inner struggle of ordinary individuals who shoulder the enormous burden of a potential fight against the government. In the ongoing investigation of actors Brett and Maude, there are some final surprises, including a lead from none other than the former premier of Quebec.

Porte Parole is delighted to welcome Pierre Collin to the cast of Sexy b��ton III. Mr. Collin plays, among other roles, the now-retired designer of de la Concorde overpass. Pierre Collin is known to audiences for his performances in numerous plays, as well as the films, La Grande S��duction and, more recently, De p��re en flic.

����ĶMontreal-specific bilingual theatre that not only flirts with journalism, but seeks to usurp it.���
Pat Donnelly, The Montreal Gazette

����Ķthe good citizens of Montreal would be wise (and well entertained) to see this play.���
Anna Fuerstenberg, Rover Arts.

Sexy b��ton III marks the directorial debut of theatre veteran Sophie Vajda (Andromaque, Lorenzaccio, Les 7 jours de Simon Labross), with the ensemble cast of Pierre Collin, Alex Ivanovici, Maude Laurendeau-Mondoux, France Rolland, Paul Stewart, & Brett Watson.

Sexy b��ton III : Abandon : A bilingual play in French and English
At the Segal Centre for the Performing Arts at the Saidye

All show dates: Monday January 11 at 7:30pm, Tuesday January 12 at 7:30pm, Wednesday January 13 at 7:30pm, Thursday January 14 at 7:30pm, Saturday January 16 at 9:00pm, Sunday January 17 at 2:30pm and 7:30pm, Tuesday January 19 at 7:30pm, Wednesday January 20 at 7:30pm,Thursday January 21 at 7:30pm

Classissima.com, the 100% classical music website is now available in German

Dedicated to classical music and opera, the vision of Classissima is global. Launched in January in English and French, then in Spanish and Italian, the site is now available in German.

The classical music lovers and casual visitors can now review in one click all sources of information in German on classical music and opera (news, blogs, forums), can watch thousands of videos, can discover more than 6,000 websites, and use a powerful thematic search engine...

Members may add new sources, videos and websites, and share their preferences. It is free!

Each month, tens of thousands of users visit Classissima. The monthly visits rise by 30%.

For more information: www.classissima.com

Project Opera to perform Winter Concert

Project Opera, The Minnesota Opera���s co-ed youth opera training program, will be performing a winter concert on January 17, 2010, in Augsburg College���s Hoversten Chapel. Both the Ragazzi (grades 4-7) and Giovani (grades 8-12) ensembles will join forces for this exciting seasonal presentation, which will feature selections from Handel���s Messiah, ���Evening Prayer Duet��� from Hansel and Gretel, Climb to the Top of the Highest Mountain by Carolyn Jennings, Night of Silence by Daniel Kantor, operatic choral excerpts from Nabucco, Dido and Aeneas and Don Pasquale, as well as many other pieces. The concert is free and open to the public, and free-will donations will be accepted.

Event Information

What: Project Opera Winter Concert
Where: Hoversten Chapel, Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55454
When: Sunday, January 17, 2010 at 4:00 p.m.
Tickets: No tickets required; free and open to the public. Free-will donations will be accepted.

Les Productions Strada pr��sentent Kadou - Chansons pour le solstice d'hiver

Occitanie, Angleterre, Mexique, Hanouka, G��orgie, Pologne, Bulgarie, Gr��ce

Lundi 21 d��cembre ��glise Saint-Jean-Baptiste �� 19 h 30
4237, avenue Henri-Julien

10$ par personne, 12 ans et moins gratuit

Mardi 22 d��cembre St. Matthias' Church �� 19 h 30

10 avenue Church Hill

10$ par personne, 12 ans et moins gratuit

Montr��al le 7 d��cembre 2009 - Depuis la nuit des temps, le solstice hivernal a donn�� lieu �� des f��tes entourant le retour de la lumi��re. Des quatre coins de l���Europe, Strada en rapporte les plus belles traditions musicales.

Tour �� tour m��nestriers ou bergers, les artistes du spectacle Kadou chantent, jouent et racontent les histoires qui ont forg�� l���imaginaire qui nous habite toujours. ��labor�� autour des no��ls de Provence, le r��pertoire s���ouvre aux colinde de Bulgarie, aux kalantas grecs, aux alilos de G��orgie et aux chansons de la F��te des Lumi��res juive : Hanouka. Un ��tonnant voyage musical et un merveilleux kadou �� s���offrir en famille, durant les longs mois d���hiver.

Kadou : d��riv�� du roumain cadou qui signifie cadeau ou ��trenne.

Pierre Langevin (clarinettes, fl��tes, cornemuses et dulcimer), Gabrielle Bouthillier (fl��tes, cromorne et voix), Liette Remon (violon, clarinette, cornemuse et voix), Jean-Philippe Reny (oud et banjo), Pierre Tanguay (percussions et guimbardes) et Andrew Wells-Oberegger (bouzouki et laouto)

Concerts Kadou ��� chansons pour le solstice d���hiver �� Qu��bec

Samedi 19 d��cembre ��glise de Cap-Rouge, Qu��bec �� 19 h 30

1460, rue Provancher, Cap-Rouge

10$ par personne, 12 ans et moins gratuit, billets en vente �� la porte

Dimanche 20 d��cembre La Chapelle du Mus��e, Qu��bec �� 14 h

2, c��te de la Fabrique, Qu��bec

10$ par personne, 12 ans et moins gratuit, billets en vente �� la porte

Elektra Women's Choir and Morna Edmundson, Artistic Director, present Elektra Women's Choir Conductor Mentorship Program 2010

Elektra Women's Choir and Morna Edmundson, Artistic Director, are pleased to announce the choir's Conductor Mentorship Program, which runs through January and February, 2010. Topics covered will include choral warm-ups, vocal ranges, conducting technique, rehearsal technique, repertoire selection, and score preparation. In creating the mentorship program within the context of Elektra, it is hoped that the participating conductors will become more familiar with both the repertoire and sound of a women's choir and be inspired to work in this genre.

Two "Level A" applicants will be chosen to work closely with Edmundson, receiving personal feedback on rehearsal and conducting techniques with their own choirs. The same conductors will work with Elektra at an open rehearsal on March 1. Full details and application information are available at http://elektra.ca/index.php?article=mentor

Choral Conducting Workshop - All Welcome

Saturday, January 16, 2010 10 am - 1 pm
Fireside Room, Ryerson United Church Hall, 2195 W 45th Ave, Vancouver BC

$30 plus GST Payment may be made through PayPal on the Elektra website: http://elektra.ca/index.php?article=mentor

In addition to the Level A intensive program, Morna Edmundson will lead a 3-hour workshop for conductors of any skill level and type of choir. The workshop will include discussion of warm-ups and vocal technique, conducting technique, and repertoire selection. If possible, please pre-register by contacting manager@elektra.ca by January 13. If pre-registration is not possible, on-site registration before 9:45 am will be available. Payment may be made by Visa/Mastercard or cheque. Please bring a bag lunch.

Open Rehearsal with Elektra

Monday, March 1, 2010 7 pm
Ryerson United Church, 2195 W45th Ave, Vancouver BC

Free Admission

Come and observe as the Level A conductors work with Elektra Women's Choir in an open rehearsal and mini-performance. Meant as an informal opportunity to observe the participants of Elektra's Conductor Mentorship Program working with Elektra, this evening will feature some wonderful music and offer insights into Elektra's music.

For full details about Elektra's Conductor Mentorship Program, please visit:

http://elektra.ca/index.php?article=mentor

Elektra gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Canada Council for the Arts, City of Vancouver, Government of British Columbia, CBC, LadnerBordenGervais, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation, Hamber Foundation, and Wolrige Foundation. Elektra also thanks its many generous individual donors and volunteers - their support makes us sing.

Opera.ca announces recipient of the 2009/10 National Opera Directors Recognition Award

8 December, 2009

SPONSORED BY BMO FINANCIAL GROUP

MS ALBERTA CEFIS OF OPERA ATELIER

Toronto, ON ��� Opera.ca, the national association for opera in Canada, is proud to announce the recipient of the Opera.ca National Opera Directors Recognition Program, Ms Alberta Cefis, Chair of the Board of Directors, for Opera Atelier. In its second year, this distinction, sponsored by BMO Financial Group, honours one opera board director annually for exemplary leadership and support on behalf of their opera company and the community they serve.

In acknowledging the dedication of board members across the country, the National Opera Directors Recognition Award highlights the tenets of good governance, celebrates models of volunteer excellence and raises the bar for board director commitment.

���BMO is pleased honour Ms Cefis as this year���s honouree of the National Opera Directors Recognition Award.��� said Nada Ristich, Senior Manager, Corporate Donations, at BMO Financial Group. ���As a supporter of many opera companies in Canada, BMO understands the critical role volunteer directors play in developing their local opera companies as cultural pillars in their community.���

���We are very proud that Alberta Cefis has been recognized with this award. Her dedication is matched by a genuine and passionate interest in opera and ballet,��� stated Marshall Pynkoski, Co-Artistic Director for Opera Atelier. ���She has led the company through very difficult times to a period of artistic creativity and financial and administrative stability that other companies only dream of.���

Pynkoski added that under Ms. Cefis��� leadership, the company has moved to a two-production subscription season in Toronto���s historic Elgin Theatre, selling up to 18,000 tickets a year, while continuing to tour every other year. The company���s budget is now approaching $2.5M and under Ms Cefis��� aegis, Opera Atelier has realized a 30% increase in subscriptions and a 27% increase in fundraising revenues in the last fiscal year.

���Opera.ca is delighted to be joining with BMO Financial Group in extending this honour to Ms Cefis who has played a vital role for Opera Atelier��� stated Christina Loewen, Executive Director for Opera.ca.

���Opera.ca places a high priority on the development of leadership capacity within the opera sector and Ms Cefis represents the impact that this leadership can have within the governance of an opera company.���

An Adjudication Committee oversees the selection process, choosing one recipient annually. This year���s Adjudication Committee was chaired by Opera.ca Board member, Monica Sloan, also past Chair of Calgary Opera. She was joined by Nada Ristich, Senior Manager, Corporate Donations, BMO Financial Group, Monette Malewski, an active business and community leader and president of ��cole Superieure de Ballet Contemporain de Montr��al, Kevin Patterson, General Director, Austin Lyric Opera and Rob Collins, inaugural recipient and past board member of the Canadian Opera Company.

Opera.ca member companies are eligible to nominate one director each year for the honour.

Opera.ca���s commitment to recognizing excellence in governance stems from a belief shared with sister association OPERA America, that the strength of an opera company is directly linked to the quality of governance demonstrated by its board members. OPERA America demonstrates this belief through their Annual National Opera Trustee Recognition Award, in which a single honouree is chosen from each of the four OPERA America budget levels.

Joining Ms Cefis in receiving this honour in February 2010 in New York City are OPERA America���s National Opera Trustee Recognition honourees for 2009/10.

About Opera.ca

Opera.ca is the national association for opera companies and professionals in Canada. It seeks to create and sustain an environment that makes opera central to Canadian life. 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.

About Opera Atelier

Opera Atelier is Canada���s premier baroque theatre company, dedicated to producing opera, ballet and drama from the 17th and 18th centuries. While drawing upon the aesthetics and ideals of the period, Opera Atelier goes beyond ���reconstruction��� and infuses each production with an inventive theatricality that resonates with modern audiences. For more than two decades, under the direction of founders Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, Opera Atelier has garnered acclaim for its performances at home as well as in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Sundance Channel Rises in Canada

Corus Entertainment to launch the celebrated brand March 1, 2010

TORONTO, Dec. 8 /CNW/ - Corus Entertainment (TSX:CJR.B, NYSE:CJR) and Rainbow Media today announced that they have finalized a licensing agreement that will enable Corus to add Sundance Channel to its portfolio of Canadian specialty services. Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel features a broad range of programming, from niche, genre-focused cinema to socially provocative films, documentaries and original series. Sundance Channel will launch on Monday, March 1, 2010.

"Sundance Channel is a unique movies and lifestyle channel that will provide a diverse and engaging selection of films, documentaries and original programs that are typically not offered by other services in Canada," said John Cassaday, President and CEO, Corus Entertainment. "Corus is proud of the opportunity to launch this world-renowned brand in Canada and enhance the quality and breadth of programming for our audiences."

Films on the network will include titles such as the 1984 John Sayles' urban fantasy comedy/sci-fi gem The Brother from Another Planet, Dae-wung Lim's horror picture Bloody Reunion and the American Film Theatre's film adaptations of stage plays such as The Iceman Cometh starring Jeff Bridges. Documentaries include Errol Morris' off-centre look at pet cemeteries in the acclaimed 1978 Gates of Heaven, Rupert Murray's exploration of the ocean crisis in The End of the Line and an entertaining look at a rapidly expanding musical subculture in Nerdcore Rising.

Original series will include Isabella Rossellini's critically acclaimed Green Porno, which takes a scientifically accurate yet extremely entertaining look at the reproductive habits of marine animals and other creatures; and The Lazy Environmentalist, which makes the case that helping the planet doesn't have to be hard.

Sundance Channel is available in Canada based on a licence agreement with Rainbow Media.

About Sundance Channel

Sundance Channel is the television destination for independent-minded viewers seeking something different. Sundance Channel offers audiences a diverse and engaging selection of films, documentaries, and original programs, including the critically-acclaimed original Iconoclasts and web series such as Isabella Rossellini's Green Porno. Under the creative direction of Robert Redford, Sundance Channel launched in 1996 and was acquired by Rainbow Media in 2008. Building on its success with the transactional On Demand platform, Rainbow Media launched Sundance Selects in 2009, an On Demand offering for feature documentary films.

About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC

Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media owns and operates some of the world's most popular and award-winning entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv, Wedding Central and IFC Entertainment (IFC Center, IFC Festival Direct, IFC Films, IFC In Theaters and IFC Productions). Additional information about Rainbow Media's multiplatform brands is available at www.rainbow-media.com.

About Corus Entertainment Inc.

Corus Entertainment Inc. is a Canadian-based media and entertainment company. Corus is a market leader in specialty television and radio with additional assets in pay television, advertising services, television broadcasting, children's book publishing and children's animation. The Company's multimedia entertainment brands include YTV, Treehouse, W Network, CosmoTV, VIVA, Movie Central, HBO Canada, Nelvana, Kids Can Press and radio stations including CKNW, CKOI and Q107. Corus creates engaging branded entertainment experiences for its audiences across multiple platforms. A publicly traded company, Corus is listed on the Toronto (CJR.B) and New York (CJR) exchanges. Experience Corus on the web at www.corusent.com.

Concours National de Cr��ation M��dia de Radio Canada International Racines Roots

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ST. MICHAEL���S CHOIR SCHOOL releases their 10th recording IN MIDNIGHT���S STILLNESS at this year���s 70th annual Christmas performance

Toronto, ON Monday, December 7, 2009

Just in time for Christmas, St. Michael���s Choir School announces the upcoming release of its 10^th recording. In Midnight���s Stillness is one of this celebrated choir���s most moving Christmas albums to date. With music ranging from sacred to secular this collection offers a host of traditional carols, sacred melodies and new contemporary Christmas favourites. In the hands of the Choir School conductors Jerzy Cichocki, Caron Daley and Teri Dunn, along with the choristers of the Elementary, Junior and Senior choirs, these timeless Christmas melodies are fresh, interesting, and soaring with jubilation. Special guest artist, award-winning quintet the True North Brass adds a special festive sparkle throughout the glorious new recording.

In Midnight���s Stillness takes its name from the breathtaking traditional Polish carol, ���W��r��d Nocnej Ciszy���. Arranged by St. Michael���s Choir School���s Artistic Director, Dr. Jerzy Cichocki, ���In Midnight���s Stillness��� displays the lyrical beauty and charm of Polish folklore. Other musicians featured on this exceptional recording include St. Michael���s Choir School alumnus Dr. Kola Owolabi, who contributed several striking compositions including the award-winning ���Hodie Christus natus est���, a setting of a Christmas antiphon stylistically reminiscent of the double choir motets of Heinrich Sch��tz; and a festive arrangement of ���Joy to the World��� written for CBC Radio���s 1997 Christmas Sing-In. Kola���s brother Kunle Owolabi contributed the beautiful piece ���Medieval Carol���, which he penned at the remarkable age of 15.

In Midnight���s Stillness is dedicated to Monsignor Thomas Barrett Armstrong, a priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto, a graduate of St. Michael's Choir School and former Director of Music of this world-renowned institution. Although he passed away on November 14, 2009, Monsignor Armstrong���s contributions to music will never be forgotten. Included in this recording is Monsignor���s rich, reverent and soaring setting of ���To One That is So Fair and Bright���. This setting of the XV^th century Marian text is a wonderful tribute to the memory of Monsignor Armstrong.

The release of In Midnight���s Stillness will coincide with St. Michael���s Choir School���s 70^th annual Christmas concert Sing We No��l, No��l We Sing at Massey Hall on Friday, December 11^th and Saturday December 12, 2009. Tickets are $36.50 - $22.50 and can be purchased by calling 416-872-4255 or by visiting the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office, 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto, www.masseyhall.com. The CD will be available for purchase at these concerts, and from the school by calling 416-398-5518, or by visiting the school���s website at www.smcs.on.ca.

About St. Michael���s Choir School

Founded in 1937 with the purpose of providing sacred music for services at St. Michael���s Cathedral in downtown Toronto, St. Michael���s Choir School is a centre for musical and academic excellence. It is one of only six choir schools in the world affiliated with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. Each student admitted to the Choir School is trained in vocal, technical, and instrumental music, and sings in one of the school���s choirs.

Balancing the sacred and the secular is customary for the school. St. Michael���s Choir School is not only known for its music program, but also academic achievement, consistently ranking at the top of Fraser Institute surveys. For seventy years, graduates of the Choir School have pursued studies in science, education, medicine, law, and business and, of course, music. In the last group are the Crew Cuts and Four Lads of the 1950s and present-day musical artists Michael Schade, John McDermott, Stewart Goodyear, Kevin Hearn (of The Barenaked Ladies), Robert Pomakov, Matt Dusk, Michael Colvin, Claude Morrison (of The Nylons), and Michael Burgess.

In addition to the annual Christmas concert, the choirs perform publicly in an annual tour and at many local events. Dignitaries such as His Holiness Pope John Paul II, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chr��tien have enjoyed the choir���s performances. For more information: www.smcs.on.ca.

Massey Hall, Friday, December 11, 2009, 8 PM and Saturday, December 12, 2009, 3 PM.

Tickets: $36.50���$22.50 - Call 416-872-4255 or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

www.masseyhall.com

Casse-Noisette de Tcha��kovski et le Messie de Haendel au cin��ma Beaubien �� compter du 12 d��cembre

Montr��al, 7 d��cembre 2009 ��� Juste avant les F��tes, profitez d���un ��v��nement unique organis�� au Cin��ma Beaubien pour enchanter vos yeux et vos oreilles. D��s le 12 d��cembre prochain, quittez votre salon et venez assister dans les fauteuils de votre cin��ma de quartier, aux captations de deux spectacles exceptionnels accessibles uniquement en salle. Venez ��blouir vos sens avec Casse-Noisette de Tcha��kovski et le magnifique Messie de Haendel. Enregistr��s cette ann��e en Angleterre, dans deux lieux mythiques, le Covent Garden de Londres et la chapelle du King���s College de l���universit�� Cambridge, ces deux ��v��nements sont indispensables �� la magie du temps des f��tes.

Connu de tous, Casse-Noisette fait partie de ces ��uvres qui font scintiller les yeux des enfants comme les lumi��res multicolores du sapin r��jouissent leurs c��urs. Conte musical merveilleux avec ses personnages magiques, ses costumes magnifiques et sa musique entra��nante, Casse-Noisette est ��galement une ��uvre qui fascine par ses chor��graphies majestueuses. Cette r��cente production, mont��e par le tr��s prestigieux Royal Ballet de Londres, s���inspire de la chor��graphie originale de Lev Ivanov, tout en l���actualisant dans un ��blouissement de couleurs somptueuses et un festoiement de mouvements ��l��gants.

Nous rappelant l���origine sacr��e de la f��te de No��l, Le Messie de Haendel est l���une des ��uvres les plus connues du compositeur allemand. Centr�� sur les diff��rents ��v��nements de la vie du Christ, cet oratorio est une occasion unique de profiter de l���acoustique extraordinaire de la chapelle du King���s College de Cambrige. Ce concert du prestigieux Ch��ur du King���s College offre l���occasion exceptionnelle d���couter cinq solistes de classe internationale dans une ��uvre majeure de l���art lyrique et religieux. Un moment de gr��ce �� ne pas manquer.

Salle de r��pertoire et de quartier, le cin��ma Beaubien poursuit la vocation des visionnaires d��sireux de rendre l���art accessible �� tous. Soucieux d���offrir �� son public les meilleures conditions de projection, le cin��ma Beaubien, dont les salles ont ��t�� r��cemment r��nov��es, propose de nouvelle mani��re d���aller au cin��ma et de d��couvrir une programmation diff��rente gr��ce �� un nouvel ��quipement audiovisuel de l���re num��rique. �� compter du 12 d��cembre, venez d��couvrir ces rencontres d���un nouveau type o�� les arts de la performance dialoguent avec le 7e Art.

CASSE-NOISETTE

Samedi 12 d��cembre, 13 h Jeudi 17 d��cembre, 13 h

Samedi 19 d��cembre, 13 h Jeudi 24 d��cembre, 13 h

Samedi 26 d��cembre, 13 h

LE MESSIE

Dimanche 13 d��cembre, 13 h Mercredi 16 d��cembre, 13 h

Dimanche 20 d��cembre, 13 h Mercredi 23 d��cembre, 13 h

Dimanche 25 d��cembre, 13 h

Adultes : 12,50 $ ��tudiants : 10 $

65 ans et plus : 10 $ Enfants de moins de 12 ans : 8 $

AUCUN laissez-passer, cin��-carte ou coupon rabais. Les billets seront en vente �� la billetterie du Cin��ma seulement. Aucune r��servation. Aucune place r��serv��e: premier arriv��, premier assis.

Rencontres Inattendues �� l'Agora de la Danse

Montr��al, le 15 d��cembre 2009 ��� Une nouvelle saison audacieuse voit le jour �� l���Agora de la danse o�� nous vous proposons le parfait ��quilibre entre jeunes chor��graphes, talents confirm��s, productions qu��b��coises, canadiennet internationales. Leur point commun ? L���originalit�� et les rencontres inattendues !

Du 20 au 23 janvier 2010, Pierre Lecours pr��sente Les steppes. C'est la Sib��rie... et c'est quelque part aux confins de notre conscience. Les personnages sont���ils r��v��s, v��cus, pr��sents, en devenir ? Fid��le �� lui���m��me, le chor��graphe emprunte au th����tre : parler comme danser, babiller, bavarder, balbutier, psalmodier, soliloquer, chuchoter, d��clamer, hurler. �� la musique, aux mouvements des danseurs se m��lent des bribes de causeries, des brins de jasettes, loufoques, insens��es, des lambeaux de confidences. Des steppes... quelque part en nous.

L���incontournable Margie Gillis, quant �� elle, nous invite �� d��couvrir Filatures du 28 au 30 janvier et du 4 au 6 f��vrier 2010. Filature : usine o�� on fabrique le fil, o�� on pr��pare les liens d'un ��ventuel tissage... mais aussi action de suivre quelqu'un, de l'��pier. Margie Gillis suit la piste d'une trame essentielle dans sa rencontre avec l'��me humaine et nous guide dans une exploration de nos propres m��andres. Au moyen d'une structure toute... textile, dont le proc��d�� narratif ��voque celui de la tapisserie ou de la courtepointe, la danseuse et chor��graphe nous am��ne �� prendre conscience que les liens qui ��toffent nos vies pars��ment souvent des trajectoires autiques que plurielles.

ssi ��clecPuis du 25 au 27 f��vrier 2010, Gina Gibney dans View Partially Obstructed provoque une r��flexion r��elle et originale sur les liens qui unissent les ��tres, r��v��ler ce que c'est qu'��tre humain. Que savons���nous de la r��alit�� ? �� quoi pr��tons���nous attention ? L'artiste new���yorkaise s'interroge sur une ��vidente contradiction de l'��tre humain : nous savons que notre perception du r��el nous est personnelle, mais nous pensons n��anmoins avoir une vue d'ensemble de ce que nous sommes, de ce que les autres sont et du monde en g��n��ral, malgr�� des informations tronqu��es et d��natur��es. Cette oeuvre d'une femme engag��e, paradoxalement brute et raffin��e, exige de ses interpr��tes �� la fois de la concentration, de la force et de la virtuosit��. Elle nous est pr��sent��e en premi��re canadienne. Des danseurs exceptionnels, une musique originale, des projections visuelles audacieuses... Un spectacle total, d'une rare intensit��.

Par la suite, du 10 au 13 mars 2010, Bodies to Bodies III (Les chemins de traverse Metz) de la chor��graphe Isabelle Van Grimde nous m��ne par des voies d��tourn��es mais combien lumineuses �� consid��rer d'un regard neuf la relation qui para��t si ��vidente entre la musique et la danse. Avec une virtuosit�� hors du commun, elle d��construit le son et le geste, entra��ne danseurs et musiciens en d'improbables improvisations qui laissent le spectateur pantois... et ravi. Elle en tire une oeuvre primale marqu��e par la tension qui existe entre gestuelle architecturale et pulsions ��l��mentaires des corps : une rencontre chor��graphique et musicale charnelle et ��lectrisante. Une intrigante aventure �� suivre de pr��s !

Avec Nu, pr��sent�� du 18 au 20 mars 2010, le chor��graphe Harold Rh��aume, traite de la vuln��rabilit�� de l'��tre et de la complexe g��om��trie des relations humaines. Il y a dans Nu une charge ��motive �� laquelle on ne peut rester indiff��rents, avec en filigrane une lueur, un espoir qui permet de croire que les guerres, les scandales, le cynisme ambiant, les drames et les mis��res auront une fin. Harold Rh��aume ne nie pas la r��alit��. Il croit simplement en la force de l'art et en celle de l'��me. Nu est une oeuvre belle, accessible et ��mouvante : on est touch��s, on vit un plaisir esth��tique apaisant. Le chor��graphe nous convie �� une rencontre inoubliable, �� un moment d'intimit�� riche, d'une d��licate sensualit��.

Enfin CockPit du chor��graphe Wen Wei Wang du 21 au 24 avril 2010, nous plonge dans une r��alit�� qui a ��t�� le lot des ��l��ves de pensionnats, il n'y a pas si longtemps. Le chor��graphe installe dans un inconfortable huis clos quatre gar��ons et les fait jouer �� des jeux qui risquent de g��n��rer de la violence... ou d'attiser le d��sir. Mais, ��galement et toujours, une femme... Qui enivre, s��duit, contrarie... R��ve ou r��alit�� ? Le sujet abord�� est explosif. L'humour tr��s fin, tr��s nuanc�� de Wen Wei Wang se traduit dans l'utilisation tour �� tour dramatique et sensuelle des corps des interpr��tes, prolong��s de longues plumes de paons qui ajoutent au mouvement souplesse et couleur, ampleur et po��sie. Ces accessoires sont un rappel de la tradition de l'op��ra chinois. Ils y ��taient l'apanage des seigneurs de la guerre. L'objet demeure, la signification
change. CockPit... une oeuvre intense, qui laisse sa marque...

Dans l���esprit d���ouverture qui caract��rise l���Agora de la danse, nous vous invitons �� d��couvrir en parall��le au Laboratoire de l���Agora de la danse deux expositions d���art actuel o�� le paysage et la nature sont �� l���honneur :

CONTES ET R��CITS de Luc Bergeron, du 20 janvier au 6 f��vrier 2010. Voir, explorer, vivre, r��inventer le paysage. Apr��s une longue fr��quentation de l'art abstrait, Luc Bergeron s'adonne, �� sa fa��on, �� une v��ritable interpr��tation du monde mat��riel. Le paysage devient l'objet d'une minutieuse ��tude : du microscopique �� l'immensit�� de l'horizon, du bourgeonnement biologique �� l'apparente immobilit�� de la situation g��ographique. D��voilement de lumi��res intimes, mais aussi approche nouvelle de la repr��sentation et du traitement pictural, la nouvelle mani��re de l'artiste ouvre large la voie �� l'interpr��tation.

NATURALIA de Monique Mongeau, du 25 f��vrier au 20 mars 2010. Monique Mongeau cueille, collectionne et classifie les sp��cimens v��g��taux avec l'obsession du botaniste. Pas tant pour nommer, cataloguer, conserver que pour d��celer dans la fibre v��g��tale l'itin��raire qui m��ne �� l'homme. Retrouver la trace du temps. Renouer avec la fragilit�� de l'��tre. Retenir de la nature une silhouette symbolique. Faire de l'oeuvre une repr��sentation d��pouill��e de tout contexte narratif, une ic��ne silencieuse de la vie. La m��moire. �� quoi s'ajoutent le mouvement et l'��lan, v��ritables moyens de transcender le r��el et d'acc��der �� l'universel, toutes scories disparues. Le Laboratoire de l���Agora est ouvert de 19h30 �� 22h les soirs de repr��sentation au Studio.

Bianse \ www.agoradanse.com

Renseignements et r��servation
Billetterie de l���Agora danse (840, rue de la Cherrier, m��tro Sherbrooke) \ 514.525.1500
R��seau Admission \ 514.790.1245

Mus��e en Musique

ALTITUDES : MUSIQUES NOUVELLES
POUR CONTRE-T��NOR ET CORDES
PAR ERREUR DE TYPE 27 (E27)

Qu��bec, le mardi 8 d��cembre 2009 �� �� l���occasion de l���exposition Emporte-moi/Sweep me off my feet, le Mus��e national des beaux-arts du Qu��bec pr��sente le concert Altitudes : musiques nouvelles pour contre-t��nor et cordes.

Plusieurs ��uvres musicales de compositeurs ��tablis tels Andr�� Pr��vost, Bruce Mather et Gavin Bryars sont propos��es. D���autres compositions cr����es autour du th��me des grands sentiments amoureux par deux ��tudiants �� la ma��trise en composition musicale �� l���Universit�� Laval, Mathieu Dumont et Genevi��ve Dupuis, compl��teront la pr��sentation.

Avec : Jean-Fran��ois Gagn��, contre-t��nor et altiste, accompagn�� de M��lanie Charlebois, violoniste, Marie-Claude Perron, altiste, et Rapha��l Dub��, violoncelliste.
Dimanche 13 d��cembre, 14 h
15 $ (Abonn��s-Amis et ��tudiants : 12 $)
L���admission au concert donne acc��s �� toutes les expositions en cours au Mus��e.
Sous la direction artistique de Marie-H��l��ne Breault, Erreur de type 27 (E27) s���investit dans la promotion de lamusique contemporaine dans la r��gion de Qu��bec. E27 propose une grande vari��t�� de concerts, d���v��nements musicaux et d���activit��s p��dagogiques autour d���une programmation alliant l���improvisation et les classiques du XXe si��cle.

R��SERVATIONS ET RENSEIGNEMENTS (grand public) :
418 643-2150 ou 1 866 220-2150 / www.mnba.qc.ca

L���exposition d���art contemporain Emporte-moi/Sweep me off my feet est pr��sent��e au Mus��e national des beaux-arts du Qu��bec jusqu���au 13 d��cembre 2009.
Fier partenaire de la programmation culturelle DIMANCHE 13 D��CEMBRE, 14 H

The WSO Spreads the Joy of the Season Through Share the Music Program!

Winnipeg, MB ��� December 7, 2009 ���The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) was excited to spread holiday cheer this season with the sold-out presentation of Raymond Briggs��� heart-warming film, The Snowman, conducted by Richard Lee. Through the WSO���s Share the Music Program, the WSO provided over 300 tickets at no cost to families that would otherwise not be able to attend this symphony concert. The following organizations were the recipients of the Share the Music tickets: Adult EAL Program, Winnipeg School Division Association for Community Living, Beausejour Branch Behavioural Health Foundation Inc. Big Brothers & Sisters of Winnipeg Canadian Mental Health Association, Winnipeg Region Community Living Winnipeg Doray Enterprises Inc. Event Horizon Planning Inc. Immigrant Centre of Winnipeg Independent Living Resource Centre Jewish Child & Family Services L���Arche Winnipeg, Inc. Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc. Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba Native Women���s Transition Centre Point Douglas Residents Committee Ronald McDonald House Simaril Inc. Society for Manitobans with Disabilities - Adult Leisure & Recreation Teulon & Area Advocates for Active Living Inc. University of Manitoba Access Program Voices: Manitoba���s Youth in Care (Winnipeg Boys & Girls Club) Winnipeg Child & Family Services ���For more than a decade, the WSO has provided concert tickets to more than 30 organizations allowing disadvantaged children and families to experience the magical world of symphonic music,��� says Carol Cassels, WSO Development Manager. ���Providing the opportunity to see and hear live music being performed, opening their eyes to new sights and sounds and exposing them to a genre of music they might never hear otherwise, helps to enrich our community. As well, our exceptional musicians are wonderful role models for young people and inspire many to pursue music in their own lives. We are very grateful to our patrons and sponsors who have enriched our community by supporting our Share the Music program.��� This holiday season families got to enjoy The Snowman. The charming tale of the little boy James who builds a snowman ��� only to have it come to life ��� brought the audience to its feet when the WSO performed Howard Blake���s magical soundtrack score live to the film yesterday. Soprano Andrea Macasaet was the vocal highlight of The Snowman, singing its famous song Walking in the Air. Macasaet, a 15-year old Grade 10 student at Garden City Collegiate in Winnipeg, was a finalist for YTV and CMT���s ���Karoke Star Jr��� and the 2009 Grand Champion of Red River Ex���s Stars of Tomorrow. For Sunday���s concert, CBC TV���s Janet Stewart narrated three favourite fables of Aesop in Anthony Plog���s engaging settings with orchestra. Janet is well known for her contributions to the community having served as the Honorary Chairperson of Easter Seals and the Parkinson Society of Manitoba. Pre-concert activities began at 1 pm with crafts, rhythm ensembles, a conducting station, and more, in partnership with the Music For Young Children program! Share the Music is a unique partnership with other Winnipeg organizations that enables economically disadvantaged children, adults and their families to attend WSO performances. Because of the generous donations by corporations and individuals, more than 3000 tickets are provided to organizations across the province each year. These organizations distribute the tickets free of charge to people they know want to hear the orchestra, but simply could not afford it.

Victoria Philharmonic Choir - Family Christmas Carol Sing-Along Concert

Music Director: Peter Butterfield

Guest organist: Nicholas Fairbank

Tuesday, December 22, 7:00 pm, Church of St. John the Divine

1611 Quadra St., Victoria, BC

It���s the essence of a Christmas celebration: entire families from babies to grandparents together in a lovely old church, singing beloved and familiar carols along with an excellent choir and majestic organ accompaniment.

For VPC music director Peter Butterfield, it���s all about creating a joyous musical experience that���s family-friendly and accessible. ���If little children want to come up front and help me conduct, I make that happen,��� he says.

The audience gets to sing along on traditional pieces such as O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and See Amid the Winter���s Snow, as the 40-member Victoria Philharmonic Choir adds gorgeous harmonies and soaring descants.

The choir, on its own, will perform some more complex and perhaps less familiar short works, including: ���Of the Father���s Love Begotten���, with text by a 5^th century Roman poet and a vocal line that recalls plainchant; the Basque hymn, ���The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came���, Morten Lauridsen���s mystical setting of ���O Magnum Mysterium���, a four-part unaccompanied setting of Blake���s ���The Lamb��� by John Tavener (the contemporary composer, not the 16^th century one!) and ���The Shepherds��� Farewell���, from L���Enfance du Christ, Op. 25, by Berlioz.

Guest performer is Nicholas Fairbank, prize-winning organist and composer.

Peter Butterfield began organizing family sing-along carol concerts with his choir, VancouverVoices, at St. Helen���s Church in Point Grey about 5 years ago, and they���ve quickly become a hugely popular ��� even sold-out ��� event.

While there should be some tickets available on concert night at the door of St. John the Divine, it���s advisable to purchase advance tickets from Ivy���s Books, Cadboro Bay Books or Long & McQuade Music in Victoria, or Tanner���s Books in Sidney.

Tickets are $20 adult, $15 student/senior. Children 12 & under will be admitted free with an adult, but MUST have their own tickets.

More information: www.vpchoir.ca

Hi-res photos of VP Choir & Peter Butterfield may be downloaded from the website media page, or e-mailed to you.

Media contact: Sherry Lepage, volunteer publicist 250.598.6433 or sherrylepage@shaw.ca

And in other news�Ķ We can now confirm that the Victoria Symphony Orchestra will be playing the Victoria Philharmonic Choir���s performance of Bach���s monumental sacred work, the St. Matthew Passion, on March 27, 2010 at St. Andrew���s Cathedral. Soloists will be announced in the New Year.

Wigmore Hall Live Releases New CD

SIMON KEENLYSIDE, BARITONE, AND MALCOLM MARTINEAU, PIANO, PERFORM WORKS BY FAUR��, RAVEL, WOLF AND SCHUBERT

���Everything that happens in your life - the good and the bad - is somewhere in my box of song texts or lieder or French song," said Simon Keenlyside in an interview with The Guardian in 2007. In two Wigmore Hall recitals with Malcolm Martineau in October 2008, he covered considerable musical, thematic and emotional ground with a selection of songs by Schubert (including two of the most famous, An Silvia and St��ndchen), six of Wolf���s M��rike-Lieder, settings of Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine and other, lesser-known French poets by Faur��, and Ravel���s five whimsical and discreetly anthropomorphic animal portraits, Histoires naturelles. Mr. Keenlyside���s Wigmore Hall recital of 26 October 2008 is now available on a new Wigmore Hall Live recording (catalogue no. WHLive0031).

The contents of the CD are as follows:

FRANZ SCHUBERT

An Silvia �Ģ Einsiedelei �Ģ Verkl��rung �Ģ Die Sterne �Ģ Himmelsfunken �Ģ St��ndchen

HUGO WOLF

Der Knabe und das Immelein �Ģ Gesang Weyla���s �Ģ An die Geliebte

Auf eine Christblume II �Ģ Lied eines Verliebten �Ģ Lied vom Winde

GABRIEL FAUR��

Aubade �Ģ En sourdine �Ģ Green �Ģ Notre amour �Ģ Fleur jet��e

Spleen �Ģ Madrigal �Ģ Le papillon et la fleur

MAURICE RAVEL

Histoires naturelles (Le paon, Le grillon, Le cygnet, Le martin-p��cheur, La pintade)

(encore announcement)

FRANCIS POULENC

H��tel

Total CD timing: 74:08

BBC Music Magazine has described Mr. Keenlyside as ���the greatest lyric baritone of our time, indeed one of the greatest of any time. He submerges his personality in the roles he portrays, and does it with virtually unique insight and completeness. Everything is built, however, on superb breath control and a remarkable capacity for colouring the voice, combined with flawless legato, the principles underlying all great singing.��� While the subject there was a recording of operatic arias, the same praise could apply to Mr. Keenlyside in recital: he is thought of as an artist who does not self-consciously impose his interpretation on a song or on the audience; he subtly allows the words and the notes to speak for themselves.

SIMON KEENLYSIDE Simon Keenlyside was born in London, studied zoology at Cambridge and singing at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

He made his operatic debut at the Hamburg State Opera as Count Almaviva (Le Nozze di Figaro). He has since sung in Geneva (Hamlet and Pell��as), Zurich (Don Giovanni), Barcelona (Don Giovanni and Hamlet), Madrid (Posa), San Francisco (Pell��as), Sydney (Figaro), Berlin (Figaro), Brussels (Orfeo), Paris (Papageno, Pell��as, Guglielmo, Yeletsky, Dandini and Wozzeck), Vienna (Eugene Onegin, Figaro, Marcello, Count Almaviva, Billy Budd, Don Giovanni, Papageno and Posa), Munich (Marcello, Count Almaviva and Wolfram), Tokyo (Don Giovanni with La Monnaie and Wolfram with the Bayerische Staatsoper), at the Metropolitan Opera, New York (Belcore, Marcello, Papageno and Count Almaviva), the Salzburg Festival (Guglielmo and Papageno) and Salzburg Easter Festival (Pell��as), La Scala, Milan (Papageno and Count Almaviva under Muti), in Ferrara (Don Giovanni under Abbado), and at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (Billy Budd under Hickox; Count Almaviva and Ford under Haitink; Don Giovanni under Mackerras; Valentin, Pell��as and Posa under Pappano; Belcore, Marcello, Guglielmo under Colin Davis; Papageno under Colin Davis and Mackerras; Hamlet under Langr��e; Prospero in the world premiere of The Tempest under Ad��s; and Oreste under Bolton). For Billy Budd at the English National Opera and Winston in the world premiere of 1984 at the Royal Opera House, he won the 2006 Olivier Award for outstanding achievement in opera. In 2007 he was given the ECHO Klassik award for male Singer of the Year.

He will return to the Vienna State Opera (Macbeth), Metropolitan Opera (Hamlet) and the Royal Opera House (Posa, Macbeth).

Mr. Keenlyside enjoys extensive concert work, appearing with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe under Abbado, Berlin Philharmonic under Abbado, City of Birmingham Symphony under Rattle, London Symphony Orchestra under Colin Davis, Philharmonia Orchestra under von Dohn��nyi and Sawallisch, Cleveland Orchestra under Welser-Moest, Vienna Philharmonic under Muti, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra under Mackerras, and the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra under Welser-Moest.

Simon Keenlyside has appeared in recital in New York, San Francisco, Lisbon, Geneva, Moscow, Paris, Amsterdam, Ferrara, Rome, Brussels, London, Graz, the Edinburgh, Aldeburgh, Salzburg, Munich and Schwarzenberg Schubertiade Festivals, at La Scala Milan, and both the Konzerthaus and Musikverein in Vienna. He sang in Trisha Brown���s choreographed Winterreise at the Holland, Mostly Mozart (New York), Lucerne and Melbourne Festivals, at the Barbican, London and La Monnaie, Brussels.

For EMI he has recorded two recital discs with Malcolm Martineau, of Schubert and Strauss, and - for Hyperion - a disc of Schumann lieder with Graham Johnson. He has also recorded Des Knaben Wunderhorn under Rattle for EMI, the title role in Don Giovanni under Abbado for DG, Carmina Burana under Thielemann for DG, Marcello in La Boh��me under Chailly for Decca, the title role in Billy Budd under Hickox, Papageno in The Magic Flute under Mackerras for Chandos and Count Almaviva in the Grammy�� award-winning Le Nozze di Figaro under Jacobs for Harmonia Mundi. For Sony BMG he has released an orchestral arias disc which won the Gramophone 2007 best recital award, and an operetta disc with Angelika Kirchschlager.

Mr. Keenlyside���s appearances in New York City during the 2009-10 season include a solo recital in Alice Tully Hall (28 February 2010) and the title role in a new production of Ambroise Thomas���s Hamlet at the Metropolitan Opera (16 March ��� 9 April 2010).

MALCOLM MARTINEAU
Malcolm Martineau was born in Edinburgh, read music at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and studied at the Royal College of Music.

Recognized as one of the leading accompanists of his generation, he has worked with many of the world���s greatest singers, including Sir Thomas Allen, Dame Janet Baker, Olaf B��r, Barbara Bonney, Ian Bostridge, Angela Gheorghiu, Susan Graham, Thomas Hampson, Della Jones, Simon Keenlyside, Angelika Kirchschlager, Magdalena Ko��en��, Solveig Kringelborn, Jonathan Lemalu, Dame Felicity Lott, Christopher Maltman, Karita Mattila, Lisa Milne, Ann Murray, Anna Netrebko, Anne Sofie von Otter, Joan Rodgers, Amanda Roocroft, Michael Schade, Frederica von Stade, Bryn Terfel and Sarah Walker.

Malcolm Martineau has presented his own series at St. John���s, Smith Square (the complete songs of Debussy and Poulenc), Wigmore Hall (a Britten and a Poulenc series broadcast by the BBC) and at the Edinburgh Festival (the complete lieder of Hugo Wolf). He has appeared throughout Europe (including London���s Wigmore Hall, Barbican, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Royal Opera House; La Scala, Milan; the Ch��telet, Paris; the Liceu, Barcelona; Berlin���s Philharmonie and Konzerthaus; Amsterdam���s Concertgebouw; and the Vienna Konzerthaus and Musikverein), North America (including New York���s Alice Tully Hall and Carnegie Hall), Australia (including the Sydney Opera House) and at the Aix���en���Provence, Vienna, Edinburgh, Schubertiade, Munich and Salzburg Festivals.

Recording projects have included Schubert, Schumann and English song recitals with Bryn Terfel for DG; Schubert and Strauss recitals with Simon Keenlyside for EMI; recital recordings with Angela Gheorghiu and Barbara Bonney for Decca, Magdalena Ko��en�� for DG, Della Jones for Chandos, Susan Bullock for Crear Classics, Solveig Kringelborn for NMA and Amanda Roocroft for Onyx; the complete Faur�� songs with Sarah Walker and Tom Krause for CRD; the complete Britten Folk Songs for Hyperion; and the complete Beethoven Folk Songs for DG.

This season���s engagements include appearances with Sir Thomas Allen, Susan Graham, Simon Keenlyside, Angelika Kirchschlager, Magdalena Ko��en��, Dame Felicity Lott, Christopher Maltman, Kate Royal, Michael Schade, and Bryn Terfel.

Mr. Martineau was given an honorary doctorate at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2004, and appointed International Fellow of Accompaniment in 2009.

The Daily Miracle

written by David Sherman

directed by Guy Sprung

January 26 - Feb. 14

Previews Jan. 26 & 27

Opening Night Thursday Jan. 28

Bain St-Michel

5300, rue St-Dominique

Box Office

(514) 987 - 1774

box-office@infinitheatre.com

www.infinitheatre.com

SYNOPSIS: Marty's back to work after suffering a nervous breakdown; Elizabeth's daughter is sick at home with a babysitter; Carrie uses all her charms to impress as she dreams of a job in television while Benjamin is just trying to get the paper out, all overseen by the ghosts of an industry that used to be. It's another night on the news desk, where a few battle-scarred, overworked copy editors wrestle with fractured syntax and crushed ideals to get the next edition out in the shadow of a marathon corporate management meeting. Tempers frayed from layoffs, cutbacks and corroded ambitions; it's a miracle they can get the paper out at all. A miracle that happens every day.

BIO: David Sherman is a journalist, screenwriter and playwright and former playwright in residence at the Centaur Theatre. He has worked at The Montreal Star and The Gazette as a copy boy, music critic, feature writer, reporter and lastly, as a copy editor. He began writing The Daily Miracle a few years ago while he was working as an editor on the news desk at The Gazette. The play, The Daily Miracle, is a work of fiction, as are the characters, but the true strains and stress of working the desk in today's deteriorating newspaper industry are stranger than fiction.

A Leahy Family Christmas with the NAC Orchestra takes to the stage on December 18 in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre

Additional seats now available due to audience demand!

OTTAWA, December 7, 2009 ��� A Leahy Family Christmas with the NAC Orchestra ��� a unique holiday concert during the NAC���s 40^th Anniversary season ��� unites Canadian musical powerhouse family Leahy with conductor St��phane Laforest, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir, under the direction of Kevin Reeves. A Leahy Family Christmas with the NAC Orchestra will be performed in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on Friday December 18 at 7 p.m. (please note early curtain time). This concert has been in such demand with music-lovers that the front rows of Southam Hall have been slightly reconfigured, adding over 100 seats to the hall���s capacity. Tickets for these seats are available now.

The eight award-winning brothers and sisters of Leahy have been making music together their entire lives. This year, they invite you to join them for A Leahy Family Christmas with the NAC Orchestra -- where you���ll feel just like one of the gang at a festive family gathering back home in Lakefield, Ontario. The step-dancing, fiddle-playing, song-singing Leahy family, together with the NAC Orchestra and the Ottawa Regional Youth Choir, promise a full spectrum of Christmas music, from sacred hymns and slow airs to fiery Celtic tunes and best-loved carols. It���s sure to be an exhilarating Christmas adventure!

Embarking on this tour gives the members of Leahy the chance to share a bit of the enchantment of the Christmas season that began when they were children and still continues today. Family Christmas traditions included not only honoring the sacredness of the season, but also partaking of good food, the company of family and friends ��� and, always, copious amounts of music. A Leahy Family Christmas with the NAC Orchestra offers audiences a peek in the window of the Leahy home to experience a bit of the magic of the season for themselves.

The Leahy family consists of Donnell (fiddle), Doug (fiddle), Angus (fiddle), Frank Jr. (drums), Siobheann (bass, vocals, dance), Denise (guitar, vocals, dance), Maria (guitar, vocals, dance), and Erin (piano, vocals, dance). Leahy will focus their set-list mainly on Christmas favourites and original seasonal pieces as well as typical Leahy fare that audiences have come to love. The concert will feature selections such as A Christmas Festival, The Huron Christmas Carol, Christmas in Killarney, and a special Christmas sing-along medley.

On recent tours, audiences have learned that these instrumentalists, singers, and dancers bring a rare level of originality and musicianship to the stage. This originality includes music that Leahy writes, arranges, and produces. Known for their unique blend of musical styles and genres, their repertoire is more distinct than ever. The band���s four acclaimed CDs ��� Leahy, Lakefield, In All Things, and Live ��� have world-wide sales of over half a million copies. Leahy is now in the process of recording their fifth CD, due out in 2010. Pure and authentic ��� Leahy continues to be one of Canada���s most sought after exports.

A Leahy Family Christmas with the NAC Orchestra will be performed in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on Friday December 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $19, $29, $40, $52, $62, $70 and $81 for adults and $10.75, $15.75, $21.25, $27.25, $32.25, $35.75, and $41.75 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card). Tickets are available at the NAC Box Office (in person) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111; Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC���s website www.nac-cna.ca.

Subject to availability, full-time students (aged 13-29) with valid Live Rush�Ѣ membership may buy up to 2 tickets per performance at the discount price of $11 per ticket. Tickets are available online (www.nac-cna.ca) or at the NAC box office from 10 a.m. on the day before the performance until 6 p.m. on the day of the show or 2 hours before a matinee. Groups of 10 or more save 15% to 20% off regular ticket prices to all NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances; to reserve your seats, call Julie Laroche at 613-947-7000, ext. 634 or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca.

For additional information, visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca

Acclaimed conductor Trevor Pinnock returns to the National Arts Centre to lead the NAC Orchestra and gifted soloists in Handel���s Messiah

on December 15-16 in Southam Hall

OTTAWA, December 3, 2009 ���An undisputed highlight of the NAC���s 40^th Anniversary season, Handel���s Messiah will be performed at 7 p.m. (please note early curtain time) in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on Tuesday December 15 and Wednesday December 16.

The NAC Orchestra will be under the baton of conductor Trevor Pinnock. Soloists performing this treasured holiday classic will be radiant soprano Geraldine McGreevy; Marie-Nicole Lemieux, a Canadian contralto known for the richness, warmth and resonance of her voice; Canadian tenor Benjamin Butterfield, famous for his absolutely gorgeous voice and total musicality; and rising star Robert Gleadow, hailed for the rare beauty of his supple bass-baritone. They will be joined by the Cantata Singers of Ottawa and Seventeen Voyces.

Trevor Pinnock is a renowned British conductor and harpsichordist. Mr. Pinnock was also artistic director and principal conductor of the NAC Orchestra from 1991 to 1996. As Steven Mazey wrote in the Ottawa Citizen on November 14, 2009 ����Ķ[Pinnock] seems to have a special feeling for Handel���s Messiah�Ķ. His recording of the piece has been widely praised as among the best versions available, and his Ottawa performances of Messiah have been memorable. �Ķin 2004, music critic Richard Todd praised [Pinnock���s performances] as ���the most refined and musical Messiah to grace Southam Hall in many years. Pinnock���s sense of the music���s shape and proportion would be hard to find in another conductor, and he found beauty in many details that normally flow by unnoticed.���

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) ��� whom Beethoven called ���the greatest composer that ever lived��� ��� was arguably the most cosmopolitan and versatile theatrical composer of the Baroque period. He was born and trained in Germany, achieved mastery and success in every musical genre while in Italy, and then settled for nearly five decades in England, during which time he assimilated all those nation���s musical styles and specialised in operas and oratorios.

Messiah was first performed in Dublin in 1742. It immediately won huge popular success and has become the most performed and recorded and listened-to choral work in the repertoire. The popularity of Messiah is not difficult to explain. Musical scholars note the spaciousness in Handel���s music, the dramatic silences, and the stirring contrast.. Handel���s music often blends different styles, including English church music, the German Passion-music tradition, and the Italian melodic style.

Although often regarded as Christmas music, Messiah was actually written for Easter, a celebration of birth, but also of death and resurrection. Handel composed Messiah in 24 days without once leaving his house. While writing the "Hallelujah Chorus", his servant discovered him with tears in his eyes. He exclaimed, ���I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself!!��� The King was so deeply stirred with the exultant music that when the first ���Hallelujah��� rang through the hall, he rose to his feet and remained standing until the last note of the chorus echoed through the house. From this began the custom of standing for the ���Hallelujah��� chorus.

Trevor Pinnock at the harpsichord

MUSIC FOR A SUNDAY AFTERNOON: Sold Out!

December 20, 2009 ~ 2 p.m.

Auditorium of the National Gallery of Canada

Adults $29 Students (with ID) $14.50

Program includes:
CORELLI Concerto Grosso, op. 6, No. 8 "Christmas Concerto"
BACH Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major

HANDEL Trio Sonata in B minor, op. 2, No. 1 for Flute, Violin, and Continuo

TELEMANN Burlesque de Don Quixotte

VIVALDI ���Winter��� from The Four Seasons

Trevor Pinnock, harpsichord
Yosuke Kawasaki, Jessica Linnebach, violin
Joanna G���froerer, flute
Members of the NAC Orchestra

This concert will be recorded by Radio-Canada���s music radio network Espace musique (102,5 FM) for broadcast on Tuesday December 22, 2009 as part of Soir��es classiques, which is presented from Monday to Thursday at 8 p.m. It will also be available on the Espace classique web radio service at Radio-Canada.ca/espaceclassique. The concert will also be broadcast on CBC Radio Two (103.3 FM)

on Tempo, with host Julie Nesrallah, on Wednesday December 23 at 11 a.m.

The NAC Orchestra performs Handel���s Messiah in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on Tuesday December 15 and Wednesday December 16 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $25, $34, $46, $54, $64, $74, and $89 for adults and $13.75, $18.25, $24.25, $28.25, $33.25, $38.25 and $45.75 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card). Tickets are available at the NAC Box Office (in person) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111; Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC���s website www.nac-cna.ca.

Subject to availability, full-time students (aged 13-29) with valid Live Rush�Ѣ membership may buy up to 2 tickets per performance at the discount price of $11 per ticket. Tickets are available online (www.nac-cna.ca) or at the NAC box office from 10 a.m. on the day before the performance until 6 p.m. on the day of the show or 2 hours before a matinee. Groups of 10 or more save 15% to 20% off regular ticket prices to all NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances; to reserve your seats, call Julie Laroche at 613-947-7000, ext. 634 or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca.

For additional information, visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca

The National Arts Centre English Theatre Company presents A Christmas Carol

National Arts Centre English Theatre

Peter Hinton, Artistic Director

Based on the Novel by Charles Dickens
Starring Stephen Ouimette as Ebenezer Scrooge
with the 40^th Anniversary English Theatre Acting Company:
nisha ahuja, Michael Blake, Richard Donat, Randi Helmers,
Tanja Jacobs, Geordie Johnson, Kris Joseph, Ron Kennell, John Koensgen, Jani Lauzon, Julie Tamiko Manning, Alex McCooeye, Niall Patrick McNeil, Matt Miwa,

Jeremiah Sparks, Waneta Storms, Matthew Tapscott
and also featuring: Joshua Bajpai, Ananya Rajkumar, and Nina Rose Taylor

Directed by Peter Hinton

December 8 - 26, 2009 NAC Theatre

���Keep Christmas in your own way and let me keep it in mine.��� Ebenezer Scrooge

Ottawa, Ontario ��� A Christmas Carol is as well known as any work can be. All that has to be said is ���Scrooge���, ���God bless us everyone��� or even ���humbug��� and everyone gets the reference. In fact, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge has become as much a tradition of Christmas as the holidays themselves. For the first time, a faithful telling of Charles Dickens��� cherished holiday story of a miser���s last chance for redemption is presented by the National Arts Centre English Theatre, presented on the full Shakespearean thrust stage and starring Stephen Ouimette as Scrooge with the 40^th Anniversary NAC English Theatre Acting Company.

A Christmas Carol is a powerful moral allegory about the importance of goodwill and generosity in a time of economic hardship and poverty. It stresses the unparalleled importance of caring for those who suffer due to ignorance or want. At the same time, it is also a spine-tingling ghost story, which tells of a covetous old miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, haunted by three spirits on Christmas Eve. Over the course of the night, Scrooge witnesses the power of charity, and is warned of the dangers of a society where money is valued above family, friendship, community and the true spirit of giving.

Since late October, English Theatre���s Peter Hinton and Paula Danckert (Artistic Director and Company Dramaturg & Artistic Associate respectively) have been rehearsing with the 40^th Anniversary NAC English Theatre Acting Company, which includes18 of the best artists from across the country (nisha ahuja, Michael Blake, Richard Donat, Randi Helmers, Tanja Jacobs, Geordie Johnson, Kris Joseph, Ron Kennell, John Koensgen, Jani Lauzon, Julie Tamiko Manning, Alex McCooeye, Niall Patrick McNeil, Matt Miwa, Stephen Ouimette, Jeremiah Sparks, Waneta Storms, and Matthew Tapscott).

Joining this amazing group of artists are two local youngsters, who will share the role of Tiny Tim. Joshua Bajpai and Ananya Rajkumar won the roles in an audition this past September wherein over 70 children from the Ottawa area tried out for the role. Also joining the cast is teen Nina Rose Taylor from Toronto.

Alongside these artists are the 40^th Anniversary English Theatre Company, featuring Musical Direction and Arrangement by Allen Cole, Set & Costume Design by Eo Sharp, Lighting Design by Jock Munro, Sound Design by Troy Slocum, Choreography by Dayna Tekatch, and Company Historian David Dean. The Stage Manager is Jane Vanstone Osborn and the Assistant Stage Manager is St��fanie S��guin.

The NAC English Theatre is proud to offer this production as a gift to our audiences and as an ideal way for families to help celebrate the holiday. Nothing could speak more to the value of peace and goodwill toward one���s fellow man than to experience the suspense, joy and transformation of Scrooge.

The NAC 40^th Anniversary English Theatre Company will follow up A Christmas Carol with Bertolt Brecht���s Mother Courage and Her Children in January in the NAC Theatre and in February at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in Winnipeg.

Ottawa Citizen is proud sponsor of Theatre5 Series.

Supported by Trinity Development Group ��� Share the Spirit.

Niall Patrick McNeil is the recipient of the 2010 David Leighton Arts Fellowship.

A Christmas Carol plays December 8 - 26, 2009 in the Theatre at the National Arts Centre.

Pay What You Can: Tuesday, December 8
Previews: Wednesday, December 9 and Thursday, December 10
Opening: Friday, December 11

Hinterview: Saturday, December 12 at 1 p.m. in the NAC Panorama Room.
Artistic Director Peter Hinton will be interviewing NAC English Theatre Company Historian David Dean.

Student Club: Friday, December 11

Talkbacks: Wednesday, December 16 & 23, Thursday, December 17 and Sunday, December 20

In the NAC Theatre: Evening performances Tuesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday matinees are at 2 p.m.
Sunday, December 20 at 2 p.m.
No performances on Mondays or on December 24 and 25

Adults: $20 - $61 Previews: $30
Students: $11.25 - $31.75 Previews: $16.25
Groups of 10+ receive great discounts! For more information contact grp@nac-cna.ca or
visit our webpage.

Tickets are available for purchase:
In person at the NAC Box Office
At all Ticketmaster outlets
By telephone from Ticketmaster, (613) 755-1111
Online through the Ticketmaster link on the NAC���s website (www.nac-cna.ca)
A service charge applies on all purchases made through Ticketmaster

Find out more about NAC English Theatre on Facebook and YouTube. To discover more about A Christmas Carol and the 40^th Anniversary English Theatre Acting Company, click www.nac-cna.ca/en/theatre/christmascarol.

This performance is eligible for the Live Rush program.
Students with a valid Live Rush�Ѣ membership card may buy up to 2 tickets per eligible performance at the discount price of only $11 per ticket. New this season! All unsold tickets for Live Rush eligible performances will be made available to Live Rush members on the day before the performance, starting at 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on the day of the performance. This includes all available seats, including the best seats in the house.
Check out liverush.ca for information on the Live Rush program.

For any information, visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca

The National Arts Centre English Theatre Company presents
A Christmas Carol

Based on the Novel by Charles Dickens
Starring Stephen Ouimette as Scrooge
with the 40^th Anniversary English Theatre Acting Company

Show Run Dates

December 8 - 26, (Pay-what-you-can December 8, previews December 9 & 10, opening night December 11)

���The Pipeline��� Reading Series

Dec. 11 ��� 13, 2009

Bain St-Michel

5300, rue St-Dominique

FREE to public

(Suggested donation $5)

Friday December 11^th ��� 7 PM

KENNEDY: THE MUSICAL

By Arthur Holden

Saturday December 12^th ��� 7 PM

LIFE HERE AFTER

(Pam Dunn Write-On-Q Playwrighting contest winner)

By Alexandria Haber

Sunday December 13^th ��� 2 PM (matin��e)

The Return of Corporal Mazenet

By Nick Carpenter

For more information log on to http://www.infinihteatre.com or call (514) 987 ��� 1774.

Des suggestions culturelles de R��seau Sc��nes pour c��l��brer le temps des F��tes bien au chaud!

Que ce soit pour divertir votre famille ou pour prendre une pause de r��ceptions gastronomiques, R��seau Sc��nes vous propose en d��cembre et janvier, quelque 200 repr��sentations. Profitez-en pour offrir des spectacles gr��ce �� de nombreux forfaits-cadeaux disponibles chez nos diffuseurs! La jeunesse �� l���honneur (13 propositions) Humour grin��ant Les Zapartistes Ambiance des f��tes en musique Matt Herskowitz, Lambert et Calliari, Mes A��eux, Bruno Pelletier, Les Cowboys fringants Pour les amateurs de jazz, une combinaison gagnante John Pizzarelli et Coral Egan Les Entr��es en sc��ne Loto-Qu��bec en janvier avec Denis Chang et Wo��nda
	La jeunesse �� l'honneur ! COPEAUX DE NEIGE, Th����tre des deux mains Th����tre de marionnettes (5 �� 10 ans) Maison des arts de Laval Du 6 d��cembre (famille) au 10 d��cembre (scolaire) LES CLOWNS DU CARROUSEL ��� NO��L AUTOUR DU MONDE Azimut diffusion, Sorel-Tracy 6 d��cembre (famille) GROS BISCUIT! ��� REN��E ROBITAILLE D���apr��s les albums de Robert Munsch (3 �� 8 ans) Cabaret La Basoche, Gatineau 6 d��cembre (famille) et 7 d��cembre (scolaire) Salle Pauline-Julien, Sainte-Genevi��ve 20 d��cembre (famille) PETITE JACINTHE ET VICTOR ��� NO��L C���EST PAS UN CADEAU Spectacle en chanson (2 �� 8 ans) Centre d���art La petite ��glise, Saint-Eustache 13 d��cembre ARTHUR L���AVENTURIER ��� LA CHASSE AUX TR��SORS (2 �� 9 ans) Salle Albert-Dumouchel, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield 13 d��cembre (famille) LE BAIN, Th����tre Bouches D��cousues (3 �� 7 ans) Th����tre de la Ville, Longueuil Du 13 d��cembre (famille) au 15 d��cembre (scolaire) Maison des arts de Laval Du 17 au 30 d��cembre NO��L COOL AVEC FREDO LE MAGICIEN (4 �� 12 ans) Salle Jean-Despr��z, Gatineau Du 13 d��cembre (famille) au 15 d��cembre (scolaire) SALVADOR, Le Carrousel, compagnie de th����tre (�� partir de 9 ans) Maison des arts de Laval Les 13 (famille) et 14 d��cembre (scolaire) UNE FOR��T DANS LA T��TE, Th����tre de l���Avant-Pays Th����tre de marionnettes (4-8 ans) Th����tre Hector-Charland, L���Assomption Du 15 au 17 d��cembre (complet les 15 et 17) CASSE-NOISETTE L'��cole de danse Neva Shelton pr��sente cette histoire de No��l avec l'aide de quelques danseurs invit��s ainsi que ses ��l��ves du niveau pr�� professionnel. Salle Albert-Dumouchel, Salaberry-de-Valleyfield Les 17 et 18 d��cembre CASSIOP��E DANSE Th����tre du Marais de Val-Morin 19 d��cembre LE CHAT BOTT��, Th����tre Advienne que pourra (�� partir de 3 ans) Salle du Pavillon, Ch��teauguay 20 d��cembre (famille) LES PARFAITS INCONNUS Cirque (4 ans et plus) Th����tre Lionel-Groulx, Sainte-Th��r��se 29 d��cembre (famille) HUMOUR GRIN��ANT LES ZAPARTISTES - ZAP 2009, la revue de l'ann��e Centre d���art La petite ��glise de Saint-Eustache 14 d��cembre Cabaret-Th����tre du Vieux-Saint-Jean, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu 18 d��cembre Th����tre de la Ville, Longueuil 19 d��cembre Th����tre Lionel-Groulx, Sainte-Th��r��se 14 janvier AMBIANCE DES F��TES EN MUSIQUE MATT HERSKOWITZ - L'ange Gabriel Centre d���art La petite ��glise de Saint-Eustache 11 d��cembre LAMBERT et CALLIARI - Du reel �� la tanrantelle Th����tre de la Ville, Longueuil 12 d��cembre Th����tre Lionel-Groulx, Sainte-Th��r��se 27 d��cembre Th����tre Hector-Charland, L���Assomption 18 d��cembre MES A��EUX Cabaret-Th����tre du Vieux-Saint-Jean 12 d��cembre BRUNO PELLETIER Salle Pauline-Julien, Sainte-Genevi��ve 18 d��cembre LES COWBOYS FRINGANTS Polyvalente Saint-Joseph, Mont-Laurier 19 d��cembre POUR LES AMATEURS DE JAZZ, UNE COMBINAISON GAGNANTE JOHN PIZARELLI et CORAL EGAN Th����tre Hector-Charland, L���Assomption 2 d��cembre Th����tre des Deux Rives, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu 6 d��cembre Centre culturel de Beloeil 11 d��cembre Les Entr��es en sc��ne Loto-Qu��bec en janvier Les Entr��es en sc��ne Loto-Qu��bec soutiennent des artistes en ��mergence de toutes les r��gions du Qu��bec et de toutes les disciplines des arts de la sc��ne. DENIS CHANG - Jazz manouche Th����tre de la Ville, Longueuil 15 janvier WO��NDA - Th����tre �� l'Envers en coproduction avec le Th����tre Quatre/Corps Th����tre d���ombres et marionnettes pour (4-9 ans) Salle Pauline-Julien, Sainte-Genevi��ve 17 janvier Maison des arts de Laval 31 janvier Les diffuseurs de R��seau Sc��nes vous souhaitent de Joyeuses F��tes, une bonne Ann��e 2010 remplie de d��couvertes artistiques. Pour en savoir plus sur la programmation des diffuseurs de R��seau Sc��nes - Sur Sc��ne pr��s de chez vous, visitez reseauscenes.com

The ever-popular Kinderconcerts Series ��� presented by the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Jeunesses Musicales of Canada

��� continue with the special presentation of Le grand bal de No��l (presented in French) on December 6 in the Panorama Room

OTTAWA, November 30, 2009 ��� Le grand bal de No��l is a special Kinderconcert with a wonderful Christmas theme. As in all Kinderconcerts, music, instruments, theatre and storytelling capture youngsters��� imaginations, providing tons of fun and discovery of the endless wonders of music.

Le grand bal de No��l takes place in the Panorama Room (on the floor, so bring a cushion!) on Sunday December 6 at 1:30 and 3 p.m. This magical Kinderconcert ��� performed in French only -- is perfect for families and children aged 3-8.

From their distant home on an ice floe, three penguin musicians (in full penguin costume) have waddled all the way to the North Pole for a great Christmas party. But what a disappointment -- they���re refused admission! To get in, they have to perform an original Christmas song. For Amatin, Ademain and Atemplein, making up a Christmas song on the spot is a real challenge. Will the three chums find inspiration? Will they be ready in time for the dazzling celebration? Help them out and come along to the party! After all, Christmas is about more than just a song. Le grand bal de No��l features Marc Fortin (trombone), Pierre Blais (banjo), and Jean Sabourin, (sousaphone).

Upcoming Kinderconcerts include:

Skarazula

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Featuring Steve Grenier, percussion, psaltery; Fran��ois Rainville, cittern, mandore, oud, tromba marina, vielle; Fran��ois Perron, recorders, flute

Take off on an adventure to medieval Europe with the members of Skarazula! Travel with them along the roads of France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, the countries of Eastern Europe�Ķ listen to them sing in different languages and discover some rather odd instruments. A musical voyage that promises to delight both young and old.

Giggle and Stomp

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Featuring Bruno Roy and Louis-Daniel Joly, percussion

This powerful history of percussion starts in Africa, the land of rhythm, where instruments resonate and music resounds. This animated concert takes listeners on a magical journey through percussion history, with stops along the way in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas. From African and Brazilian music to the hip-hop of today, these instruments transcend all culture and time. Discover exotic and colourful percussion instruments like the kalungu, djembe, derbouka, tambourine, cymbals and apito in this rhythmic concert experience!

A Journey to Dixieland

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Featuring Le Dixieband, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, banjo, sousaphone and drums; Marielle Grenier, actress and singer

The ageless, electrifying music of Dixieland recalls the festive atmosphere of the early years of the 20th century when the New Orleans and Dixieland styles emerged. The show focuses on the songs, dances and dreams of this colourful period, as a lively old lady called Miss New Orleans relives her young, carefree years. Like a gramophone that takes us back in time, Miss N.O. introduces the audience, to her marvellous memories, as she recounts the legends of blues, Charleston, shimmy and scat music. A magical, rhythmic show that is educational, exciting, and nostalgic, and that will enchant the whole family!

All Kinderconcert performances are in the NAC���s Panorama Room.

English performances are at 9:30 a.m. (recommended for ages 3 ��� 6); 11 a.m. ��� recommended for ages 3 ��� 6; and 1:30 p.m. ��� recommended for ages 5 - 8

The French performance is at 3 p.m. ��� recommended for ages 3 ��� 8

Je l���aimais

Un film de Zabou Breitman

au Cin��-Club du Quartier

de la Salle Pauline-Julien

France. 2009. 112 minutes. Avec Daniel Auteuil, Marie-Jos��e Croze, Florence Loiret-Caille. Adapt�� d'un roman d'Anna Gavalda.
Pr��c��d�� du court m��trage LA VIE COMMENCE d����mile Proulx-Cloutier (Qu��bec, 2009, 14 minutes).

En une nuit, Pierre va partager avec sa belle-fille Chlo��, ce grand secret qui le hante depuis vingt ans, celui qui le mit face �� lui-m��me, �� ses contradictions et �� ses choix, �� son r��le d'homme et �� ses manques. Le secret de cet amour pour Mathilde, pour lequel il n'a pas tout abandonn��, choisissant une route plus s��re et plus connue. En une nuit, nous saurons la vie d'un homme qui n'osa pas.

�� Un film d'une rare intensit��, ma��tris�� de bout en bout. �� - Le Journal du Dimanche

Lundi 14 d��cembre, 19 h 30

15 615, boulevard Gouin Ouest, Sainte-Genevi��ve

Info : 514 626.1616

www.pauline-julien.com

The National Arts Centre grants the NAC Award to three prominent Canadian contemporary composers

Recipients John Estacio, Peter Paul Koprowski, and Ana Sokolovic receive music commissions and residencies valued at $75,000 each

OTTAWA, November 30, 2009 ��� Peter Herrndorf, President and CEO of the National Arts Centre, and Pinchas Zukerman, Music Director of the NAC Orchestra, are delighted to announce the recipients of the prestigious NAC Award. They are John Estacio, Peter Paul Koprowski, and Ana Sokolovic, three talented Canadian contemporary composers with enviably successful careers. Each NAC Award includes a series of commissions and residencies valued at $75,000.

The National Arts Centre is ensuring that Canadian repertoire takes centre stage. Each composer will be commissioned to create three new music works for the NAC Orchestra over the next 5 years, and each will teach students during the NAC���s annual Summer Music Institute. The announcement of these awards underscores the National Arts Centre���s commitment to new music, to Canadian contemporary composers, and to artistic innovation. The NAC is proud to support and promote Canadian music and, over the years, the NAC Orchestra has commissioned 82 Canadian works, all of which have been performed in hundreds of concerts at the NAC and on tour across Canada and around the world.

���Throughout its 40 year history, the National Arts Centre has been fully committed to developing and showcasing Canada���s composers,��� said Peter Herrndorf. ���Through their imaginative works, our talented music creators give voice to this country���s epic story while celebrating the spirit of its peoples. The NAC is proud to contribute to the great Canadian repertoire through these special awards and our numerous new music initiatives.���

Pinchas Zukerman said, ���The second phase of our New Music Program will build on the excellent groundwork we���ve laid over the past 8 years, especially through the development and support of emerging composers in the Summer Music Institute. In addition to creating new work for the Orchestra and its ensembles, our NAC Award composers will add their voices to the excellent faculty we���ve built for training young artists. This Program continues to reinforce the Orchestra���s commitment to creation, performance, and learning.���

Christopher Deacon, Managing Director of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, said, ���The NAC Award gives each of these composers the opportunity to think big and create works of lasting importance that can have an impact nationally and internationally. In our view, these three composers are brilliant and we���re delighted to be able to support their work.���

���On behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Government of Canada, I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the award recipients,��� said Minister of Canadian Heritage & Official Languages James Moore. ���We have a thriving contemporary music scene in Canada, and these awards being presented today are a great way to further its development.���

The National Arts Centre also bestowed NAC Awards on Canadian composers Gary Kulesha, Denys Bouliane, and Alexina Louie in 2002, and the relationship included commissions, education activities, and touring with the NAC Orchestra. Their works were often performed at the NAC and on tour across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The National Arts Centre must train and inspire this country���s next wave of creators. In March 2008, the NAC acted as a direct conduit between a Canadian creative icon and the next generation of artists with a four-day tribute to R. Murray Schafer on his 75^th birthday. As part of the NAC���s eXpressions new music festival, the event showcased ten of Schafer���s works, which were broadcast nationally by CBC Radio. Murray also led a choral music workshop and a two-day symposium for students, educators, and young composers. An archive of these activities is available in the Music section of the NAC���s performing arts educational website, ArtsAlive.ca.

INITIATIVES IN SUPPORT OF CANADIAN MUSIC

DURING THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE���S 40^TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON (2009-10)

�� On July 1, 2009, the National Arts Centre launched the award-winning NACmusicbox.ca as part of its performing arts educational website, ArtsAlive.ca. NACmusicbox.ca features over 120 NAC Orchestra recordings from 1969 to the present; fifteen of these are works by Canadian composers. In 2010, NACmusicbox.ca will expand to include an additional 65 Canadian compositions. These will be featured in a timeline that will bring a distinctly Canadian dimension to the history of orchestral music by proudly showcasing 51 Canadian composers and placing them within the context of Canadian events, classical music and world history.

�� On October 8-9, 2009, Music Director Pinchas Zukerman led the NAC Orchestra in a 40^th birthday celebration featuring Canadian baritone Russell Braun performing Songs for an Acrobat�Ķ an outstanding work by former NAC composer-in-residence Linda Bouchard. This concert was recorded for national broadcast by CBC Radio. Maestro Zukerman will again be on the podium when the work is reprised as part of the NAC Orchestra���s performance at Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto on January 16, 2010.

�� On November 9, 2009, the National Arts Centre partnered with the Canadian Music Centre (on the occasion of their golden anniversary) to co-present a capacity-audience concert entitled Celebrating Canadian Composers ��� Canadian Music Centre���s 50^th Anniversary. The evening included works by Ann Southam, Christos Hatzis, Harry Somers, Alexina Louie, Abigail Richardson, and Denis Gougeon.

�� On March 15, 2010, the NAC will co-produce, with the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad, a unique program of Canadian chamber music, choral music, projected visual imagery, dance, and spoken word entitled Made in Canada at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver. This concert will include works by Alexina Louie, R. Murray Schafer, and Stephen Chatman, and a commission by Kati Ag��gs.

�� Also on March 15, 2010, the NAC will launch an online teacher resource guide for elementary schools celebrating Canadian composers, their works and their stories with extensive cross-curricular lesson plans. NAC teacher resource guides have been downloaded over one million times from ArtsAlive.ca.

�� In June 2010, the National Arts Centre will produce and host the 8^th annual NAC Composers Program as part of the NAC Summer Music Institute. This program enables talented young composers -- the future of Canadian music -- to create works for live performance and to work with distinguished Canadian and international faculty at the NAC. Since its creation in 2003, the NAC Composers Program has provided training to 41 emerging composers, including affiliate composers (3) and auditors (11), resulting in 28 NAC commissions. The composers, 85% of whom are Canadian, have studied with the three NAC Award composers -- Gary Kulesha, Alexina Louie and Denys Bouliane -- and several international guest composers, including Roberto Sierra (USA), John McCabe (England), Alexander Raskatov (Russia), Joseph Schwantner (USA), and Poul Ruders (Denmark). Each summer the emerging composers have their new compositions workshopped in several sessions with a dedicated ensemble from l���Orchestre de la francophonie canadienne, led by its Music Director and conductor Jean Philippe Tremblay. The pieces are then premiered in a public concert and have been recorded by CBC Radio for future broadcast.

Acclaimed conductor Peter Oundjian conducts the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in a Bombardier Great Performers Series concert on December 10

in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre

The program includes music by Christopher Theofanidis, Philip Glass, and Beethoven���s Symphony No. 6 ���Pastoral���

OTTAWA, November 27, 2009 ��� In the second Bombardier Great Performers Series concert of the NAC���s 40^th Anniversary season, world-renowned conductor Peter Oundjian leads the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on Thursday December 10 at 8 p.m.

The program for the evening includes:

CHRISTOPHER THEOFANIDIS Rainbow Body
PHILIP GLASS Violin Concerto No. 2 (The American Four Seasons)
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral"

Not yet 40 years old, American composer Christopher Theofanidis has been hailed as one of the leading composers of his generation. He was the winner of the UK���s $50,000 Masterprize in 2003 for Rainbow Body, which has subsequently become the world���s most-performed orchestral work by a living composer. This atmospheric work is inspired by a melody from the medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen and by Tibetan Buddhism���s concept of oneness with the universe.

Philip Glass is the first composer to win a wide, multi-generational audience in the opera house, the concert hall, the dance world, in film and in popular music. Here he reimagines Vivaldi���s famous violin concertos in his fresh-off-the-page Violin Concerto No. 2 The American Four Seasons. The concerto receives its world premiere one day before the NAC concert, on December 9 in Toronto. The work will premiere in London and the U.S. in 2010; it will also be recorded and performed on tour around the world. The TSO was one of five co-commissioners for this new work, written for violinist Robert McDuffie.

Beethoven conducted the premiere of his famous Pastoral Symphony in Vienna in 1808. A series of portraits of country life, the work expressed the composer���s deep, lifelong love of nature, which he considered essential to his mental and physical health. (He did important creative work while tramping through woods and fields.) The Sixth is a genial piece -- spacious, relaxed, lyrical -- yet it was radical enough to influence program music for generations. Beethoven described the Pastoral Symphony as ���more the expression of feeling than painting���, and it conveys a visitor���s musical impressions of the countryside over the course of one day.

Friends of the NAC Orchestra Silent Auction

The silent auction ��� which features special items donated from across Canada and around the world -- will be held in the NAC foyer before the concert, at intermission, and for 20 minutes following the performance. Proceeds will benefit the Friends of the NAC Orchestra���s commitment to

music education programs for young people.

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra performs in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on Thursday December 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $19, $29, $39.50, $46, $50, $60, and $70 for adults and $10.75, $15.75, $21, $24.25, $26.25, $31.25, and $36.25 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card). Tickets are available at the NAC Box Office (in person) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111; Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC���s website www.nac-cna.ca. Subject to availability, full-time students (aged 13-29) with valid Live Rush�Ѣ membership may buy up to 2 tickets per performance at the discount price of $11 per ticket. Tickets are available online (www.nac-cna.ca) or at the NAC box office from 10 a.m. on the day before the performance until 6 p.m. on the day of the show or 2 hours before a matinee. Groups of 10 or more save 15% to 20% off regular ticket prices to all NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances; to reserve your seats, call Julie Laroche at 613-947-7000, ext. 634 or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca.

For additional information, visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca

MUR �� MUR, une exposition sign��e Diane Dufresne et Richard Langevin

�� Espace Cr��ation Loto-Qu��bec

du 3 f��vrier au 9 mai 2010

�� Je chante pour gagner ma vie, mais je cr��e pour vivre. ��

- Diane Dufresne -

Diane Dufresne, une inspiratrice �� la cr��ativit�� d��brid��e. Richard Langevin, un sc��nographe-sculpteur complice de sa muse. Qu���arrive-t-il lorsqu���ils se rencontrent �� Espace Cr��ation? Leur imaginaire se d��ploie �� la grandeur de l���espace et s���tale Mur �� mur.

Du 3 f��vrier au 9 mai 2010, Diane Dufresne en duo avec son compagnon de vie, donne acc��s �� son monde int��rieur aux visiteurs d���Espace Cr��ation et leur fait vivre un voyage d���art actuel sonore et visuel.

Aucune cloison dans la t��te de Diane Dufresne. La musique se transforme en mise en sc��ne. La peinture se m��tamorphose en sculpture. Les mots deviennent des installations multim��dias. Et l���univers sc��nique prend la forme d���une installation vid��o.

Derri��re chaque ��uvre en surgit une autre. Richard Langevin se colle �� l���imaginaire de celle qui l���inspire et revisite ses cr��ations en les amenant encore plus loin. Avec lui, le personnage se d��coupe et sort de son cadre. Les ��crits se fixent sur des structures ��tonnantes.

Mur �� Mur vibre d���nergie pure. C���est le geste brut de l���artiste qui s���amuse au gr�� de la couleur et de la forme. Un voyage intimiste et inattendu.

Bal Nouvelle-France avec Anne-Marie Gardette et l'Ensemble Claude-Gervaise

samedi 12 d��cembre !

Bal-d��monstration le samedi 12 d��cembre
Toutes et tous sont invit��(e)s au bal ! (inscrits ou non aux ateliers de l'automne). Des danses simples, ainsi que celles apprises en ateliers, avec en plus des d��monstrations de contredanses de la Nouvelle-France et de danses baroques th����trales, par des danseurs plus avanc��s, le tout dans une ambiance conviviale (rafra��chissements et amuse-gueules).

Lieu : Au Centre Jean-Marie-Gauvreau, 911, rue Jean-Talon Est, �� Montr��al (m��tro Jean-Talon).

Tarifs pour le bal du 12 d��cembre :
tarif r��gulier : 17$
tarif ��tudiant : 12$
pour ceux qui ont suivi un atelier de cet automne : 14$

Inscription par t��l��phone au : 514-274-2675, ou par courriel �� am.gardette@danse.qc.ca

Bob Rae, Lisa Raitt, Elizabeth May and Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien to Make Onstage Appearances at the Thirteenth Annual Black & White Opera Soir��e

OPERA ON THE HILL

FABULOUS FUNDRAISER BENEFITS THE NATIONAL ARTS CENTRE ORCHESTRA AND OPERA LYRA OTTAWA

OTTAWA, November 26, 2009 ������ Hosted by Sheila Copps and Maxime Bernier, the 13^th annual Black & White Opera Soiree features the NAC Orchestra, the Opera Lyra Ottawa Chorus, and magnificent singers performing opera���s most popular hits. The Black & White Opera Soiree -- themed Opera on the Hill -- takes place on Saturday February 27, 2010 at 8 p.m. in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre. The NAC Orchestra will be conducted by Andrew Grams, and the Opera Lyra Ottawa Chorus is under the direction of Chorus Master Laurence Ewashko.

The Black & White Opera Soiree -- an annual winter benefit for the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Opera Lyra Ottawa -- is presented for the thirteenth year by founding sponsor Bell.

Last year, the Black & White Opera Soiree was acknowledged as one of the freshest and funniest ever, with a sparkling constellation of stars from politics and journalism joining some of Canada���s finest singers and musicians. Major public figures sang, danced, and parodied their public image, and special surprise guests -- politicians, journalists, and entertainers -- made hilarious cameo appearances. That tradition continues this year as brilliant writers skewer the wacky world of Parliament Hill. Appearances have been confirmed by public figures who cover the spectrum of Canadian politics: Bob Rae (Liberal), Lisa Raitt (Conservative), Elizabeth May (Green) and Ottawa Mayor Larry O���Brien.

Bob Rae, Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre, has been elected ten times to federal and provincial parliaments, winning every election he has contested. Bob was Ontario's 21st Premier, from 1990 to 1995. He has experience at the highest levels of government in Canada and was an active participant in some of the most important constitutional talks of the day. Bob Rae ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party in 2006 and 2008. He currently serves as the foreign affairs critic for the Liberal Party of Canada.

The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, Member of Parliament for Halton, was first elected to the House of Commons in 2008. Prior to that, Ms. Raitt was the President and CEO of the Toronto Port Authority. She had previously served as their general counsel and harbourmaster. As a lawyer, Ms. Raitt specialized in the areas of intellectual property, commercial litigation, and shipping arbitration. Ms. Raitt resides in Halton and is the mother of two boys.

Environmentalist, writer, activist and lawyer Elizabeth May has a four-decade record as a dedicated advocate for social justice, the environment, human rights, and pragmatic economic solutions. She is a graduate of Dalhousie Law School and was admitted to the Bar in both Nova Scotia and Ontario. In 2006, Elizabeth stepped down as Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada to run for the leadership of the Green Party of Canada; she was elected the party���s ninth leader in August 2006. Elizabeth May is a mother and grandmother.

In November 2006, voters elected Larry O���Brien as Mayor of Ottawa. A newcomer to politics, Mayor O���Brien stated his commitment to run the city on a more business-like basis. Mayor O���Brien was born in Ottawa and graduated from the Algonquin School of Technology 1972 with a diploma in Technology. He founded CALIAN Technologies Ltd. in 1982 as a one-person consulting company and built it into an internationally competitive technology firm. Mayor O���Brien is married to Colleen McBride and has two sons, Mike and Matthew.

The Black & White Opera Soiree evening includes a cocktail reception, a sumptuous gourmet dinner devised by NAC Executive Chef Michael Blackie, and an elegant post-concert reception with the artists. It���s clear that the Black & White Opera Soiree -- alive with Ottawa���s A-list, from politicians to corporate executives to some of Canada���s most popular artists and entertainers ��� is the undisputed highlight of the Ottawa social season!

The Black & White Opera Soiree proudly showcases Canadian talent, with proceeds divided equally between the NAC Orchestra and Opera Lyra Ottawa. A vital source of funding for both organizations, since its inception in 1998 the Black & White Opera Soiree has raised more than $2.94 million. All the funds raised stay in the local community, helping to foster Canada���s next generation of talented musical artists. The Black & White Opera Soiree makes possible much-needed education programs and tours to Ottawa-Gatineau schools as well as numerous training, mentoring, and performance opportunities.

The Black & White Opera Soiree takes place on Saturday, February 27, 2010 at the National Arts Centre.

Soiree tickets are $325, which includes a cocktail reception, dinner, concert, and a post-concert party with the stars. Soiree tickets may be purchased through the NAC Foundation at 613-947-7000, ext. 322 or from Opera Lyra Ottawa at 613-233-9200, ext. 224.

Concert-only tickets are $80, $65, and $50 and are available:

�� at the NAC Box Office in person or by faxing 613-233-5431

�� at the Opera Lyra Ottawa Box Office in person or by calling 613-233-9200, ext. 221

�� through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111; Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC���s web-site at www.nac-cna.ca.

For more information on the event please visit the website of the NAC (www.nac-cna.ca ) or of Opera Lyra Ottawa (www.operalyra.ca).

Symphony Nova Scotia presents re-creation of Handel���s 1742 ���Dublin��� Messiah

December 7, 2009

Halifax, NS ��� In honour of the 250th anniversary of Handel���s death, Symphony Nova Scotia presents a very special version of his masterpiece Messiah on Friday, December 18 and Saturday, December 19 at 7:30 pm at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium in Halifax.

Instead of the ���standard��� version of Handel���s Messiah that orchestras usually perform this time of year, Symphony Nova Scotia and the 80-member Symphony Nova Scotia Chorus will perform the beloved oratorio in its unaltered original version, which premiered in Dublin, Ireland in 1742 to rave reviews.

���Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crouded Audience,��� said a Dublin newspaper the following day.

This ���Dublin��� Messiah will be led by Toronto-based Irish conductor Kevin Mallon, who is also a Baroque music specialist. Toronto���s Wholenote Magazine has praised him as ���Canada���s crown prince of period performance.���

���All too often, we get a ���conglomerate��� version of Messiah,��� says Mallon. ���People have a way of taking a piece from this version and a piece from that. It���s exciting to be doing one particular version from one date and place. It���s the first time that a re-creation like this has been done in Canada.���

Some of the biggest differences between this version of Messiah and the versions we usually hear include:

�� The standard chorus ���Their sound is gone out��� was not part of the first performance, as it wasn���t written until 1745.

�� ���The bass accompagnato ���Thus saith the Lord, the Lord of Hosts,��� started life as a little arioso,��� says Mallon. ���If I can decipher Handel���s scribbling we may do a little of it!���

�� The famous air ���But who may abide the day of His coming,��� usually performed by an alto, was originally written as a recitative for bass.

�� The soprano air ���Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion��� was originally in a lilting 12/8 rhythm.

�� The aria ���How beautiful are the feet,��� usually sung by a soprano, was originally written as a duet for two altos plus the chorus.

�� Several other airs, including ���If God be for us��� and ���He shall feed His flock,��� were originally written for solo alto to complement Susannah Cibber, the famous contralto performing at the premiere. Cibber was noted as much for her tumultuous personal life as for her singing, and legend has it that upon hearing her exquisite performance, the chancellor of St Patrick's Cathedral loudly proclaimed "Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee!"

Mallon and the orchestra will be joined by soprano Laura Albino, mezzo-soprano Marion Newman, tenor Lawrence Wiliford, and bass-baritone Sean Watson, along with the Symphony Nova Scotia Chorus, led by chorus master Jeff Joudrey.

Expecting a full house at the 1742 premiere, the Dublin Journal requested that ladies who would ���honour the performance with their presence be pleased to come without hoops��� [hooped skirts] and that men ���kindly leave their swords at home.���

Happily honouring this tradition and also anticipating sell-out performances, the Symphony kindly requests that this year���s audiences do the same.

Get your tickets now! Prices range from $29-49 (HST included), or you can pick up a subscription package and save up to 30%. For tickets and more information, call 494.3820 or visit our website at www.symphonynovascotia.ca.

About Kevin Mallon

Irish musician Kevin Mallon, now resident in Canada, is quickly developing a worldwide reputation. He learned his craft as a violinist with such orchestras as the Hall�� and the BBC Philharmonic, and later as concertmaster with Le Concert Spirituel and Les Arts Florissants in Paris. After moving to Canada, he accepted positions with the University of Toronto, the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and the Toronto Chamber Orchestra, and founded the acclaimed Toronto-based Aradia Ensemble. A world-renowned baroque conductor, Mallon has appeared in concert halls around the world, including Europe, Russia, Japan, and New Zealand. He has made over 40 recordings for Naxos in baroque and classical repertoire.

About Laura Albino, soprano

Laura Albino has quickly emerged as one of Canada's finest young lyric sopranos, and has recently been named a winner of the Ottawa Choral Society's New Discoveries Auditions. Laura's operatic roles include Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni with the Britten-Pears Young Artist Program in Aldeburgh, England, Mary Warren in Ward's The Crucible with the International Vocal Arts Institute in Tel Aviv, and the role of Bridey in The Midnight Court at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Laura is a member of the Canadian Opera Company���s Ensemble Studio and a favorite guest artist with Kevin Mallon's Aradia baroque ensemble.

About Marion Newman, mezzo-soprano

First Nations mezzo-soprano Marion Newman "has a distinctive, dusky voice that suggests drama with every note" (Toronto Star) and has been noted as "a show stealer" (BBC Music Magazine). In her debut with Cork���s Opera 2005 in the title role of Carmen, she was widely praised for her ���superbly sinuous sexuality��� and as ���a very exciting new talent��� by the Irish Examiner. Marion frequently performs with Kevin Mallon���s Aradia Ensemble.

About Lawrence Wiliford, tenor

Described as having a ���lovely sound,��� a ���lithe legato,��� and ���beautifully directional phrasing,��� American-born tenor Lawrence Wiliford is quickly gaining international recognition on both the concert and operatic stage. Making his Canadian Opera Company leading role debut in Cos�� fan tutte on five hours��� notice, he received critical acclaim as ���a talented and lyric tenor,��� ���serving up an impressive Ferrando.��� On the concert stage he has been noted as ���animated, exciting, and yet at the same time technically unimpeachable.���

About Sean Watson, bass-baritone

With a career that encompasses both opera and oratorio, bass-baritone Sean Watson has sung throughout North America, Europe, and the Middle East. Recent performances included The Bonze in Madama Butterfly with Opera Hamilton, the title role in The Mikado with Toronto Operetta Theatre, and John Estacio's The Houses Stand Not Far Apart with Chorus Niagara and the Orpheus Choir.

About Jeff Joudrey, chorus master

Symphony Nova Scotia chorus master Jeff Joudrey is highly regarded for his vision, musical leadership, and standards of excellence in choral music. Founder of the First Baptist Girls' Choir (1983) and Halifax Camerata Singers (1986), his leadership has provided challenging and rewarding choral opportunities for many Nova Scotia singers. In addition to being Director of Music at First Baptist Church, Jeff is in high demand as a guest conductor, choral clinician, teacher and adjudicator.

About the Symphony Nova Scotia Chorus

The Symphony Nova Scotia Chorus was founded in 2001 under the leadership of conductor Jeff Joudrey to provide a highly trained symphonic chorus for performances with Symphony Nova Scotia. Chorus membership includes the Halifax Camerata Singers as the core choir and auditioned singers from around the province.

About Symphony Nova Scotia

Symphony Nova Scotia is Nova Scotia���s orchestra. Each year more than 50,000 audience members (including 15,000 young music lovers) join us in communities across Nova Scotia for performances of the music they love ��� from baroque and classical to pop and rock and folk. Under the inspirational leadership of Music Director Bernhard Gueller, Symphony Nova Scotia is recognized as one of the finest orchestras in the country. Visit www.SymphonyNovaScotia.ca to learn more, listen online, or subscribe today!

Symphony Nova Scotia is grateful to the Canada Council for the Arts, Nova Scotia Tourism, Culture, and Heritage, and the Halifax Regional Municipality for their continued support.

The WSO Sleigh Makes Stops All Over Manitoba!

Winnipeg, MB ��� December 7, 2009 ��� Proudly presented by Manitoba Hydro, The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is decking the halls all over Manitoba with four stops on the Power Smart Holiday Express Tour on December 8, 14, 15, and 16!

The orchestra is packing up and travelling to Steinbach, Gimli, Neepawa, and Portage la Prairie to perform holiday favourites like The Christmas Song, Sleigh Ride, Ave Maria, Tchaikovsky���s Nutcracker Suite and more! The orchestra will also perform Howard Blake���s magical soundtrack score live to the heart-warming film, The Snowman.

Richard Lee will steer the symphony sleigh throughout Manitoba, with the first stop in Steinbach. Gabriela Gallo will be the singing soprano. Gabriela, a Steinbach native and recent graduate of the University of Manitoba���s Music-Education Integrated program, has been performing since age eight. She has won multiple awards in both classical voice and musical theatre from the Southeast Manitoba Music Festival. On Tuesday, December 8, she will be joined by the Junior High Symphony Singers with conductor Meredith Daley.

For the remaining three stops, Andrea Macasaet will provide soothing soprano. The 15-year old Garden City Collegiate student was a finalist for YTV and CMT���s ���Karoke Star Jr��� and the 2009 Grand Champion of Red River Ex���s Stars of Tomorrow. With a strong propensity towards music ��� taking voice, piano and dance lessons ��� Andrea has won various awards and competitions such as the 2008 Top 12 for YTV���s ���The Next Star.���

See below for contact information for each concert regarding ticket pricing and purchasing, transportation, venue information and directions.

Steinbach: Tuesday, December 8, 7:30 pm
Steinbach Mennonite Church, 345 Loewen Avenue 204-326-9773
Venue/Ticket Info: www.steinbachartscouncil.ca or call 204-346-1077
Media Contact: Cindi Rempel-Patrick, Steinbach Arts Council, 204-326-9865

Gimli: Monday, December 14, 7:30 pm
Gimli High School, 52 ��� 7th Avenue, 204-642-8546
Venue/Ticket Info: Call 204-642-9898 or visit Respunthreads, 96 ��� 3rd Street, or Tergesen HP and Sons, 82 ��� 1st Street
Media Contact: Ann Kishka, Evergreen Basic Needs, 204-642-7388

Neepawa: Tuesday, December 15, 7:30 pm
Neepawa Area Collegiate, 440 Hospital Street, 204-476-3305
Venue/Ticket Info: Viscount Cultural Centre, 204-476-3232 or Its Time Promotions, 204-476-5986
Media Contact: Val Jarema, Kaleidoscope Concert Series, 204-476-5193

Portage la Praire: Wednesday, December 16, 7:30 pm
William Glesby Centre, 11 ��� 2nd Street N.E., 204-239-5591 Venue/Ticket Info: Portage & District Arts Centre, 204-239-6029
www.portageartscentre.ca
Media Contact: Jean Armstrong, Portage & District Arts Council, 204-239-5591

The Power Smart Holiday Express Tour is sponsored by Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Public Insurance and supported by Manitoba Arts Council.

Les Violons du Roy au Carnegie Hall de New York

SUR ESPACE MUSIQUE, CBC RADIO ET LA WEBRADIO ESPACE CLASSIQUE

Montr��al, lundi 7 d��cembre 2009 ��� Pour souligner les 25 ans des Violons du Roy, Radio-Canada propose �� ses auditeurs et internautes Le Messie de Haendel, un grand concert capt�� au Carnegie Hall de New York en d��cembre. Dirig��s par leur chef Bernard Labadie, Les Violons du Roy seront accompagn��s du ch��ur La Chapelle de Qu��bec et des solistes Rosemary Joshua (soprano), David Daniels (haute-contre), Alan Bennett (t��nor) et Andrew Foster-William (baryton-basse).

ESPACE MUSIQUE

Sur Espace musique, la radio musicale de Radio-Canada (100,7 FM �� Montr��al), les auditeurs pourront entendre en grande primeur ce magnifique concert le 14 d��cembre �� 20 h dans le cadre des soir��es classiques anim��es par Mario Paquet. L���enregistrement sera ��galement diffus�� le matin de No��l, 25 d��cembre �� 9 h.

R��alisation-coordination : Pascale Labrie

CBC RADIO et CBC.CA

Nos coll��gues de CBC Radio offriront eux aussi Le Messie de Haendel �� leurs auditeurs le 25 d��cembre �� 9 h sur CBC Radio One (88,5 FM �� Montr��al) et �� 12 h sur CBC Radio 2 (93,5 FM �� Montr��al). Les amateurs de la radio par satellite pourront ��galement entendre ce concert sur Sirius (fr��quence 137) la m��me journ��e �� 14 h. Il sera ��galement offert en ligne sur la webradio de CBC Radio 2 ult��rieurement �� CBC.ca/radio2/cod.

R��alisation : Robert Rowat

LES 25 ANS SUR ESPACE CLASSIQUE

D��s le 10 d��cembre, les internautes auront acc��s �� un grand dossier sur les 25 ans des Violons du Roy sur la webradio Espace classique �� Radio-Canada.ca/musique : portrait audio de Bernard Labadie, entr��es de blogue, albums photos, documents d���archives�Ķ Le site sera bonifi�� au fil du mois. �� partir du 15 d��cembre, les m��lomanes pourront ��couter sur demande pendant un an Le Messie de Haendel enregistr�� �� New York; un second concert, la Messe de minuit de Charpentier, sera ajout�� le 21 d��cembre, et un documentaire sur les 25 ans pr��par�� par le T��l��journal Qu��bec sera disponible �� partir du 29 d��cembre.

Edimestres : Fran��oise Davoine et Xavier K. Richard

Mettez-vous dans l���ambiance des F��tes avec ce beau concert des Violons du Roy�Ķ Le Messie de Haendel est l���un des plus c��l��bres oratorios sacr��s et l���une des ��uvres les plus populaires du temps de No��l. C��l��brez les 25 ans de cet ��minent orchestre qu��b��cois sur les ondes d���Espace musique et de CBC Radio, �� la radio satellite Sirius, ainsi que sur les webradios Espace classique et CBC.ca/radio2.

Exposition Emporte-Moi/Sweep Me Off My Feet: Derni��re semaine !

L���EXPOSITION SE TERMINE DIMANCHE, �� 17 H

Qu��bec, le lundi 7 d��cembre 2009 �� L���exposition Emporte-moi/ Sweep me off my feet prendra fin dimanche prochain, le 13 d��cembre. Il ne reste donc que 6 jours pour vous laissez s��duire et ��mouvoir par les ��uvres de cette l���exposition d���envergure internationale.

�� toutes les ��poques, le d��sir et les turbulences de l���amour ont inspir�� les artistes. L���exposition Emporte-moi/Sweep me off my feet propose une r��flexion sur la valeur de l���motion dans l���art contemporain au moyen d����uvres qui ��voquent le pouvoir d���enchantement et d���an��antissement de l���amour. Elle r��unit une trentaine d���artistes internationaux, dont plusieurs noms bien connus tels que David Altmejd, Pierre et Gilles, Sophie Calle et Andy Warhol.

�� Une visite surprenante, parfois coquine, �� faire main dans la main, en amoureux ��
��� Alexandra Perron, Le Soleil

�� Tr��s originale et actuelle ��
��� Denise Martel, Le Journal de Qu��bec

�� L'��motion est in��vitable. Les plus sensibles sortent en larmes [�Ķ],
les plus prudes quittent les lieux en ��tat de choc ��
��� J��r��me Delgado, Le Devoir

L���exposition Emporte-moi/Sweep me off my feet est coproduite par le Mus��e national des beaux-arts du Qu��bec et le Mus��e d���art contemporain du Val-de-Marne (MAC/VAL). Elle sera pr��sent��e en France, au MAC/VAL, du 30 avril au 5 septembre 2010.

RENSEIGNEMENTS (grand public) :
418 643-2150 ou 1 866 220-2150 / www.mnba.qc.ca

Magic Is In the Air - Portland Symphony Orchestra���s 30th Magic of Christmas Opens Friday

�ĮDecember 7, 2009


PORTLAND, Maine ��� The Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO)���s Music Director Robert Moody conducts the 30th anniversary production of Magic of Christmas, which opens Friday, December 11 and runs through December 20 at Merrill Auditorium. Tickets are still available for all performances, though seating is limited for the December 12 and 13 matinees.


The PSO���s Magic of Christmas is sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets, IDEXX Laboratories and Northeast Delta Dental.


Magic of Christmas tickets range from $25 to $55 and can be purchased online at www.porttix.com, by phone at 207-842-0800, or at the PortTix box office, 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday from noon to 6:00 p.m. Discounts for most performances are available for students, seniors and groups of 10 or more. New this year, ���Magic��� Magic tickets are available: if there are concerns about the weather, these tickets can be exchanged for other Magic performances (restrictions apply). Phone and internet orders are subject to $6 per-ticket PortTix handling fee, and all tickets include a $2 Merrill Restoration fee.



Full list of 2009 PSO Magic of Christmas performance dates and times:
Kotzschmar Organ Prelude begins one hour before each concert except for the Sunday 1:00 p.m. matinees which will feature students from the Maine Suzuki Association.
�Ģ Friday, December 11, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. (Preview)
�Ģ Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. (balcony only) and 7:30 p.m.
�Ģ Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. (balcony only) and 5:00 p.m.
�Ģ Friday, December 18, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
�Ģ Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
�Ģ Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.


2009 PSO Magic of Christmas full program:
Beckel Christmas Fanfare
Anderson Christmas Festival Overture
Torme/Wells arr. The Christmas Song (with singer)
Tchaikovsky ���Trepak��� from Nutcracker
Runyan A Christmas Carol (with narrator, dancers and puppets)
Shaw/Bennet Many Moods of Christmas, Suite IV (with chorus)
Massenet Meditation from Tha��s (with dancers)
Reading ���One Solitary Life��� (over Ravel���s ���The Enchanted Garden���)
Adam/Rutter O Holy Night (with singer)
Anderson Sleigh Ride
Tchaikovsky/Moody Sugar Plum, the Oratorio (comedy duet)
Finnegan, arr. Christmas Sing-a-Long (with audience and chorus)
Foster My Grown-up Christmas List (with singer)
Santa Dance Medley
Ades, arr. Let There Be Peace on Earth (full cast)

Seductive, Sultry Carmen Heats Up the COC'S 2009/10 Winter Season

Toronto, Ontario ��� The Canadian Opera Company���s Diamond Anniversary winter season opens with a COC revival of one of the world���s most famous operas, Georges Bizet���s Carmen. A masterpiece of lyric theatre, Carmen is a highly charged melodrama about an irresistible gypsy and her seduction of a young soldier. Leading the cast is renowned mezzo-soprano Beth Clayton, known for her powerful and convincing portrayal of the seductive Carmen, and tenor Bryan Hymel as Don Jos��, the object of Carmen���s desire. Mr. Hymel received rave reviews for his role as Pinkerton in this season���s Madama Butterfly. Carmen is a co-production with Op��ra de Montr��al and San Diego Opera, and runs for 12 performances, January 27, 30, February 2, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, and 27, 2010 and is sung in French with English SURTITLES�Ѣ.

American Beth Clayton, who has sung Carmen with New York City Opera and Los Angeles Opera, received critical acclaim for her depiction of the alluring temptress. She returns to the COC after making her company debut in the 1998 production of The Cunning Little Vixen. American tenor Bryan Hymel shares the role of Don Jos�� with Garrett Sorenson (February 23 and 27). Mica��la, the young peasant girl in love with Don Jos��, is sung by former Ensemble Studio soprano Jessica Muirhead, who sang the role of Donna Anna in the COC���s 2008 production of Don Giovanni. French bass-baritone Paul Gay, a favourite in European opera houses, makes his COC debut singing Escamillo, the matador smitten with Carmen. Former COC Ensemble Studio members also join the cast: bass Alain Coulombe is Zuniga, mezzo-soprano Lauren Segal is Merc��d��s, baritone

Alexander Hajek is Moral��s, and baritone Justin Welsh is Le Danca��re. Rounding out the cast are current Ensemble Studio members, sopranos Teiya Kasahara and Simone Osborne who share the role of Frasquita, and tenor Adam Luther sings the role of Le Remendado.

British conductor Rory Macdonald leads the COC Orchestra, Chorus and Canadian Children���s Opera Company. He is joined by Australian director Justin Way, who has worked with numerous opera houses worldwide including the Royal Opera House, Opera Australia, and Washington National Opera. Having previously collaborated at Glyndebourne Festival Opera, they reunite to make their COC debuts. The set is by award-winning designer Michael Yeargan, with lighting by Aaron Black. Canadian Fran��ois St-Aubin designs the rich and colourful costumes.

Based on the novella Carmen by French author Prosper M��rim��e, Bizet���s Carmen was condemned by the press at its premiere in Paris in 1875 as too immoral to stage. Carmen marked the first time in opera that a female character could flout morality and still remain the heroine of the work. It quickly became one of the most produced operas in the world, with 142 productions in the last 10 years being mounted in North America alone. The COC last performed Carmen in 2005.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for Carmen are available online at 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 Carmen range from $68 to $216 with Grand Ring (box level) seat tickets available from $260 to $321. Special young people���s tickets are priced from $34 to $108. These ticket prices apply to those who are 15 years of age or under, accompanied by and sitting next to an adult.

Starting Saturday, January 16, 2010 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. Special dinner packages are also available.

Carmen Production Co-sponsors: CIBC and CIBC Mellon

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

Broadcast Partner: CBC Radio 2

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.

COC ANCILLARY EVENTS AND INFORMATION:

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.

���Red Hot Bite���: Carmen

The Canadian Opera Company presents opera and a ���bite��� ��� an evening of cultural and culinary arts designed for young people under 30 who are new to opera. Held on Friday, February 5, 2010, patrons enjoy Carmen followed by a post-performance tapas and meet-and-greet with a member of the cast at Tundra Restaurant for one low, inclusive price.

Canadian Opera Company Podcast Series

The Canadian Opera Company and Universal Music present a FREE podcast series that explores the depths of music in opera. Podcasts are available for download or streaming on coc.ca or through Universal Music at getmusic.ca/classical. Carmen-themed podcasts are also available. These entertaining programs are 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 2009/10 season, as well as discussions with special artists. Each podcast is created and hosted by COC personnel.

THE COC���S 2009/10 WINTER SEASON CONTINUES WITH VERDI���S TRAGic TALE OF OBSESSION AND JEALOUSY: OTELLO

Toronto, Ontario ��� The Canadian Opera Company���s 2009/10 winter season continues with one of the greatest tragic operas of all time, Giuseppe Verdi���s Otello, starring renowned American tenor Clifton Forbis. This powerful production is directed by Paul Curran (Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Tosca) and conducted by Paolo Olmi (Don Carlos). Otello is a new COC co-production with Welsh National Opera and runs February 3, 6, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25 and 28, 2010 and is sung in Italian with English SURTITLES�Ѣ.

Based on Shakespeare���s, Othello, Verdi���s opera matches (and some scholars contend, exceeds) the play in emotional complexity and passion. Otello, a former slave who rises to the rank of general and finds love with his devoted wife, Desdemona, is ultimately destroyed by all-consuming obsession and jealousy fueled by his evil lieutenant, Iago. Leading the cast to performs Verdi���s most demanding tenor role is Clifton Forbis. Last with the COC as Siegmund in the critically-acclaimed Ring Cycle,

Mr. Forbis recently sang Otello for Dallas Opera���s inaugural production in its new Winspear Opera House. Iago is sung by American baritone Scott Hendricks, who last appeared with the COC in the 2007 production of Don Carlos, and will sing the lead in Macbeth with Th����tre Royale de la Monnaie in Brussels in June 2010. Italian soprano Tiziana Caruso makes her Canadian operatic debut as Desdemona. Her recent credits include Aida with Baltimore Opera and Teatro Verdi Trieste. Italian tenor Emanuele D���Aguanno as Otello���s friend, Cassio, makes his debut with the company, as does American mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton as Emilia, Iago���s wife. Rounding out the cast is Russian bass Yuri Vorobiev as Lodovico, Ensemble tenor Adam Luther as Roderigo, and Ensemble graduates, bass Alain Coulombe as Montano and baritone Justin Welsh as a Herald.

Otello welcomes back COC favourites off stage as well. Director Paul Curran, Norwegian Opera���s new artistic director, returns after the 2007 award-winning production of Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and 2008���s dramatic Tosca. Conductor Paolo Olmi leads the COC Orchestra, Chorus and Canadian Children���s Opera Chorus for the first time since his company debut with Don Carlos in 2007. Also returning is lighting designer David Martin Jacques, who worked with Mr. Curran on Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and Tosca. Australian set and costume designer Paul Edwards makes his COC debut using rich and vibrant colours to create Otello���s opulent world.

Otello was one of three operas Verdi composed based on Shakespearian plays, and is considered by many to be his greatest. Verdi composed Otello, with a libretto by Arrigo Boito, after a 15-year break following Aida in 1871, and it premiered at La Scala, Milan, in 1887 to tremendous acclaim. He composed only one more opera during his lifetime, Falstaff, also based on a Shakespearean play. These last two works are his towering achievements in the tragic and comic operatic repertoire.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for Otello are available online at 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 Otello range from $62 to $292. Special young people���s tickets are priced from $31 to $98.50. These ticket prices apply to those who are 15 years of age or under, accompanied by and sitting next to an adult.

Starting Saturday, January 16, 2010 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 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.

Otello Production Sponsor: National Bank 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

Broadcast Partner: CBC Radio 2

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, and generous individual donors.

COC ANCILLARY EVENTS AND INFORMATION:

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.

Opera 101: Otello
The Canadian Opera Company���s popular FREE series, Opera 101, takes an enthusiastic look at the COC���s production of Verdi���s Otello, on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. This session of

Opera 101 includes a question-and-answer period with members of the cast and creative team, and is hosted by Brent Bambury from CBC Radio���s GO! Held in the eclectic Drake Hotel, (1150 Queen St. W.) the event is designed to demystify opera by outlining the different aspects of the art form. Opera 101 is a friendly and interactive event designed for people new to opera.

The Opera Exchange
The Canadian Opera Company, in collaboration with the Jackman Humanities Institute, the Munk Centre for International Studies, and the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, presents the second instalment of the Opera Exchange series: Staging Jealousy: Shakespeare���s Othello and Verdi���s Otello held on Saturday, February 6, 2010 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Opera Exchange series takes place at Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building, The Faculty of Music, 80 Queen���s Park (at Museum subway station). Tickets are available by calling 416-363-8231, online at coc.ca, or in person at the Four Seasons Centre Box Office (145 Queen St. W., Toronto). Discounts are available for faculty and students (with a valid faculty/student ID).

Canadian Opera Company Podcast Series

The Canadian Opera Company and Universal Music present a FREE podcast series that explores the depths of music in opera. Podcasts are available for download or streaming on coc.ca. Otello-themed podcasts are also available. These entertaining programs are 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 2009/10 season, as well as discussions with special artists. Each podcast is created and hosted by COC personnel.

Jimmie LeBlanc wins the Canada Council for the Arts 2009 Jules L��ger Prize for New Chamber Music

Ottawa, December 7, 2009 ��� The Canada Council for the Arts announced today that composer Jimmie LeBlanc is the winner of the 2009 Jules L��ger Prize for New Chamber Music for the work L���Espace int��rieur du monde. The work was created for 15 musicians and electronics, and premi��red in March 2008 in Lyon (France) by the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne under the baton of Lorraine Vaillancourt.

This annual award is a partnership between the Canada Council, Canadian Music Centre and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation/Soci��t�� Radio-Canada. The prize is designed to encourage the creation of new Canadian chamber music and to foster its performance by Canadian chamber groups. The $7,500 prize was established in 1978 by the Right Honourable Jules L��ger, then Governor General of Canada.

The competition for the prize is administered by the Canadian Music Centre. The Canada Council funds the award, selects the peer assessment committee and organizes the prize presentation ceremony. Every year, the winning work is broadcast nationally by CBC Radio 2 and Espace musique, Radio-Canada���s music network. L���Espace int��rieur du monde will be broadcast at a later date.

The members of the peer assessment committee for the 2009 Jules L��ger Prize were violinist Parmela Attariwala (Toronto), composer Michael Oesterle (Deux-Montagnes, QC) and composer David Eagle (Calgary). The committee was a ���blind jury��� which evaluated the works without knowing the names of the composers.

Of L���Espace int��rieur du monde, the committee said, ���This is a raw and emotionally compelling work, effectively weaving electroacoustic elements and instrumental passages into musical gestures of extraordinary breadth.���

Images of Mr. LeBlanc can be downloaded from the Canada Council image gallery at: www.canadacouncil.ca/news/imagegallery.

Jimmie LeBlanc
Jimmie LeBlanc was born in 1977 in Saint-��tienne-de-Lauzon, just outside Quebec City. He trained as a pop and jazz guitarist before completing his studies in classical guitar. He studied composition and analysis at the Conservatoire de musique de Montr��al, and is currently preparing a doctorate at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University. Ensembles that have performed his music include Ensemble Contrechamps, Les Enfants Terribles, Quatuor Bozzini, Penta��dre, Trio Fibonacci, Hwaum Chamber Ensemble, Kore Ensemble and the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne.

In 2006 Mr. LeBlanc co-produced Perdre Pied, an opera performance created with artist Olivia Boudreau and set on a text by Jean-S��bastien Trudel. He was a finalist in the 4^th Seoul International Competition for Composers in 2007 and took part in Nouvel Ensemble Moderne���s Forum 2008 in Lyon, where he was also in residence at Grame, the national centre for musical creation. Recently he was the recipient of the Lutoslawski Award 2008. He is currently working on a composition for the Contemporary Music Ensemble at McGill University as well as on a new mixed piece for saxophonist Ida Toninato, as part of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology at McGill University for the 2009-10 Student Awards. For more information, visit www.jimmieleblanc.net.

General information

In addition to its principal role of promoting and fostering the arts, the Canada Council for the Arts administers and awards many prizes and fellowships in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural and health sciences, engineering, and arts management. These prizes and fellowships recognize the achievements of outstanding Canadian artists, scholars, and administrators. The Canada Council is committed to raising public awareness and celebrating these exceptional people and organizations on both a national and international level.

Please visit our website (www.canadacouncil.ca) for a complete listing of these awards.

The Cleveland Orchestra appoints principal cello

CLEVELAND, December 4, 2009 ��� Music Director Franz Welser-M��st and The Cleveland Orchestra announce the appointment of Principal Cello Mark Kosower. He will join the Orchestra in July at the beginning of the 2010 Blossom Festival, in the Louis D. Beaumont Endowed Chair.

Mark Kosower has appeared internationally as soloist with many orchestras, including the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris, the China National Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan, the Kansai Philharmonic in Japan, the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in South Africa, and the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra. In North America, he has appeared as a soloist with the symphony orchestras of Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Phoenix, and Seattle, amongst others, and with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Ravinia Festival Orchestra.

Mr. Kosower���s solo recitals include appearances at the Th����tre du Ch��telet in Paris, Frankfurt���s Alte Oper, Berlin���s Komische Oper, Belgrade���s Philharmonic Hall in Serbia, the Sala Cec��lia Meireles in Rio de Janeiro, Kumho Art Hall in Seoul, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Merkin Concert Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, and on the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society series. As a chamber musician, Mr. Kosower has appeared with Bargemusic in Brooklyn, New York; with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center; and on the Ravinia Festival���s ���Rising Stars��� series. In 2010, he makes his Netherlands recital debut at the de Doelen in Rotterdam and joins the Juilliard Quartet in Nuremberg and Munich for performances of the Schubert String Quintet in C major, D. 956.

Recently, Mr. Kosower released a recording of Ginastera���s complete works for cello and piano, and an album of Hungarian music with works by Popper, Dohn��nyi, Bart��k, and others, on Naxos International. Both albums feature his recital partner and wife, pianist Jee-Won Oh. Of the Hungarian disc, Strings magazine said, ���The music allows Kosower to showcase his stunning virtuosity, passionate intensity, and elegant phrasing.��� Mr. Kosower also recently was the soloist in the world premiere recording of Mikl��s R��zsa���s Rhapsodie for Cello and Orchestra, recorded in Budapest for Naxos with the Budapest Concert Orchestra MAV.

Mr. Kosower is currently Solo Cellist of the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra in Germany under Music Director Jonathan Nott ��� a position equivalent to the American title of Principal Cello. Mr. Kosower performed the Ginastera Cello Concerto No. 2 last spring on tour with the Bamberger Symphoniker and is currently recording the work with them (also for Naxos) along with the Cello Concerto No. 1, a continuation of his extensive work with that composer���s catalogue. His previous orchestral experience includes serving as guest solo cellist of the North German Radio Orchestra at the invitation of Christoph von Dohn��nyi and as guest principal cellist of the Seoul Philharmonic under Myung-Whun Chung.

The recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2002, Mr. Kosower was the top prize winner in the Rostropovich Competition in Paris (2001) and the Pablo Casals Competition in Germany (2000). He was also awarded a special prize at both competitions for the best interpretation of the commissioned contemporary work. In addition to his recordings for Naxos, he has also recorded for the VAI and Delos labels. A native of Wisconsin, Mr. Kosower holds a bachelor���s degree and artist diploma in cello performance from Indiana University and a master���s degree and artist diploma in cello performance from the Juilliard School. His major teachers were Joel Krosnick and Janos Starker.

Un Cadeau de No��l Enchant��... L���Orchestre M��tropolitain et la STM vous offrent un concert gratuit !

Montr��al, le 4 d��cembre 2009 ��� L���Orchestre M��tropolitain et la Soci��t�� de transport de Montr��al (STM), en collaboration avec l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al, sont heureux de s���associer pour pr��senter un concert original et gratuit !

Le 9 d��cembre prochain �� midi, les passants qui transiteront par la station Berri-UQAM auront le loisir de s���y arr��ter pour ��couter des extraits d���op��ras dont l���action se situe dans le temps de No��l et qui rappellent la f����rie des f��tes, tels La Boh��me, Carmen, La Fl��te enchant��e et Hansel et Gretel.

Sous la direction du chef Giuseppe Pietraroia, l���Orchestre M��tropolitain promet que l���motion et le plaisir seront au rendez-vous pour recr��er la magie du temps des F��tes par l���enchantement de l���op��ra. La STM et l���Orchestre M��tropolitain souhaitent que les gens soient nombreux �� d��baller et profiter de ce doux cadeau qu���ils ont grand plaisir �� leur offrir.

Nous profitons de cette occasion pour souhaiter �� tous que cette magie dans le m��tro vous accompagne durant toute la p��riode des F��tes !

~ �� ~

Ce concert GRATUIT se veut un avant-go��t du cinqui��me concert de la saison de l���Orchestre M��tropolitain : No��l �� l���op��ra, qui aura lieu dimanche, le 13 d��cembre �� l����glise St-Jean-Baptiste �� 16h. Le concert sera dirig�� par l���excellent chef d���orchestre montr��alais Giuseppe Pietraroia, qui fait un retour au M��tropolitain, et permettra d���appr��cier les voix des solistes de l'Atelier lyrique de l'Op��ra de Montr��al.

Saturday Night at Coconut Grove Art Stroll

A mix of artists, art demonstrations, live music, dance performances, food and beverage sampling December 5th, 2009. From 7:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Date: December 5th, 2009. From 7:00 - 11:00 p.m. Location: Promenade of the Shoppes at Mayfair. 2911 Grand Avenue. Coconut Grove, FL 33133 Admission: Free

The Coconut Grove Art Stroll is a free public art festival that brings together more than 40 local and international artists, musicians, dancers and food purveyors the First Saturday night of every month at the Promenade of the Shoppes at Mayfair in the Grove. The public can stroll through an eclectic exhibition of artists selling paintings, photos, crafts, and mixed media while listening to live music and enjoying free sampling of food and drinks sponsored by local restaurants and beverage companies. The idea is to bring art and entertainment to the streets and recreate the groovy art shows and funky street life the Grove has been famous for in the past. It���s a family friendly event and the kids can learn about art and draw and paint with Captain Art. Folkloric Dance performance by Dismas Gestas. Additionally, there will be Japanese and Polynesian dance performances by Etnia Fusion, and Martin Terry, the one-man orchestra, will make you dance through out the event. Some of the artists exhibiting works in the festival include Johnny Valdes, Proman Garcia, Arien Lopez, Javier Martinez, Juan Vilacoba, Santa Olaya, Jose Romero, Daisy Rodriguez, Juan Fernandez, Haydee Ramos and German Molina. Pollo Tropical and Chili���s Restaurant at CocoWalk will offer free food sampling. Kilo Kai Rum, Alchemia Vodka, Don Eduardo Tequila, Miller Light Beer will also offer samples of their products. ���The Grove has been an art Mecca and we want to bring people an event that provides a great night of entertainment and culture,��� according to Johnny Valdes, Director of the Coconut Grove Art Stroll. ���It���s free and fun for everyone!��� In addition The Antique Market, Grove House Gallery and Windish-Hunt Gallery will be open to make the Coconut Grove Art Stroll even better.��� By presenting the Event flyer, one may enter the raffle to win a free 60��� X 16��� Miami skyline panoramic photo by Johnny. Coconut Grove Art Stroll 305.726.1466 coconutgroveartstroll@yahoo.com www.myspace.com/coconutgroveartstroll

Activit��s annuelles des Petits Chanteurs de Trois-Rivi��res et Programmation de d��cembre 2009

TROIS-RIVI��RES, le mercredi 2 d��cembre 2009 : Depuis plusieurs ann��es d��j��, nous vous proposons nos activit��s annuelles auxquelles vous r��pondez en grand nombre. Vous constaterez que cette ann��e encore nous avons fait des efforts pour vous offrir le meilleur des Petits Chanteurs. Nous vous proposerons entre autres, notre s��rie de concerts r��guliers annuels, une tourn��e des ��coles primaires, une participation au march�� de no��l et plusieurs surprises que vous d��couvrirez au cours de votre lecture.

Les trois concerts annuels

Comme tous les ans, nous vous offrons une s��rie de trois concerts, produits par les Petits Chanteurs de Trois-Rivi��res, auquel se greffent bien entendu, plusieurs concerts �� contrat. Par exemple, cette ann��e nous avons trois concerts priv��s, qui ont eu lieu en octobre �� l���glise de St-Etienne-des-Gr��s, un autre le 28 novembre dernier �� St-Stanislas et un troisi��me, en collaboration avec le Groupe Investors qui sera pr��sent�� le lundi 14 d��cembre prochain. Pour sa part, notre s��rie de concerts r��guliers s���amorcera en d��cembre.

1. Concert cadeau de no��l (20 d��cembre 2009, 14h)

Ce traditionnel concert de No��l en apr��s midi �� la Cath��drale de Trois-Rivi��res, vous proposera des chants de no��l traditionnels ainsi que quelques pi��ces venant d���un r��pertoire plus classique et souvent m��connu, qui sauront combler vos oreilles. Le tout, sous la direction musicale de M. Luc Darveau.

2. Concert Musique de films (20 mars 2010)

Avec la participation de l���Harmonie du 62^e r��giment de Shawinigan et sous la direction musicale, de M. Luc Darveau, Les Petits Chanteurs de Trois-Rivi��res vous charmeront avec des airs tir��s de films tel : Harry Potter, Le pirate des cara��be, Titanic et plusieurs autres.

3. Concert Chants sacr��es et folkloriques (5 juin 2010)

Le dernier concert de l���ann��e vous permettra d���entendre en premi��re partie, des chants sacr��s, tir��s du r��pertoire liturgique r��guli��rement chant�� par la Ma��trise �� la Cath��drale. La deuxi��me partie sera compos��e de chants folkloriques qui se retrouvent pour la plupart sur notre nouveau Disque compact Au Chant de l���Alouette, qui fut lanc�� au printemps dernier.

D��cembre

La programmation de d��cembre, est quant �� elle, remplie de surprises. D��butant le 4 d��cembre, avec une apparition �� la Vie en Mauricie, Les Petits Chanteurs seront ��galement en accompagnement de Marc Hervieux lors de la diffusion du No��l du pauvre en d��but de soir��e. Le 6 d��cembre, lors du passage de la Flamme Olympique �� Trois-Rivi��res, Les Petits Chanteurs interpr��teront la Chanson de Gr��gory Charles, Cette Flamme, compos��e pour l���occasion. Du 7 au 18 d��cembre, les enfants feront la tourn��e des ��coles primaires de la r��gion (8 jours, 18 ��coles, 21 concerts) en compagnie des ��l��ves de Musiques-��tudes de l���cole St-Fran��ois-d���Assise. Le marathon de d��cembre se poursuit avec une participation vocale au March�� de no��l les 11, 17 et 18 d��cembre en fin de journ��e. Le concert priv�� du Groupe Investors aura lieu comme pr��vu en soir��e le 14 et le concert Cadeau de Noel du dimanche apr��s-midi suivra le 20. Et pour clore ce mois de festivit��s, les Petits Chanteurs se produiront �� la grande messe de No��l de 22h00 le 24 d��cembre �� la Cath��drale de Trois-Rivi��res.

Projets �� venir...

Pendant ce temps, Les Petits Chanteurs attendent impatiemment une r��ponse suite �� leur mise en candidature pour leur participation au 9^e Symposium Mondial des Chorales, qui aura lieu en Argentine en ao��t 2011. De plus, nous sommes pr��sentement en pr��paration pour l���enregistrement d���un deuxi��me disque de No��l ainsi qu���� celui en Hommage �� Monseigneur Claude Thompson. En terminant, Les Petits chanteurs accueilleront le tr��s r��put�� �����Phoenix��� boys Choir ����� en juin 2010.

Comme vous pouvez le constater, la passion qui anime nos membres est toujours pr��sente et propulse la chorale des Petits Chanteurs au c��ur de l���action.

Pour nous joindre :

Les Petits Chanteurs de Trois-Rivi��res :

1850 rue Le Caron,

Trois-Rivi��res, Qc.

T��l : 819-374-4009

Popular "Opera Triviata" Game to be Again Presented by Phoenix Opera Event to Take Place at My Florist Cafe

WILL INCLUDE CELEBRITY EXPERTS AND LIVE OPERA PERFORMANCES

Madama Butterfly

February 12, 14, 2009

���Opera Triviata,��� presented several months ago by Phoenix Opera, was such a success that the company has announced a repeat event hosted by My Florist Caf�� with two panels of celebrity opera experts who will compete in front of a live audience in answering difficult questions on the subject. The questions will be posed by host Michael Dixon of KTAR. ���Opera Triviata��� will take place Sunday, December 13^th at 4 PM at My Florist Caf�� at the corner of 7^th Ave. and McDowell in Phoenix.

John Massaro, General Director of Phoenix Opera said, ���We discovered last time that this type of game show atmosphere combined with a wonderful party gives opera lovers something that they cannot get anywhere else. ���Opera Triviata��� is just pure fun and the response by the community has been tremendous.���

Admission to ���Opera Triviata��� is $50 per person. A special holiday menu and wine are included. A cash bar is also available. In addition, there will be audience participation as well as live opera singing by young artists of the Phoenix Opera. Reservations can be made by calling Marilyn at 480-905-8854.

Tickets are now available for Phoenix Opera���s upcoming performances of Puccini's Madama Butterfly (February 12 & 14, 2010). Go to Ticketmaster or call the Orpheum Box Office at 602-262-7272.

Stingray Digital adds EMI Music Canada catalogue to new Galaxie Music Videos on Demand service

MONTREAL, December 3, 2009 ��� Stingray Digital, a Montreal-based company with strong growth in the international digital media sector, announced today a multi-year, multi-platform agreement with EMI Music Canada to add the label���s music video content to the Galaxie Music Videos on Demand service. The Galaxie Music Videos on Demand (MVOD) service was launched on Rogers Digital Cable in September this year and will be soon offered by other television service providers.

"The Galaxie Music Videos On Demand service has been growing in popularity since the launch in September,��� stated Eric Boyko, president of Stingray Digital ���and now, with access to the historic library from EMI, viewers are going to find even more of the top music video content they seek. The EMI library will further strengthen the Galaxie MVOD service with videos that span works from today���s chart toppers and legendary artists."

���We recognize that music fans want to be able to select and watch the music videos of their choice, on a range of platforms, including their television screens. The Galaxie Music Videos on Demand service is the perfect platform for delivery of the latest and the most requested music videos,��� said EMI Music Canada President Deane Cameron. ���We look forward to working with Stingray Digital and the Galaxie programming team on the development of Galaxie MVOD across various platforms.���

This new service from Stingray Digital, the first of its kind in Canada, allows viewers to select their choice of music videos, or select and watch professionally-programmed music video playlists. There are hundreds of popular videos of all genres ready to be watched at the viewer���s convenience. In the US, the equivalent music videos on demand service is the number one VOD service by monthly views across all categories.

With The KARAOKE Channel on VOD in more than 42 million homes in North America and in Europe, and now Galaxie Music Videos on Demand being rolled out across Canada, Stingray Digital is quickly establishing themselves as one of the major suppliers of video on demand content worldwide.

About Stingray Digital Media Group

Stingray Digital is a leader in interactive music distribution. Our properties include The Karaoke Channel, the world���s largest licensed karaoke library and karaoke service on TV and Internet, Galaxie, the leading digital music service on TV in Canada, Chum Satellite Services, a leader in commercial music and video solutions and its music licensing unit, Stingray Music. Stingray was founded by seasoned new media entrepreneurs, Eric Boyko and Alexandre Taillefer, and is financially backed by Telesystem and Novacap. Headquartered in Montreal, Stingray has more than 110 employees and additional offices in Charlotte, Los Angeles and Budapest. For more information, visit stingraydigital.com.

About EMI Music Canada

EMI Music Canada is a unit of EMI Music, one of the world���s leading music companies. EMI Music Canada was founded in 1949 and is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year. EMI Music Canada���s current roster of artists spans all musical tastes and genres. Artists include: Alice In Chains, Lily Allen, Charles Aznavour, Corinne Bailey Rae, Beastie Boys, The Beatles, Sarah Brightman, Rosanne Cash, Terri Clark, Coldplay, Stompin' Tom Connors, Jesse Cook, Default, Depeche Mode, David Guetta, Ben Harper, Iron Maiden, Norah Jones, Lady Antebellum, Massive Attack, Anne Murray, Nickelback, One More Girl, Katy Perry, Serena Ryder, Sweet Thing, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Kreesha Turner, Keith Urban and Karl Wolf. It also boasts a strong EMI Label Services Division with labels such as: Aquarius Records, Arts & Crafts, Century Media Records, Eleven Seven Records, Justin Time Records, Marquis, Secret City Records, Side One Dummy Records, Sparks Music, Ultra Records, Upper Class Recordings and the Welk Music Group. www.emimusic.ca

Festival International du Film sur l'Art

JACQUES GIRARD

PR��SIDENT D���HONNEUR DU 28^e FIFA

Montr��al, le jeudi 3 d��cembre 2009 ��� Le pr��sident du Conseil d���administration du Festival International du Film sur l���Art (FIFA), monsieur Yvon Turcot, a le plaisir d���annoncer que monsieur Jacques Girard a gracieusement accept�� la pr��sidence d���honneur de la 28^e ��dition du FIFA qui se tiendra du 18 au 28 mars 2010.

Le nom de monsieur Girard est ��troitement associ�� aux milieux art-affaires de Montr��al. Ancien pr��sident du Conseil du FIFA, il est administrateur de nombreuses soci��t��s et organismes �� la fois des secteurs public et priv�� dans lesquels il a fait carri��re. Il a ��t�� notamment pr��sident de T��l��-Qu��bec, pr��sident du groupe Quebecor, pr��sident-directeur g��n��ral de Montr��al International et pr��sident du Conseil de Domtar. Il est pr��sident du Conseil d���administration de Centre financier international de Montr��al.

En acceptant la pr��sidence d���honneur de la 28^e ��dition du FIFA, monsieur Girard a insist�� sur l���importance de soutenir un festival qui est �� une grande vitrine internationale de Montr��al jouissant d���une r��putation incomparable dans le monde aupr��s des producteurs, r��alisateurs et amateurs de la cin��matographie associ��e �� l���art sous toutes ses formes ��.

Le pr��sident du Conseil du FIFA a tenu �� souligner l���enthousiasme avec lequel tout le monde au FIFA accueille monsieur Girard comme pr��sident d���honneur. �� Nous sommes tr��s privil��gi��s, a comment�� monsieur Turcot, de pouvoir compter sur la participation active d���une telle personnalit�� montr��alaise, qui a toujours ��t�� �� la jonction des affaires et de la culture, pour r��aliser les objectifs ambitieux que nous nous sommes fix��s en vue d���assurer la p��rennit�� du FIFA. ��

Le Festival International du Film sur l���Art (FIFA) est une soci��t�� �� but non lucratif vou��e �� la promotion et �� la diffusion des meilleures productions mondiales de films sur l���art et d���arts m��diatiques. D���une dur��e de 11 jours et de nature comp��titive, le FIFA est l���v��nement annuel le plus important au monde dans son domaine. Il est le rendez-vous des artistes et artisans du milieu des arts et de la cin��matographie aussi bien que des amateurs d���art et de cin��ma.

Inscrivez-vous gratuitement �� notre infolettre sur www.artfifa.com

A Company of Instruments Baroque Orchestra presents

Singen! Singen!

featuring selections from:

Part IV & V, Christmas Oratorio by J. S. Bach

Christmas Historie by H. Sch��tz

with

Siri Olesen, Emily Cheung, soprano; Melanie Adams, Jennifer Williams, alto;

Hyo Shim, Bruce Hoffman, tenor; Russell Cripps, Barry Honda, bass

Wednesday December 30 @ 7:30 pm

Redeemer Lutheran Church, 1499 Laurier Ave (at Granville), Vancouver

Admission by donation

Information: 604.435.5386

A concert of baroque music poised on the cusp of the new year, Singen! Singen! features selections from two Christmas works in German for choir and orchestra, written by Heinrich Sch��tz and Johann Sebastian Bach.

Heinrich Sch��tz's Christmas Historie was premiered in 1660, towards the end of the composer's very full life. The work is a masterful retelling of the familiar Christmas story. Movements four and five of J.S. Bach's beloved Christmas Oratorio (dating from 1734-35) deal with the naming of the Christ child and the arrival of the three Wise Men. Singen! Singen! offers an informal concert of these works in the days between Christmas and New Years. Please join us.

About A Company of Instruments Baroque Orchestra

Since the fall of 2007 a group of friends have been meeting regularly to play baroque music. They decided to play two or three concerts a year, usually at Redeemer Lutheran Church on Granville and Laurier in Vancouver, their 'home'. At the moment the group uses modern instruments (including a harpsichord built in 1972), and have made no plans to change that. However, they are striving to play in the baroque style.

About the vocal ensemble

The vocalists joining A Company of Instruments for Singen! Singen! are drawn from several well-known Vancouver ensembles, including musica intima, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Chor Leoni, Vancouver Bach Choir, and the choir of Christ Church Cathedral.

Robbins Lighter Classics: Over 125 voices add an elaborate musicality to traditional holiday favourites

A Lightly Classical Christmas

Thursday, December 17^th ��� 8:00 pm

*SOLD OUT*

Edmonton, AB �Ķ All will be calm and all will be bright in an evening devoted to the beloved classical and traditional music of the season. The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO), along with Canadian baritone Nathan Berg, Richard Eaton Singers (RES), and guest conductor Steven Reineke, bring rich holiday sentiment and memory to the Francis Winspear Centre for Music with exquisite orchestral arrangements and grand choral masterpieces.

A truly vibrant and unique composition of carols, Christopher Rouse���s Karolju evokes familiar moods of Christmas but with a contemporary twist. In this uplifting piece, Richard Eaton Singers, comprising of 125 voices, will sing in Latin, Swedish, French, Spanish, Russian, Czech, German, and Italian, matching the sound of the language to the style of the carol.

Lending his ���first-class voice��� (The Boston Globe), one of the most in-demand bass-baritones of his generation Nathan Berg will enchant the audience with his internationally acclaimed musicality and artistry. Performing traditional favourites including Silent Night, Handel���s The Trumpet Shall Sound (from Messiah), and Niles��� I Wonder As I Wander, Mr. Berg will also join forces with RES for Vaughan Williams��� brilliantly melodious Fantasia on Christmas Carols and a stirring rendition of O Holy Night.

This concert is SOLD OUT. Ticket prices range from $20 ��� $69 (agency fees apply), and are available through the Winspear Centre Box Office. Call (780) 428-1414, toll-free 1-800-563-5081, or purchase online at www.edmontonsymphony.com.

The ESO will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Edmonton Food Bank at concerts throughout the month of December.

The next performance of the Robbins Lighter Classics series takes place on January 14^th, 2010. Martin Riseley returns in the New Year to perform a dazzling array of his favourite ���party pieces��� with the ESO in Violinissimo!

Thank you to our series sponsor Bill and Mary Jo Robbins, our series media sponsor Global Television, and our season media sponsor the Edmonton Journal.

Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to Marc Carnes, Director of Development, at (780) 401-2518.

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, marking its 58^th season in 2009-2010, has taken its place as one of Canada's foremost orchestral ensemble. Its current roster includes 56 musicians from Canada and around the world, performing a wide-ranging repertoire from the great classical masterworks to pops and children's concerts. The presence of the orchestra and its enrichment of the community's quality of life are key elements in the stature and profile of Edmonton on the national and international scene.

October 2009 Composer Assistance Program Grants Announced

$31,000 Awarded to Composers for the Realization of their Work in Performance

NEW YORK ��� The American Music Center (AMC) is pleased to announce grant awards totaling $31,000 to 28 composers through the October 2009 round of the Composer Assistance Program (CAP). The awardees are American composers ranging in age from 24 to 78 residing in 12 states.

AMC annually awards grants that assist composers by helping them realize their music in premiere performances. As of the October 2009 round, composers are now able to receive travel assistance to attend the premiere of the awarded work. The grants are intended to help composers take full advantage of performance opportunities that will enhance their careers. This round���s ensembles and organizations premiering or featuring public readings of CAP-supported works include: Ethel, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Metropolis Ensemble, and Earplay.
���The CAP program aims to help composers who are AMC members at a critical point in their careers. The range of styles of these composers��� work, the geographical breadth of their locations, and the quality of performing ensembles performing these new works demonstrates the vibrancy of new music performance our members are engaged in,��� said Joanne Hubbard Cossa, Chief Executive Officer of the American Music Center.
Since 1962, the Composer Assistance Program has provided over $2 million in support to American composers. Over 1,420 composers have received a CAP award at some point in their career, including Gordon Beeferman, Eve Beglarian, David Del Tredici, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Steve Reich. Composers must be members of the American Music Center to apply for an award. The Composer Assistance Program has been endowed by The Helen F. Whitaker Fund and The Aaron Copland Fund for Music. Current funding for CAP is provided by the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, The Edward T. Cone Foundation and the Reed Foundation. For more information, contact Jennifer Clarke, Grants Manager.

The American Music Center is dedicated to building a national community of artists, organizations, and audiences creating, performing, and enjoying new American music. Since its founding in 1939 by composers Marion Bauer, Aaron Copland, Howard Hanson, Harrison Kerr, Otto Luening, and Quincy Porter, AMC has been a leader in providing field-wide advocacy, support, and connection. AMC advocates for the community through NewMusicBox (www.newmusicbox.org), its award-winning web magazine, and CounterstreamRadio (www.counterstreamradio.org), a 24-hour online station broadcasting music by a broad range of United States composers. AMC supports the community by making grants to composers and ensembles each year, and by offering professional development programs for artists. AMC connects the community with an array of information services designed to facilitate performances, including the AMC Online Library, a vast, searchable database of 45,000 works by American composers; publications compiling opportunities in new music and other information useful to industry professionals (at Explore American Music at www.amc.net); and benefits and services for nearly 2,500 members in all fifty states and around the world. For more information on the American Music Center and its activities, please go to www.amc.net.

La Fondation Arte Musica pr��sente

LE TEMPS DES F��TES EN MUSIQUE

Sous les fresques de Michel-Ange
Concerts de musique polychorale
avec le Studio de musique ancienne de Montr��al (SMAM)
sous la direction de Christopher Jackson

Le dimanche 27 d��cembre �� 14 h
le mardi 29 d��cembre �� 14 h
et le mercredi 30 d��cembre �� 14 h

***
Salle des miroirs du pavillon Michal et Renata Hornstein
Mus��e des beaux-arts de Montr��al
1379, rue Sherbrooke Ouest
fondationartemusica.ca

Montr��al, le 3 d��cembre 2009 ��� La Fondation Arte Musica pr��sente une nouvelle s��rie de concerts de musique vocale entre No��l et le jour de l���An. Cette p��riode de l���ann��e offrant peu de concerts, la Fondation est heureuse de convier le public �� une pause favorable au recueillement dans le d��cor ��vocateur de la Salle des miroirs.

Cette ann��e, l���ensemble invit�� est le Studio de musique ancienne de Montr��al (SMAM) qui pr��sente un concert intitul�� Sous les fresques de Michel-Ange. Ces concerts ��voquent la musique entendue �� la chapelle Sixtine au XVIe si��cle. Au programme, des ��uvres de Palestrina, Roland di Lassus et Luis de Victoria, ainsi que le c��l��bre motet Miserere d���Allegri. Ces ma��tres de la Renaissance ont cultiv�� l���criture �� plusieurs ch��urs qui tire partie de l���espace et du son dans une st��r��ophonie avant la lettre. Veuillez noter que le programme est le m��me pour chacun des concerts.

Reconnu comme l���un des meilleurs ensembles vocaux de musique ancienne au pays, le SMAM est form�� de 12 chanteurs choisis pour la puret�� et la clart�� remarquables de leurs voix. Il a ��t�� fond�� en 1974 par Christopher Jackson qui le dirige encore avec la passion des premiers jours.

Atelier choral gratuit
Ne manquez pas l���activit�� pr��-concert pour la famille : un atelier choral gratuit (avec billet de concert) qui sera pr��sent�� dans le Lab Design le dimanche 27 d��cembre de 13 h 15 �� 13 h 45. Dirig�� par le jeune chef de ch��ur et clarinettiste de formation Xavier Brossard-M��nard, l���atelier permettra aux petits et aux grands de chanter en famille un canon de la Renaissance, en lien avec le r��pertoire qui sera entendu au concert du SMAM !



Programme des concerts

Musique polychorale de la Renaissance

Fleuron de la civilisation occidentale, la polyphonie vocale atteint son apog��e au XVIe si��cle. Se jouant de toutes les complexit��s au moyen d���un contrepoint aussi souple que savant, les ma��tres de la Renaissance cultivent l���criture �� plusieurs ch��urs, dans une st��r��ophonie avant la lettre qui tire partie �� la fois de l���espace et du son.

Giovanni de Macque (v.1550-1614)
Motet Ave Regina c��lorum �� 12 voix en 3 ch��urs

Tom��s Luis de Victoria (1548-1611)
Motet Ave Maria (In annuntiationis Beata Maria Virginis) �� 8 voix

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (v.1525-1594)
Motet Laudate pueri Domine �� 8 voix en 2 ch��urs

Luca Marenzio (1553-1599)
Motet Lamentabatur Jacob �� 12 voix en 3 ch��urs

Gregorio Allegri (1582-1652)
Motet Miserere �� 9 voix en 2 ch��urs

Luca Marenzio
Motet Super flumina Babylonis �� 12 voix en 3 ch��urs

Nicolas Gombert (1495-1560)
Motet Tulerunt meum Dominum �� 8 voix

Roland de Lassus (v. 1532-1594)
Motet Domine quid multiplicati sunt �� 12 voix en 3 ch��urs

Tom��s Luis de Victoria
Motet Laetatus sum �� 12 voix en 3 ch��urs

Billets de concert :
Grand public : 25 $
30 ans ou moins : 12,50 $
VIP du MBAM : 18 $
16 ans ou moins : GRATUIT

En vente :
par t��l��phone (jusqu���au 23 d��cembre �� 16 h) : 514-285-2000 # 5
en ligne : mbam.qc.ca/concerts
en personne �� la Billetterie du Mus��e
ou �� l���entr��e de la Salle des miroirs �� partir de 12 h 30 le jour de chaque concert

The SoNoRo Association and the Romanian Cultural Institute Present the Ensemble Raro in its Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall Debut Tuesday February 16

THE ENSEMBLE RARO, JOINED BY MEZZO SOPRANO

ROXANA CONSTANTINESCU, PRESENTS WORKS BY

SCHUMANN, ENESCU AND VASKS

The Ensemble Raro, resident ensemble of Bucharest���s SoNoRo Festival, will make its Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall debut on Tuesday, February 16, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. The concert will be presented by the SoNoRo Association and the Romanian Cultural Institute. The ensemble, with mezzo-soprano Roxana Constantinescu, will perform works by Schumann, Enescu and Vasks.

The Ensemble Raro, comprised of Diana Ketler, piano, Alexander Sitkovetsky, violin, Razvan Popovici, viola, and Bernhard Naoki Hedenborg, cello, is, in effect, bringing the SoNoRo Festival on tour.

The complete program is as follows:

Robert Schumann: Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 47

George Enescu: Sept chansons de Cl��ment Marot

(Roxana Constantinescu, mezzo-soprano; Diana Ketler, piano)

Peteris Vasks: Quartet for Piano, Violin, Viola, and Cello

Tickets for the February 16 concert at $15 to $40 are available online at www.carnegiehall.org; by telephone at Carnegie Charge, (212) 247-7800, or by visiting the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 57th Street and Seventh Avenue in Manhattan.

���It is thrilling for us to bring a sampling of the SoNoRo Festival to New York,��� stated Razvan Popovici, as spokesman for the ensemble. ���We have established ourselves in the European cultural scene as a young, innovative and unconventional festival -- a festival which seeks to build a new musical future full of creative potential and enthusiasm, while maintaining respect for the great traditions of the past. We are proud to be an essential part of the revival of the chamber music tradition in Romania and are especially happy to share it with American audiences through the performance at Carnegie Hall.

���We are also excited to present the Piano Quartet by the Latvian composer Peteris Vasks. This work has special significance for us and carries a deeply personal, truly humanistic message. We premiered the Quartet in the UK, Germany and Switzerland, as well as working closely with the composer on this piece. The Quartet reflects both the emotional journey of a modern man and the history of a nation going through the turmoil of the 20th century. The honesty of Peteris Vasks���s music has left a profound impression on the audiences all over the world.���

George Enescu, the main musical figure of Romania, is a special connection between the SoNoRo Festival in Bucharest and the Romanian Cultural Institute, whose mission is to bring Romanian culture to worldwide awareness.

���Enescu,��� says Popovici, was the musical ���enfant terrible��� of Romania -- violinist, composer, conductor, pianist and pedagogue. He is represented on the program with one of his masterworks, the Sept chansons de Cl��ment Marot for mezzo-soprano and piano. As a child prodigy, Enescu started composing at the age of five, entering the Vienna Conservatoire at the age of seven and graduating at thirteen. He then continued his studies at the Paris Conservatoire with Jules Massenet and Gabriel Faur��. In 1923, Enescu made his debut as a conductor in New York with The Philadelphia Orchestra and, in 1936, was one of the candidates to replace Arturo Toscanini as conductor of the New York Philharmonic. He was one of the most renowned violin teachers of the time; among his pupils were Yehudi Menuhin, Christian Ferras, Arthur Grumiaux, Ivry Gitlis and Ida Haendel. The famous Ysa��e Ballade was dedicated to Enescu and Marcel Proust was inspired by his performance of the Violin Sonata by C��sar Franck.���

About Ensemble Raro:

Ensemble Raro was formed in 2004 by four extraordinary young musicians. Their goal is to create unforgettable musical performances and to combine an innovative approach with the rich European tradition of intimate and genuine chamber music making.

The inspiration for the ensemble���s name comes from Robert Schumann���s invented alter ego, Master Raro - a member of the Davidsbund and a mediator between Florestan and Eusebius, the two characters that were Schumann���s musical doubles and the contrasting voices of his

creative psyche. Master Raro was, therefore, something of a balancing force, representing sound judgment and the need to find unconventional ways of moving forward. In this sense, Ensemble Raro is constantly looking for new contrasting, program forms in which to establish fresh cultural, musical and literary connections. Since the members of Ensemble Raro are also in great demand as solo artists, it gives them even more possibilities to create different programs, ranging from solo pieces to quartets.

Ensemble Raro is the ensemble in residence at the SoNoRo Festival in Bucharest, Chiemgauer Musikfruehling Festival in Traunstein, Kobe International Music Festival, P��l��rinages in Munich and Le Faure/Bordeaux. By creating these festivals, the ensemble has full artistic liberty: it has improvised with DJs, created multimedia shows with VJs from Japan and Romania, and developed literary soir��es on love, Paul Wittgenstein and Bulgakow���s Master and Margarita with the actor Karl Markovics and the writer Lea Singer. Ensemble Raro is actively involved in performing contemporary chamber music repertoire, presenting the British and German premieres of Peteris Vasks���s Piano Quartet. The ensemble���s performances of Walter Braunfels���s and George Enescu���s works in the P��l��rinages series in Munich received much critical acclaim.

Ensemble Raro���s partners in various chamber music formations included Daishin Kashimoto, Konstantin Lifschitz, Adrian Brendel, Claudio Bohorquez, Baiba Skride, Carolin Widmann, Alina Pogostkina, Marlis Petersen, Mark Padmore and other celebrated musicians. The Ensemble recently performed in the Boswil Summer Festival (Switzerland), St.Gallen Festival and Gmunden Festspiele (Austria), Riga Chamber Music Days (Latvia), Schloss Elmau and Schloss Filseck (Germany) and in Music at Plush Festival (UK). Since 2006, the Ensemble Raro has toured annually in Japan.

Besides regular collaboration with the Bavarian Radio, Ensemble Raro���s performances have been broadcast on NHK/Japan; S��dwestdeutscher Rundfunk in Germany; Romanian National Television and Romanian Broadcasting Corporation; Swiss Radio; Latvian National Radio; and Radio France International.

In the last two years the Ensemble Raro released three CDs. The first, Songs and Dances of Life, was described by Radio France International as ���an exceptional project.��� About Canti Drammatici featuring piano quartets of Brahms and Vasks, Gramophone Magazine wrote: ���Ensemble Raro bring a feisty application, impeccable polish and lively imagination to Brahms���s stormy C minor Piano Quartet...��� The Seasons was released in autumn 2008 in cooperation with the SoNoRo Festival and features works by this name by Antonio Vivaldi and Astor Piazzolla.

The Ensemble Raro regularly gives master classes in Romania, Italy and Japan, and developed SoNoRo - INTERFERENCES, an extended educational project dedicated to the most talented young Romanian musicians.

In addition to the Zankel Hall concert, during the 2009/2010 season, Ensemble Raro will give debut recitals also in Vienna (Konzerthaus and Musikverein), Tokyo (Musashino Hall), and London (Wigmore Hall).

About the Individual Musicians

Diana Ketler, Piano

Diana Ketler was born in Riga into a well-known family of musicians and made her debut at the age of 11 under the baton of Vassily Sinaisky. Diana studied at the Latvian Academy of Music, the Mozarteum Academy in Salzburg, and the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Ms. Ketler has given recitals in many of the world���s most prestigious venues including the Bridgewater Hall (Manchester), Glenn Gould Studios (Toronto), Tokyo Opera City Hall and Suntory Hall (Tokyo), Atheneum (Bucharest), Southbank Centre and Cadogan Hall (London), and has appeared as soloist with orchestras including the Salzburger Kammerphilharmonie, Munich Chamber Orchestra, S��dwestdeutsches Kammerorchester, Sinfonietta Riga and Latvian National Symphony Orchestra. Her engagements have included performances at the Gstaad Musiksommer Festival, St-Gallen Musikfestival, Carinthischer Sommer, Oxford Chamber Music Festival and Zagreb Chamber Music Festival. In 2008, she was featured as a festival artist in Boswil Sommer Festival in Switzerland.

Diana has recently collaborated with musicians including Wolfram Christ, Konstantin Lifschitz, Daishin Kashimoto, Adrian Brendel, Baiba Skride, Mark Padmore, Inga Kalna and Marlis Petersen and has worked with composers including Gy��rgy Ligeti, Franco Donatoni, Peteris Vasks and Arvo P��rt. Her performances have been broadcast on radio and television in Japan, England (BBC, Classic FM), Germany (Bavarian Radio), Romania, Latvia, Switzerland and Austria.

In 2004, Ms. Ketler was appointed Artistic Director of the Chiemgauer Musikfr��hling Festival in Germany and in 2008 was awarded the Great Music Prize of the Latvian state. She is currently Professor of Piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and has given master classes in Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, Romania and Japan.

Alexander Sitkovetsky, Violin

British violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky was born in Moscow in 1983 into a family with an established musical tradition. At the age of eight, Alexander made his debut performance as a soloist with the chamber orchestra in Montpellier, France, and later that year was invited to become a pupil at the Yehudi Menuhin School where he studied with Natalia Boyarsky and Professor Hu Kun. He continued his studies with Hu Kun at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Alexander is currently studying with Professor Pavel Vernikov. Since their first meeting in Moscow in 1990, Lord Menuhin became a great inspiration for Alexander and supported him through his school years. Together they performed the Bach Double Violin Concerto in France and Belgium as well as Bart��k���s Duos at St. James���s Palace in London. In 1996, Alexander played Mendelssohn���s Violin Concerto in Budapest with Lord Menuhin conducting.

Alexander has performed in many international music festivals throughout Europe, including the Radio France Festival (Montpellier), Music Festival in Oldenburg, Verbier Music Festival and Academy (Switzerland), Tuscan Sun Festival (in Cortona, Italy), Utrecht Music Festival, Mecklenburg Vorpommern Festival, and Julia Fischer and Friends Festival (Germany).

Mr. Sitkovetsky has been featured as a soloist at many prestigious venues throughout Europe including London���s Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Wigmore Hall; Salla Verdi (Milan), Palais des Congres (Antibes) as well as in Israel, Hawaii and Moscow. The Strad magazine featured Alexander as one of the ���Stars of the New Century.��� He was featured as a soloist in the ���Tchaikovsky Experience��� documentary by BBC Television which was broadcast on BBC Two in 2007.

Mr. Sitkovetsky has released two recordings for Angel Records (a part of Capitol/EMI Classics group). His second recording for EMI/Angel, featuring concerto performances of Bach, Mendelssohn, Panufnik and Takemitsu, was released in January 2004 to unanimous critical acclaim. Alexander has recorded the Mendelssohn Double Violin Concerto with Dinorah Varsi and the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra for Orfeo, and the Bach Double Violin Concerto with Julia Fischer and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields for Decca.

Alexander is also a committed chamber musician and has collaborated with some of the most important artists of today, including Julia Fischer, Misha Maisky, Bella Davidovich, Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Julian Rachlin, Janine Jansen, Sarah Chang, Natalie Clein, Polina Leschenko, Julian Bliss, Maxim Rysanov, Sebastian Klinger, Michael Sanderling and many others.

In 2008 Alexander made his concerto debut at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw with the Netherlands Philharmonic with Yakov Kreizberg after which he received an immediate re-invitation for the 2010-2011 season. He has also debuted with the Bangkok and Monterey Symphony Orchestras and the National Orchestra of Ecuador as well as performing recitals in the UK, Europe and at festivals throughout Europe.

In 2009-2010, Alexander will perform once again with the BBC Concert Orchestra, the National Orchestra in Ecuador, and make his debuts with the l���Orchestre de Pau Pays de B��arn and the Kammeorchester Heilbronn in Germany.

Razvan Popovici, Viola

Razvan Popovici studied in Salzburg, Paris and Freiburg with Peter Langgartner, Jean Sulem and Wolfram Christ. His other mentors were Tabea Zimmermann, Paul Coletti, Wifried Strehle, Thomas Riebl, the Hagen Quartett and Peteris Vasks.

As a soloist Mr. Popovici has appeared in the Th��atre-d��s-Champs-Elys��es in Paris, the Cologne Philharmonie and the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. As a chamber musician, he has performed with Konstantin Lifschitz, Rainer Kussmaul, Alexander Lonquich, Thomas Brandis, Daishin Kashimoto, Baiba Skride, Carolin Widmann, Alina Pogostkina, Mihaela Ursuleasa, David Cohen, members of the Amadeus, Casal and Voces Quartets at the Schwetzinger Festspielen, Harrogate Festival, Open Chamber Music in Prussia Cove, Ferrarra Musica, Oxford Chamber Music Festival, St.Gallen Musikfestival, Tartini Festival in Slovenia, Boswil Sommer and Kobe Music Festival, as well as in halls like the Wigmore Hall and the South Bank Centre in London, Atheneum in Bucharest, Essen Philharmonic and Prinzregententheater in Munich.

Mr. Popovici has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (as an extra player) under Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, G��nter Wand, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Daniel Harding. He has been guest principal violist with orchestras including the Cologne Chamber Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Salzburger Kammerphilharmonie, Essen Philharmonic and the Kobe Chamber Orchestra. He has recorded extensively for radio and television including Bavarian Radio, S��dwestdeutscher Rundfunk, MTV, Radio France International, Swiss Radio, Romanian National Television and Romanian Broadcasting Corporation. Razvan is founder and director of the Chiemgauer Musikfr��hlingin Traunstein and chamber music series P��l��rinages in Munich and of the SoNoRo Festival in Bucharest. Razvan has given master classes in the Czech Republic, Japan, Italy and Romania.

Bernhard Kaoki Hedenborg, Cello

Born in 1979 in Salzburg, Bernhard Kaoki started playing cello at the age of six. When Bernhard was 13, Heinrich Schiff invited him to study with him over a period of eight years. In addition, Bernhard has worked with David Geringas, Zara Nelsova and Mikl��s Per��nyi. An avid chamber music performer, he has been encouraged by musicians including Gy��rgy Kurt��g, Ferenc Rados, Gy��rgy Seb��k, the Alban Berg Quartet and Amadeus Quartet.

Mr. Hedenborg is a prizewinner of many national and international competitions including a Silver Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians and the winner of the European Music Prize of Young Musicians in Oslo. He made his solo debut with Saint-Sa��ns���s Cello Concerto with the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg at the age of 12. The repertoire he has performed includes cello concertos by Shostakovich, Haydn, Dvo��k and Schumann; Tchaikovsky���s Rococo Variations; Beethoven���s Triple Concerto; and Brahms���s Double Concerto with the Cologne Radio Orchestra, Prague Symphony, Slovak Philharmonic, Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, Costa Rica Symphony, Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony and the Bombay Chamber Orchestra.

Among his chamber music partners are Julian Rachlin, Piotr Andrerszewski, Daishin Kashimoto, Konstantin Lifschitz and Christiane Oelze. As a member of the Thomas Christian Ensemble, he toured extensively in Europe and has recorded the chamber music transcriptions of works by Mahler, Bruckner and Debussy. He made his debut at the Golden Hall in the Wiener Musikverein as soloist with the Radio Bavaria Chamber Orchestra. In the season 2007/08 he was Soloist in Residence at the Theatre Eisenach where he performed eight concerts with the GMD Tetsuro Ban.

Mr. Hedenborg is artistic director of the Kobe Music Festival in Japan and regularly gives master classes in Japan, India and Europe.

Roxana Constantinescu, Mezzo-soprano

Roxana Constantinescu had already enjoyed several competition successes in Belgium, Romania, Munich and Cologne, but it was as the winner of the prestigious ARD Music Competition (Munich) in September 2006 that her international career was launched. Ms. Constantinescu subsequently joined the roster of the Vienna State Opera in the 2007/2008 season making her house debut as Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro conducted by Seiji Ozawa.

In Vienna, where Ms. Constantinescu will remain with the Vienna State Opera through the 2009/2010 season, further roles and experience to date have included Zerlina in Don Giovanni; Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia; Si��bel in Faust; St��phano in Rom��o et Juliette; Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana; Nicklausse in Les Contes d���Hoffmann; Dryade in Ariadne auf Naxos; and Fjodor in Boris Godunov.

After another prize-winning success at Italy���s Tito Schipa Singing Competition, Roxana Constantinescu was invited to make her debut as Angelina in La Cenerentola at the Teatro Politeama di Lecce and went on to appear as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Austria���s Tirol Festival. It was also as Rosina that Roxana enjoyed great acclaim in Cologne when she took over their opening night on short notice in September 2007.

Other operatic appearances to date have included Ramiro in La finta giardiniera and Hermia in A Midsummer Night���s Dream at Munich���s Prinzregententheater; Conception in L���heure espagnole at Italy���s Teatro Diego Fabbri; Holofernes in Juditha Triumphans at Munich���s House of Art; and Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus at both Bucharest���s State Opera and Essen���s Philharmonie.

As a concert singer, Roxana Constantinescu is in high demand and has recently debuted at Carnegie Hall and Chicago���s Orchestra Hall singing Stravinsky���s Pulcinella with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Boulez. Ms. Constantinescu enjoys an ongoing relationship with Helmuth Rilling and has performed with him around the world in music by Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Mendelssohn. Other conductors with whom Roxana Constantinescu has collaborated include Gerd Albrecht, Christoph Poppen, Marco Armiliato, Manfred Honeck, Kirill Petrenko, Yannik N��zet-S��guin, Sebastian Weigle and Franz Welser-M��st.

As an avid recitalist, Roxana Constantinescu has performed in Bucharest, Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich, Wiesbaden and Washington as well as extensively in the Far East. In the current season she will be presented in recital at Vienna���s famous Musikverein as well as in Goethe���s House in Weimar. Even at this early stage in her career, Roxana Constantinescu has already participated in numerous recordings for Haenssler Classic, OEHMS Classics, SWR, Artmode Records, Weltbild and Carus Verlag.

Born in Bucharest, Roxana Constantinescu first studied percussion and piano at the George Enescu Music Academy, continuing with vocal studies at the National University of Music. In 2003 she was awarded an Erasmus Scholarship to attend Vienna���s prestigious University of Music and Fine Arts, and a DAAD scholarship enabled her to attend Postgraduate Studies at the University of Music and Theater in Munich with Edith Wiens.

In addition to ongoing commitments at the Vienna State Opera, the current season brings a concert tour and recording with Helmuth Rilling of Sven-David Sandstroem���s Messiah, as well as concerts at the Musikverein with Sir Neville Marriner and guest appearances at both Wigmore and Carnegie Halls.

Grammy Nominations Include 12 Canadian Artists in the Mix

Canadian contingents will vie for 13 categories at the 52^nd Annual GRAMMY Awards

Toronto, ON (December 3, 2009) ��� With The 2010 JUNO Awards looming on the horizon, The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) congratulates Canada���s nominees for the 52^nd Annual GRAMMY Awards. Nominations were announced last night as part of the GRAMMY Awards live one-hour primetime televised concert that was hosted by LL Cool J, featuring performances by the Black Eyed Peas, Maxwell, Sugarland and Nick Jonas & The Administration.

���Canadian artists are achieving a level of success like never before and are continually being honoured around the world on the merit of their talents, performances and recordings,��� said Melanie Berry, President & CEO of CARAS. ���On behalf of CARAS, congratulations to all the 2010 GRAMMY nominees.���

The following Canadians garnered a total of 13 GRAMMY Award nominations.
2010 Canadian nominees include:

BEAST
DAVID FOSTER (five-time JUNO Award winner)
DRAKE
DIANA KRALL (eight-time JUNO Award winner)
MELANIE FIONA
MICHAEL BUBL�� (six-time JUNO Award winner)
MICHAEL J. FOX
NATALIE MACMASTER (JUNO Award winner)
NEIL YOUNG (five-time JUNO Award winner)
NICKELBACK (12-time JUNO Award winner)
NORTHERN CREE
SANDRA OH

Seven additional GRAMMY Award category nominations have a Canadian connection including Seal���s album, If You Don���t Know Me By Now, nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, was produced by DAVID FOSTER; Canadian DANIEL LANOIS for his work with U2 on their album No Line On The Horizon and their nominations for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals; and GORDIE SAMPSON credited in the production category of Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, for Leslie Mendelson���s Swan Feathers.

For a complete list of this year���s Canadian GRAMMY nominees and nominated categories, as well as Canadian connections to the 52^nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, go to The JUNO Awards website at www.junoawards.ca.

The 52^nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 31, 2010, at 8 p.m. (EST).

An impressive list of Canadian artists have joined the ranks of GRAMMY Award winners over the years, including JUNO Award-winning music icons such as Alanis Morissette, Anne Murray, Bryan Adams, Diana Krall, Michael Bubl��, Nelly Furtado, Oscar Peterson, Shania Twain and Sarah McLachlan.

Canada���s Music Awards, The 2010 JUNO Awards, will be presenting its nominee announcements in early March, to take place in Toronto, ON. For more information about The JUNO Awards, go to www.junoawards.ca. Tune into CTV on April 18^th, 2010, for The JUNO Awards broadcast from St. John���s Newfoundland and Labrador!

About CARAS:
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences/L���acad��mie canadienne des arts et des sciences de l���enregistrement (CARAS) is a not-for-profit organization created to preserve and enhance the Canadian music and recording industries and to contribute toward higher artistic and industry standards. The main focus of CARAS is the exploration and development of opportunities to showcase and promote Canadian artists and music through vehicles such as The JUNO Awards. For more information on the 39^th Annual JUNO Awards or The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences��� (CARAS) please visit our websites at www.junoawards.ca and www.carasonline.ca.

Pinanist Yuja Wang Receives Grammy�� Award Nomination for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance for her Rercording Sonatas and Etudes

Twenty-two year old pianist Yuja Wang has been nominated for a Grammy^�� Award in the Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra) category for her debut recording Sonatas & Etudes. The album, released by Deutsche Grammophon in April 2009, comprises Chopin���s Piano Sonata no. 2 in B flat minor Op. 35 ���Funeral March,��� Scriabin���s Piano Sonata no. 2 in G sharp minor Op. 19, Liszt���s Piano Sonata in B minor S 178, and Ligeti���s Etude 4 ���Fanfares��� and Etude 10 ���The Sorcerers Apprentice.��� Yuja is an exclusive artist for Deutsche Grammophon.

Sonatas & Etudes has been praised as an ���extraordinary debut recording��� by The New York Times, which added ���Ms. Wang offers technically stunning, interpretively compelling accounts of Chopin���s ���Funeral March��� Sonata and Liszt���s B minor Sonata along with dazzling high-energy performances of Scriabin���s Sonata No. 2 and a pair of Ligeti ��tudes.��� Gramophone magazine, which named Yuja the Classic FM Gramophone Awards 2009 Young Artist of the Year, also wrote that Yuja���s performance on the recording ���suggests a combination of blazing technique and a rare instinct for poetry.��� Sonatas & Etudes was also named Best Debut Album of 2009 by International Piano magazine.

Recognized for playing that combines the spontaneity and fearless imagination of youth with the discipline and precision of a mature artist, Yuja is noted for her authority over the most complex technical demands of the repertoire, the depth of her musical insight, as well as her fresh interpretations and graceful, charismatic stage presence. She has been praised for her controlled, prodigious technique and her command of the piano has been described as ���astounding��� and ���superhuman.���

For more information about this and other Grammy nominations visit www.grammy.com.

Yuja Wang: Sonatas & Etudes CD 00289 477 8140

Also available for download

Fr��d��ric Chopin (1810���1849)

Piano Sonata no. 2 in B flat minor op. 35 [24���24]

1. Grave ��� Doppio movimento [7���49]

2. Scherzo [6���45]

3. Marche fun��bre: Lento [8���21]

4. Finale: Presto [1���29]

Gy��rgy Ligeti (1923���2006)

5. Etude 4: Fanfares [3���40]

Alexander Scriabin (1872���1915)

Piano Sonata no. 2 in G sharp minor op. 19 ���Sonate���Fantaisie��� [12���20]

6. Andante [8���18]

7. Presto [4���02]

Gy��rgy Ligeti

8. Etude 10: The Sorcerer���s Apprentice [2���15]

Franz Liszt (1811���1886)

Piano Sonata in B minor S 178 [31���13]

9. Lento assai ��� Allegro energico ��� Grandioso ��� Recitativo ��� [12���24]

10. Andante sostenuto ��� [7���45]

11. Allegro energico ��� Andante sostenuto ��� Lento assai [11���04]

Virtuosi and the WSO Go Baroque

WINNIPEG�� ��� Virtuosi Concerts and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra have once again collaborated to bring a 15-member ensemble led by concert master, Gwen Hoebig to Eckhardt-Gramatt�� Hall. Due to the popularity of the group, two performances are scheduled: Saturday, Dec. 12 at 8pm and Sunday, Dec. 13 at 2pm.

For this performance we welcome, Maximilian Fleischman on harpsichord and piano forte. Fleischman earned his undergraduate degree in music history from Harvard University, where he was both a Leonard Bernstein Scholar and a Harvard National Scholar. He earned a second master's degree in Early Music from Oberlin College. He appears regularly as a soloist, chamber musician, and continuo player, performing repertoire spanning five centuries and four instruments.

Gwen Hoebig is recognized as one of Canada's most outstanding violinists. As a soloist with orchestra she has performed all the major violin concerti with orchestras across Canada, the United States and Europe. Hoebig joined the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster in 1987, having been awarded the position as the unanimous choice of the audition committee.

Johann Sebastian Bach fathered 20 children and from among them, four significant musicians emerged. Our programme raises compelling questions: were Carl Philipp Emanuel, Wilhelm Friedemann, Johann Christian and Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach transitional musical figures or important composers in their own rights? How did they advance their compositional styles in the shadow of such a father? How did they break away from the traditions J.S. Bach embodied and how did they influence other composers? We felt the best way to attempt to reveal all of this is to hear their music, with the master���s own as point of reference.

Programme: C.P.E. BACH Sinfonia in C major, Wq 182/3 ; J.S. BACH, Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041; W.F. BACH, Sinfonia in F major ���Dissonant���, F. 67; J.S. BACH, Cantata No. 29: Sinfonia; J. C. BACH, Keyboard Concerto in Eb major, Op 7, No. 5, C. 59 J.C.F. BACH, Symphony in D minor, W I/3, C. 4

The San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas' Recording of Mahler Receives Three Grammy�� Award Nominations

The Latest Release in Ongoing Mahler Cycle Nominated For Best Classical Album, Best Choral Performance, and Best Engineered Classical Album in the 52^nd Annual Grammy Awards

SAN FRANCISCO, December 2, 2009 ���The San Francisco Symphony���s (SFS) live concert recording of Gustav Mahler���s Symphony No. 8 and the Adagio from Symphony No. 10 conducted by Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) received three Grammy^�� Award nominations today in the categories of Best Classical Album, Best Choral Performance and Best Engineered Classical Album. This recording is the latest release in the ongoing Mahler recording cycle for the orchestra���s own SFS Media label. Mahler���s Symphony No. 8 in E flat major, Symphony of a Thousand, was recorded live in Davies Symphony Hall November 19, 21, 22 and 23, 2008 and features performances by sopranos Erin Wall, Elza van den Heever, and Laura Claycomb; mezzo-sopranos Katarina Karn��us and Yvonne Naef; tenor Anthony Dean Griffey; baritone Quinn Kelsey; and bass-baritone James Morris. The San Francisco Symphony Chorus under the direction of Ragnar Bohlin is featured on the recording as well as the San Francisco Girls Chorus and the Pacific Boychoir. The Adagio from Symphony No. 10 which opens this two-disc set was recorded April 6-8, 2006. A short video with behind the scenes footage and insights from the recording can be viewed here: ���A Universe of Sound: Recording Mahler���s Symphony No. 8.���. The 52^nd annual Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 31, 2010.

With these three nominations the SFS���s Mahler cycle has now received a total of nine Grammy nominations and four Grammy awards to date. The first recording, Mahler���s Symphony No. 6, was released in February 2002 and won the Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance of 2005 and was also nominated for Best Classical Album. Mahler���s Symphony No. 3 and Kindertotenlieder, featuring mezzo-soprano Michelle De Young, the women of the SFS Chorus, the San Francisco Girls Chorus and the Pacific Boy Choir won Best Classical Album in 2003, and Mahler���s Symphony No. 4, with soprano Laura Claycomb, was nominated for Best Surround Sound Album in 2004. Mahler���s Symphony No. 7 won Best Classical Album and Best Orchestral Performance in 2007.

Since the Mahler recording project began in 2001, the San Francisco Symphony has recorded all of the Mahler symphonies, the Adagio from the unfinished Tenth Symphony, Kindertotenlieder and Das Lied von der Erde and released a re-mastered recording of Das klagende Lied. Additional works still to be released include Mahler���s R��ckert Lieder, Songs Of A Wayfarer (Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen) and selected songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn. All of the new SFS/MTT Mahler symphony recordings were produced by Andreas Neubronner and have entered the top ten of the Billboard Classical Chart.

Michael Tilson Thomas has distinguished himself as one of the world���s foremost Mahler interpreters, and through his signature performances, as one of the composer���s most compelling advocates. In 1974, at the age of 29, he made his SFS debut conducting Mahler���s Symphony No. 9. Now in his fifteenth season as Music Director, he and the SFS have formed an orchestral partnership acclaimed for their interpretations of the music of Mahler as well as for innovation and artistic excellence.

For more information about this and other Grammy nominations visit www.grammy.com.

MAHLER / SYMPHONY NO. 8 AND ADAGIO FROM SYMPHONY NO. 10

SFS Media 821936-0021-2

Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor

San Francisco Symphony

Symphony No. 8 Recorded live in concert November 19, 21, 22 and 23, 2008 in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, California

Adagio from Symphony No.10 recorded live in concert April 6-8, 2006 in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, California

Amici Chamber Ensemble

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2009 l 3PM

Les Six versus

Saint-Sa��ns

GLENN GOULD STUDIO l 250 FRONT STREET WEST

Single concert tickets Adult $45 �Ģ Senior $40 �Ģ Student $10

Tickets are available by calling the Roy Thomson Hall box office @ 416.872.4255.

The programme:

Arthur Honneger Sonatine for violin and cello

1892 ��� 1955

Francis Poulenc Sonata for clarinet and piano

1899 ��� 1963

Darius Milhaud ���Le Boeuf sur le Toit��� for

1892 - 1974 violin and piano

Camille Saint-Sa��ns Piano Quintet in A minor, Op.14

1835 - 1921

Amici, aware that Camille Saint-Sa��ns was not a huge fan of the style and novelties of Les Six, thought that it might be fun to reconcile them �Ķ post mortem! We are pleased to welcome co-conspirators: Yehonatan Berick, Jin-shan Dai and Eric Nowlin in this, our second concert of the season. The programme includes Saint- Sa��ns��� passionate Piano Quintet; Milhaud���s witty Ox on the roof, with its tango and samba rhythms; Poulenc���s brilliant Clarinet Sonata and Honegger���s Sonatine for violin and cello - Les Six at their bouncy best!

Yehonatan Berick violin

Jin-shan Dai violin

Eric Nowlin viola

Serouj Kradjian piano

Joaquin Valdepe��as clarinet

David Hetherington cello

Single concert tickets Adult $45 �Ģ Senior $40 �Ģ Student $10

Tickets are available by calling the Roy Thomson Hall box office @ 416.872.4255.

And ��� good news for concert-goers we are pleased that ticket prices remain the same as last year!

For more information on AMICI log on to: www.amiciensemble.com

Black Theatre Workshop���s 24th Annual Vision Awards Celebration Honouring Mr. Bertrand A. Henry

Saturday, January 30^th

La Plaza Holiday Inn Midtown Montreal ��� 420 Sherbrooke West

Tickets: $125

Call: 514-932-1104 ext 226

~

A LIFE DEVOTED TO YOUTH

MONTREAL December 3, 2009 ��� Join us as we pay tribute to Mr. Bertrand A. Henry for his accomplishments as a teacher, mentor and friend to thousands of students living across Canada and beyond. This year���s 24^th Annual Vision Gala Awards Celebration honours Mr. Henry with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award. Mr. Henry is one of the original founders of Dawson���s DOME theatre program and has been teaching and mentoring youth through theatre, spanning over 25 years. This year���s Vision Gala will be held on January 30^th, 2010 at La Plaza Holiday Inn ��� Midtown Montreal, cocktails at 6, dinner at 7, dancing and entertainment until the wee hours of the night.

���As a board, we try and give the Martin Luther King Jr. award to someone of excellence, commitment and enterprise. Bertrand is all of those things, plus he has an unwavering devotion to youth that will always be remembered, especially by them.���

Jacklin Webb, President of the Board, Black Theatre Workshop.

This year Black Theatre Workshop honours Mr. Bertrand Henry for his exceptional contributions to the arts and English theatre in Montreal with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award. Heralded by English theatre critiques as the ���hottest director in town���, Mr. Henry has inspired in his students a dedication to art and a pride in their work, continuing to be the hallmark of the Dawson professional theatre program today. Mr. Henry���s dedication and unwavering commitment was displayed when years ago he said ���yes we can���, and gambled on the launching of the old Dome Theatre space and won.

Vision Celebration is also a glimpse into the future as we award two young Montr��alers for their scholastic and artistic achievements. The Gloria Mitchell-Aleong Award, sponsored by Stanley Aleong and the Victor Phillips Award, sponsored by TD Bank Financial Group, are presented to two outstanding young people who achieve excellence in their academic pursuits and the performing arts between the ages of 14 ��� 35.

BTW is pleased to announce the 24^th Annual Vision Gala Celebration marking the unofficial launch of Black History Month and Dr. King���s dream and vision of growth, unity and community. Every year the Vision Celebration awards the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award to an individual whose life has a measure of distinction in Canada and who has made significant contributions to the development of the Black performing arts.

Whether for BTW���s fall or spring Mainstage productions, school tours for Black History Month, Youthworks performance troupes, or for community arts development projects, all Vision contributions are dedicated to encouraging and promoting the development of a Black and Canadian Theatre. To purchase tickets call our box office at 514-932-1104 ext. 226. For more information on Black Theatre Workshop go to our website www.blacktheatreworkshop.ca.

Le Ch��ur Les Rhapsodes pr��sente au Palais Montcalm Jazzons No��l! Un No��l dans l'all��gresse et au rythme du jazz

Qu��bec, le 2 d��cembre 2009 ��� Le samedi 12 d��cembre 2009, �� 20 h, le Ch��ur Les Rhapsodes pr��sente Jazzons No��l !, un No��l au rythme du jazz dans le magnifique Palais Montcalm. Sous la direction musicale et artistique de David Rompr��, pr��s de soixante-dix choristes et un ensemble instrumental compos�� de Jocelyn Turbis, ��tienne Lafrance et Ren�� Roulx vous proposent de d��couvrir les no��ls que vous avez toujours connus, revisit��s par quelques-uns des meilleurs arrangeurs de jazz du Qu��bec qui ont transform�� pour le Ch��ur Les Rhapsodes les no��ls les plus traditionnels, leur donnant le rythme du jazz en m��me temps qu���une nouvelle vie. Ces no��ls feront l���objet d���un enregistrement CD, qui sera lanc�� �� l���automne 2010.

Jocelyn Turbis au piano, ��tienne Lafrance �� la contrebasse et Ren�� Roulx �� la batterie accompagneront ainsi le Ch��ur Les Rhapsodes pour le gospel endiabl�� de Il est n�� le divin enfant, la samba m��lancolique des Anges dans nos campagnes ou le blues langoureux du Sommeil de l���enfant J��sus. Les arrangements de jazz en fran��ais interpr��t��s pour la premi��re fois le 12 d��cembre prochain seront enregistr��s au Palais Montcalm en janvier 2010. Le concert Jazzons No��l ! est pr��sent�� avec l���appui de STEAMATIC.

C���est donc dans l���all��gresse que le Ch��ur Les Rhapsodes et David Rompr�� entament la saison 2009-2010, une saison Allegro e maestoso ! enti��rement pr��sent��e au Palais Montcalm et r��alis��e en partenariat avec ASSURANCES ET SERVICES FINANCIERS DES AM��RIQUES.

L���ensemble de la saison 2009-2010 est commandit�� par L���INSTITUT CANADIEN DES PRODUITS P��TROLIERS, VOYAGES FUNTASTIQUE et HYDRO QU��BEC. Le Ch��ur Les Rhapsodes b��n��ficie de l���appui du Service de la culture de la Ville de Qu��bec, du Conseil des arts et des lettres du Qu��bec, de Patrimoine canadien, de Placements Culture, du minist��re de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition f��minine et de la Facult�� de Musique de l���Universit�� Laval.

�� propos du Ch��ur Les Rhapsodes

Le Ch��ur Les Rhapsodes pr��sente en 2009-2010 sa 48^e saison. Il compte soixante choristes plac��s sous la direction musicale et artistique de David Rompr�� depuis 2000. Le Ch��ur Les Rhapsodes est reconnu comme l���un des organismes musicaux majeurs de la Capitale nationale. Il a pour mission de promouvoir l���art musical et en particulier le chant choral, de d��velopper de nouveaux publics et de favoriser le d��veloppement des nouveaux talents �� Qu��bec en engageant �� chacun des concerts de sa saison des solistes et instrumentistes professionnels de la r��gion. Pour plus d���information, visitez le site Internet du Ch��ur, www.lesrhapsodes.com

Opera Kitchener presents "Die Fledermaus" by Johann Strauss Jr.

Sunday January 3^rd, 2010 ��� 3:00pm

OPERA KITCHENER flies into the New Year on the wings of a BAT

Revenge and romance, intrigue and infidelity all bubble forth in Johann Strauss��� effervescent operetta ���Die Fledermaus��� (���The Bat���) ~ Renowned for it���s sparkling music and the composer���s signature waltzes that slowly accelerate to heart-palpitating speeds, this operetta includes such famously frothy and recognizable tunes as ���The Champagne Waltz��� , ���Adele���s Laughing Aria���, and ���The Czardas���. Prepare yourself for an intoxicatingly exuberant afternoon filled with mirth and music!

In the European tradition, this fully staged performance will be sung in German, with English Surtitles and Dialogue in English. It will be accompanied by orchestra conducted by Maestro Geoffrey Butler.

Furthermore keeping with this operetta���s tradition, there will be a Special Guest Performer to arrive as ���entertainment��� in the ball within the opera; this performer is none other than renowned Canadian Baritone, Russell Braun! Don���t miss the opportunity to experience this internationally acclaimed singer! Tickets to this marvelous performance would certainly make an incredible Christmas gift!

The operetta opens with the incorrigible Eisenstein, on the eve he is to be lead to jail for a minor misdemeanor sentence, decides he would rather dally with ladies other than his wife at a ball given by Prince Orlofsky. His supposed friend, Dr.Falke (who has a vengeful agenda of his own) persuades Eisenstein that he can hand himself over to the authorities after the party. Eisenstein���s wife, Rosalinda, bids him a tearful farewell whilst trying to entertain her former sweetheart Alfred who has arrived to serenade her. A prison guard arrives to escort Eisenstein to jail, whom he unwittingly presumes is Alfred, and leads the innocent hapless lover to prison. Amongst all the confusion, the chambermaid Adele decides that she is also worthy of a ball and decides to steal one of her mistress��� dresses in order to disguise herself and attend the event of the season. It is within this whirlwind of mixed identities and intrigue that Rosalinda receives an invitation (inconspicuously from Dr.Falke) stating that if she would like to witness her husband���s true nature to attend the Prince���s ball in disguise�Ķ�Ķ whom will trick whom when all of them collide in one ballroom?!

Premiering an all-Canadian cast, this period production features the vocal talents of Rachel Huys as the regal Rosalinda, Stefan Fehr in the role of the unfaithful Eisenstein, Anna Bateman as the uncompromising maid Adele, Douglas Tranquada as the vengeful Dr.Falke, and William Lewans, Louisa Cowie and Shane Glabb as Frank, Prince Orlofsky and Alfred respectively. A special guest star appearance in the role of Frosch will be by Robert Latimer-Cornell.

Start your New Year off on a High Note with OPERA KITCHENER! ���Die Fledermaus��� by Johann Strauss will be for only one Matinee only ~ Sunday January 3^rd 2010 at 3pm. Call the Humanities Box Office at 519.888.4908 and book your tickets today!

OPERA KITCHENER is owned and operated by husband and wife team Emilio and Jennifer Fina. Their mandate is to present traditional, fully-staged professional operatic productions on a yearly basis, to provide the experience only opera can bestow to the public with affordable ticket prices and to employ the talents of resident musicians and artists of the community.

OPERA KITCHENER���s ���DIE FLEDERMAUS��� ��� an opera by Johann Stauss Jr ���

Sunday January 3^rd, 2009 at 3:00pm

Humanities Theatre, University of Waterloo

200 University Avenue West, Waterloo Ontario

Fully staged with sets, costumes, orchestra, chorus and soloists

Sung in German with English Surtitles

For Tickets call the Humanities Theatre Box Office at 519.888.4908

Visit us at www.operakitchener.com for more information on this performance or our 2009/2010 season.

Renowned Canadian choral ensembles bring holiday cheer to Roy Thomson Hall in two upcoming Christmas concerts

Victoria Scholars Men���s Choral Ensemble

& the Senior Choir of St. Michael���s Choir School

A Christmas Celebration

Jerzy Cichocki, conductor / William O���Meara, organ

Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 12 Noon, Roy Thomson Hall / Toronto

FREE Admission - Call 416-872-4255 for further information

www.roythomson.com

The Victoria Scholars Men���s Choral Ensemble and the Senior Choir of St. Michael���s Choir School join forces for a thrilling Christmas concert of sacred and secular choral music on Tuesday, December 15 at 12 Noon as part of Roy Thomson Hall���s FREE Noon Hour Choir & Organ Concert Series. The combined two choirs, totaling over 150 singers, are led by conductor Jerzy Cichocki with William O���Meara providing the organ solos and accompaniments. The program includes festive works of the season by Bieble, Mendelssohn, Gruber, Widor, Owalabi, Holman, and many others, plus sing-alongs. Admission is FREE.

Established in 1993, the all-male 15-member Victoria Scholars recently released their 3^rd CD and are a past winner of the prestigious Healey Willan Grand Prize of the CBC Radio National Competition. In addition to their Toronto concerts, they have toured in Eastern and Western Canada. The 142 young choristers of the Senior Choir of St. Michael���s Choir School are part of a rich choral tradition that has produced some of Canada���s finest vocalists, including Michael Burgess, John McDermott and Michael Schade. Jerzy Cichocki is Artistic Director of St. Michael���s Choir School, Conductor of the Senior Choirs of St. Michael���s Cathedral, and Music Director of the Victoria Scholars. Dr. Cichocki received his Doctor of Musical Arts Degree in Conducting from Yale University and has guest conducted orchestras and choirs across Canada and the U.S. William O���Meara, Organist at St. Michael's Cathedral and Accompanist for the choirs of St. Michael's Choir School, has performed widely in Europe, Russia, North and South America and is well known for his improvisations for silent films.

Roy Thomson Hall���s popular noontime series, currently celebrating its 13^th season, showcases Canada���s finest choral ensembles and organists in concert and spotlights Roy Thomson Hall���s magnificent Gabriel Kney Pipe Organ. The series is generously supported by Edwards Charitable Foundation.

Toronto Children���s Chorus

A Chorus Christmas: Season of Creation

Elise Bradley, Artistic Director

Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 2PM - Roy Thomson Hall / Toronto

Tickets: $44.50 - $34.50: Call 416-872-4255 or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

www.roythomson.com

The multi-award-winning Toronto Children���s Chorus returns to Roy Thomson Hall to present its annual Christmas concert, a long-standing and cherished Toronto tradition. Artistic Director Elise Bradley leads more than 300 choristers ��� ages 6 to 17 ��� in an enchanting program of traditional and contemporary seasonal classics including Benjamin Britten���s A Ceremony of Carols, Bob Chilcott���s Canticles of Light, and Ruth Watson Henderson���s Creation���s Praise. Special guests include True North Brass, harpist Judy Loman, organist Ruth Watson Henderson, and percussionist Andy Morris. The 100-member Alumni Choir sings carols in the Lobby before the concert under the direction of guest conductor Linda Beaupr��.

The Toronto Children���s Chorus is recognized as one of the world���s leading choral ensembles for children. Founded in 1978 by Jean Ashworth Bartle, the chorus is celebrating its 32^nd concert season and its third season under the direction Artistic Director Elise Bradley who was appointed to the position in 2007. Ms. Bradley was previously Head of Music at Westlake Girls��� High School in Auckland, New Zealand and also served as Musical Director of the NZ Secondary Students��� Choir. Under her baton, her New Zealand choirs have won such prestigious awards as the City of Vienna Prize at the Internationales Jugendng and Champions at the World Choral Games in Xiamen, China. Since arriving in Toronto, Ms. Bradley has prepared the TCC for their annual series of concerts as well as for performances with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Bach Consort. The choristers��� 2009 summer tour to Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic included a personal invitation from the Vienna Boys��� Choir to perform with them at Vienna���s famed Musikverein.

This performance is co-presented by Toronto Children���s Chorus and Roy Thomson Hall.

Nuits D���Afrique �Ķdes spectacles TOUTE l���ann��e! pr��sentent dans le cadre de la nouvelle s��rie de concerts Cordes �� Cordes

Le Meilleur de la Musique du Monde

Le guitariste br��silien

ROMMEL RIBEIRO

Cette nouvelle s��rie de concerts vous fera d��couvrir

l���extraordinaire diversit�� des instruments �� cordes.

Montr��al le 23 novembre 2009- N�� en 1987, �� Sao Luis de Maranhao au nord du Br��sil, Rommel Ribeiro apprend tr��s jeune �� jouer de la guitare et des percussions br��siliennes et remporte sa premi��re comp��tition musicale �� l���ge de 14 ans. Issu d���une longue lign��e d���artistes, il est inspir�� par les grandes ��toiles de la musique br��silienne Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Lenine, Chico Cesar et les grands ma��tres de la Bossa Nova.

Apr��s avoir fait ses premi��res armes en jouant dans les bars br��siliens, Rommel Ribeiro remporte plusieurs autres prix et arrive au Canada en 2006. Sa premi��re rencontre musicale est d��cisive, il croise la route du People Project Band, un collectif multiculturel qui explore la richesse des musiques du monde.

Au nombre des artistes qui forment ce collectif, canadiens, mexicains et br��siliens qui donnent r��guli��rement des concerts, faisant ainsi la conqu��te d���un auditoire qui prend de plus en plus d���ampleur.

Fort de cette notori��t�� , le groupe est par la suite invit�� �� plusieurs festivals prestigieux tels que les festivals de Jazz d���Ottawa et de Montr��al, le festival Global Grooves de Toronto et le Bluesfest d���Ottawa. Rommel Ribeiro peaufine ainsi son art, et laisse ��merger son propre style musical m��tissant les influences musicales qui l���ont impr��gn�� : Musique traditionnelle br��silienne, reggae, funk, rythmes africains.

Le 9 d��cembre prochain Rommel Ribeiro pr��sentera en solo, au Club Balattou, un spectacle plus intimiste qui mettra en lumi��re l���immense talent de ce jeune artiste qui porte en lui l���h��ritage des plus grands ma��tres de la musique br��silienne�Ķ..

au Club Balattou

Mercredi 9 d��cembre �� 21h

4372, boul. St-Laurent (coin Marie-Anne) - Montr��al

Au Club Balattou ��� (514) 845-5447

www.balattou.com

www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com

Le concours international d'architecture du Mus��e National des Beaux-Arts du Qu��bec a franchi une nouvelle ��tape

Qu��bec, le 2 d��cembre 2009 ��� Le concours international d���architecture du Mus��e national des beaux-arts du Qu��bec (MNBAQ) vient de franchir une nouvelle ��tape avec la s��lection des cinq ��quipes finalistes.

Rappelons qu���en septembre dernier, 15 firmes d���architectes avaient ��t�� s��lectionn��es et invit��es �� prendre part �� l���tape 1 du concours.

La premi��re ��tape du concours avait pour but de d��montrer la qualit�� et la profondeur de la r��flexion n��cessit��e par la complexit�� du projet et du fait, le parti d���insertion du nouveau pavillon dans l���ensemble patrimonial de l���glise Saint-Dominique et du Mus��e. L���id��e recherch��e comprenait la d��finition du caract��re volum��trique et signal��tique du pavillon en regard du contexte naturel et construit environnant. Le concept devait d��finir les param��tres de la nouvelle image du Mus��e.

Toutes les firmes s��lectionn��es en septembre ont d��pos�� leur concept �� la date pr��cis��e au r��glement et leurs prestations ont ��t�� jug��es conformes. R��uni �� Qu��bec les 26 et 27 novembre dernier, le jury a analys�� attentivement les 15 propositions soumises et suite �� ses d��lib��rations, a s��lectionn�� les 5 ��quipes suivantes, �� savoir, par ordre alphab��tique :
Barkow Leibinger architeken/Imrey Culbert architects, Berlin, New York
Bri��re, Gilbert et associ��s/Nieto Sobejano, Montr��al, Qu��bec
Fichten Soiferman et Associ��s Architectes/Allied Works Architecture, Montr��al, Qu��bec
Groupe ARCOP/David Chipperfield architects, Londres, Angleterre
OMA, R. Koolhaas, Rotterdam, Hollande

Le jury du concours tient �� remercier les 15 firmes participantes pour la qualit�� de leurs propositions.

Rappelons que le jury du concours est pr��sid�� par M. Charles-Mathieu Brunelle, directeur g��n��ral des Mus��ums nature de Montr��al et repr��sentant du milieu culturel. Outre M. Brunelle, le jury est compos�� de me deux architectes �� l���international (M Nasrine Seraji, architecte et urbaniste, Atelier Seraji Architectes et associ��s, et directrice de l����cole nationale sup��rieure d���architecture de Paris Malaquais, ainsi que M. Xaveer De Geyter, architecte principal de la firme XDGA Architecten �� Bruxelles), d���un architecte du Qu��bec (M. Andr�� Bourassa, architecte et pr��sident de l���Ordre des architectes du Qu��bec), d���un repr��sentant du milieu universitaire (M. Jacques White, architecte, ��cole d���architecture de l���Universit�� Laval) et de deux me
repr��sentants du Mus��e national des beaux-arts du Qu��bec (M Esther Tr��panier, directrice g��n��rale du MNBAQ, et M. John R. Porter, pr��sident de la Fondation du MNBAQ et commissaire du projet d���agrandissement). M. Peter Murphy, architecte �� la Direction de l���am��nagement du territoire de la Ville de Qu��bec, agit quant �� lui �� titre de membre suppl��ant.
L���tape suivante du concours (��tape 2) aura pour but de d��velopper la solution fonctionnelle du projet dans le respect du programme, des besoins et des contraintes techniques du site. Le d��veloppement du concept permettra de d��montrer ��galement le parti �� durable �� pr��conis��. Une attention particuli��re devra ��tre port��e sur l���ad��quation id��e/budget de construction.
L���tape 2 du concours sera franchie �� la fin du mois de f��vrier 2010 avec la s��lection de l���quipe gagnante parmi les 5 finalistes. La d��cision du jury prendra effet une fois qu���elle aura ��t�� d��ment approuv��e par le conseil d���administration du Mus��e, vraisemblablement vers la fin du mois de mars 2010.

Le MNBAQ organisera une exposition �� compter de septembre 2010 pour faire conna��tre l���ensemble des prestations des 15 firmes s��lectionn��es pour l���tape 1, sous r��serve de leur accord.

The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College presents CONCERT FOR PEACE In honor of President Barack Obama

Recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 7:30pm

The Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College presents a Concert for Peace in honor of President Barack Obama, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009. Produced by Great Music for a Great City, the Concert for Peace will be held on Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 7:30pm at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College, 899 Tenth Avenue, NYC. Admission is FREE. The featured Virginia Opera Company will be joined by actor Eli Wallach, United States government officials, the Norwegian Ambassador, Songs of Solomon and the Mozart Academy Ensemble in a program of music and readings. The evening will culminate in a performance of Beethoven's Ode to Joy by all soloists and choruses accompanies by the Mozart Academy Ensemble. The program featuring the Virginia Opera Company, Peter Mark, Founder and Director will include performances of arias and duets by soprano Veronica Mitina from St. Petersburg, Russia; tenor and former Marine Daniel Snyder; and versatile African-American baritone Lawrence Craig accompanied by Virginia Opera's Associate Artistic Director and pianist Joseph Walsh. At the climax of the celebration Peter Mark, Artistic Director of both the International Opera Alliance and Virginia Opera Company, will introduce the musical tribute. Broadway Composer & Pianist Jimmy Roberts (I Love You...You're Perfect... Now Change) will perform his unique repertoire including his new song, One Bright World. Recently Virginia Opera Company was represented at the Maputo International Music Festival in Mozmbique, Ms. Mitina starred in Eugene Onegin and recently opened Virginia Opera's 35th season as Mimi in La boh��me. Directed by Chantel Wright, Songs of Solomon, a vocal ensemble, will offer both gospel and Baroque holiday music. The Mozart Academy Ensemble will perform Vivaldi's Concerto for Violin in D Major. Recognizing the monumental significance of this honor for both President Obama and for the Nobel Committee, the artists are donating their performances. President Obama will receive the Nobel Peace Price in Oslo on December 10, 2009 "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," according to The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which cited Obama's promotion of nuclear nonproliferation and a "new climate" in international relations fostered by Obama, especially in reaching out to the Muslim world. The Nobel Peace Prize represents worldwide hopes for a new era of peace, justice and freedom. Only two previous sitting U.S. presidents received this award, Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Obama is the first to receive the prize during the first year in office. Great Music for a Great City, a classical music series, was founded in 2002 by artistic director Caroline Stoessinger. Since opening its doors in 1988, the Gerald W. Lynch Theater has been an invaluable cultural resource for John Jay College and the larger New York City community. Under the new direction of Executive Director Shannon R. Mayers, the Theater is dedicated to the creation and presentation of performing arts programming of all disciplines with a special focus on how the artistic imagination can shed light on the many perceptions of justice in our society. About John Jay College of Criminal Justice: An international leader in educating for justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice of The City University of New York offers a rich liberal arts and professional studies curriculum to upwards of 14,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 135 nations. In teaching, scholarship and research, the College approaches justice as an applied art and science in service to society and as an ongoing conversation about fundamental human desires for fairness, equality and the rule of law. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu. For more information, visit www.jjay.cuny.edu/theater.php. Bios of the artists may be found online: Lawrence Craig - www.dietschartists.com/bio/Craig.EBIO.pdf Veronica Mitina - www.belcantoglobalarts.com/mitinabio.php Daniel Snyder - www.dansnyder.com Joseph Walsh - www.vaopera.org/html/currentoperas/popup_castCrew.cfm?opera=3&castCrewMember=1027 Jimmy Roberts - www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/whoswho/biography/3336 Peter Mark - www.vaopera.org/html/companyinfo/staff.cfm

Carolyn Manley Named Director of Educational Programs

November 30, 2009 ELKHART, INDIANA ��� It has been announced that Carolyn Manley will return to Conn-Selmer to lead the educational outreach of this company. Manley will direct the Educational Programs of Conn-Selmer Institute, as well as manage special events and artist relations.

John Stoner, President and CEO of Conn-Selmer announced that Carolyn Manley will rejoin the Conn-Selmer team to focus energy building strong connections between music educators and the Conn-Selmer dealer network. ���As we focus Conn-Selmer on the significant role played by school music dealers to support music education, we will rely on the experience and inside knowledge Carolyn possesses of this industry as well as the demands faced by music educators,��� said Stoner. ���We���re pleased to have her return to lead the Conn-Selmer Institute initiatives.���
Manley worked at Conn-Selmer over eight years in positions of increasing responsibility from customer service through marketing management, and was instrumental in developing the educational division plan for Conn-Selmer. Manley returns to Conn-Selmer following four years of employment in senior management positions within the Gemstone Musical Instruments Company.

Manley worked as a music educator prior to joining the musical instrument industry and earning an MBA from Indiana University.

Conn-Selmer, Inc., the largest manufacturer of band and orchestral instruments and accessories in the United States, is a subsidiary of Steinway Musical Instruments, Inc. To contact Conn-Selmer, write to P.O. Box 310 Elkhart, IN 46515-0310 U.S.A. or visit www.conn-selmer.com.

The High Park Choirs of Toronto Performs Holiday Favourites

TORONTO, Dec. 2 /CNW/ - Join the High Park Choirs and artistic director Zimfira Poloz as they celebrate the season with a concert of secular and sacred music on December 12th at 7:00 pm at St. Anne's Anglican Church (270 Gladstone Avenue). The centrepiece of the concert is a performance of Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols by the Senior and Chamber Choirs. Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for students/senior, and are available at the door or at sosweet.eventbrite.com.

This concert is the first since the High Park Choirs' very successful German tour in July. The choir was the only non-German ensemble invited to perform as part of the 1125th birthday celebrations of the town of Bodersweier. The choir also performed in the nearby towns of Kehl and Strasbourg, in France. Many audience members followed the choir from the concert in Bodersweier to the one in Kehl.

About Zimfira Poloz

Zimfira Poloz recently led the Hamilton Children's Chorus to a first place finish at the 2009 World Choral Championship in Laval, Quebec, one year after that choir won the top prize in the CBC amateur choir competition. Since she assumed the directorship of the High Park Choirs in 2004, the choir has earned plaudits nationally and internationally. "(They) sing with an extraordinarily beautiful tone quality and an exciting and artistically informed musicianship that resonates beyond their years," says Doreen Rao, Director of Choral Programs at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music, where the choir is Children's Choir-in-Residence.

About High Park Choirs

The High Park Choirs combine a first-class musical experience with the intimacy of a small ensemble, where every child is known by name. Founded in 1986 as a girls' choir, the High Park Choirs now comprises one-hundred-and-twenty boys and girls in five divisions, with ages ranging from six to eighteen.

The High Park Choirs draw singers from 63 schools across the GTA and interested children are encouraged to attend our open rehearsal and auditions in January. Rehearsals are held in Toronto's west end at Runnymede United Church.

    Revenue Canada Charitable Registration Number
   88621 7793 RR0001

���Where shall we go tonight?��� If you're a classical music lover, the answer is often ���I don't know. I have no idea what's on.��� Looking for listings on your web-enabled smartphone sounds like a good idea, but the screen's too small, the websites are too slow and the whole experience is too tedious. Until now. Bachtrack today announces the release of a new mobile app which allows you to search for what's on in classical music, opera and ballet - anywhere. There are over 7,000 forthcoming performances, with more being added every day. The app works on the majority of phones with modern browsers: it has been tested on iPhone, Blackberry, Android and larger Nokia phones. The app works fast. Very fast. Clever encoding of the data makes the app work OK even when the mobile network is running slow. The design is clean and simple, specially adapted to a small screen. The text is a size you can read, even when there are a lot of events on a page. The buttons are a size you can press, even with large fingers. It's exceptionally easy to pick what to search for using the "What, When, Where and Who" buttons: you get an immediate list of performances which you can narrow down using the "Refine" button. Clicking on an event brings up the most important facts: date, venue, performers and what they're playing. You also get a link to the Maps application and, where possible, direct links to booking pages. The Bachtrack for mobile app is faster, more flexible and easier to use than any other mobile event finder - and it's the first application to bring such super fast, high quality search of classical music events to a broad variety of mobile platforms. To try it out, point your mobile's browser at m.bachtrack.com. The app is designed to work on any phone with a modern, CSS/Javascript capable browser and a screen width of 240 pixels or above. You can also see a short screencam demonstration at bachtrack.com/bachtrack-for-mobile. Bachtrack will also be releasing special editions of the app to run as packaged applications for the most common mobile platforms. The first of these, "Bachtrack for iPhone" is currently awaiting approval at the iTunes App Store and will be available as a free download immediately on completion of approvals. A version for the Google Android operating system is currently in development. Notes to Editors: Bachtrack.com was started in January 2008 by David and Alison Karlin as a definitive concert, opera and ballet finder, first in the UK and subsequently across the world. People from any country can register on the site and request to add their forthcoming programme of events, and if they input this themselves there is no charge. In creating this browsable calendar of events the Karlins believe more people will attend classical events, and those who already go to concerts will find more events that they wish to see because finding out what's on in classical music is now very easy and quick. The mobile app simply takes this concept one stage further, allowing people to make decisions on the evening of performance itself. Bachtrack.com Aggregates information on classical music, opera and ballet performances, allowing you to find on one site what's being performed across the world. Enables you to find out what's on locally to you, or to discover what's on in the area of the country you are visiting. Allows you to start with any conceivable criteria for search, from What (composer or ballet title), Where (in which country, region/ state or city), Who (performer, opera or ballet company, orchestra or ensemble) or When (today's date, or any time in the future). You can then refine your search, adding fresh criteria to narrow the number of events in view. Lets you set alerts to be informed automatically your favourite performer is playing in your region.

Nathaniel Dett Chorale 2009 / 2010 Concert Series

���A Spirit of unity, rendered in song.���

- The Globe & Mail

Tuesday, December 1, 2009: The halls of the Glenn Gould Studio will echo with the uplifting sounds of The Nathaniel Dett Chorale. Often described as both magical and transformative, the exhilarating Nathaniel Dett Chorale performances, under the direction of its Founder/Artistic Director Brainerd Blyden-Taylor, invite audiences on a 3-part journey through the rich and colourful musical traditions of the African Diaspora. In this, their remarkable 11^th season, the Chorale will once again present a trio of performances in the acoustically dazzling Glenn Gould Studio, in the Canadian Broadcasting Centre, 250 Front Street.

An Indigo Christmas�Ķ In Silent Night

Wednesday, December 16^th and Saturday, December 19^th, 2009 8PM

This season begins with one of the Chorale���s most popular programs. An Indigo Christmas�Ķ In Silent Night features a mix of contemporary and traditional arrangements of carols, spirituals, and African folksongs. In addition to the Chorale���s performances, audiences will be treated to a holiday performance by award winning Jazz pianist / composer Joe Sealy and his long-time collaborator, bassist Paul Novotny. ���The program was created to cradle you in a blanket of sound to warm your cool winter night,��� comments Blyden-Taylor, ���and to inspire a joyous start to this celebratory season.���

Voices of the Diaspora�Ķ Gullah Voices

Wednesday, February 17^th and Saturday, February 20^th, 2010 8PM

This Black History Month event shines the spotlight on the Gullah people -- African Americans who live in the Low Country region of South Carolina and Georgia. It is a culture alive with the Afro dialect and traditions. Gullah music and spirituals are the "life music" of slavery, and are said to have sustained and encouraged the enslaved peoples through the experience of praise. Special guest, composer and historian, Melaine DeMore will be on hand for this musical presentation which will invoke the rich traditions of the Gullah cross rhythms including sprituals, work songs and ring shouts. ���Drumming plays a central role in both the song and dance of the Gullah people,��� Blyden-Taylor explains. ���In the tradition of the call and response we will incorporate rhythmic stick pounding, foot stomping and body percussion to convey the essence of one of America's most authentic forms of music���.

And Still We Sing �Ķ Steel Singin���

Wednesday, May 26 and Saturday, May, 29, 2010 8 PM

The final concert in the 3-part subscription series welcomes Al Foster and Pan Fantasy for an explosive performance that pays tribute to the unique musical and cultural influences of the Caribbean islands. This festive interpretation of music honouring Trinidadian folk music, and Brainerd Blyden-Taylor���s own roots, is a musical pedigree that continues to infuse the Chorale���s body of work. Nathaniel Dett Chorale���s own Darryl Huggins (Bass) will debut some of his own calypso compositions for this memorable concert event. ���Calypso music is infused with a poetic and political voice,��� says Blyden-Taylor. ���The songs tell the story of the people ��� and offer significant insight into the heartbeat of the community���.

Tickets for each performance by The Nathaniel Dett Chorale are individually $39.50, and $35.00 Students/Seniors, or subscribe to all 3 performances for $99.00. Tickets are available in person at the Roy Thomson Hall box office, 60 Simcoe St., by calling 416.872.4255 or online at www.roythomson.com.

For more information please visit www.nathanieldettchorale.org.

About THE NATHANIEL DETT CHORALE

One of Canada���s ���national treasures���, The Nathaniel Dett Chorale has worked hard to bring Afrocentric music to people at home and abroad. This dedication has recently earned them industry recognition as the CAPACOA Touring Artist of the Year 2008-09. This award recognizes performers whose professionalism and cooperative spirit enhance their relationship with presenters, such as cooperation in performance promotion, technical facilitation, contract fulfillment, or service above and beyond contractual agreements.

Named for the celebrated African-Canadian composer, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale is Canada's first professional choral group dedicated to Afrocentric music of all styles, including classical, spiritual, gospel, jazz, folk and blues. The Chorale is comprised of classically trained, multi-talented vocalists whose work stretches beyond the traditional repertoire of a classical chamber choir, challenging audiences to broaden their vision to include all genres of music appropriate to the traditions of the African Diaspora. These 21 classically-trained, outstanding vocalists have shared the stage with internationally recognized artists such as Juno Award-winning jazz pianist Joe Sealy, opera star Kathleen Battle, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The Chorale recently had the honour of performing at various ceremonies in Washington on the occasion of President Obama's historic inauguration.

For more information please visit www.nathanieldettchorale.org.

The Nathaniel Dett Chorale���s 2009 / 2010 Concert Season in Toronto An Indigo Christmas�Ķ In Silent Night Wednesday, December 16th and Saturday, December 19th, 2009 8PM *** Voices of the Diaspora�Ķ Gullah Voices Wednesday, February 17th and Saturday, February 20th, 2010 8PM *** And Still We Sing �Ķ Steel Singin��� Wednesday, May 26 and Saturday, May, 29, 2010 8 PM Glenn Gould Studio, 250 Front Street West, Toronto Subscribe to all 3 concerts for $99; individual tickets $39.50, students/seniors $35.00 Tickets available in person at the Roy Thomson Hall box office, 60 Simcoe St., by calling 416.872.4255 or online at www.roythomson.com www.nathanieldettchorale.org

Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour In 2010

MJF/52 All-Star Band Features Kenny Barron, Regina Carter, Russell Malone, Kurt Elling, Kiyoshi Kitagawa, And Johnathan Blake 34-Date Tour Kicks Off February 5, 2010 In Connecticut, Continues Through 32 Cities In 17 States From February - May, 2010

December 1, 2009, Monterey, CA; The Monterey Jazz Festival, a leader in jazz education and presentation since 1958, announces the thirty-four date, nationwide, six-week tour of the MJF/52 All-Stars, billed as the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour. Traveling through thirty-two cities in seventeen states, the group features the nine-time Grammy��-nominated and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron on piano; Grammy-nominated violinist Regina Carter; Grammy-winning guitarist Russell Malone; seven-time Grammy-nominated vocalist Kurt Elling; bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa; and Grammy-nominated drummer Johnathan Blake. The tour will take place in two phases, and will begin its twenty-performance East Coast run in eleven states on February 5, 2010 at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, and will finish on February 28 at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. The second leg of the tour begins on the West Coast in Bellingham, Washington on April 14, 2010, and continues with an additional fourteen dates in six states, ending in Detroit, Michigan, on May 1. Members of the MJF/52 All-Star Band have a special relationship with the Monterey Jazz Festival, and have a commitment to the cultivation of jazz audiences worldwide. Pianist Kenny Barron made his first of his eight appearances at MJF in the early 1960s with Dizzy Gillespie; violinist Regina Carter was selected as Artist-In-Residence for MJF/47 in 2004 and has appeared at the Festival four times since 1999. Vocalist Kurt Elling, also selected as MJF���s Artist-In-Residence for MJF/49 in 2006, has appeared on the stages of the Festival four times since 2003. Guitarist Russell Malone has appeared five times at MJF since 1997. Both bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake made their second appearances at MJF/52. All together, the members of the MJF/52 All-Star group have performed at Monterey twenty-four times. ���With the success of our 50th Anniversary Tour in 2008 and the subsequent Grammy win a year later for Terence Blanchard for the live recording at MJF/50, we were anxious to continue the spirit and excitement created by the inaugural event and build an even stronger platform for the 2010���s ���MJF On Tour,��� said Tim Jackson, General Manager for the Monterey Jazz Festival. ���With Kenny Barron (piano), Regina Carter (violin), Kurt Elling (vocal), and Russell Malone (guitar) as this year���s principal artists and with the superb support of Kenny���s working trio, Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass and drummer Johnathan Blake, we have created an ensemble that is both sonically interesting and hard swinging. These artists all embody the history, spirit and legacy of the Monterey Jazz Festival and each has a past relationship with MJF that includes performance and educational activities, both core components of Monterey���s mission statement. They are an amazing band that will embody the past, present, and future of jazz.��� The Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour will appear at major performing arts organizations in many regions of the county, including Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. For a complete list of shows, please see below or visit www.montereyjazzfestival.org. Each of the shows will feature a selection of standards and originals from all periods of jazz. All-Star Bands at Monterey have been a long-standing tradition at MJF. Starting in 1966, the Festival assembled master musicians under the ���Monterey All-Stars��� moniker. At least seventeen Monterey All-Star Bands have graced the stages of Monterey and have included Gil Evans, Gerry Mulligan, Elvin Jones, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Ray Brown, Sonny Stitt, Max Roach, John Lewis, Shelly Manne, Bobby Hutcherson, Hank Jones, Milt Jackson, and many more as members. In 2007, the Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars (featuring Terence Blanchard, James Moody, Benny Green, Nnenna Freelon, Derrick Hodge, and Kendrick Scott) performed a ten-week tour of the United States, performing for 44,000 fans in 52 cities in 22 states. A recording on Monterey Jazz Festival Records -- an imprint of Concord Records -- from their performance at MJF/50, Live at the 2007 Monterey Jazz Festival, was nominated for two Grammys (Terence Blanchard and James Moody were both nominated in the Best Jazz Instrumental Solo Category) with the Grammy going to Terence Blanchard on February 8, 2009, making it the first Grammy for the fledgling label. About the MJF/52 All-Stars Pianist and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron has an unmatched ability to mesmerize audiences with his elegant playing, sensitive melodies and infectious rhythms is what inspired The Los Angeles Times to name him "one of the top jazz pianists in the world.��� Dizzy Gillespie hired Barron in 1962, and he has also performed with Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, Milt Jackson, Buddy Rich, Yusef Lateef, and many more. From 1974 to 2000, Kenny was on the faculty at Rutgers University as professor of music, and has mentored many of today���s young talents including David Sanchez, Terence Blanchard, and Regina Bell. Kenny was inducted into the American Jazz Hall of Fame in 2005, and in 2009, he was named a Living Legacy by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation. He has recorded over 40 albums as a leader, and has earned 9 Grammy nominations. He was selected as a NEA Jazz Master for 2010, the nation���s highest honor in jazz. Grammy-nominated drummer and composer Johnathan Blake, has been working steadily in the contemporary jazz scene for the past 10 years, and is the first-call drummer for many notable jazz musicians such as Tom Harrell, David Sanchez, Russell Malone, Kenny Barron, Randy Brecker, and Oliver Lake, to name a few. Eventually attending William Paterson University in New Jersey and studying with Rufus Reid, John Riley, Steve Wilson, and Horace Arnold, he also was gigging professionally with the Oliver Lake Big Band, Roy Hargrove, and David Sanchez. By 2007, Johnathan received a Master���s degree from the Rutgers University, studying with Ralph Bowen, Conrad Herwig, and Stanley Cowell, primarily focusing on his compositional skills. Johnathan is currently a member of the Tom Harrell Quintet, the Russell Malone Quartet, and he performs regularly with Kenny Barron, Avishai Cohen, and Omer Avital. Regina Carter began performing on violin at the age of four. Regina attended Detroit's prestigious Cass Technical High School. Upon graduating, she departed for the New England Conservatory of Music, only to return to Michigan���s Oakland University, seasoning her chops by gigging with several local musicians. By 1994, she had returned to New York, recording two solo albums for Atlantic while also working with the String Trio of New York, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Greg Tate and the Black Rock Coalition. Carter joined Verve Records in 1998 and has since recorded five critically acclaimed works: Rhythms of the Heart; Motor City Moments; Paganini: After a Dream; Freefall (a duet project with pianist Kenny Barron) and I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey. Her playing has appeared on filmmaker Ken Burns��� soundtrack for the PBS documentary, Jazz; Wynton Marsalis��� opera Blood on the Fields; Cassandra Wilson���s Traveling Miles; Mary J. Blige���s My Life; and Latin Jazz pianist Eddie Palmieri on his Grammy award-winning Listen Here. Kurt Elling is the preeminent young male jazz singer today. A ten-year stretch saw Elling earn seven Grammy nominations for six Blue Note albums, six consecutive years at the top of the DownBeat Critics and Jazz Times Readers' polls, three Jazz Journalists' Association Awards for Best Male Vocalist, and the Prix Billie Holiday from the Academie du Jazz in Paris. His quartet has toured the world, performing to critical acclaim in Europe, the Middle East, South America, Asia and Australia, and at jazz festivals and concert halls across the North America. In addition to working with his own quartet, Kurt Elling has spent recording and/or performing time with an array of artists that includes Terence Blanchard, Dave Brubeck, The Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks, Fred Hersch, Charlie Hunter, Al Jarreau, David Liebman, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, Marian McPartland, The Bob Mintzer Big Band, Mark Murphy, John Pizzarelli, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and The Yellowjackets. In 2007, he signed to Concord Records, recording Nightmoves. Bassist and composer Kiyoshi Kitagawa is an integral part of today's jazz scene. Soon after moving to New York City from Japan, he met Winard Harper at Blue Note���s jam session and joined the Harper Brothers, recording on the Remembrance: Live at The Village Vanguard. Kiyoshi has toured and recorded with the alto great Kenny Garrett with drummer Brian Blade. He has gone on to work with many of the leading names in jazz including Steve Turre, Tommy Flanagan, and Kenny Kirkland just to name a few. In 1996, he formed ���The Trio��� with the versatile Japanese pianist, Makoto Ozone, releasing four albums together. Most recently, Kiyoshi has been touring the world with bands led by three jazz greats: the Jimmy Heath Quartet, the Kenny Barron Trio and Quintet, and the Andy Bey Quartet. Born in Albany, Georgia, guitarist Russell Malone grew up playing a variety of music. In 1988, he was hired as a sideman by the seminal organist Jimmy Smith. He went on to back the popular pianist and vocalist, Harry Connick, Jr. from 1990-1994. Malone first recorded as a leader in 1992, when he provided his self-titled debut album for Columbia, Russell Malone, which quickly went to #1 on the radio charts and was followed by Black Butterfly in 1993 and Wholly Cats for Japan���s Venus label in 1995. Malone joined pianist and vocalist Diana Krall in 1995, contributing to Krall's first three Grammy-nominated albums, including 1999���s When I Look In Your Eyes. Verve Records released three albums by Malone, including Sweet Georgia Peach for Impulse! in 1998, Look Who���s Here in 1999, and Heartstrings in 2001. Malone has had the honor of launching the ���Strings Series��� for the MAXJAZZ label with his 2004 label debut Playground, which was followed by 2006���s Live At Jazz Standard, Volume One, and 2007���s Live At Jazz Standard, Volume Two. Dates for the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour: Date City State Presenter Venue 2/5/10 Storrs CT University of Connecticut Jorgensen Auditorium 2/6/10 Storrs CT University of Connecticut Jorgensen Auditorium 2/8/10 Worcester MA Music Worcester Mechanics Hall 2/10/10 Portsmouth NH Music Hall - Portsmouth Music Hall - Portsmouth 2/11/10 Boston MA Celebrity Series of Boston Berklee Performance Center 2/12/10 Fairfield CT Quick Center for the Arts / Fairfield University Kelley Theatre 2/13/10 Greenvale NY Tilles Center / Long Island University Concert Hall - Tilles Center 2/14/10 Stony Brook NY Staller Center for the Arts Main Stage 2/16/10 University Park PA Penn State University Eisenhower Auditorium 2/17/10 Princeton NJ McCarter Theatre Company McCarter Theatre - Princeton University 2/18/10 Red Bank NJ Count Basie Theatre Count Basie Theatre 2/19/10 North Bethesda MD Strathmore Hall Arts Center Music Center at Strathmore 2/20/10 Bethlehem PA Lehigh University Zoellner Arts Center - Baker Hall 2/21/10 Bloomsburg PA Bloomsburg University Haas Center for the Arts 2/23/10 Richmond VA University of Richmond Carpenter Theatre 2/24/10 Virginia Beach VA Virginia Arts Festival Sandler Center for the Performing Arts 2/25/10 Durham NC Carolina Theatre of Durham Fletcher Hall Auditorium 2/26/10 Charlotte NC North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center Knight Performing Arts Center 2/27/10 Atlanta GA Georgia Institute of Technology Robert Ferst Theatre 2/28/10 Birmingham AL University of Alabama ��� Birmingham Stephens Center 4/14/10 Bellingham WA Mount Baker Theatre Mount Baker Theatre 4/15/10 Olympia WA Washington Center for the Performing Arts Washington Center for the Performing Arts 4/17/10 Napa CA Napa Valley Opera House Margrit Biever Mondavi Theatre 4/18/10 Modesto CA Gallo Center for the Arts Mary Stuart Rogers Theater 4/19/10 Santa Cruz CA Kuumbwa Jazz Center (2 shows) Kuumbwa Jazz Center 4/21/10 San Diego CA San Diego Theatres Balboa Theatre 4/22/10 Los Angeles CA UCLA Royce Hall 4/24/10 Costa Mesa CA Orange County Performing Arts Center Segerstrom Concert Hall 4/25/10 Lancaster CA Lancaster Performing Arts Center Lancaster City Park 4/27/10 Tucson AZ University of Arizona Centennial Hall 4/29/10 Madison WI Overture Center for the Arts Overture Hall 4/30/10 Naperville IL North Central College Wentz Concert Hall 5/1/10 Detroit MI Music Hall for the Performing Arts Music Hall for the Performing Arts onterey Jazz Festival On Tour is being booked and produced by Columbia Artists Management (CAMI), the largest independent arts management agency in world with a history dating back over 70 years. CAMI also produced the Monterey Jazz Festival���s 50th Anniversary Tour in 2008. For more information, visit www.cami.com. http://www.montereyjazzfestival.org/2009/tour

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Saison 2009-2010 - 10^e anniversaire

Depuis maintenant 10 ans, le Trio Hochelaga fait le bonheur d'un public fid��le et toujours plus nombreux.

Pour marquer son 10e anniversaire de fondation, l'ensemble pr��sente une saison de concerts dans la m��tropole o�� les collaborations avec d'autres musiciens de talents viennent ��largir les possibilit��s musicales.

PROCHAIN CONCERT DE LA S��RIE M��TROPOLE DU TRIO HOCHELAGA
Le vendredi 11 d��cembre 2009, �� 20 h

�Ģ Haydn : Chants ��cossais, pour soprano, violon, violoncelle et piano
�Ģ Shostakovich : Sept romances sur des po��mes d���Alexandre Blok, opus 127, pour soprano et trio
�Ģ Arensky : Trio no 1 en r�� mineur, opus 32

Artiste invit��e : Donna Brown
Admission g��n��rale : 5$
�� la nouvelle salle de concerts du

Conservatoire de musique de Montr��al
4750, avenue Henri-Julien, Montr��al - m��tro Mont-Royal

* Stationnement du Conservatoire disponible. Acc��s par l'avenue Henri-Julien.

Le Trio Hochelaga Depuis sa fondation en 2000, le Trio Hochelaga interpr��te les grandes ��uvres du r��pertoire de musique de chambre, en accordant une place particuli��re �� la musique romantique. Ensemble en r��sidence au Conservatoire de musique Montr��al depuis septembre 2009, le Trio Hochelaga est depuis 10 ans reconnu pour sa vitalit�� musicale et l'originalit�� de sa programmation. Le Trio Hochelaga est compos�� de la violoniste Anne Robert, du violoncelliste Paul Marleyn et du pianiste St��phane Lemelin.

Donna Brown, soprano Reconnue pour sa voix au timbre soyeux et argent��, la c��l��bre soprano canadienne Donna Brown s���est produite sur les plus grandes sc��nes d���op��ra et de concert du monde, notamment �� Paris, Londres, Tokyo, Gen��ve, Berlin, Vienne, Rome, S��o Paolo, Tel Aviv, Barcelone, Toronto, Vancouver et San Francisco.

Visitez le site du Trio Hochelaga �� l'adresse : www.triohochelaga.com

Emerging Composer Competition Winner���s Work to Be Premiered at Winnipeg���s New Music Festival

November 30, 2009 (CALGARY, AB) ��� The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) will debut a new work by Darren Miller, the young Saskatchewan composer who won the 2010 Emerging Composer Competition of the Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region. Miller���s work will be premiered at the Winnipeg New Music Festival on February 10, 2010. Winning the competition also earned him a composition residency at the Banff Centre.

The winning composition by Miller, for amma, was chosen from orchestral works submitted by emerging Canadian composers, all of whom have Prairie connections. Each entry was judged by a jury, which included the WSO���s composer-in-residence ��� and former Emerging Composer Competition winner ��� Vincent Ho.

For amma, composed after the recent passing of Miller���s grandmother, Alda, was dedicated to her memory. ���In 2001, my amma (grandmother in Icelandic) paid for the first year of my musical studies at the University of Saskatchewan, and she continued to encourage all of the compositional activities that resulted from these studies,��� Miller says. ���She was a lifelong resident of Gimli and Winnipeg, making the premiere of this work in Winnipeg, so soon after her passing, an extremely moving experience for me.���

Miller, a current PhD student at the State University of New York, received his Bachelor degree at the University of Saskatchewan and his Master���s from The University of Victoria. He has also pursued studies in Germany and at the Banff Centre, where he directed the 2009 International Young Composers Forum. A diverse number of groups ��� from Ensemble Contemporain de Montr��al to Turning Point Ensemble to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra ��� have performed his works. In addition to composition, Miller also dabbles in conducting and computer music performance. For more information on Miller, visit his website at www.darrenmiller.ca.

The Emerging Composer Competition prize, established by an anonymous donor and administered by the Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region, aims to help young composers establish themselves in this extremely challenging and competitive field. The opportunity to have a work performed by a professional symphony orchestra is not one presented to many composers, and is a great honour. Previous winners include Abigail Richardson, Jocelyn Morlock and Vincent Ho, all of whom have gone on to very successful composing careers.

Extraordinary Canadian talents bring The Perfect Gift to the Winspear Centre, in perfect harmony with the ESO

Canadian Tenors Christmas Concert

One Night Only!

Monday, December 7^th ��� 7:30 pm

*SOLD OUT*

Edmonton, AB �Ķ With the recent release of their Christmas album, The Perfect Gift, the Canadian Tenors return to the Francis Winspear Centre for Music for a spectacular holiday performance with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO). For one special night, Canada���s vocal sensations will showcase their irrefutable talent and awe-inspire a sold-out house with exceptionally beautiful harmonies.

In a performance led by ESO Resident Conductor Lucas Waldin, the Canadian Tenors, who consist of Remigio Pereira, Fraser Walters, Victor Micallef, and Clifton Murray, will celebrate the spirit of the season through the warmth and joy of their eclectic blend of classical and contemporary pop music. Breathtaking Christmas classics from their new album, including O Holy Night, What Child is This? and O Viens Emmanuel, plus select repertoire from their debut album will bring concertgoers to their feet with the power of their voices.

The Canadian Tenors��� self-titled debut album has gone gold in Canada and is being released around the world by Universal Music and its affiliates. The group has received rave reviews wherever they perform - from the Tel Aviv Opera house where they shared the stage with Andrea Bocelli, to Las Vegas��� Mandalay Bay Coliseum with David Foster and Friends, to Toronto���s Air Canada Centre where they headlined at One Night Live with Sting and Sheryl Crow.

The Canadian Tenors will be touring extensively in the United States until May 2010, and have been named the Canadian Ambassadors for Toronto���s 2015 Pam Am Games Bid. As our country���s leading talents, the foursome also performed the national anthem on the CFL���s biggest stage, that of the 97^th Grey Cup on November 29^th.

This special performance is SOLD OUT. Ticket prices for this performance range from $20 ��� $79 (agency fees apply). Tickets are available through the Winspear Centre Box Office at (780) 428-1414, toll-free 1-800-563-5081, or online at edmontonsymphony.com.

A Family Christmas Concert, the next special performance by the ESO, will take place on Saturday, December 19^th. In this matinee performance, the magical animated film The Snowman will be projected above the stage as the orchestra performs the score live.

The ESO will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Edmonton Food Bank at concerts throughout the month of December.

Thank you to our performance sponsor ATB Investor Services and our season media sponsors CBC and the Edmonton Journal.

Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to Marc Carnes, Director of Development, at (780) 401-2518.

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, marking its 58^th season in 2009-2010, has taken its place as one of Canada's foremost orchestral ensembles. Its current roster includes 56 musicians from Canada and around the world, performing a wide-ranging repertoire from the great classical masterworks to pops and children's concerts. The presence of the orchestra and its enrichment of the community's quality of life are key elements in the stature and profile of Edmonton on the national and international scene.

Dianne Reeves Jazzes Up "Christmas Time Is Here!" JPEC's 2nd Concert in its 09-10 Series @ Bluma Appel Theatre Saturday, December 12 @ 8pm

Toronto, ON ��� November 30, 2009 ��� Grammy Award winning and internationally acclaimed jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves takes the stage at Bluma Appel Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre, 27 Front Street East, Toronto on Saturday, December 12 at 8pm. The Jazz Performance and Education Centre (JPEC) presents ���Christmas Time Is Here,��� featuring Ms. Reeves in a quintet setting, performing her versions of holiday favourites, as performed on her recent CD release of the same title. Tickets range from $100 for VIP, to $20 for Students/Rush and are available from the St. Lawrence Centre box office at (416) 366-7723 or (800) 708-6754 or online at www.jazzcentre.ca

A Blue Note recording artist, Dianne Reeves is the pre-eminent jazz vocalist in the world today and has released numerous albums under her own name. As a result of her virtuosity, improvisational prowess and unique jazz and R&B stylings, Reeves was awarded the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for three consecutive recordings���a Grammy first in any vocal category.

Reeves has performed extensively with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and was the first Creative Chair in Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She appeared in and is featured prominently on the soundtrack for the 2005 film Good Night And Good Luck, starring George Clooney. When ���Christmas Time Is Here��� was released in 2004, Ben Ratliff of The New York Times raved, ���Ms. Reeves, a jazz singer of frequently astonishing skill, takes the assignment seriously. This is one of the best jazz Christmas CD's I've heard!���

The Jazz Performance and Education Centre, officially founded in 2008, is a registered charity dedicated to the preservation and development of jazz in Canada. The result of a collaboration between business people, musicians and arts professionals who are passionate about jazz in Toronto, JPEC���s ultimate goal is to create a full-time jazz venue in the city: this first-class, multi-purpose facility will feature performances by top local, national and international jazz talent; educational programming through which fans of all ages can learn about jazz; recording facilities; and a Hall of Fame and Archives which will encompass and preserve Canada���s outstanding jazz heritage and tradition. The facility will enhance Toronto���s reputation as one of the best cities in North America in which to experience live jazz.

JPEC���s inaugural season features a variety of exciting programming including concerts at Glenn Gould Studio and the Bluma Appel Theatre, featuring the Oliver Jones Trio, Dianne Reeves, the Ingrid Jensen Quintet, the Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio and the Bill Charlap/Renee Rosnes Duo. The season also celebrates a series of lectures, hosted by the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre, led by local jazz musicians and writers including Heather Bambrick, Mark Barnes, Jack Chambers and Andrew Scott; and a series of jazz programs for children hosted by Casa Loma.

Tickets are $100 for VIP (includes a post-concert reception and meet-and-greet with the artists), $60 for floor seating, $40 for balcony seating, and $20 for Student/Rush (must be purchased in person with proper ID; rush seats available 30 minutes before performance time). For more information on the Jazz Performance and Education Centre, visit www.jazzcentre.ca. JPEC���s 2009-2010 season is generously supported by JAZZ.FM91, the National Post and Koskie Minsky.

Louise Roy Nomm��e Parmi les 100 Femmes d'Influence au Canada

Montr��al, le 30 novembre 2009 ��� Louise Roy, pr��sidente du Conseil des arts de Montr��al et chanceli��re de l���Universit�� de Montr��al, a ��t�� choisie parmi les 100 femmes les plus influentes au Canada par le Women���s Executive Network et le quotidien Globe and Mail. Madame Roy a ��t�� choisie dans la cat��gorie des �� pionni��res et innovatrices �� par un comit�� compos�� de leaders du monde des affaires et d���organisations �� but non lucratif.

Le vice-pr��sident du Conseil des arts de Montr��al, Dany Laferri��re, a d��clar�� : �� Louise Roy est une femme exceptionnelle. Cette reconnaissance remarquable qui s'ajoute �� celle de l'Ordre national du Qu��bec re��ue au printemps dernier, est un hommage m��rit�� car son parcours professionnel est exceptionnel �� plus d���un ��gard. Par son intensit��, son professionnalisme et son humanit��, Louise Roy fait sa marque l�� o�� elle a choisi de s���investir, que ce soit �� la STCUM, o�� on se souvient encore aujourd���hui de son passage, �� Air France ou actuellement �� l���Universit�� de Montr��al ou au Conseil des arts de Montr��al. Non seulement contribue-t-elle �� am��liorer la gouvernance des organisations pour lesquelles elle oeuvre, mais elle arrive �� faire progresser les mentalit��s vers une meilleure acceptation du changement et de la diff��rence. Son implication pr��sente et active dans les trois milieux fondamentaux de l���conomie du savoir, l���ducation, la culture et les affaires, illustre probablement le mieux les raisons pour lesquelles elle se retrouve dans cette prestigieuse liste du Globe. ��

Le recteur de l���Universit�� de Montr��al, Luc Vinet, a ajout�� : �� Le parcours de Louise Roy est exemplaire �� bien des ��gards et repr��sente un mod��le pour les jeunes femmes qui souhaitent elles aussi poursuivre une carri��re jusqu���aux plus hautes fonctions. Elle a mis au service de la soci��t�� son talent et ses valeurs humaines et elle a ouvert la voie avec tout le dynamisme et la rigueur qui la caract��risent. Au sein de notre universit��, elle a ��t�� la premi��re femme �� occuper le poste de chancelier. La contribution de Louise Roy aux organisations du domaine de l���ducation, de l���conomie et des arts est immense et il est heureux que la soci��t�� canadienne le souligne aujourd���hui. Je joins ma voix �� celle de l���crivain Dany Laferri��re, vice-pr��sident du Conseil des arts de Montr��al, pour f��liciter Louise Roy de cet honneur qui lui est rendu. ��
Liens : www.wxnetwork.com/top100_indexFrench.aspx et www.theglobeandmail.com

Hold the Dates!

www.mtlte.com

Presents

A View from the Bridge

By Arthur Miller

Directed by Terry Donald

Mark these dates in your winter calendar

January 14 ��� 30, 2010

A View from the Bridge exposes life in a 1950s Italian-American neighbourhood living in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge. Gritty and true to the times, a tight-knit community bursts from undercurrents of jealousy, self-deception and mistrust, with tragic results.

Featuring: Rebecca Croll, Adam LeBlanc, Christopher Moore, Matthew Raudsepp, Peter Vrana, Christie Hebert, Phil Demers, Marc Roy, Leonardo Valente, Dan Lister, Raphael Grosz, Jade Hassoun�� and Mary Vuorela

Also with: Janessa Grant, Jessica Rose, Davide Chiazzese, Naomi Du Vall, Simon Fontaine, Dylan Gouze, Hayley Kezber and Henry Shattler

Stage Two Series

Initiated last season with Montreal Theatre Ensemble���s critically acclaimed, Of Mice and Men, MTE will again collaborate with the John Abbott College Department of Theatre and Music to expose students in the professional theatre programme to the world outside their training environment. MTE is thrilled to be part of Stage Two, a ground breaking initiative in which the company has the opportunity to mentor Montreal���s future actors through open rehearsals and talkbacks.

A View from the Bridge

Casgrain Theatre

In the Casgrain Building of John Abbott College

21, 275 Lakeshore Road
Ste. Anne de Bellevue, Quebec

Tuesdays to Saturdays, 8:00 p.m.

Matinees: Sundays, 2:00p.m

Reservations: (514) 515-9140 or purchase tickets on the website: www.mtlte.com

Special MTE fundraising performance on January 16: reception, silent auction and cast discussion.

Phiaton Raises the Bar on Comfort with the Ergonomically Designed PS 210 Earphones

Second Generation Primal Series Provides

Hours of Comfort Like Never Before

Hi-Res Images Available Upon Request

Irvine, CA ��� Phiaton, the worldwide leader in the audio industry, is introducing the new PS 210 ���half in-ear��� earphones so that trendy Americans can enjoy many more hours of listening pleasure without feeling constricted. Ergonomically designed to fit just outside the ear canal, the PS 210 features the perfect combination of comfort and sound quality for the optimal listening experience with your personal music player or e-reader. Phiaton���s unique ���half in-ear��� design combines the excellent bass response of in-ear style buds and the crystal clear highs of open-ear style buds. You couldn���t ask for a better combination of features in one unit. What���s more, the PS 210 is made of a high quality, light-weight aluminum material for additional wearing comfort.

Another unique feature of the PS 210 are the four different sized silicon ear tips (XS, S, M, and L) that are included to ensure a natural fit. The PS 210 also includes Phiaton���s highly respected Applied Dynamic Speaker Driver using Acoustic transducer technology for rich bass and high range fidelity. The earphones feature a 10 Hz - 27,000 Hz frequency range, 98dB at 1 kHz sensitivity, 32 Ohm Impedance and a maximum input power of 30 mW. The PS 210 weighs 0.29 oz w/o cord. Available with a slim carrying case, the PS210 has a $99 MSRP and is sold at www.phiaton.com plus other online stores.

Jong-Bae Lee, Chairman of Phiaton Corporation, states, ���Phiaton is committed to providing consumers with the best in high quality and high fashion earphone devices. We are constantly making design and technology improvements based on years of experience. With so many new applications for quality headphones, Phiaton will continue to increase our offerings to provide the best experience available for the consumer.���

About Phiaton Corporation

Phiaton Corporation is a premium manufacturer of high-end noise cancelling headphones, earphones and Music Docking Stations for consumers who appreciate design, technology and aesthetics. The Phiaton brand is created for audiophiles who demand the extraordinary from the consumer electronics they buy. All Phiaton products provide authentic sound reproduction, eye-catching design, and comfortable fit.

Phiaton���s parent company, Cresyn Company Ltd., was founded in 1959 to develop and manufacture high quality phonograph needles. Under the leadership of Chairman Jong-Bae Lee, Cresyn has heavily invested in R&D and developed a significant portfolio of patented audio technologies. Over time, these technologies have become an integral part of today���s most popular leading personal audio brands. Today, Cresyn markets its own growing family of industry leading products, including headphones, noise canceling headphones, earphones, Bluetooth headsets and camera modules.

Saskatoon composer wins the Canadian Music Centre���s Emerging Composer Competition

November 13, 2009 (CALGARY, AB) ��� This February, Darren Miller, a young Saskatchewan composer, will have a new work premiered by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra on February 10, 2010, as part of the Winnipeg New Music Festival as part of his prize for winning the 2010 Emerging Composer Competition of the Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region. Another part of his prize is a composition residency at the Banff Centre.

The winning composition, for amma, was composed after the recent passing of Alda, his grandmother (amma in Icelandic) and is dedicated to her memory. ���In 2001, my amma paid for the first year of my musical studies at the University of Saskatchewan, and she continued to encourage all of the compositional activities that resulted from these studies,��� Miller says. ���She was a lifelong resident of Gimli and Winnipeg, making the premiere of this work in Winnipeg so soon after her passing an extremely moving experience for me.���

Miller���s work, for amma, was chosen from orchestral works submitted by emerging Canadian composers with Prairie connections by a jury, which included composer-in-residence of the Winnipeg Symphony and former Emerging Composer Competition winner Vincent Ho.

Currently a PhD student at the State University of New York, Miller received his Bachelor degree at the University of Saskatchewan and his Master���s from The University of Victoria. He has also pursued studies in Germany and at the Banff Centre, where he directed the 2009 International Young Composers Forum. Ensembles from Ensemble Contemporain de Montr��al to Turning Point Ensemble to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra have performed his works. In addition to composition, Miller also dabbles in conducting and computer music performance. His website is: www.darrenmiller.ca

The Emerging Composer Competition prize, established by an anonymous donor and administered by the Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region aims to help young composers establish themselves in this extremely challenging and competitive field. The chance to have a work performed by a professional symphony orchestra is not an opportunity afforded to many composers, and is a great honour. Previous winners include Abigail Richardson and Jocelyn Morlock and Vincent Ho, who have gone on to very successful composing careers.

For more information:
Lindsey Wallis
Canadian Music Centre, Prairie Region
(403)220-7403
prairie@musiccentre.ca
www.musiccentre.ca

Backgrounder

Darren Miller

Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Darren Miller began piano lessons at a relatively young age. Impatient with the difficulties involved in learning western art music, Darren instead turned to the punk and underground music scenes of Saskatoon. Ventures in this realm afforded him the chance to travel across Canada for the first time, and resulted in several months spent living in a van with three of his best friends. Upon his return to Saskatchewan, a music appreciation class with Joan Halmo awoke in Darren a desire to pursue music seriously. Having forgotten any earlier musical training, Darren began from scratch with strict practice and study regimens under Saskatoon pianist Martin Janovsky. In the fall of 2001, Darren was accepted to the theory and composition program at the University of Saskatchewan, where he obtained a B.Mus. with distinction. While at the University of Saskatchewan, Darren had the chance to study with Bonnie Nicholson, Walter Kreyszig, David Kaplan, Elizabeth Sayrs, and Gyula Csap��.

Between 2006 and 2008 Darren completed his M.Mus. in composition at the University of Victoria under Michael Longton, Christopher Butterfield, Andrew Schloss, Jonathan Goldman, D��niel P��ter Bir��, John Celona, and Harald Krebs, among others.

In the summer of 2008 Darren left Canada for the first time to present his newly composed string quartet at the Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, Germany. The following fall and winter were spent composing, programming, studying, and performing at the Banff Centre, where Darren also organized and directed the 2009 Banff Centre International Young Composers Forum.

Though a relative newcomer to the world of composition, his works have already been performed or read by: The Ensemble Contemporain de Montr��al (2006), Susu Robin (2006), The Turning Point Ensemble (2007), Aventa (2007), The Quatuor Bozzini (2007 and 2008), The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (2008), The New York Miniaturist Ensemble (2008), as well as countless student ensembles.

Darren is currently a PhD candidate with the State University of New York at Buffalo. While focusing mainly on his compositional studies with Cort Lippe, Darren is also pursuing opportunities off campus as a pianist, performer of computer music, conductor, and composer. Upcoming performances and collaborations are scheduled with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, pianist Luciane Cardassi, the Talujon percussion quartet, recorder and electronics duo Terri Hron and Juan Parra, visual artist Lindsay Royale, and the In Extensio trio of Montr��al.

The Canadian Music Centre

The Canadian Music Centre (CMC) celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2009 as Canada's only organization mandated to house, actively promote and distribute the music of Canada's composers within Canada and around the world. The CMC acts as a multi-pronged organization offering a rich portfolio of programs, products and services that help develop a viable marketplace for the music of its Associate Composers. With over 700 established composers to date, the CMC is Canada's primary resource for scores, parts, recordings and information about Canadian composition and is an essential body in Canada's cultural landscape. It makes its vast catalogue of music accessible through an array of programs. At its core, the CMC houses a public lending Library and Archive with some 20,000+ scores and recordings which continue to expand as composers deposit new works. Visit www.musiccentre.ca for more information.

Le Vent du Nord visite l'OSQ les 10 et 11 d��cembre prochain!

Dans le cadre de la s��rie Coups de foudre Hydro-Qu��bec
Pr��sent��e par
Le Vent du Nord
La musique trad �� l���honneur
10 et 11 d��cembre 2009, 20 h
Grand Th����tre de Qu��bec

Qu��bec, le 30 novembre 2009 ����� Les prochains Coups de foudre Hydro-Qu��bec seront d��clench��s par un fort Vent du Nord�Ķ C���est en effet le nom du groupe irr��sistible et d��coiffant qui visite l���Orchestre symphonique de Qu��bec, les 10 et 11 d��cembre prochains. Le groupe de musique trad le plus pr��sent de la sc��ne qu��b��coise viendra interpr��ter des chansons c��l��bres de leurs albums Dans les airs, Maudite Moisson, Les Amants du St-Laurent, ainsi que quelques nouvelles chansons de leur dernier album La Part du feu. Ce programme, dirig�� par le nouveau chef assistant en r��sidence de l���OSQ, Airat Ichmouratov, pr��sente des arrangements de l���am��ricain Tom Myron et promet des ��tincelles.

Le Vent du Nord

Avec plus de 700 concerts �� son actif, Le Vent du Nord est l'une des formations trad qu��b��coises les plus estim��es �� travers le monde. Le groupe est compos�� de quatre musiciens, tous chanteurs : Nicolas Boulerice (sp��cialiste de vielle �� roue), Simon Beaudry (guitare), R��jean Brunet (basse,
piano et accord��on) et Olivier Demers (violon, peids et guitare). Depuis sa cr��ation, en 2002, le quatuor a connu une ascension fulgurante, cumulant les prix les plus prestigieux de l'industrie. Un quatuor qui atteint sur sc��ne des sommets de pur bonheur et qui a le don d'��mouvoir tous les publics.

La discographie du groupe compte maintenant cinq albums. Dans les airs, leur troisi��me opus, r��v��le des perspectives musicales et harmoniques jusqu'alors inexplor��es par la
formation, avec des textures nouvelles, tant��t minimalistes et crues, tant��t raffin��es et ponctu��s d'accents jazzy, swing ou m��me rock. Un son unique et intemporel ��mane de l'ensemble. Apr��s avoir pr��sent�� 150 fois le spectacle Dans les airs, le prolifique quatuor pr��sentera La Part du feu dans une mise en sc��ne de Michel Faubert, �� l���hiver de 2010.

L���album du m��me nom, lanc�� en octobre dernier, donne d��j�� une id��e du concept : avec ce spectacle, la formation affirme une direction, celle d���un nouveau souffle d���ensemble. Les quatre talentueux artistes y arborent fi��rement et sereinement un r��pertoire de musiques et chansons francophones du Qu��bec. L���exp��rience sc��nique du quatuor est incomparable et repousse ses propres limites. Des compositions et chansons originales qui ont du chien, des ambiances plus diversifi��es et color��es que jamais, des arrangements musicaux raffin��s et textur��s qui servent formidablement bien les textes et les voix magnifiques. La qualit�� et l���intensit�� des interpr��tations font jaillir des ��tincelles �� tout coup, que l���auditeur comprenne le fran��ais ou non.

Lieu et heure

�� quelques jours du d��but officiel de l���hiver, venez vibrer et tourbillonner avec le Vent du Nord et ses chansons endiabl��es les jeudi 10 et vendredi 11 d��cembre �� 20 heures au Grand Th����tre de Qu��bec.

Au programme
Orchestre symphonique de Qu��bec
Airat Ichmouratov chef d���orchestre
Le Vent du Nord
Arrangements : Tom Myron
les chansons
��lise, Le Cavalier et la belle, Montcalm, Marguerite, Les Larmes aux yeux, La Fille et les dragons, L���Heure bleue, Rosette, Petit R��ve III, Vive l���amour, Les Amants du Saint-Laurent, Lanlaire
ainsi que
Gilles B ELLEMARE Paraphrases sur des m��lodies de Gilles Vigneault
L��on B ERNIER Fantaisie sur des airs de F��lix Leclerc
Billets : 23,00 $ - 65,00 $ (taxes incluses et frais en sus)
Billetterie de l���OSQ : (418) 643-8486 R��seau Billetech : (418) 643-8131
Nouveaut��! Billetterie de derni��re minute! �� partir de 18 h, les soirs de concert, le public peut se
procurer des billets pour seulement 20 $ chacun!
D��tails : osq.org
*** Vous pouvez maintenant vous procurer vos billets de concerts en ligne!
Rendez-vous �� osq.org

Th����tre Lyrichor��gra 20 X��me concours international de musique tch��que et slovaque

R��sultats

Montr��al, le 30 novembre 2009

Le X��me Concours international de musique tch��que et slovaque ouvert aux chanteurs s���est termin�� le samedi 28 novembre �� la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur.

63 chanteurs en provenance de 6 pays ont particip�� au concours.

Le jury international du concours international ��tait compos�� de compos�� de

Ales Brezina, compositeur, pr��sident de l���Institut Bohuslav Martinu

Eva Blahova, cantatrice slovaque

Julius Klein, directeur artistique de l���Orchestre Philharmonique de Kosice en Slovaquie

Jiri Herman, directeur artistique de l���Op��ra national de Prague

Damiano Binetti, chef d���orchestre, directeur de l���Op��ra d���Opava en R��publique tch��que

Gildo DiNunzio , r��p��titeur au Metropolitan Opera de New York

Svatava Luhanova, cantatrice tch��que

Sarah Meredith, professeur (Etats-Unis)

Alain Nonat , directeur artistique Th����tre Lyricor��gra 20

Guy Soucy, Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur.

Les laur��ats du concours :

PREMIER PRIX: MELODY WILSON, mezzo-soprano (Etats-Unis)

Bourse de $ 5,000 et engagement dans une production �� l��� Op��ra d���Opava en R��publique tch��que et pour un concert avec l���Orchestre Philharmonique de Kosice en Slovaquie

DEUXI��ME PRIX: BETTY ALLISON, soprano (Canada)

Bourse de $ 2,500 et engagement pour un concert avec l���Orchestre Philharmonique de Kosice en Slovaquie et audition �� l���Op��ra national de Prague pour un premier r��le.

TROISI��ME PRIX: SASHA DJIHANIAN, soprano (Canada)

Bourse de $ 1,500 et engagement pour un concert avec l���Orchestre Philharmonique de Kosice en Slovaquie

QUATRI��ME PRIX: PAVOL KUBAN, baryton (Slovaquie)

Bourse de $ 1,000 engagement dans une production �� l��� Op��ra d���Opava en R��publique tch��que.

CINQUI��ME PRIX: KRITIN SCHECKE, soprano (Etats-Unis)

Bourse de $ 900

SIXI��ME PRIX : GEOFFREY SIRRETT, baryton (Canada)

Bourse de $ 750

PRIX SPECIALMeilleure interpr��tation d���une m��lodie tch��que :

CHLOE MOORE,soprano (Canada)

Bourse de $ 250

Giorgia Fumanti | En spectacle �� l'��glise de Ste-Ad��le

Accompagn��e de 40 choristes MAGNIFICAT le nouveau spectacle de Giorgia Fumanti, pr��sent�� en premi��re canadienne, le dimanche 13 d��cembre �� 15h �� l���glise de Ste-Ad��le!

Piedmont, le 30 novembre 2009 ��� Il n���y a pas de hasard. C���est en chantant en solo dans l���glise de son village natal de Aulla, en Italie du Nord, que la d��sormais c��l��bre Giorgia Fumanti a choisi de faire de la musique son m��tier. Quatre disques et une impressionnante carri��re internationale plus tard, la soprano italienne devenue qu��b��coise ��� elle habite les Laurentides ��� fait un retour aux sources avec Magnificat, le nouveau spectacle (extrait de son nouveau CD lanc�� demain en magasin) teint�� d���encens, de musique sacr��e, de chants de No��l�Ķ et de quelques d��licieux p��ch��s profanes, pr��sent�� en premi��re canadienne, le dimanche le 13 d��cembre �� 15h �� l���glise de Ste-Ad��le!

Pour Giorgia Fumanti, pr��ter sa voix �� des chants sacr��s ��� une voix que Jos�� Carreras consid��re comme l���une des plus belles du monde ���, c���est avant tout replonger dans l���ambiance recueillie du village toscan de son enfance, o�� l���on chantait l���Ave Maria de Caccini ou Astro del ciel (Sainte-Nuit) �� No��l. C���est aussi partager l���motion majestueuse du chant classique qu���elle a appris au Conservatorio di Parma et qui habite chacun de ses disques : Schubert, Gounod, Brahms, Carl Orff�Ķ De grands hymnes religieux ou romantiques, classiques ou populaires, servis par un souffle puissant et une voix vibrante, capable de monter, monter, monter et tenir la note jusqu���� la rendre cristalline et jusqu���� ��mouvoir et laisser l���auditoire b��at chaque fois.

Avec le nouveau spectacle Magnificat, la soprano sacralise aussi des airs plus contemporains, emprunt��s aux r��pertoires classique, world, pop, jazz�Ķet sera accompagn��e pour cette occasion m��morable, d���une quarantaine de choristes de l���Ensemble vocal Alternatim de Ste-Th��r��se ainsi que de 4 musiciens, sous la direction musicale du talentueux pianiste et arrangeur, Denis Chartrand.

Apr��s avoir conquis la Chine, le Japon, Taiwan, la Cor��e, l���Afrique du Sud et les ��tats-Unis, et de retour d���une s��rie de concerts au Royal Albert Hall de Londres, aux c��t��s de Michael Bolton, c���est dans Les Laurentides - r��gion o�� la belle italienne a pris pays - que son Magnificat trouvera son plus bel ��cho alors qu���elle pr��sentera la premi��re canadienne de ce nouveau spectacle �� l����glise de Sainte-Ad��le (180 rue Lesage), le dimanche 13 d��cembre �� 15 h.

Si vous n���avez pas encore eu la chance de voir et d���entendre un concert de Giorgia Fumanti, courez vite acheter vos billets, puisqu���assister �� une performance de cette soprano de renomm��e mondiale, est plus qu���un spectacle, c���est vivre une exp��rience extraordinaire qui fait vibrer nos c��urs et tous nos sens!

Rappelons que pour ce concert b��n��fice, 5$ par billet vendu seront remis �� la Fabrique de Ste-Ad��le. Billet en vente au co��t de 35$ (taxes incluses) au presbyt��re de la paroisse de Ste-Ad��le (166 rue Lesage | 450. 229-4454), ainsi qu���� la Librairie Quintessence de St-Sauveur (275 rue Principale | 450. 227-5525).

Elektra Women's Choir releases From the Hearth, Innovative Listening and Fundraising Experience

Vancouver's Elektra Women's Choir has created an amazing record of their past 23 years and have recorded it for your listening pleasure.

From the Hearth is a unique listening experience featuring recorded music by Elektra with commentary from Artistic Director, Morna Edmundson and Conductor Emerita, Diane Loomer, C.M. Join them as they sit by the fire, enjoy a glass of wine, and reminisce about Elektra's past 23 years.

From the Hearth is now available for listening or download from http://elektra.ca/index.php?article=fromthehearth for your enjoyment on your computer or MP3 device. We invite you to sit by the warmth of the fire at home, sip a glass of wine, and enjoy time with Elektra.

Last season's highlights included Tapestry an international festival and celebration of women's choirs, and the release of our latest CD, Elektra's Garden. This 2009/20010 season Elektra celebrates the appointment of Morna Edmundson as Artistic Director with the just-past) Chez Nous, Christmas with Elektra, Romance: Schumann, Brahms, and Faur�� (June 6, 2010), and a number of collaborations and exciting projects in between.

Elektra is a charitable organization and can issue tax receipts for tax purposes for a minimum donation of $25 or more. All donations assist Elektra in its mission to "inspire and lead in the choral art form through excellence in performance and through the creation, exploration, and celebration of women's repertoire."

Donations may be made through PayPal or CanadaHelps.org buttons on the From the Hearth page.

Roy Thomson Hall and Attila Glatz Concert Productions present 2 HOLIDAY CLASSICS at Roy Thomson Hall

Bravissimo! Opera���s Greatest Hits! on New Year���s Eve 2009 at 7pm;
and Salute to Vienna on New Year���s Day 2010 at 2:30pm.

Bravissimo! Opera���s Greatest Hits!

Thursday, December 31, 2009 at 7:00 PM / Roy Thomson Hall / Toronto

Tickets $155 - $75 ��� Call 416-872-4255 or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office at 60 Simcoe Street

Or buy online at www.roythomson.com

Bravissimo! Opera's Greatest Hits! returns for the 3rd consecutive year to Roy Thomson Hall with an all new program of beloved arias, duets and overtures from the world's most popular operas. This year���s showcase of irresistible melodies is on New Year���s Eve, Thursday, December 31at 7:00 p.m., and features an international cast of six opera stars who are joined by the 78-member Opera Canada Symphony under the direction of the eminent Austrian conductor Roberto Paternostro.

The guest artists, all enjoying spectacular careers on major opera stages around the world, are American soprano Sarah Jane McMahon, French soprano Susan Neves, Russian mezzo-soprano Elena Bocharova, Portuguese tenor Bruno Ribeiro, American tenor Carl Tanner, and Serbian baritone Nikola Mijailovic.

Maestro Paternostro, who was an assistant to the late Herbert von Karajan in Berlin, is General Music Director of the Staatstheater Kassel and Musical Adviser to the Israel Chamber Orchestra. He has also guest conducted opera and orchestral performances throughout Europe for more than two decades, beginning with the famed 1985 Opera for Africa gala at the Arena in Verona, Italy.

The enchanting program includes favorite selections from Carmen, Madama Butterfly, Turandot, Rigoletto, La Traviata, The Magic Flute ��� and much more. Rick Phillips, well-known Canadian broadcaster, writer and lecturer in the world of opera, will narrate the performance.

Salute to Vienna

Friday, January 1, 2010 at 2:30 PM / Roy Thomson Hall / Toronto

Tickets $135 - $55 ��� Call 416-872-4255 or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office at 60 Simcoe Street

Or buy online at www.roythomson.com

Toronto���s annual New Year���s Day concert, Salute to Vienna, returns to Roy Thomson Hall for the 15^th consecutive year on Friday, January 1, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. This cherished celebration, modeled after the Austrian capital���s world-famous Neujahrskonzert (New Year���s Concert), will once again welcome the New Year with a program of symphony, song and dance featuring more than 75 performers and the joyous music of Viennese ���Waltz King��� Johann Strauss Jr. and his contemporaries.

Roy Thomson Hall���s 2010 Salute to Vienna features the Strauss Symphony of Canada under the baton of acclaimed Viennese maestro Peter Sommerer, principal conductor at the Theatre of Osnabrueck. The guest opera singers, Hungarian soprano Beatrix L��zin and Austrian tenor Wolfgang Gratschmaier will perform arias and duets from the much-loved operettas of Strauss, Leh��r and K��lm��n. Dancers from Kiev-Aniko Ballet of Ukraine and International Ballroom Dance Champions will grace the stage in colourful costumes as they perform elegant Viennese waltzes and exuberant polkas.

Artistic director and founder Attila Glatz introduced the Viennese New Year���s concert tradition to North America when he presented the first Salute to Vienna in Toronto on New Year���s Day, 1995. The tradition quickly spread, and this year Salute to Vienna will be presented in 20 North American cities almost simultaneously. All Salute to Vienna productions feature a brand new cast and new program, performed by local symphony orchestras, international conductors and European opera singers, and dancers from prominent ballet companies. www.glatzconcerts.com

Bravissimo! and Salute to Vienna are co-presented by Attila Glatz Concert Productions and Roy Thomson Hall

MIDEM reveals its talents for 2010

Diving With Andy �� Franck Honor�� Tigran Hamasyan �� Christian Ducasse Wayne Beckford �� Ola Hedin Sophie Hunger �� Benoit Peverelli

Paris, 30 November 2009 ��� For the third year running, MidemTalent is promoting up and coming artists with strong export potential. From 24-26 January, thirteen pop/rock, electro, world music and jazz artists and bands will perform on stage at the Carlton Hotel for professionals attending MIDEM and the public of Cannes. British performers Wayne Beckford, King Charles and The Black Swan Effect; French rockers Plastiscines; Irish singer-songwriter and Mercury Awards nominee Lisa Hannigan; and French pop group Diving with Andy, nominated for the Prix Constantin 2009, are just a few of the artists lined up for MidemTalent 2010. Also appearing is Swiss singer-songwriter, pianist and guitar player Sophie Hunger, as well as Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan. ���The artists who will be appearing as part of MidemTalent 2010 have already embarked upon successful careers in their respective countries. By welcoming them to MidemTalent, we are helping them in their development and international exposure,��� says Dominique Leguern, Director of MIDEM. MidemTalent is sponsored by the on-line promotion platform Sonicbids. Line-up as of 30 November 2009: ALEX HEPBURN (Warner-UK) DEPEDRO (Pias Recordings-Spain) DIVING WITH ANDY (Universal Music Classics-France) FRANCOIS BOURASSA (Effendi Rec.-Canada) HINDI ZAHRA (EMI Blue Note-France) KING CHARLES (mi7 Records-UK) LISA HANNIGAN (Hoop Recordings-Ireland) PACO VOLUME (Discograph-France) PLASTISCINES (Because-France) SOPHIE HUNGER (Two Gentlemen-Switzerland) THE BLACK SWAN EFFECT (Real World Rec.-UK) TIGRAN HAMASYAN (Plus loin Recording-France) WAYNE BECKFORD (Believe Digital-UK) Photos of the artists are available for download from: http://www.reedmidem.com/v3/Press/DownloadZone/en New this year: �Ģ MidemNet for free! - Access to the cutting-edge digital business conference included in MIDEM registration. �Ģ MidemNet Lab - Discover the latest digital innovations through the selection of 15 promising start-ups, chosen by a jury of successful entrepreneurs. �Ģ MIDEM+ - Innovative networking solutions and one-on-one expert guidance to boost business efficiency. �Ģ Redesigned exhibition zone - Networking, knowledge and open meeting places right at the heart of the market. �Ģ The Fringe - A friendly and efficient manner to showcase artists to the world. Discover all the latest news on our website www.midem.com.

Chantons No��l avec l'OSM

The Royal Conservatory Announces New Board Chair

Former TD Executive and Conservatory Alumnus Michael Foulkes

Succeeds Florence Minz

The Royal Conservatory (RCM) announced today that Michael Foulkes will succeed Florence Minz as Chair of the Board of Directors. Mr. Foulkes is an alumnus of the Conservatory, having completed his Grade 8 Piano examination. He joined the Board of the RCM in 2003.

���I am honoured to lead the Board of The Royal Conservatory as it embarks on a new era in its history,��� noted Mr. Foulkes. ���The RCM has a legacy of fostering the creativity of Canadians for over a century. It is well positioned to build on this legacy with the completion of the TELUS Centre for Performance and Learning, including the stunning Koerner Hall.���

Michael Foulkes is a former executive of the TD Bank Financial Group. During his 30 years with the corporation he held various executive positions, most recently as President and Chief Executive Officer for TD Waterhouse UK. He retired from TD in 2006.

Mr. Foulkes has also served as Director of First Nations Bank of Canada, a federally chartered bank serving Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal people across Canada. He is currently a Director of the Davis + Henderson Income Fund, the Canadian Depository for Securities Limited, and CPNI Inc.

In the community, Mr. Foulkes is Director and former Chair of Junior Achievement of Canada and Director of the Junior Achievement of Canada Foundation. He is a graduate of Victoria College at the University of Toronto and resides in Toronto with his wife, Linda. He has two grown children.

Founded in 1886, The Royal Conservatory is the largest and oldest independent arts educator in Canada. It is an internationally renowned centre for performance and learning, providing opportunities for personal development through music and arts education in over 300 communities across Canada and a dozen countries around the world. Each year more than 500,000 Canadians take part in RCM programs, exams, and public school initiatives.

La peintre Corno expose ses ��uvres r��centes �� Montr��al et �� Londres

Montr��al, le 26 novembre 2009 ��� La peintre qu��b��coise de renomm��e internationale Corno expose actuellement ses plus r��centes ��uvres �� la Galerie AKA, situ��e au 2122, rue Crescent �� Montr��al; le vernissage a lieu aujourd���hui. Les ��uvres de l���artiste new-yorkais Tony DePew sont aussi expos��es. Corno exposera ��galement �� la Opera Gallery de Londres �� compter du 9 d��cembre prochain, avec l���artiste Eduardo Guelfenbein.

Dans les toiles aux couleurs flamboyantes de Corno, le corps humain se renouvelle sans cesse sous la fougue du geste de cette artiste d���exception. Fusion du post pop et du nouvel expressionnisme, l����uvre de Corno, inspir��e par l���nergie de New York o�� elle vit depuis pr��s de vingt ans, fascine et trouve ��cho partout �� travers le monde.

Les ��uvres de Corno figurent en effet dans des collections priv��es, publiques et mus��ales �� travers le monde, notamment �� New York, Paris, Londres, Venise, Monaco, S��oul, Hong Kong, Singapour et Duba��. Au Qu��bec, Corno est repr��sent��e en exclusivit�� par la Galerie AKA et, sur la sc��ne internationale, par la prestigieuse Opera Gallery.

L���artiste sera sur le plateau de la prochaine ��mission de Tout le monde en parle, diffus��e le dimanche 29 novembre �� compter de 20 h sur les ondes de Radio-Canada.

Pour en savoir plus sur Corno, visitez www.cornostudio.com.

No��l �� l���op��ra : La magie des F��tes conjugu��e �� l���enchantement de l���op��ra

Montr��al, le jeudi le 26 novembre 2009 - Le dimanche 13 d��cembre, le cinqui��me concert de la saison, No��l �� l���op��ra, aura lieu �� l����glise Saint-Jean-Baptiste. Plusieurs chefs-d����uvre de l���art lyrique se d��roulent enti��rement ou en partie durant le temps de No��l, d���o�� l���id��e de rassembler quelques sc��nes des op��ras suivants :

EXTRAITS DE :

Giacomo Puccini : La Boh��me

Jacques Offenbach : Les contes d���Hoffmann

Georges Bizet : Carmen

Engelbert Humperdinck : H��nsel et Gretel

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart : Die Zauberfl��te (La Fl��te enchant��e)

Johann Strauss fils : Die Fledermaus (La Chauve-souris)

Le concert sera dirig�� par l���excellent chef d���orchestre montr��alais Giuseppe Pietraroia, qui fait un retour au M��tropolitain, et permettra d���appr��cier les voix des solistes de l'Atelier lyrique de l'Op��ra de Montr��al Antoine B��langer, Caroline Bleau, Catherine Daniel, Roy Del Valle, Aaron Ferguson, Pierre Rancourt et Suzanne Rigden.

��chauffez vos cordes vocales ��� joignez-vous �� eux pour un chant en ch��ur de cantiques traditionnels de No��l !

Pour rester dans l���esprit des F��tes, des chants de No��l traditionnels compl��teront le concert, interpr��t��s par des invit��s tous sp��ciaux. L'Orchestre M��tropolitain est heureux de pr��senter en primeur les ��l��ves et enseignants de la chorale de l'��cole Pierre Dupuy sous la direction de M. Joachim Mauricio. Ce projet sp��cial qui aura lieu �� l����glise St-Jean-Baptiste ainsi qu���� la Maison de la culture Mercier �� Hochelaga-Maisonneuve a ��t�� r��alis�� avec la collaboration de la Commission scolaire de Montr��al.

N���oubliez pas la conf��rence pr��paratoire gratuite une heure avant chaque concert !

Le concert No��l �� l���op��ra sera pr��sent�� :

��glise St-Jean-Baptiste 13 d��cembre, 16 h 00 Billets : 514-842-2112 de13$ �� 43$

NAVETTES DE LA STM GRATUITES DISPONIBLES �� PARTIR DU M��TRO SHERBROOKE / SORTIE BERRI NORD !

D��PARTS �� 15H ET 15H20 ��� RETOUR VERS LE M��TRO �� 18H

En tourn��e :

Saint-Laurent, ��glise Saint-Sixte 8 d��cembre, 19h30 Billets : 514-855-6110

Verdun, ��glise Notre-dame-des-sept-douleurs 9 d��cembre, 19h30 Billets : 514-765-7150

Pierrefonds, ��glise Marie-Reine-de-la-paix 11 d��cembre, 20h00 Billets : 514-624-1100

Saint-L��onard, Th����tre Mirella et Lino Saputo 12 d��cembre, 16h00 Billets : 514-328-8400

Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, Maison de la culture Mercier 14 d��cembre, 20h00 Billets : 514-872-8755

Festival International du Film sur l'Art

English to follow.

MICHEL DALLAIRE, NOUVEAU MEMBRE

DU CONSEIL D���ADMINISTRATION DU FIFA

Montr��al, le jeudi 26 novembre 2009 ��� Le pr��sident du Conseil d���administration du Festival International du Film sur l���Art (FIFA), Monsieur Yvon Turcot, a le plaisir d���annoncer que Monsieur Michel Dallaire s���est joint au Conseil.

Monsieur Dallaire jouit d���une r��putation internationale dans le domaine du design d���objets utilitaires, de produits industriels et institutionnels, de mobilier urbain et de mat��riel de transport. Il est pr��sident-fondateur de Michel Dallaire Design Industriel Inc. Laur��at de nombreux prix, il est ��galement professeur associ�� en design industriel �� l���Universit�� de Montr��al et �� l���Universit�� de Calgary. Tr��s engag�� dans les milieux des arts et de la culture au Qu��bec, Monsieur Dallaire est notamment pr��sident du Conseil d���administration de la Fondation Emile-Nelligan.

Monsieur Dallaire n���est pas un ��tranger au FIFA : �� Depuis plus de 20 ans que je fr��quente le FIFA ; une source fabuleuse d���inspiration cr��ative et de frissons esth��tiques. ��

Pour sa part, Monsieur Turcot a fait observer que �� la somme d���exp��rience et de connaissances que Monsieur Dallaire apporte au Conseil sera d���un tr��s pr��cieux concours. ��

Le Festival International du Film sur l���Art (FIFA) est une soci��t�� �� but non lucratif vou��e �� la promotion et �� la diffusion des meilleures productions mondiales de films sur l���art et d���arts m��diatiques. D���une dur��e de 11 jours et de nature comp��titive, le FIFA est l���v��nement annuel le plus important au monde dans son domaine. Il est le rendez-vous des artistes et artisans du milieu des arts et de la cin��matographie aussi bien que des amateurs d���art et de cin��ma.

Inscrivez-vous gratuitement �� notre infolettre sur www.artfifa.ca

***

MICHEL DALLAIRE,

NEW MEMBER OF FIFA���S BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Montreal, Thursday, November 26, 2009 ��� Yvon Turcot, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA), is pleased to announce that Michel Dallaire has been appointed to the Board.

Michel Dallaire has established a worldwide reputation in the design of utilitarian objects, industrial and institutional products, urban furnishings and transport equipment. He is the founding president of Michel Dallaire Design Industriel inc. The recipient of numerous awards, he is also an associate professor in industrial design at the Universit�� de Montr��al and University of Calgary. Highly active in Quebec���s arts community, he is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Fondation Emile-Nelligan, among many other positions.

Dallaire is certainly no stranger to FIFA: ���For over twenty years I���ve been going to FIFA���it���s a fabulous source of creative inspiration and aesthetic delight.���

In the words of Yvon Turcot, ���the wealth of knowledge and experience that Michel Dallaire brings to the Board will be an invaluable asset.���

The International Festival of Films on Art (FIFA) is a non-profit organization devoted to the worldwide promotion and presentation of films on art and media art. Its central activity is an eleven-day competitive festival, the most important event of its kind in the world. FIFA has become a mecca for artists and artisans from the art and film communities, as well as for art and cinema enthusiasts.

Subscribe to our free newsletter at www.artfifa.ca

La Soci��t�� de Guitare Claude McKinnon Premier laur��at du Prix Soci��t�� du Palais Montcalm

Qu��bec, le 26 novembre 2009 ��� Lors du d��voilement des laur��ats des Prix d���excellence des arts et de la culture hier, le Prix Soci��t�� du Palais Montcalm, cr���� et pr��sent�� pour la premi��re fois cette ann��e, a ��t�� remis �� la Soci��t�� de Guitare Claude McKinnon. Fond�� en 1981, cet organisme �� but non lucratif a pour but de favoriser et de faciliter l���apprentissage de la guitare classique aupr��s des jeunes ��tudiants selon une m��thode unique d��velopp��e par le directeur artistique, M. Claude McKinnon.

�� La Soci��t�� du Palais Montcalm est fi��re de pr��senter et de remettre ce prix pour la premi��re fois. Comme nous l���avons souvent d��montr��, la place que nous accordons �� la rel��ve est au c��ur de notre mission. La remise de ce prix est l���expression de l���importance que nous y accordons. Nous f��licitons donc la Soci��t�� de Guitare Claude McKinnon pour le travail effectu�� depuis plus de 25 ans, un travail qui a contribu�� �� faire ��clore de nouveaux talents et qui a permis de transmettre aux jeunes la passion de la musique ��, a d��clar�� le directeur g��n��ral de la Soci��t�� du Palais Montcalm, M. Louis-Yves Nolin.

Rappelons que le Prix Soci��t�� du Palais Montcalm vise �� encourager le d��veloppement des jeunes publics en musique, �� souligner les initiatives de soutien �� l���ducation et �� la sensibilisation musicale des jeunes des niveaux primaire et secondaire. Assorti d���une bourse de 2000 $, ce prix est d��cern�� �� un individu, un groupe d���individus, un organisme culturel ou une institution d���enseignement pour souligner sa contribution remarquable au d��veloppement de jeunes publics en musique et �� l���ducation musicale des jeunes des niveaux primaire et secondaire.

Organisme �� but non lucratif, la Soci��t�� du Palais Montcalm est mandat��e par la Ville de Qu��bec pour g��rer les activit��s du Palais Montcalm. En plus d���accorder une place importante �� la rel��ve musicale, sa mission consiste �� d��velopper, �� promouvoir et �� faire rayonner la musique �� l���chelle locale, nationale et internationale.

The Markham Jazz Festival Announces New Artistic Director

Markham, ON - The Markham Jazz Festival has acquired acclaimed musician Michael Occhipinti to fill the role of Artistic Director for the festival���s 2010 summer event.

Occhipinti is no stranger to the role, or to Canada���s music scene. He has performed at jazz festivals across Canada and world wide with his various projects, including 2009 JUNO nominee The Sicilian Jazz Project, is the Artistic Director for the Ontario Music Centre���s Summer Music Camp, and teaches jazz combos at The Royal Conservatory of Music. His newest group, the instrumental funk group Triodes, has just released its debut CD Chunked. When asked about joining the Markham Jazz Festival, Occhipinti was excited and eager to be a part of this musical summertime tradition. ���I���m flattered that I have been asked to coordinate the artistic talent for this summer���s festival. I���ve enjoyed performing at the festival myself, and I know it has a great reputation for showcasing great music in a wonderful location. I���m hoping to put together a roster of artists that draws new people to Markham and builds on the success the festival has already had.

The Markham Jazz festival is equally excited about this partnership. Festival Director Linda Briggs says, ���We���re very happy to have secured such a renowned musician to craft our line-up of musical acts this year. Michael is an 8 time Juno nominee and we look forward to hearing what his award-recognized taste is going to bring to this year���s festival.���

The 2010 Markham Jazz Festival will run from August 20th ��� 22nd and is one of the town���s most notable events. The event attracts thousands from across Ontario to the quaint main streets of Markham and Unionville where they enjoy numerous stage performances, and several ���Hot Spots,��� (pubs, bars and restaurants that also feature jazz performers).

More Info: contactus@markhamjazzfestival.com, www.markhamjazzfestival.com or call 905-471-JAZZ (5299)

Alex Benjamin est nomm�� directeur artistique du Festival de Lanaudi��re

Montr��al, le 26 novembre 2009 ��� Le pr��sident du conseil d���administration du Festival de Lanaudi��re, Me Claude-Armand Sheppard, et le directeur g��n��ral, M. Fran��ois B��dard, sont heureux d���annoncer la nomination d���Alex Benjamin �� titre de directeur artistique du Festival.

Alex Benjamin travaillait en tandem avec le P��re Fernand Lindsay �� la direction artistique depuis 2000. Au cours de sa formation de pianiste, il a obtenu un baccalaur��at de l'Universit�� Laval sous la direction de Robert Weisz et une ma��trise en interpr��tation de la State University de New York �� Stony Brook avec Martin Canin. Il a aussi effectu�� des ��tudes de doctorat sous la direction de Gilbert Kalish. Au concours pour le Prix d'Europe, il a re��u le prix John Newmark �� deux reprises, en 1990 et en 1991. Tour �� tour professeur au Camp musical de Lanaudi��re et recherchiste-musicologue, Alex Benjamin poss��dait d��j�� une vaste exp��rience du domaine musical �� son arriv��e au Festival.

Le P��re Fernand Lindsay, fondateur du Festival de Lanaudi��re, qui avait choisi Alex Benjamin pour mener �� bien ses projets artistiques, avait recommand�� qu���on le nomme directeur de la programmation en 2007 et lui avait confi�� l���enti��re responsabilit�� de la programmation des concerts et des choix artistiques du Festival.

C���est �� l���unanimit�� et avec enthousiasme que le conseil d���administration reconna��t la comp��tence d��montr��e par monsieur Benjamin au cours des derni��res ann��es et lui confie le titre qui lui revenait tout naturellement.

Un Grand Portrait Sur La Webradio Classique d'Espace Musique

SUZIE LEBLANC : VIVRE SA LIBERT�� PLEINEMENT ET PASSIONN��MENT

Montr��al, jeudi 26 novembre 2009 ��� D��s maintenant, les internautes sont invit��s �� d��couvrir la soprano acadienne Suzie LeBlanc sur Espace classique (Radio-Canada.ca/musique).

L���animatrice-��dimestre Fran��oise Davoine propose un grand portrait en quatre ��pisodes de cette artiste de chez nous, dont la voix pure et lumineuse a s��duit les publics du monde entier dans le r��pertoire baroque. Nous la suivons au moment o��, apr��s avoir v��cu longtemps au Canada et en Europe, Suzie LeBlanc fait un retour aux sources et s���installe pr��s de Halifax.

En plus de ces ��pisodes en ligne les 5, 12, 19 et 26 novembre, les internautes ont acc��s �� un album photo et �� de nombreux extraits d���enregistrements, dont la trame sonore du film Lost Song de Rodrigue Jean dans lequel elle tient le r��le principal. De plus, deux de ses concerts sont disponibles sur demande pendant un an, soit ��Les vanit��s du monde�� enregistr�� au Festival acadien de Caraquet et ��Au palais des Barberini�� enregistr�� �� Montr��al avec La Nef.

Des moments ��mouvants et touchants, des musiques qui ��l��vent l���me et des images qui touchent le coeur�Ķ Une visite �� ne pas manquer sur Espace classique, la webradio classique d���Espace musique, d��s aujourd���hui sur Radio-Canada.ca/musique.

Longtime arts supporter Liane Clasen appointed to the National Arts Centre Foundation Board

(Ottawa, Canada - November 26, 2009) Liane Clasen, a communications expert and longtime supporter of the performing arts in both the United States and her native Canada, has been named to the Board of Canada���s National Arts Centre Foundation, the organization���s fundraising arm.

���It is an honour and a privilege to join the NAC Foundation Board,��� said Ms. Clasen from her home in Denver, Colorado. ���The National Arts Centre is a national treasure and the Foundation���s work is vital to a strong and dynamic performing arts centre. I look forward to helping strengthen support for the NAC to ensure its long-term vibrancy as well as that of the arts in Canada in general.���

���I am pleased that Liane Clasen has joined our Board,��� said Gail O���Brien, Chair of the NAC Foundation. ���Her volunteer experience and philanthropic track record will be assets to our Foundation as we strive to transform Canada through the performing arts.���

Liane Clasen has served as a Trustee on the Boards of several non-profit organizations involved in education, children, community development and the arts. Her work in these areas has focused primarily on Development, Marketing and Special Events.

Ms. Clasen was born in Canada and graduated with a master���s degree from Carleton University. She began her career as a Special Assistant for the Minister of Justice in Ottawa. She then was named Director of Strategic Planning for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. From there, she moved to California where she became vice president for New Market Development for Rogers Cablesystems and later served as senior vice president for TSN (The Sports Network).

While raising a family, Ms. Clasen remained active in her community, serving on the Board of Trustees of the Rancho Santa Fe Community Center, chairing their Development and Marketing Committees as well as their Annual Gala. She was also involved in work for the Orangewood Children���s Home, Young Presidents Organization, Denver Academy and Opera Colorado.

In addition to the NAC Foundation, Ms. Clasen currently sits on two other active boards: Opera Colorado (where she co-chaired the Gala committee and was on the 2008 Steering Committee) and Denver Academy (as past chair of the Development Committee). Most recently, she was a Grand Marshall for National Jewish Health���s Beaux Arts Ball.

The National Arts Centre Foundation was established in July 2000 and has raised more than $42 million for artistic and educational programming by the National Arts Centre. The Foundation���s mission is to inspire individuals, corporations and foundations to invest in the National Arts Centre���s vision of artistic innovation, development of young talent, and creation of new works, to benefit all Canadians.

Edmonton Symphony Orchestra holds 2009 Annual General Meeting

Edmonton, AB �Ķ The 2009 Annual General Meeting of the Edmonton Symphony Society (ESS) was held in The Studio yesterday afternoon at the Francis Winspear Centre for Music. ESS Managing Director Annemarie Petrov and Chair of the Board of Directors Steven LePoole reviewed for the Society���s members, highlights of the Edmonton Symphony���s 2008/2009 fiscal year.

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) experienced a truly remarkable year, both financially and artistically. ���While we were faced with many challenges posed by an uncertain economic environment, we have been able to overcome these challenges and for the sixth consecutive year, the ESO has operated within a balanced budget. We are very pleased to announce a surplus of $23,752��� announced Annemarie Petrov.

The surplus can be attributed to not only the artistic quality and presence of the ESO made possible by its local audience, but also by those who believe strongly in the organization. ���We are grateful to the 1,500 individuals, foundations, and companies who affirmed the importance of the ESO in the community, coming together to provide close to $2 million in annual funding.���

The 2008/2009 season had a number of memorable highlights. One of the great voices of our age, Ren��e Fleming made her long-awaited Edmonton debut, and The Masters flagship series was distinguished by appearances by percussionist Colin Currie and violinist James Ehnes. Anton Kuerti and James Campbell brought serenity and beauty to the Midweek Classics, while Mr. Sulu himself (aka George Takei), country artists George Canyon and Ian Tyson, and pop divas the Pointer Sisters thrilled audiences alike. Three sold-out performances of Cirque de la Symphonie amazed our Pops patrons with brilliant artistry. Subscription sales for the past year also saw a dramatic increase through a new 2-for-1 campaign, amounting to an added sense of vibrancy and energy within the Francis Winspear Centre for Music.

The ESO���s new Principal Trumpet, Robin Doyon, distinguished himself throughout his first season, and Megan Evans (horn) and Rob Aldridge (double bass) invigorated their respective sections during their initial seasons with the orchestra. At the end of the 2008/2009 season, the orchestra���s first two Laureate musicians were named, Principal Clarinet Chuck Hudelson and Principal Trumpet Alvin Lowrey, and Aaron Au (violin) and Susan Ekholm (viola) retired after performing with the ESO for 10 and 34 seasons, respectively.

The ESO is supported by the leadership of a seventeen member Board, who has shown utmost leadership and ongoing commitment to the organization. The dedication of Committee Chairs, including Phyllis Clark, Ron New, Jim Carter, Colin Eicher, and Maria David-Evans, further contributes to the ESO���s successes and accomplishments. Ms. Gillian Caldwell resigned from the Board of Directors in March 2009, and in April 2009, Ms. Edith Stacey was appointed. Ms. Esther Ondrack has resigned from the Board of Directors after six years of dedicated service, and in her stead, Reginald Milley, President and CEO of Edmonton Airports, was appointed.

The ESS is immensely grateful to the City of Edmonton through the Edmonton Arts Council, the Province of Alberta through the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, and the Federal Government through the Canada Council for the Arts for their ongoing funding its operations.

Financial statements of the Edmonton Symphony Society are available on the ESO website, or by clicking here.

Earth Teach Me: Music by Rupert Lang Now Available on iTunes

Earth Teach Me is the latest CD featuring Vancouver's Christ Church Cathedral Choir, performing compositions written by the Cathedral's Organist and Director of Music, Rupert Lang. The Vancouver Children's Choir and the Pretoria High School for Girls Choir (South Africa) also appear on the CD. All but one of the titles on the disc are sacred selections, ranging from canticles and masses to motets and anthems. The CD's accompanying booklet includes the texts of each work and offers insightful details into its background, including particulars about its dedication or commissioner. Released earlier this year, Earth Teach Me is now available on iTunes and Amazon.com, just in time for holiday gift giving!

Lang has composed over 200 works. His music has been heard and sung by royalty and rock stars, by sports heroes and world leaders. He has conducted and inspired countless choirs of all sizes and configurations, talented soloists and four generations of children. His compositions have been performed to the delight of audiences at venues all over the world: from the grandeur of Carnegie Hall in New York City to the dramatic beauty of St. Miguel de Allende in the mountainous region of Central Mexico, from the echoing cathedrals of Italy to a schoolroom filled with singing children in the teeming urban environment of Hong Kong. Several of Lang's works are published by Boosey & Hawkes of New York.

Vancouver's Christ Church Cathedral Choir is recognized as one of the finest of its kind in Canada, having placed first in the church choir category of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Amateur Choral Competition four times (1998, 2000, 2002, and 2006.) In 2006 the choir also won a competition-wide award for the Best Performance of a Canadian Work. Changes to the competition's rules precluded the choir from entering in 2004 and 2008.

The choir, whose main function is to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist through hymns, psalms, motets and mass settings, has a remarkably large and varied repertoire. A unique aspect of the choir is that from time to time it presents major choral works of such composers as Bach, Byrd, Durufl��, Kodaly, Palestrina, and P��rt in the context of Cathedral liturgies. The choir also sings the evening office of Compline every Sunday and is host and lead choir for worship events associated with the Diocese of New Westminster.

The choir also plays a major role in the larger choral community of Vancouver by joining with other choirs for such works as Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand, Paul Winter's Missa Gaia and Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil op.37, presented in its entirety for the first time in Vancouver in conjunction with Chor Leoni Men's Choir and Elektra Women's Choir in 1999.

The Cathedral Choir has recently embraced social media: They have a Facebook Page and are on Twitter.com @CCCC_Vancouver.

The Canadian Opera Company Encourages coc.ca Users to "Join the Discussion"

Toronto, Ontario ��� The Canadian Opera Company���s upcoming broadcasts of Madama Butterfly on November 28, 2009 and The Nightingale and Other Short Fables on December 5, 2009 will be available for internet streaming on coc.ca.

From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., listeners at coc.ca will discover a new and interactive live chat session featuring special guest chatters. Those new to opera, as well as seasoned opera lovers, can join the discussion and enhance their listening experience by connecting with fellow opera enthusiasts.

Members of the productions��� casts and creative teams will stimulate conversation, ask and answer questions, and share anecdotes. Confirmed guests to date are Madama Butterfly set and costume designer Susan Benson and baritone James Westman who performed the role of the American Consul, Sharpless. While there, visitors can also read the Madama Butterfly and The Nightingale and Other Short Fables synopses and cast lists, view production photographs and videos, and travel behind-the-scenes through the COC archives and discover the making of this production of Madama Butterfly.

In conjunction with the COC���s Broadcast Partner, CBC Radio 2, each opera of the COC���s 2009/10 season will be aired twice nationally on CBC Radio 2���s Saturday Afternoon at the Opera and Radio-Canada���s Espace Musique, and the broadcasts will also be available for internet streaming on CBC Concerts on Demand, cbc.ca/radio2, as well as coc.ca for a period of 12 months after the initial streaming date.

Production Sponsor of Madama Butterfly: RBC Financial Group

The Nightingale and Other Short Fables and additional performances of Madama Butterfly have been financially assisted by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund of the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Culture, administered by the Ontario Cultural Attractions Fund Corporation.

The Nightingale and Other Short Fables has been generously underwritten in part by The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation.

Broadcast Partner: CBC Radio 2

Digital Marketing Sponsor: Delvinia Interactive

About the Canadian Opera Company

Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and fifth largest in North America, and celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2009/10. Under its new leadership of General Director Alexander Neef and Music Director Johannes Debus, the COC continues its international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation.

2009 Write-on-Q Winner and the Triple-Header Line-up for The Pipeline Reading Series

Montr��al, November 2009 ��� The Pipeline, Infinith����tre���s yearly series of free public readings, returns with another jam-packed weekend of dramaturgy December 11^th through 13^th at the Bain St-Michel (5300, rue St-Dominique), featuring three new Qu��bec plays, one of which is the winner of the second annual Pam Dunn Write-On-Q playwriting contest.

In its ongoing mandate to discover and develop new Qu��bec works to bring to the Montr��al stage, Infinith����tre inaugurated the Write-On-Q contest in 2008. This contest provides aspiring Qu��bec playwrights as well as established Qu��becois writers a chance to receive a kick-start with public feedback for a new work and comes with a purse of $1,000. Just as the 2007 productions of The Elephant Song by Nicholas Billon and Jason Maghanoy���s Gas were first given public readings through The Pipeline, so some of this year's works will very likely be awarded full productions in future Infinith����tre seasons and/or elsewhere.

As a result of the first Write-On-Q contest last fall, The Pipeline attendance quadrupled and the top three scripts went on to become Infinith����tre���s 2009 ��� 10 season. This year���s contest attracted an even bigger mountain of scripts for jury members Marianne Ackerman (journalist, playwright, co-founder of Theatre 1774 and current publisher of the online arts magazine Rover Arts), Carolyn Guillet (playwright, actor and Associate Artist at Infinith����tre), and Kent Stetson (Order of Canada recipient and Governor General award-winning playwright), to consider. Arthur Holden, winner of last year���s contest, opens the series Friday the 11^th of December with his zany KENNEDY: THE MUSICAL. Saturday the 12^th showcases the winner of this year���s Pam Dunn award, Life Here After, picked from a short list of six and written by Montr��al playwright and actor, Alexandria Haber. Nick Carpenter completes the trio on Sunday December 13^th with a matinee reading of THE RETURN OF CORPORAL MAZENET. (Synopses and author biographies follow.)

Talkback discussions take place following each reading, allowing the audience to address questions or issues that the text generates in an open forum with the playwright and actors. With THE PIPELINE playing a major role in future programming, the series gives the public a unique opportunity to influence Infinith����tre���s upcoming seasons as well as Montr��al���s cultural landscape.

Prospective scripts for the 2010 Write-On-Q can be submitted to the Infinith����tre offices between April and August 2010 at 5413, boul. St-Laurent, Suite 302, Montreal, (Qu��bec) H2T 1S5.

For more information log on to http://www.infinihteatre.com or call (514) 987 ��� 1774.

Friday December 11^th ��� 7 PM

KENNEDY: THE MUSICAL

by Arthur Holden

SYNOPSIS: Kennedy: the Musical is about the 35th American president, tracing John F. Kennedy���s presidency through the historical events that remade the United States in the early 1960���s. An American story that touches universal themes in its portrayal of an impulsive man struggling to be wise; a womanizer learning to be a good husband, even as fate awaits him in the gun sights of a crazed 23-year-old. With the White House once again occupied by a young, eloquent man, Kennedy: the Musical offers us sights and sounds that resonate strongly in today���s world.

BIO: Arthur Holden is an actor and writer. Notable screen credits include Battlefield Quebec, Barney's Version and the cartoon series Arthur. His most recent stage credit was the role of James in Four Minutes If You Bleed at the 2009 ZooFest; and his own play Father Land, winner of the 2008 Pam Dunn Write-On-W contest will be the final production of Infinitheatre's 2009-2010 season. Arthur lives in Montreal with his wife, novelist Claire Holden Rothman, and their two sons.

Saturday December 12^th ��� 7 PM

LIFE HERE AFTER

(Pam Dunn Write-On-Q winner)

by Alexandria Haber

SYNOPSIS: When 16-year-old Carmen sets out to uncover the truth about her family���s dark past and the events surrounding her sister���s murder, she unravels much more than she had bargained for. Life Here After is a play about addiction, redemption, and playing the hand that life deals you.

BIO: Alexandria Haber is a playwright and actor. Her plays include: Four Minutes If You Bleed (ZooFest 2009), Housekeeping & Homewrecking (Theatre St. Catherine), Ordinary Times (Centaur Theatre, Fem Fest, Winnipeg) and Birthmarks (Playwrights Canada Press, 2000, produced by Theatre 1774 in the November to Remember Festival 1997, Montreal Fringe 1995). She has written several radio plays which were broadcast on CBC Radio, including The Very Little Girl, winner of the CBC Radio New Voices Competition, which aired on Outfront and Monday Night Playhouse and Washing Day, winner of the CBC Radio Sound FX contest and was broadcast on CBC Radio in March 1998. Her short story, Loved, was the winner of the QWF/CBC short story contest and was published in Short Stuff: New English Stories (Montreal, QC 2005, Vehicule Press, edited by Claude Lalumiere).

Sunday December 12^th ��� 2 PM

The Return of Corporal Mazenet

by Nick Carpenter

SYNOPSIS: The Soldier, the Songwriter, the Fianc�� and her Daughter. Only one of them actually remembers Corporal Leonore Mazenet. But the course of each of their lives is fundamentally altered by her death in Afghanistan. The Major, the Children, the Singers and the Ghost. Only one of them actually loved Corporal Leonore Mazenet. But all are drawn into a story that will not rest until a full turn of the wheel has been made and we find ourselves at the

frontier of another un-winnable war.

BIO: Since graduating from the National Theatre School Playwriting Progam, Nick has split his creative life between writing words (for stage and radio) and music. His work has been heard and seen across Canada and on stages in the US and Germany. His play Stained Glass won the 2008 Canadian Peace Play Competition. Some recent music (composition and/or direction): The Children's Republic (GCTC), Liliom (National Theatre School), The Book of Judith (Theatre Centre, Toronto), Peer Gynt and Medea (Third Wall, Ottawa), The Tempest and Les Fourberies de Scapin (Repercussion Theatre), Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill (Concordia University), Radio Gals (Theatre Lac Brome), Johnny Canuck and the Last Burlesque (Mainline Theatre), Henry IV Part One (Concordia University) and In Flagrante (National Theatre School).

Gary Slaight to be honoured for humanitarianism at the 2010 Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards

TORONTO, Nov. 24 /CNW/ - Canadian Music Week is pleased to announce that Gary Slaight, President & CEO of Slaight Communications, will be lauded for his longstanding commitment to charitable initiatives as the recipient of the Humanitarian Spirit Award.

He will be recognized for his achievement at the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards on Thursday, March 11, 2010, during Canadian Music Week, March 10-14, 2010, in Toronto.

Community service has always been paramount to Gary Slaight and his family. The current President and Chief Executive Officer of Slaight Communications and four-time Canadian Music Industry Awards (CMIA) Broadcast Executive of the Year sits on a variety of charitable boards and oversees the Slaight Family Foundation, which has recently donated over $30 million to hospitals, the arts and youth-driven initiatives and overseas aid.

As a Director Emeritus of The Sick Kids Foundation, one of Slaight's more remarkable accomplishments is the annual radiothon conducted on behalf of Toronto's Sick Children's Hospital. Originally launched by Standard Radio - a division of the Slaight family's Standard Broadcasting Corporation Limited, the largest privately owned multimedia company in Canada until its 2007 purchase by Astral Media - the national event has raised more than $25 million for the charity. In recognition of this 22-year contribution, which continues under the Astral Media banner, the Hospital rechristened its foyer in 2008 as The Slaight Family Atrium.

Currently, Slaight is sponsoring the rebuilding of four schools in the Congo Republic in conjunction with War Child Canada, as well as purchasing a vehicle to help ensure the safety of War Child staff. He plays very active roles in fundraising planning and execution and believes in funding projects and opportunities that are based on vision fostering sustainable change in people's lives.

"Gary Slaight is a remarkably generous and committed humanitarian," says Dr. Samantha Nutt, Founder and Executive Director, War Child Canada. "With his support, thousands of children are now able to attend school in the Democratic Republic of Congo - one of the most war ravaged countries in the world - and girls in northern Uganda are being protected from ongoing sexual violence and abuse.

"I am delighted to learn that he is this year's recipient of the Humanitarian Spirit Award. Congratulations, Gary, on behalf of all of us at War Child Canada."

Embodying a new generation of Canadian business leaders, Slaight sits on a variety of charitable boards. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Astral Media, Luminato, Sirius Satellite Radio, Toronto International Film Festival and Maplemusic.

Gary Slaight has received numerous broadcasting accolades including: CMIA Broadcast Executive of the Year; Award for Outstanding Community Service by an Individual Broadcaster from the Canadian Association of Broadcasters and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' 2007 Gold Ribbon Award for Broadcasting Excellence. In March 2005, he was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame.

In accepting the Humanitarian Spirit Award, Gary Slaight stated, "I am honoured and humbled to receive the Humanitarian Spirit Award on behalf of my entire family: Allan Slaight and Emmanuelle Gattuso; my mom Ada; my wife Donna and our two daughters Ali and Chrissy.

"We are privileged to be in the position where we can use our good fortune to help others and try to make the world a better place for those less fortunate. We encourage everyone to try to do their part: There is plenty of work to be done."

Tickets for the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Awards gala dinner are available for purchase through the Canadian Music Week website at www.cmw.net.

Caroline Goulding Caroline Goulding Wins First Prize in 2009 Young Concert Artists International Auditions

Violinist joins roster of the celebrated organization and will perform in New York, Washington and Boston during 2010-11 season

New York, NY ��� On Saturday, November 21st, violinist Caroline Goulding was awarded First Prize at the Finals of the 2009 Young Concert Artists International Auditions held at the 92nd Street Y in New York City.

At the age of 17, Caroline is the youngest of the four artists granted the prestigious prize this year. Other winners include 21-year-old American pianist Charlie Albright, 26-year-old Belarusian flutist Aleksandr Haskin, and 25-year-old American mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson. Winners were chosen from ten Finalists, selected out of 146 applicants hailing from 30 countries.

As a First Prize Winner, Caroline will join the roster of Young Concert Artists, Inc., which provides debuts in the 2010-2011 Young Concert Artists Series in New York, in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center���s Terrace Theater, and in Boston at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, as well as management, including concert engagements and career guidance.

This honor caps off a milestone year for Caroline Goulding during which she released her debut album on the Telarc label in August featuring YCA Alumnus, pianist Christopher O���Riley. In September, Caroline performed with Christopher O���Riley at New York���s (Le) Poisson Rouge in celebration of her album along with From the Top at the Pops, the new recording from the acclaimed National Public Radio series with the Cincinnati Pops and the late Erich Kunzel on which Caroline performs. Caroline currently appears as the cover artist in the December issue of Strings Magazine and this spring graduated high school with top honors at 16 from Gilmour Academy in Cleveland.

Caroline Goulding���s self-titled debut album ��� a "marvelous recital of virtuoso morsels" according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer ��� includes music by Corigliano, Vieuxtemps, Kreisler, Schoenfield, Gershwin and traditional Cape Breton Island fiddling; it features pianists Christopher O'Riley and Janine Randall. Included on the album are John Corigliano���s ���Red Violin Caprices for solo violin.��� After hearing the recording Corigliano himself commented; ���At age 16, she gives a totally individual interpretation to my music. I think she will shortly become a very famous young woman, and only hope that she gives my other violin works a glance.��� Donald Rosenberg of The Cleveland Plain Dealer concurs, saying, ���Her playing blends refinement with technical flair, lifting every phrase to exhilarating heights.��� Her fearless technique, innate artistry and an unadulterated joy for music-making have earned her champions from across the music industry including violinist Jaime Laredo who called her ���one of the most gifted and musically interesting violinists I have heard in a long time,��� and Alan Fletcher, president and CEO of the Aspen Music Festival and School who has recognized her ���freshness, confidence, radiant technique and perfect optimism wrapped in sparkling beauty.���

For more information about Caroline Goulding, please visit www.carolinegoulding.com.

About Caroline Goulding
Caroline Goulding has already graced the stages of prestigious ensembles such as The Cleveland Orchestra, The Cleveland Pops Orchestra, The Detroit Symphony, the Cincinnati Pops, the Buffalo Philharmonic, Sinfonia Gulf Coast, the Atlantic Classical Orchestra, the Aspen Concert Orchestra and the International Symphony Orchestra.

Caroline has been featured on the small screen and public airwaves as well. She has appeared on NBC���s Today Show, National Public Radio���s From the Top, Sirius Satellite Radio, WNYC New York, CosmoGirl Online and on the Martha Stewart Show. She was invited to perform for the PBS TV Series From the Top: Live from Carnegie Hall and is featured on Maestro Erich Kunzel���s last recording, From the Top at the Pops.

Caroline began studying the violin when she was three years old, under the tutelage of Julia Kurtyka and continues her studies with renowned violin pedagogue Paul Kantor at the Cleveland Institute of Music. She also attended the Aspen Music Festival and School, the Juilliard School as a young artist for the Starling-Delay Symposium, the Interlochen Center for the Arts, and The Ceilidh Trail School of Celtic Music on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

Through the generous efforts of The Stradivari Society of Chicago, Caroline became the recipient of an A&H Amati violin, which dates back to 1617 and was once owned by Beethoven���s former patrons, the Lobkowicz family. Caroline shares this honor with such artists as Joshua Bell, Midori, Gil Shaham, Sarah Chang and Vadim Repin.

About Young Concert Artists
A great cultural tradition since 1961, Young Concert Artists, Inc. was founded in New York as a non-profit organization to discover and launch the careers of extraordinary young musicians. Dedicated to the future of music, many of today���s internationally celebrated performers started their careers with Young Concert Artists, including Dawn Upshaw, Emanuel Ax, Richard Goode, Pinchas Zukerman, Ani Kavafian, Ida Kavafian, Anne-Marie McDermott, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Chee-Yun, the St. Lawrence String Quartet and the Borromeo String Quartet.

The Young Concert Artists International Auditions are unlike a competition: there are no rankings, and any number of winners in a wide range of instruments and voice can be selected. The criteria are musicianship, virtuosity, communicative power, individuality and readiness to begin a concert career.

The members of the Jury for the Final Auditions were Pamela Frank (violin), Gary Graffman (piano), Irene Gubrud (voice), Marya Martin (flute)*, Scott Nickrenz (viola), Christopheren Nomura (voice)*, Todd Palmer (clarinet)*, Fred Sherry (cello)*, James Sinclair (conductor), Jeffrey Swann (piano)*, Scott Yoo (violin/conductor)*, and Susan Wadsworth (Chairman). The Semi-Finals Jury included Edward Arron (cello), Michael Barrett (voice), Cho-Liang Lin (violin). (* Alumnus/a of Young Concert Artists)

For more information about the Young Concert Artists, please contact Susan Wadsworth at susan@yca.org or visit www.yca.org.

Great Gift Idea: Tickets Now on Sale for PORTopera���s Hansel and Gretel July 29 and 31

PORTLAND, Maine ��� Tickets are now on sale for PORTopera���s production of Hansel and Gretel to be held July 29 and 31. This production of Engelbert Humperdinck���s rendition of the Brothers Grimm tale will be directed by PORTopera���s Artistic Director Dona D. Vaughn and conducted by Israel Gursky.

Long thought of as an opera for children, Vaughn���s vision for it is far more intricate. She says, ���Our production will concentrate on the real themes of the opera, but it will retain all of the magic for which the opera is famous so that young people can still get an unforgettable opera experience from seeing it.���

Performance dates are Thursday July 29 at 7:30 P.M. and Saturday, July 31 at 2:00 P.M. (matinee). A limited number of seats will be offered to young people 12 and under at 25% off regular prices. To order call PortTix at 207-842-0800 or visit www.porttix.com.

Yannick N��zet-S��guin Makes his EMI Classics Debut with an All-Ravel Programme

International release: November 2009 (US and Canada: January 12, 2010)

5099996634226 (CD); 5099996634257 (Digital download)

���The dynamic young French Canadian Yannick N��zet-S��guin has been setting audiences alight

with his electrifying interpretations.��� (Evening Standard)

The exciting young conductor Yannick N��zet-S��guin, who succeeded Valery Gergiev as Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra last season, makes his EMI Classics debut with the Orchestra in an all-Ravel programme. The repertoire features the composer���s greatest orchestral works: Daphnis et Chlo�� Suite No. 2, Valses nobles et sentimentales, La Valse and Ma m��re l���Oye.

The name Yannick N��zet-S��guin has been on the tongues of music lovers on both sides of the Atlantic in recent months following his acclaimed appearances at the BBC Proms and the Mostly Mozart Festival (New York), as well as his debuts with the Boston Symphony Orchestra ���He drew vibrant performances from the orchestra, at once structurally coherent and viscerally exciting.��� (Boston Globe), Los Angeles Philharmonic ���In complete command of everything, N��zet-S��guin brought out interesting details in every phrase.��� (LA Times), the Wiener Symphoniker, the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Nederlandse Opera ���Under him, the unrelenting chain of monologues, dialogues and histories became exciting metamorphoses of instrumental colours, moods, and passionate expressions.���(Trouw) Following a recent concert with the Rotterdam Philharmonic at Amsterdam���s Concertgebouw Hall, the Limburgs Dagblad wrote, ���The highest honour goes to N��zet-S��guin. The unequalled amount of energy and momentum he put into the [music] made this performance an event of which people will still ask each other in a few years' time: ���Were you there?���"

For N��zet-S��guin, Maurice Ravel is the greatest orchestrator French music has ever had: ���It���s all about colours��� Yannick says, ���and the contrast between intimacy and grandness, La Valse being one of his greatest and most powerful symphonic poems and the Valses nobles et sentimentales being much more intimate (�Ķ).Daphnis and Chloe is one of his most uplifting and triumphant works while Ma m��re L���Oye is so intimate.��� This disc explores the enormous variety of Ravel���s orchestral music through three of his particular themes: his fascination with childhood; his interest in the culture and character of Ancient Greece; and a near obsession with waltzes of all kinds. Indeed the collection is suffused with dance, ballet and rhythmic energy.

Yannick N��zet-S��guin (b Montreal, 1975) studied piano, chamber music, composition and conducting at the Conservatoire de Musique du Qu��bec and choral conducting at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J. He took master classes with leading conductors, among them Carlo Maria Giulini. After receiving the Virginia-Parker Award in 2000, he was invited to conduct all the major Canadian orchestras. He continues to work regularly with the Toronto Symphony and was Principal Guest Conductor of the Victoria Symphony from 2003-2008.

N��zet-S��guin made his European debut in 2004 with Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, following which he was invited to appear with the City of Birmingham Symphony, the Frankfurt and Flemish Radio symphony orchestras, the Sydney Symphony, Scottish Chamber and Northern Sinfonia. He is now a regular guest conductor of many important orchestras on both sides of the Atlantic and has received an unbroken string of re-invitations from every orchestra with which he has worked.

In the 2008/2009 season, Yannick N��zet-S��guin succeeded Valery Gergiev as Music Director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra and became Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2000, he has been Artistic Director of the Orchestre M��tropolitain in Montreal, where he has won many awards for his work and has recorded for the Canadian company ATMA Classique. In London, in May 2009, he won the Royal Philharmonic Society Award in the Young Artist category.

In 2008, N��zet-S��guin led the Rotterdam Philharmonic on a Far East tour and made his Salzburg Festival debut in a new production of Rom��o et Juliette with a cast led by Rolando Villaz��n, a production that was released on DVD earlier this year. As an opera conductor, he has also worked with L'Op��ra de Montr��al, Nederlands Opera and Barcelona Opera, among others. He makes his Metropolitan Opera debut in Bizet���s Carmen on New Year���s Eve 2009. Other forthcoming debuts include La Scala, Milan, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Zurich Tonhalle, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Orchestra Sinfonica dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

Yannick N��zet-S��guin and the Rotterdam Philharmonic plan to focus on French repertoire in the coming seasons, particularly the works of Ravel and Debussy, making this album a perfect introduction. In February 2010, they will tour North America, including two concerts at New York���s Lincoln Center.

The next two projects by Yannick N��zet-S��guin and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra scheduled for release by EMI & Virgin Classics are the Beethoven and Korngold violin concertos performed by Renaud Capu��on (October 2009) and opera transcriptions with flautist Emmanuel Pahud (March 2010).

���Ravel's Ma m��re l'Oye was fairytale-like, frivolous and sophisticated, like sultry swirls of summer wind that evoke memories from a far past in a Proustian way.��� (NRC following a performance with the Rotterdam Philharmonic at the Concertgebouw Hall in May 2009)

www.yannicknezetseguin.com

www.emiclassics.com

Manitoba Celebrates a Kaleidoscope of Culture with 2010: The Concert

Winnipeg, MB ��� November 24, 2009 ��� All of Winnipeg is invited to celebrate the incredible year ahead by attending 2010: The Concert. This event, featuring a diverse and impressive array of talent, will leave Winnipeggers breathless and wanting more on Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 8:10 p.m. at the Centennial Concert Hall. This unique concert, presented by The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO), Winnipeg Cultural Capital of Canada 2010, and Manitoba Homecoming 2010, is sure to attract people to hear their favourites, and give everyone something new to love.

The celebration, on January 2, 2010, is in honour of Winnipeg���s recent designation as ���Cultural Capital of Canada 2010��� by The Department of Canadian Heritage. ���I am elated to be working with the WSO and Manitoba Homecoming on 2010: The Concert,��� Carol Phillips, Executive Director of Winnipeg Arts Council, said about their partnership. ���We have so much planned over the next 18 months that all Winnipeggers have something to look forward to!���

The Cultural Capitals of Canada is a national program funded by the federal government through Canadian Heritage, to recognize and support Canadian municipalities for special activities that harness the many benefits of arts and culture in community life. Events are designed to intersect with the entire population of Winnipeg, from a free River Barge Festival at The Forks, a story-telling project in every neighbourhood, the first Canadian International Cello Festival, to a massive multi-site exhibition of contemporary indigenous art from around the world, and much more.

2010: The Concert will also celebrate the much anticipated arrival of Manitoba Homecoming 2010. ���We are so proud to be a part of this initiative and the fit was perfect. What better way to start off the year than with this mosaic of talent. Manitobans will love the programming at 2010: The Concert. There is something for everyone!��� said Kevin Walters, Executive Director of Manitoba Homecoming 2010.

Manitoba Homecoming 2010 is going to be a year long celebration in 2010 to bring visitors and former and current Manitobans together for events, festivals and an all-around really great party! Manitoba Homecoming 2010 will focus on the rich culture and traditions of Manitoba through special events, festivals, cultural events and community gatherings along with an emphasis on the opportunity for business and careers. A marathon of events and celebrations will run throughout 2010 across the province. From partnerships with existing events and festivals to new stand alone events created specifically to celebrate Homecoming there truly will be something for everyone.

This event will also showcase the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra���s diversity in terms of its association with everyone in the larger community. The WSO is the celebrated hub of Winnipeg's rich cultural life, delighting more than 100,000 audience members each year with innovative programming and musical excellence; it is an internationally recognized organization of artistic excellence and community relevance, and prides itself on delivering opportunities to bring music into people���s lives.

���This concert will rock,��� said Jean-Francois Phaneuf, Director of Artistic Operations at the WSO. ���As one of the partners putting on this concert, we felt there was no better time than the beginning of the new year to kick off Winnipeg���s fantastic cultural scene. Working with Kevin and Carol and their respective teams will be an exciting creative process for everyone. We can���t wait to showcase what makes Winnipeg the epicentre of cultural excellence in Canada!���

The tickets are affordably priced at $20.10 in order to be accessible to all Winnipeggers. The faster people buy tickets the better chance they have at choice seating.

The full roster of artists performing at 2010: The Concert includes (in alphabetical order):

• Steve Bell
• D.Rangers
• Eagle & Hawk
• Fubuki Daiko
• Monica Huisman
• James Keelaghan
• Steve & Anna-Lisa Kirby Jazz Quintet
• Momentum Aerial
• Daniel ROA
• Stacey Nattrass
• Sierra Noble
• Camerata Nova
• Fred Penner
• Royal Winnipeg Ballet
• Rusalka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble
• The School of Contemporary Dancers
• Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra

Tickets go on sale on Saturday, November 28, 2009 for $20.10 (plus applicable fees) for all reserved seating. To purchase tickets, please call the WSO Box Office at 949-3999; go to www.wso.ca; call Ticketmaster at 780-3333 or go to www.ticketmaster.ca.

Prix d���excellence des arts et de la culture de la Ville de Qu��bec

Nathalie Lessard : 10 ans de carri��re et Laur��ate du Prix de l���Institut Canadien

Qu��bec, le 25 novembre 2009 - Nathalie Lessard, auteure-compositrice-interpr��te bien connue pour ses projets novateurs de mise en musique de po��sie, a re��u le Prix de l'Institut Canadien de Qu��bec remis par M. Gilbert Lacasse, son pr��sident. Cette distinction honore, lors des Prix d'excellence des arts et de la culture de la Ville de Qu��bec, la personnalit�� litt��raire de l���ann��e qui ��uvre de fa��on exceptionnelle dans la r��gion de Qu��bec depuis au moins dix ans dans divers domaines de l���crit, allant de la cr��ation �� la promotion. Depuis 10 ans d��j��, Nathalie Lessard red��finit le rapport entre la po��sie et la musique. Elle a pr��sent�� �� ce jour pr��s de 200 spectacles �� travers la francophonie. Ses performances, issues de ses principales productions, soit Gaston Miron : Tout un chacun (1998), Pi��ces d���identit�� (2004) et l���Espace d���une Francophonie (2006-2007), Satori �� Qu��bec/hommage �� Patrice Desbiens (2008-2009), Attends-moi F��lix ! (2008) furent chaque fois remarqu��es et chaudement salu��es. Notamment, sa toute r��cente prestation au Moulin �� Paroles ou encore, au cours des derni��res ann��es �� la s��rie Contexte, au Coup de c��ur francophone de Montr��al et au prestigieux Rallye Chantons fran��ais �� Bruxelles. Nathalie Lessard propose pour l���occasion Pi��ces Rapaill��es, un spectacle qui pr��sente les moments forts de ses principales productions. Elle travaille ��galement �� la mise en sc��ne et en musique des plus grands textes de L��o Ferr��. La premi��re du spectacle La voix Ferr�� sera pr��sent��e au printemps 2010. Enfin, l���interpr��te s���affaire �� l���criture de son troisi��me album dont la sortie est ��galement pr��vue pour 2010. Nathalie Lessard tient �� remercier l���Institut canadien de Qu��bec, les m��dias et le public pour leur appui ind��fectible. Remerciement tout sp��cial �� l���quipe de production et aux musiciens qui travaillent avec elle depuis toutes ces ann��es �� r��pandre la parole po��tique.

�� Ceux qui ont vu Nathalie Lessard interpr��ter les po��mes [�Ķ] savent que l'exp��rience est bouleversante. �� -Alexandre Vigneault, La Presse �� Sous le choc! �� -Richard Desjardins Nathalie Lessard au Moulin �� Paroles (Plaines d���Abraham, 12-13 septembre 2009)

www.nathalielessard.net

Prix de la Fondation de l���Op��ra de Qu��bec �� Lyne Fortin, soprano

(Qu��bec, le mercredi 25 novembre 2009) ��� La Fondation de l���Op��ra de Qu��bec participait pour une vingt et uni��me ann��e �� la remise des Prix d���excellence des arts et de la culture. �� cette occasion, la Fondation a remis le Prix de la Fondation de l���Op��ra de Qu��bec �� Lyne Fortin, soprano pour son r��le de la Femme dans Erwartung de Sch��nberg dans une mise en sc��ne de Robert Lepage, �� l���Op��ra de Qu��bec.

�� Lyne Fortin vit son personnage avec une rare intensit��. Un r��le �� sa mesure, on dirait qu���il a ��t�� ��crit pour elle. Elle est femme, de cette f��minit�� pr��s de l���hyst��rie, voix haletante, pr��sence hallucinante sur sc��ne, beaut�� du geste, souvent blottie dans les replis de sa vie, hant��e de cauchemars. ��

Jacques H��tu, Resmusica

�� Lyne Fortin a ��t�� tout simplement g��niale dans ce r��le p��rilleux, qu���elle ma��trise �� la perfection : jamais elle n���a sacrifi�� la beaut�� d���une seule note de musique, qu���il s���agisse d���un cri de d��sespoir, d���un discours incoh��rent ou d���une exclamation. Tout ��tait impeccable. ��

Ir��ne Brisson, Infop��ra

�� S���exprimant avec l���intelligence et le souffle dramatique qu���on lui conna��t dans le r��le de la Femme, Lyne Fortin r��ussit �� capter l���attention et �� soutenir l���int��r��t tout au long que dure cette ��uvre dense et troubl��e. Cette performance constitue �� mon avis le clou de la soir��e. ��

Richard Boisvert, Le Soleil

Le Prix de la Fondation de l���Op��ra de Qu��bec r��compense une chanteuse, un chanteur ou un ensemble qui s���est distingu��(e) par la qualit�� exceptionnelle de son interpr��tation lors d���une production lyrique pr��sent��e dans la r��gion de Qu��bec, au cours de la derni��re saison artistique ; ou est attribu�� �� une personne qui, par son d��vouement exemplaire ou l���excellence de son travail, a contribu�� de fa��on tangible au rayonnement de l���art lyrique dans la r��gion de Qu��bec.

Lyne Fortin, soprano
Lyne Fortin est une des sopranos les plus r��put��es au Canada. Elle a interpr��t�� �� l���Op��ra de Montr��al les r��les de Violetta (La Traviata), Mimi (La Boh��me), Antonia (Les Contes d���Hoffmann), Mica��la (Carmen), Le��la (Les P��cheurs de perles), la Comtesse (Les nozze di Figaro), Olga (Fedora), Tha��s (Tha��s), Agrippina. �� Qu��bec, elle a tenu le r��le-titre de la Veuve joyeuse, Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), la Comtesse et Suzanne (Le nozze di Figaro), Pamina (La Fl��te enchant��e) et Violetta (La Traviata). Elle a ��galement chant�� pour les op��ras de Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatchewan et Hamilton; aux ��tats-Unis, �� Baltimore, Seattle, Connecticut, Opera Pacific, Arizona, D��troit, New Jersey et Portland. Elle a cr���� �� l���Op��ra des Flandres le r��le de Madame de Tourvel dans un op��ra contemporain inspir�� des Liaisons dangereuses. �� titre de professeur, elle est actuellement attach��e �� l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al. R��cemment, elle tenait le r��le de Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) �� Opera Ontario, Violetta (La Traviata) en Ohio, Donna Elvira �� l���Op��ra de Montr��al. Avec la production de l���Op��ra de Qu��bec, Madama Butterfly, en 2005, elle ajoutait �� sa longue feuille de route le r��le de Cio-Cio-San qui lui a valu les ��loges de la critique et le prix de la Fondation de l���Op��ra de Qu��bec dans le cadre de la 20^e ��dition des Prix d���excellence des arts et de la culture de la ville de Qu��bec. En 2005, elle interpr��tait le r��le de Stella Spotlight dans Starmania avec l���Orchestre symphonique de Montr��al, production reprise �� Paris, au Palais des Congr��s, puis au Festival international d���t�� de Qu��bec. En 2007, elle faisait ses d��buts en Carmen �� Edmonton pour ensuite participer �� une production des Dialogues des Carm��lites au Vlaamse Opera. En mai et juillet 2008, elle reprenait avec un panache flamboyant, le r��le de Stella Spotlight lors de la premi��re mondiale de Starmania op��ra, pr��sent��e par l���Op��ra de Qu��bec, avant de revenir pour tenir le r��le de la Femme dans Erwartung de Sch��nberg dans une mise en sc��ne de Robert Lepage en octobre 2008, puis au Gala de l���Op��ra en d��cembre 2008.

L'Op��ra de Qu��bec Prix Ville de Qu��bec 2009

(Qu��bec, le 25 novembre 2009) - L'Op��ra de Qu��bec est tr��s heureux d'annoncer qu'il a ��t�� honor�� au Gala des Prix d'excellence des arts et de la culture de la ville de Qu��bec, en recevant le Prix Ville de Qu��bec 2009. Ce prix vise �� couronner les efforts et �� souligner l'excellence du travail d'un organisme culturel professionnel.

L'Op��ra de Qu��bec re��oit ce prix pour son leadership exerc�� dans l'organisation d'Operalia, le Concours international de chant de Pl��cido Domingo r��alis�� conjointement avec un consortium de grands partenaires culturels du milieu : l'Orchestre symphonique de Qu��bec, le Grand Th����tre de Qu��bec, la Soci��t�� du Palais Montcalm et le Club musical de Qu��bec en association avec la Soci��t�� du 400^e anniversaire de Qu��bec.

Pr��sent�� pour la premi��re fois au Canada, apr��s Paris, Madrid, Tokyo et Los Angeles, entre autres, le concours plac�� sous la direction de Maestro Pl��cido Domingo regroupait une quarantaine de chanteurs du monde entier s��lectionn��s apr��s des centaines d'auditions.

Le gala de la finale de cette ��dition a ��t�� diffus�� en direct �� la fois au r��seau anglais et fran��ais de Radio-Canada (24 septembre), avec rediffusion au r��seau anglais le 27 septembre et au r��seau fran��ais le 17 d��cembre. La cha��ne France Musique a ��galement diffus�� la finale, le vendredi 10 octobre. Le concours a ��t�� t��l��diffus�� par la Cha��ne MEZZO dans 39 pays.

Le Concours regroupait l'��lite des directeurs g��n��raux ou artistiques des plus grandes maisons d'op��ra au monde, offrant ainsi une autre vitrine internationale �� Qu��bec.

Merci au minist��re de la Culture, des Communications et de la Conditions f��minine, �� la Ville de Qu��bec, le Bureau de la Capitale nationale, Espace Musique, Loews Le Concorde, Merces-Benz de Qu��bec, Yamaha, Musique Beaudoin, ROLEX et UBS.

www.operadequebec.qc.ca

Prix d���excellence des arts et de la culture La Fondation de l���Orchestre symphonique de Qu��bec reconna��t un digne ambassadeur

Qu��bec, 25 novembre 2009 ��� La Ministre de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition f��minine, le Conseil de la culture et les diff��rents partenaires culturels et d���affaires proc��daient ce matin �� la remise des Prix d���excellence des arts et de la culture dans le cadre de sa 23e ��dition �� l���H��tel de ville de Qu��bec.

Le Prix de la Fondation de l���Orchestre symphonique de Qu��bec est d��cern�� �� monsieur Bernard Labadie pour sa contribution exceptionnelle au paysage musical de Qu��bec. En effet, le travail de ce chef d���orchestre ��m��rite lui a permis de se forger une solide r��putation tant au Qu��bec qu���� l���tranger. Cette figure marquante de la vie culturelle et musicale de Qu��bec depuis plus de 25 ans avec Les Violons du Roy est fr��quemment invit�� �� travailler avec les plus prestigieux orchestres et des artistes de r��putation internationale. Il est sans contredit l���un de nos plus dignes ambassadeurs. Monsieur Claude Gauvin, tr��sorier de la Fondation de l���OSQ, lui remettait son prix accompagn�� d���une bourse de 1 000 $ et souligne l���implication marqu��e de monsieur
Labadie ainsi : �� C���est gr��ce �� des figures remarquables et des instigateurs de projets d���envergure tels que monsieur Labadie que nous pouvons assurer �� notre ville un rayonnement qui contribue �� son essor et celui du milieu culturel qui nous tient tant �� c��ur�Ķ ��.

Bachauer Winneres take over the Classical world

2010 Competition Could Unveil New International Superstar

In its 33-year history, the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition has awarded 14 Gold Medals to its Competitors. These prizewinners have consistently gone on to become some of the world���s most successful concert pianists, recording artists, and educators. Here are some recent accomplishments of some Bachauer winners.

Nicholas Angelich Begins Astounding Tour

When Summer 2010 arrives, Nicholas Angelich, winner of the 1994 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, will have completed a worldwide tour that is truly astounding by any measure. With performances almost every night in the world���s most prestigious venues, one wonders if this Brahms master can possibly be more in-demand.

In the space of six months, he will perform with the Berlin Royal Philharmonic, the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, the Montpellier Orchestra (France), the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Orchestre de Nice (France), the Orchestre Metropolitain de Montreal, the France Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic (Netherlands), and the SWR Orchestra in both Mainz, Germany and the Palais de la Musique in Strasbourg, France.

Appointments with the world���s greatest orchestras are nothing new for Angelich. In 2003 he made his debut with the New York Philharmonic under Kurt Masur and in 2004 he toured Japan with Kurt Masur and the Orchestre National de France.

Mr. Angelich also has upcoming recitals in Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Teatro della Pergola in Florence, Milan Conservatory, The Hague, and Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. With trio partners Renaud Capucon and Gautier Capucon, he will perform at Pennsylvania State University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, Wigmore Hall in London, Valladolid (Spain), Liverpool (UK), with two concerts in Washington D.C.

Angelich graces the cover of the October 2009 International Piano. The feature article treats his upcoming release of Brahms��� demanding piano works Opp.116 to 119 on the Virgin Classics label. Angelich���s previous Virgin Classics recordings received a Schallplatten Prize, two Gramophone Editor���s Choice awards, a Diapason d���Or, and the CHOC du Monde de la Musique.

Stephen Beus, Darling of Fans and Critics

In the three months following his winning of the 2006 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, Stephen Beus continued his ascent into international stardom by winning first place in the Vendome Prize International Competition (Lisbon) and being awarded the Max I. Allen Fellowship of the American Pianists Association (Indianapolis).

Since his ascent to the world stage, Beus has been hard-pressed to keep up with the demand for concerts. In 2008, Mr. Beus made his Carnegie Hall debut performing with the Juilliard Orchestra. He has also performed as guest soloist with the Gulbenkian Symphony (Lisbon), the Tivoli Symphony (Copenhagen), the Northwest Sinfonietta (Seattle), the Royal Philharonic of Morocco (Casablanca), the Vaasa Symphony Orchestra (Finland), as well as with the Indianapolis, Utah, Fort Worth, Tucson, Yakima, Bellevue, Salt Lake, and Walla Walla orchestras.

Equally active as a soloist, Mr. Beus has performed in the Salle Gaveau and Salle Cortot (Paris), Merkin Hall, the Scuola san Rocco (Venice), the Teatro San Carlo (Naples), Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall), the Queluz Palace (Lisbon) and has performed for the Dame Myra Hess and Fazioli Salon series (Chicago), the International Keyboard Institute and Festival (New York City) and has given recitals across the United States as well as in Kazakhstan, Russia, Finland, Switzerland, Germany, and Morocco.

Beus��� performances have tendered rave reviews from press and audiences alike, which have recognized him as one of the most promising pianists of his generation.

���If you thought a classical pianist still in his 20s couldn't instill a sense of vibrancy and make even the hippest of cats drop their proverbial jaw, then you obviously have never witnessed the downright freakish talent of pianist Stephen Beus. Don't let his conservative appearance fool you. Underneath that conventional smile lurks a gifted madman with the ability to take his listeners on a protean aural journey that stands to leave them mentally exhausted�Ķnot a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.��� ��� Kevin Hopper, Local iQ

���In some ways Beus doesn���t fit the mold of the typical competition winner. His playing is strikingly original and, despite his youth, he has an interpretive voice all his own�Ķ Above all, his playing is so natural as to seem effortless and the sound he produces has extraordinary richness and depth, not quite like anyone else���s.��� ��� Fanfare

Beus has forged a connection with his audiences that many professional pianists never attain. One fan in New York wrote to his newspaper, ���As long as young pianists like Stephen Beus and Koji Attwood appear, American pianism is in good hands.��� Another fan in Oregon burst into a newspaper���s office to announce Beus��� concert, breathlessly declaring, ���This young man���could be to this generation what Van Cliburn was to mine." When the paper printed the story, it wrote ���Who are we to deny a little ink to a woman who seemed to run to the newspaper office to share this news as if telling us she'd won the lottery?���

Douglas Humpherys, Educator Extraordinaire

Since he won the first Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition in 1976, Douglas Humpherys��� career has been characterized by excellence in performance and education. Mr. Humpherys is currently chair of the piano department at the Eastman School of Music. As a teacher in high demand, he has taught hundreds of master classes at universities, conservatories, music academies, and festivals throughout the world. In 2009 he taught master classes at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the Xian Conservatory of Music, and the China Conservatory of Music, to name a few. He has also presented lectures to the European Piano Teachers��� Association, the Music Teachers��� National Association, the World Conference on Piano Pedagogy, and the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy.

Mr. Humphrey���s performing career has taken him across Asia, Europe, and North America. His recent solo concert schedule has found him in major Asian cities, including Beijing, Chonqing, Guanzhou, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, Xiamen, and Xian. Some of his recent European engagements include Berlin, Dublin, Hamburg, Novgorod, Prague, and Venice.

Douglas Humpherys is also in high demand as an adjudicator. He has served on the jury of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition eleven times, and has also been a jurist for the Rachmaninoff International Young Artists��� Piano Competition, the Chinese 2005 National Competition in Beijing, the PTNA National Piano Competition in Tokyo, and the Hilton Head, B��sendorfer, and Cleveland International Piano Competitions. Drawing on his years of experience with competitions, Mr. Humpherys created the Eastman Young Artists��� International Piano Competition, which he also oversees as director.

Mr. Humpherys has also recorded a wide variety of repertoire on CD, and has been featured in live broadcasts of performances on affiliates of PBS Television and National Public Radio.

Cedric Pescia, Successful Touring and Recording Artist

Since Cedric Pescia won the 2002 Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition, he has established himself as a successful touring artist throughout Europe, South America, and the USA, and has recorded five equally well-reviewed CDs.

Pescia has performed at the Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin Konzerthaus, Hamburg Musikhalle, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall London, and Tonhalle Z��rich. He has also appeared in numerous festivals, including the prestigious Prague Spring Festival, Menuhin Festival-Gstaad, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad.

His orchestral appearances have included the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, the Ensemble Oriol Berlin, the Klassische Philharmonie Bonn, and the Camerata de Lausanne.

He is founding member and artistic director of the Lausanne chamber music series Ensemble en Sc��ne. In 2005 and 2007 he served as a jury member in the Clara Haskil Competition in Vevey. He regularly teaches master classes in the USA and in Europe, including at the prestigious Accademia Pianistica Internazionale ���Incontri col Maestro��� in Imola, Italy.

In 2007, C��dric Pescia was honored with the Prix Musique de la Fondation Vaudoise pour la culture. He was also a prizewinner at the Bourse de la Fondation Leenaards in Lausanne. He has performed for Live Music Now, Berlin, a non-profit organization founded by Yehudi Menuhin, since 2002.

Pescia���s five CDs on the Claves label have been unanimously acclaimed by critics. His first work, Bach: Goldberg Variations (2004), was hailed as an ���impressive d��but��� by International Record Review, and Le Temps said, ���This pianist shows that his first record is a master stroke.��� Gramophone called his recording of Schumann's complete works for piano solo (vol. 2) ���vivacious, lucid and affectionate�Ķ I eagerly look forward to further recordings by this outstandingly gifted pianist.��� Le Temps wrote about his recording of Busoni's and Enescu's Violin and Piano Sonatas: ���The attention to nuances in the design of the sentence in its internal breathing, beauty of sound, [and] rich harmonics, [is] a delight.���

Will the 2010 Competition Unveil the Next International Piano Superstar?

The XV Gina Bachauer International Artists Piano Competition will be held June 17-July 1, 2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. This quadrennial event will feature 35 pianists from across the globe competing for fame and more than $80,000 U.S. in prizes. After two rounds of performances, the six finalists will perform a concerto in Abravanel Hall with the Utah Symphony under the direction of Maestro Laurence Leighton Smith. If history is any indication, this year���s Bachauer Competition will be an event not to be missed, as its winner may soon become one of the world���s most popular and influential pianists. More information about the Competition and the Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation is available at www.bachauer.com.

Chor Leoni Releases New CD: Meetin' Here Tonight ~ collection of hymns, gospel tunes, and spirituals ~

Vancouver's renowned Chor Leoni Men's Choir and Artistic Director, Diane Loomer, C.M. are pleased to announce the release of their latest CD, Meetin' Here Tonight. The album is a collection of beloved hymn tunes, gospel songs, and spirituals, and was recorded because of audience reaction to concert of the same name.

"Many of our audience and singers have enjoyed performing and hearing Christian music written not for the concert hall, or great cathedral, but by and for ordinary people," explains Loomer. "Partly at our listeners' request, and partly for our own enjoyment, we put together a collection of hymns and spirituals for our spring 2009 concert. The wildly enthusiastic, standing-room-only response to those performances inspired us to make this CD."

The disc evokes a less complicated time when people shared through common song their joys, pain, and hopes. Meetin' Here Tonight includes examples of Shaker melodies, hymns from the Mennonite tradition, classic English hymn tunes, and favourite gospel and spiritual numbers. It is a collection that aims to inspire, console and excite - as well as get your toes tapping, too.

"Meetin' Here Tonight features Chor Leoni singing songs written by and for ministers, congregations, believers, workers, slaves, and just plain folk," adds Loomer. "Many of them sung first, and only written down later. This was music originally heard not in concert halls or cathedrals but in country churches, cotton fields, ghettos, and - at 'meetin's."

The CD was released on the choir's own label, Cypress Choral Recordings and is available through www.chorleoni.org and in record stores.

Meetin' Here Tonight playlist:

1. There's a Meetin' Here Tonight music and text: traditional, arr. Ron Smail

2. Shall We Gather at the River music and text: Robert Lowry

3. Hard Times music and text: Stephen Foster, arr. Willi Zwozdesky

4. All Beautiful the March of Days music: traditional, harm. Ralph Vaughan Williams, text: Frances Whitmarsh Wile

5. Not One Sparrow is Forgotten music and text: Shaker hymn, arr. William Hawley

6. Precious Lord music: Thomas A. Dorsey after George N. Allen, arr. Diane Loomer, text: Thomas A. Dorsey

7. Eternal Father, Strong to Save music: John B. Dykes, arr. Paul Sjolund, text: William Whiting

8. Goin' Home music: Antonin Dvo?��k, arr. Diane Loomer, text: William Arms Fisher

9. Nobody Knows the Trouble I See music and text: spiritual, arr. Roland Pack

10. Blessed Assurance music: Phoebe P. Knapp, arr. Ken Cormier, text: Frances J. Crosby

11. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot music and text: spiritual

12. In Dat Great Gittin' Up Mornin' music and text: spiritual, arr. Jester Hairston

13. Witness music and text: spiritual, arr. Jack Halloran, Jonathan Quick

14. All Through the Night music: traditional Welsh, arr. Mack Wilberg, text: Sir Harold Boulton, alt.

15. In the Garden music and text: C. Austin Miles, adapt. Charles H. Webb

16. Wehrlos und verlassen music: William Warren Bentley, text: Mary Dagworthy James, trans. Carl R��hl

17. Abide with Me music: William Henry Monk, text: Henry Francis Lyte

18. Over Yonder music and text: spiritual, arr. Diane Loomer

19. Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal music and text: traditional, arr. Alice Parker

20. Ain'-A That Good News! music and text: spiritual, arr. William L. Dawson

Chor Leoni gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Canada Council for the Arts, City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, Government of British Columbia, British Columbia Arts Council, The Corporation of the District of West Vancouver, Vancouver Foundation, Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation, CBC, The Vancouver Sun, Playboard, Northwest Musical Services, Ltd, Cypress Choral Music,and Contact Printing & Mailing Ltd. Chor Leoni also thanks its many generous individual donors and volunteers.

Shaw Theatre Festival Announces 2010 Principal Casting and Creative Teams

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, November 25, 2009 �Ķ Artistic Director Jackie Maxwell announced today the principal casting and creative teams for the Shaw Theatre Festival���s 2010 season. The season runs from April 1 to October 31 on the Festival���s four Niagara-on-the-Lake stages and feature ten productions, as well as the popular reading series of contemporary Shavian writers.

Notes Maxwell: ���I am thrilled to announce the casting for our 2010 season as it showcases the growth of some of our wonderful young actors, revels in the depth of talent throughout the company, sees the welcome return of several treasured company members and provides some exciting new names to watch out for. Our creative teams feature the cream of Canadian design, partnered with a slate of directors, musical directors and choreographers who are already deeply immersed in creating the worlds you will see next season. A potent mix to give life to next season���s provocative playbill.���

FESTIVAL THEATRE

Jackie Maxwell directs Oscar Wilde���s edgy exploration of politics and marriage, An Ideal Husband featuring Patrick Galligan as the husband in question, Sir Robert Chiltern, Catherine McGregor as his wife Gertrude, Steven Sutcliffe as the debonair and insightful Lord Goring and welcomes back Moya O���Connell as the devious Mrs. Cheveley. The cast also features Mary Haney, Lorne Kennedy and Marla McLean. Designed by Judith Bowden with lighting design by Kevin Lamotte and sound design and original music composed by John Gzowski.

The virtuosity of the Ensemble���s female members is exhibited in The Women. Directed by Alisa Palmer, Clare Boothe Luce���s wickedly sardonic peek into the boudoirs of the Manhattan elite features Jenny Young, as the jilted Mary Haines, and Deborah Hay, as her dubious best friend Sylvia Fowler, with Beryl Bain, Nicol�� Correia-Damude, Sharry Flett, Mary Haney, Laurie Paton, Jenny L Wright and Moya O���Connell. Returning to join this illustrious group is Shaw favourite Kelli Fox. Designed by William Schmuck with lighting design by Kevin Lamotte.

Directed by Morris Panych, the increasingly relevant The Doctor���s Dilemma by the Festival���s namesake, features Patrick Galligan as the conflicted doctor Sir Colenso Ridgeon, Krista Colosimo as the young and alluring Jennifer Dubedat, Michael Ball as the eminent psychiatrist Sir Patrick Cullen and Thom Marriott as Sir Ralph Bloomfield Bonington. Jonathan Gould, as Louis Dubedat, returns to The Shaw after a brief absence and Patrick McManus and Ric Reid are also featured in this typically surprising Shavian ���dilemma���. Set design by Ken MacDonald, costume design by Charlotte Dean and lighting design by Alan Brodie.

COURT HOUSE THEATRE

Jason Byrne directs Tom Murphy���s adaptation of Anton Chekhov���s The Cherry Orchard featuring Goldie Semple as the aristocratic Madame Ranyevskaya, Jim Mezon as her brother Leonid Gayev and Benedict Campbell as Yermolai Lopakhin, the harbinger of progress and the new merchant class. The cast also features Neil Barclay, Al Kozlik, Julie Martell, Mark Uhre and Robin Evan Willis and welcomes back Severn Thompson to the company. Designed by Peter Hartwell with lighting design by Kevin Lamotte.

Christopher Newton, Artistic Director Emeritus, directs this season���s second Shavian offering, John Bull���s Other Island. This delicious exploration of colonialism features Benedict Campbell as Tom Broadbent, the English businessman consumed by the romance of Ireland, Graeme Somerville as his lapsed Irish business partner Larry Doyle and Jim Mezon as defrocked priest Peter (Father) Keegan, with Guy Bannerman, Corrine Koslo, Thom Marriott, Patrick McManus and Severn Thompson. Designed by William Schmuck with lighting design by Louise Guinand.

Directed by Jackie Maxwell, Linda Griffiths��� sensual story of female liberation, Age of Arousal, features Donna Belleville as Mary Barfoot, an ex-suffragette who runs a typing school, and Jenny Young as Rhoda Nunn, a conflicted New Woman, with Sharry Flett, Kelli Fox, Gray Powell and newcomer Zarrin Darnell-Martin. Designed by Sue LePage with lighting design by Alan Brodie and movement by Valerie Moore.

ROYAL GEORGE THEATRE

Joseph Ziegler directs the Mary Chase, Pulitzer Prize-winning play Harvey featuring Peter Krantz as the genial, but misunderstood, Elwood P. Dowd, Corrine Koslo as his society-conscious sister Veta Simmons and, returning to the Shaw stage, Norman Browning as Dr Chumley, with Guy Bannerman, Gray Powell and Diana Donnelly, who also returns to The Shaw this season. Designed by Sue LePage with lighting design by Louise Guinand.

Directed by Associate Director Eda Holmes, the musical caper One Touch of Venus (music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash and book by Ogden Nash and S.J. Perelman) features Robin Evan Willis as the goddess Venus, Kyle Blair as shy barber Rodney Hatch, Deborah Hay as the whip smart Molly Grant and Mark Uhre as wealthy art collector Whitelaw Savory, with Neil Barclay, Gabrielle Jones, Julie Martell and Jay Turvey. Musical direction by Ryan deSouza, choreography by Michael Lichtefeld, set design by Camellia Koo, costume design by Michael Gianfrancesco and lighting design by Bonnie Beecher.

Gina Wilkinson, who made her Festival directorial debut with the 2009 runaway hit Born Yesterday, returns to direct J.M. Barrie���s shocking real time tale Half an Hour featuring Diana Donnelly as Lady Lillian Garson and Peter Krantz as Lord Garson, with Norman Browning, Peter Millard and Wendy Thatcher. Designed by Tyler Sainsbury with lighting design by Kirsten Watt.

STUDIO THEATRE

The Shaw���s on-going look at contemporary Shavians continues with Caryl Churchill���s no-holds barred satire of the 1980���s stock exchange, Serious Money. Directed by Eda Holmes, this vintage Churchill features Marla McLean as Scilla Todd, Graeme Somerville as Corman, Ali Momen as Jake Todd and Ken James Stewart as Zackerman with Anthony Bekenn, Lisa Codrington, Nicola Correia-Damude, Lorne Kennedy, Laurie Paton, David Schurmann and Steven Sutcliffe. Designed by Peter Hartwell with lighting design by Kevin Lamotte.

Reading Series:

Each season, members of the Ensemble take part in staged readings of specially selected full-length works that illuminate and complement the plays of the current season.

August 15, 2010, 11 a.m. - The Gigli Concert, by Tom Murphy.

August 29, 2010, 11 a.m. - Trouble in Tahiti, by Leonard Bernstein.

September 19, 2010, 11 a.m. - Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, by Moises Kaufman.

October 2, 2010, 11a.m. - After the Orchard, by Jason Sherman.

The Shaw Theatre Festival acknowledges the generous support from this season���s Production Sponsors: Bell, CIBC, Lombard Insurance Company, Paradigm Capital Inc, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Producers Circle, Scotiabank Group and TD Canada Trust Music.

Tickets for the 2010 season went on sale to Shaw Theatre Festival Members on November 7. Sales to the general public begin January 11 by mail, fax or online and January 16 by phone or in person.

L'industrie de la musique canadienne se d��ploie pour c��l��brer la 20e ��dition du Gala de la SOCAN �� Toronto

English to follow.

TORONTO, le 23 nov. /CNW/ - La SOCAN (la Soci��t�� canadienne des auteurs, compositeurs et ��diteurs de musique) et l''industrie de la musique ��taient r��unies ce soir au Roy Thomson Hall afin de f��ter certains des auteurs et compositeurs canadiens les plus talentueux, ainsi que leurs ��diteurs, lors du 20e Gala de la SOCAN. Anim��e par Barney Bentall, Carolyn Dawn Johnson et David Myles, la c��r��monie c��l��brait les succ��s des membres de la SOCAN durant l'ann��e 2008.

Parmi ceux qui assistaient �� la soir��e et ont re��u des troph��es, citons les membres des groupes Hedley, Doc Walker, Finger Eleven et RUSH, de m��me que Stompin' Tom Connors, Rita MacNeil, Gordon Lightfoot, Jimmy Rankin, Deric Ruttan, Tom Cochrane et Kardinal Offishall, parmi bien d'autres.

Le rocker soul d'origine cubaine Alex Cuba a ouvert le gala avec une prestation inoubliable, suivi plus tard dans la c��r��monie par Carolyn Dawn Johnson et Doc Walker, qui ont offert un pot-pourri de Classiques de la SOCAN. Le rappeur D-Sisive a interpr��t�� la chanson qui lui a valu le Prix ��CHO de la chanson 2009, "Nobody with a Notepad", et Russell deCarle et Barney Bentall ont termin�� la soir��e avec un hommage chant�� �� Stompin' Tom Connors.

De nombreux laur��ats ont ��t�� honor��s pour le succ��s de leurs chansons, entre autres Feist pour "1234", Hedley pour "For the Nights I Can't Remember", Finger Eleven pour "I'll Keep Your Memory Vague", cat��gorie pop/rock, Kardinal Offshall et Cristian "DJ Kemo" Bahamonde pour "Dangerous", cat��gorie musique urbaine, et Doc Walker pour "Beautiful Life", cat��gorie musique country. Finger Eleven a re��u un deuxi��me troph��e, le Prix de la chanson internationale, pour "Paralyzer".

    Une liste compl��te des gagnants des prix SOCAN 2009 est disponible sur
       http://www.socan.ca/jsp/fr/pub/about_socan/media_releases.jsp

"Durant mes dix ann��es �� la t��te de la SOCAN, l'industrie a chang�� ��norm��ment au pays et �� travers le monde, a soulign�� Andr�� LeBel, chef de la direction. Chez nous, l'industrie continue �� cro��tre et nos membres ne cessent de produire des ��uvres nouvelles et de les proposer aux auditoires du monde entier. Ce gala d��montre jusqu'�� quel point nous accordons de la valeur aux contributions de nos membres �� l'industrie, ce sont des ambassadeurs hors pair de notre culture dans le monde."

Chaque ann��e, la SOCAN souligne la carri��re de pionniers de l'industrie de la musique, leur implication dans le domaine de la musique canadienne et leur succ��s durant toute leur carri��re. Les r��cipiendaires des troph��es majeurs de la SOCAN cette ann��e sont Richard Flohil, Prix Hommage, Stompin' Tom Connors, qui a re��u le Prix Excellence, Rita MacNeil, Prix National, ainsi que RUSH - compos�� des membres Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson et Neil Peart - Prix International.

La SOCAN f��te chaque ann��e le talent des cr��ateurs de musique francophones lors d'un deuxi��me gala, qui aura lieu le mardi 24 novembre, �� l'H��tel Hyatt Regency �� Montr��al. De prestigieux membres de la SOCAN se joindront �� l'animateur Michel Rivard pour c��l��brer tous les laur��ats de cette ann��e.

Au sujet de la SOCAN :

�� la SOCAN, nous comprenons que l'industrie musicale canadienne ne peut ��tre plus forte que la somme des forces qui l'entoure. Nous sommes fiers de jouer un r��le d'avant-garde et de collaborer avec d'autres organisations pour assurer le bien-��tre �� long terme de nos membres et de l'industrie musicale canadienne dans son ensemble. La SOCAN est l'organisation canadienne de gestion collective des droits d'auteur qui administre la communication et l'ex��cution des ��uvres musicales. Son r��le est de g��rer ces droits au nom de ses membres (compositeurs, paroliers, auteurs-compositeurs et leurs ��diteurs), ainsi que ceux des membres de ses organisations affili��es internationales, en ��mettant des licences pour l'utilisation de leur musique au Canada. Les sommes per��ues sont distribu��es �� ses membres et aux organisations affili��es internationales sous forme de redevances. La SOCAN distribue ��galement �� ses membres les redevances qu'elle re��oit des organisations affili��es internationales pour l'utilisation de leur musique �� travers le monde. La SOCAN a des bureaux �� Toronto, Montr��al, Vancouver, Edmonton et Dartmouth.

***

The Who's Who of Canada's Music Industry Came Out in Full Force Tonight to Celebrate the 20th Annual SOCAN Awards Gala in Toronto

TORONTO, Nov. 23 /CNW/ - SOCAN (The Society of Composers Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) and the best of Canada's music industry came together tonight at Roy Thomson Hall to honour some of this country's most talented songwriters, composers, lyricists and music publishers at the 20th annual SOCAN Awards Gala. Co-hosted by Barney Bentall, Carolyn Dawn Johnson and David Myles, the SOCAN Awards acknowledged members' and other music industry influencers' outstanding achievements from the previous year.

SOCAN members Hedley, Doc Walker, Finger Eleven and Rush, along with Stompin' Tom Connors, Rita MacNeil, Gordon Lightfoot, Jimmy Rankin, Deric Ruttan, Tom Cochrane and Kardinal Offishall, among many others, were in attendance to accept their awards.

Cuban soul rocker Alex Cuba opened the awards gala with an unforgettable performance and later in the evening Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Doc Walker took to the stage for a medley performance of SOCAN Classics. Canadian rapper D-Sisive performed his 2009 ECHO Songwriting Prize winner, "Nobody with a Notepad," and Russell deCarle and Barney Bentall closed the show with a lively tribute to Stompin' Tom Connors.

The evening was filled with celebration and accolades. Awards handed out included: Feist for "1234;" Hedley for "For the Nights I Can't Remember;" Finger Eleven for "I'll Keep Your Memory Vague" in the pop/rock category; Kardinal Offshall and Cristian "DJ Kemo" Bahamonde for "Dangerous" in the urban music category; and Doc Walker for "Beautiful Life" in the country music category. Finger Eleven accepted a second win with the International Song Award for "Paralyzer."

     A complete list of winners for the 2009 SOCAN Awards can be found at
       http://www.socan.ca/jsp/en/pub/about_socan/media_releases.jsp

"In my ten years at SOCAN, the music industry has evolved tremendously, both at home and around the world," said Andr�� LeBel, CEO of SOCAN. "In Canada, the industry continues to thrive and our members never stop in their work to bring new and exciting music to the global audience. The SOCAN Awards is one way we can show them how proud we are of their contributions; they are truly great Canadian ambassadors to the world."

Each year, SOCAN celebrates music industry pioneers for their involvement in the Canadian music industry and their outstanding successes throughout their careers. Recipients of SOCAN's major achievement awards this year went to Richard Flohil, who received the Special Achievement Award; Stompin' Tom Connors, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award; and Rita MacNeil, who received The National Achievement Award. RUSH - Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart received the International Achievement Award in recognition of their outstanding international success in 2008.

SOCAN will recognize outstanding Francophone music creators and publishers at an awards gala on Tuesday November 24 at The Hyatt Regency in Montreal. SOCAN members will join host Michel Rivard in celebration of this year's Francophone SOCAN award recipients.

About SOCAN

At SOCAN, we understand that the Canadian music industry is only as strong as the sum of its parts. We are proud to play a leading role, working with other organizations to ensure the long-term health of our members' livelihoods and the Canadian music industry as a whole. SOCAN is the Canadian copyright collective for the communication and performance of musical works. We administer these rights on behalf of our members (composers, lyricists, songwriters and their publishers) and those of affiliated international organizations by licensing this use of their music in Canada. The fees collected are distributed as royalties to our members and to affiliated organizations throughout the world. We also distribute royalties received from those organizations to our members for the use of their music worldwide. SOCAN has offices in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Dartmouth.

For more information about how we're doing what's right for music, please visit us at www.socan.ca.

St. Michael's Choir School

Sing We No��l, No��l We Sing

Massey Hall, Friday, December 11, 2009, 8 p.m. and Saturday, December 12, 2009, 3 p.m.

Tickets: $36.50 - $22.50 - Call 416-872-4255 or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

www.masseyhall.com

Toronto, November 23, 2009 -- On December 9^th 1939, the Cathedral Schola Cantorum later to become known as St. Michael���s Choir School, took to the stage to present their first-ever Christmas concert. This year, the venerable boys��� choir will mark their 70^th Annual Christmas performance with a joyous celebration of song during their 44th annual holiday appearance at Massey Hall. On Friday, December 11, 2009 at 8 pm and Saturday, December 12, 2009, at 3 pm the inspirational voices of St. Michael���s Choir School���s Elementary, Junior, and Senior Choirs will usher in the Christmas season with a spirited performance of sacred and secular Christmas favourites.

For the 258 choristers participating, this milestone event offers its own rewards. "When we sing, we sing for the centre of the Catholic community in Toronto, and the Massey Hall concert is a great opportunity to do something for the community," explains Matthew Farahat a Grade 12 student who has been a student at St. Michael���s Choir School since 2004.

Conducted by Dr. Jerzy Cichocki, Caron Daley and Teri Dunn, this year���s concert, Sing We No��l, No��l We Sing also features the talents of gifted musician and St. Michael���s Cathedral organist William O���Meara, and distinguished guest soloist, harpist Sanya Eng. Music on more traditional holiday subjects will include excerpts from Rutters��� choral song-cycle, Dancing Day, Lux aurumque from composer Eric Whitacre; and liturgical works such as E���en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come, and Young���s arrangement of Widor���s Toccata ��� Gloria. Several popular pieces like Silent Night, O come all ye faithful and It���s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year will delight with holiday fare in a lighter tone.

To highlight the Choir School���s choral tradition, the choirs will also perform two works specifically connected with St. Michael���s Choir School. In addition to a special arrangement of O Canada by the Choir School���s former Music Director Monsignor Thomas Barrett Armstrong, the Senior Choir will present Hodie, Christus natus est an original work by Dr. Kola Owolabi. Dr. Owolabi, an alumnus and former organist of St. Michael���s Cathedral, is currently an associate professor at Syracuse University.

���Hodie Christus natus est is the Antiphon to the Magnificat, sung at vespers on Christmas Day. We���ve showcased many arrangements of this piece in our history of Christmas performances,��� says Dr. Cichocki, Artistic Director of the Choir School and conductor of the Senior Choirs. ���This arrangement is particularly special because it was Kola���s first published composition when he was still a teenager.���

Dr. Owalabi���s arrangement of Hodie Christus natus est, along with Peter Mathew���s Dans Les Ombres De La Nuit, and O come, all ye faithful as arranged by Derek Holman are among the many featured performances found on St. Michael���s Choir School���s lush new Christmas recording. ���In Midnight���s Stillness���, the Choir School���s 10^th recording, will be released on December 11, 2009 to coincide with the 70^th Anniversary Christmas performance.

This remarkable CD and the historic 70^th Anniversary concert are dedicated to the memory of Monsignor Thomas Barrett Armstrong, a priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto, a graduate of St. Michael's Choir School and former Director of Music of this world-renowned institution. Monsignor Armstrong passed away on November 14, 2009.

About St. Michael���s Choir School

Founded in 1937 with the purpose of providing sacred music for services at St. Michael���s Cathedral in downtown Toronto, St. Michael���s Choir School is a centre for musical and academic excellence. It is one of only six choir schools in the world affiliated with the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome. Each student admitted to the Choir School is trained in vocal, technical, and instrumental music, and sings in one of the school���s choirs.

Balancing the sacred and the secular is customary for the school. St. Michael���s Choir School is not only known for its music program, but also academic achievement, consistently ranking at the top of Fraser Institute surveys. For seventy years, graduates of the Choir School have pursued studies in science, education, medicine, law, business and, of course, music. In the last group are the Crew Cuts and Four Lads of the 1950s and present-day musical artists Michael Schade, John McDermott, Stewart Goodyear, Kevin Hearn (of The Barenaked Ladies), Robert Pomakov, Matt Dusk, Michael Colvin, Claude Morrison (of The Nylons), and Michael Burgess.

In addition to the annual Christmas concert, the choirs perform publicly in an annual tour and at many local events. Dignitaries such as His Holiness Pope John Paul II, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chr��tien have enjoyed the choir���s performances. For more information: www.smcs.on.ca.

Massey Hall, Friday, December 11, 2009, 8 PM and Saturday, December 12, 2009, 3 PM.

Tickets: $36.50���$22.50 - Call 416-872-4255 or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

www.masseyhall.com

De Berlin �� LADMMI : un jeune chor��graphe qui a soif de cr��ation

Montr��al, le 23 novembre 2009 - Connaissez-vous le chor��graphe Sebastian Matthias? Si ce n'est pas encore le cas, pr��parez-vous �� d��couvrir l'��tendue du talent d'un jeune artiste prometteur qui fera parler de lui.

En ao��t dernier, l'artiste berlinois Sebastian Matthias ��tait accueilli en r��sidence �� LADMMI, l'��cole de danse contemporaine, apr��s s'��tre distingu�� parmi la trentaine de chor��graphes de diff��rentes origines ayant soumis leur candidature aupr��s de LADMMI et d���un jury international. Cette r��sidence a ��t�� rendue possible gr��ce aux P��pini��res europ��ennes pour jeunes artistes, une organisation internationale regroupant 28 pays partenaires. Depuis dix-huit ans, les P��pini��res europ��ennes pour jeunes artistes accompagnent une g��n��ration d'artistes innovateurs dans une strat��gie d'ouverture au monde et de croisements fertiles.

Sebastian Matthias a ��tudi�� au Gymnasium Essen-Werden, en Allemagne, et �� la Juilliard School �� New York. Il poursuit actuellement une ma��trise en th��orie de la danse �� Freie Universit��t Berlin. Depuis 2004, les chor��graphies de Sebastian ont ��t�� pr��sent��es dans plusieurs pays dont l'Allemagne, la Suisse, le P��rou et les ��tats-Unis. Sa fructueuse r��sidence de cr��ation �� LADMMI a donn�� naissance �� basssolo, une ��uvre caract��ris��e par un processus de cr��ation ouvert et dynamique. Un extrait de cette pi��ce originale a ��t�� pr��sent�� les 20 et 21 novembre derniers, avec deux danseuses de LADMMI, au Center for Performance Research (CPR) de Brooklyn, dans le cadre de l'��v��nement New Voices in Live Performance.

En plus de partager sa passion pour l'art chor��graphique et de signer la cr��ation de groupe pour la cohorte de finissants, Sebastian a enseign�� des classes techniques aux ��tudiants de 2e et 3e ann��e. Sensible aux contextes humains et sociaux dans lesquels il ��volue, Sebastian s���est impr��gn�� de la culture qu��b��coise tout en poursuivant sa d��marche cr��atrice, dans un souci constant d'actualisation.

Soyez des n��tres
La premi��re de basssolo aura lieu au Monument-National �� l���occasion du spectacle Cru d'automne, LADMMI 2009, le 16 d��cembre prochain. L'oeuvre chor��graphique de Sebastian Matthias, tout comme les cr��ations originales de Dana Gingras (The Holy Body Tattoo) et d'Emmanuel Jouthe (Danse Carpe Diem), seront interpr��t��es par les ��tudiants-interpr��tes de 3e ann��e du 16 au 19 d��cembre prochain au Studio Hydro-Qu��bec du Monument-National.

�� propos de LADMMI
Fond�� en 1981 et sp��cialis�� dans la formation des interpr��tes en danse contemporaine, LADMMI, l���cole de danse contemporaine, est un ��tablissement d���enseignement affili�� au c��gep du Vieux Montr��al et accr��dit�� par le minist��re de l����ducation, du Loisir et du Sport. Reconnu pour l���avant-gardisme et la rigueur de la formation offerte �� ses ��tudiants, LADMMI se positionne comme un centre d���excellence dans le milieu des arts de la sc��ne.

De Berlin �� LADMMI : un jeune chor��graphe qui a soif de cr��ation

Montr��al, le 23 novembre 2009 - Connaissez-vous le chor��graphe Sebastian Matthias? Si ce n'est pas encore le cas, pr��parez-vous �� d��couvrir l'��tendue du talent d'un jeune artiste prometteur qui fera parler de lui.

En ao��t dernier, l'artiste berlinois Sebastian Matthias ��tait accueilli en r��sidence �� LADMMI, l'��cole de danse contemporaine, apr��s s'��tre distingu�� parmi la trentaine de chor��graphes de diff��rentes origines ayant soumis leur candidature aupr��s de LADMMI et d���un jury international. Cette r��sidence a ��t�� rendue possible gr��ce aux P��pini��res europ��ennes pour jeunes artistes, une organisation internationale regroupant 28 pays partenaires. Depuis dix-huit ans, les P��pini��res europ��ennes pour jeunes artistes accompagnent une g��n��ration d'artistes innovateurs dans une strat��gie d'ouverture au monde et de croisements fertiles.

Sebastian Matthias a ��tudi�� au Gymnasium Essen-Werden, en Allemagne, et �� la Juilliard School �� New York. Il poursuit actuellement une ma��trise en th��orie de la danse �� Freie Universit��t Berlin. Depuis 2004, les chor��graphies de Sebastian ont ��t�� pr��sent��es dans plusieurs pays dont l'Allemagne, la Suisse, le P��rou et les ��tats-Unis. Sa fructueuse r��sidence de cr��ation �� LADMMI a donn�� naissance �� basssolo, une ��uvre caract��ris��e par un processus de cr��ation ouvert et dynamique. Un extrait de cette pi��ce originale a ��t�� pr��sent�� les 20 et 21 novembre derniers, avec deux danseuses de LADMMI, au Center for Performance Research (CPR) de Brooklyn, dans le cadre de l'��v��nement New Voices in Live Performance.

En plus de partager sa passion pour l'art chor��graphique et de signer la cr��ation de groupe pour la cohorte de finissants, Sebastian a enseign�� des classes techniques aux ��tudiants de 2e et 3e ann��e. Sensible aux contextes humains et sociaux dans lesquels il ��volue, Sebastian s���est impr��gn�� de la culture qu��b��coise tout en poursuivant sa d��marche cr��atrice, dans un souci constant d'actualisation.

Soyez des n��tres
La premi��re de basssolo aura lieu au Monument-National �� l���occasion du spectacle Cru d'automne, LADMMI 2009, le 16 d��cembre prochain. L'oeuvre chor��graphique de Sebastian Matthias, tout comme les cr��ations originales de Dana Gingras (The Holy Body Tattoo) et d'Emmanuel Jouthe (Danse Carpe Diem), seront interpr��t��es par les ��tudiants-interpr��tes de 3e ann��e du 16 au 19 d��cembre prochain au Studio Hydro-Qu��bec du Monument-National.

�� propos de LADMMI
Fond�� en 1981 et sp��cialis�� dans la formation des interpr��tes en danse contemporaine, LADMMI, l���cole de danse contemporaine, est un ��tablissement d���enseignement affili�� au c��gep du Vieux Montr��al et accr��dit�� par le minist��re de l����ducation, du Loisir et du Sport. Reconnu pour l���avant-gardisme et la rigueur de la formation offerte �� ses ��tudiants, LADMMI se positionne comme un centre d���excellence dans le milieu des arts de la sc��ne.

Nuits d'Afrique des spectacles�Ķ..toute l���ann��e ! Pr��sentent Soledad Barrio, Noche Flamenca

27-28-29 janvier 2010 ��� 20h
Le National
1220, Ste-Catherine est (m��tro Beaudry)

Acclam��e par les critiques �� travers le monde pour la transcendance et l���aspect profond��ment ��mouvant de ses performances, Noche Flamenca d���Espagne qui s���est m��rit��es de nombreux prix, est la plus authentique troupe de flamenco actuellement en tourn��e �� travers le monde, pr��sentant la puret�� et l���int��grit�� d���une des plus complexe et myst��rieuse forme d���art au monde.

Mettant �� l���affiche l���extraordinaire danseuse et fondatrice Soledad Barrio, Noche Flamenca incarne parfaitement les 3 ��l��ments, cante(le chant), toque(la guitare) et la danse, cr��ant ainsi l���authentique esprit de communion au c��ur du Flamenco.

Billetterie et infos

Le National ��� (514) 845-2014

Sur R��seau Admission ��� (514) 790-1245

www.latulipe.ca

www.admission.com

www.festivalnuitsdafrique.com

Th����tre Marcellin-Champagnat

Bien plus qu���un simple anniversaire, cinq ans remplis de passion, de succ��s et de nouveaut��s!

Laval, le 23 novembre 2009. Depuis maintenant cinq ans, le Th����tre Marcellin-Champagnat se d��finit comme ��tant un lieu privil��gi�� de diffusion d���v��nements artistiques et corporatifs. Au fil du temps, les producteurs, les artistes, les organismes, les entreprises et, bien s��r, le public ont adopt�� le TMC et en font une salle o�� il fait bon cr��er, produire et se divertir.

Afin de souligner le cinqui��me anniversaire du TMC, nous sommes heureux de vous annoncer la mise en ligne du nouveau site Internet du th����tre www.theatremc.ca. Plusieurs nouveaut��s sont au menu telles qu���une section pour les productions professionnelles, une vitrine pour les ��v��nements priv��s, une programmation dynamique et diversifi��e, la possibilit�� d���obtenir une soumission en ligne et plus encore.

Nous esp��rons qu���une visite saura vous charmer.

La direction du Th����tre Marcellin-Champagnat tient �� remercier ses employ��s, ses clients, ses spectateurs, ses partenaires, ses r��seaux d���affaires et ses fournisseurs officiels pour leur soutien et leur int��r��t depuis son ouverture en 2004. Gr��ce �� leur confiance et �� leur fid��lit��, le TMC a r��ussi �� se tailler une place de choix dans le milieu des arts et de la culture ainsi que sur le territoire lavallois.

Deux laur��ats des prix du Qu��bec 2009 importants collaborateurs des Impatients

Montr��al, 23 novembre 2009 ��� Le 3 novembre dernier a eu lieu la c��r��monie de remise des Prix du Qu��bec, ��dition 2009. Les Prix du Qu��bec sont la plus haute distinction d��cern��e chaque ann��e par le gouvernement du Qu��bec en reconnaissance d'une carri��re remarquable dans le domaine scientifique et culturel. Parmi les onze laur��ates et laur��ats des Prix du Qu��bec 2009, nous retrouvons Gilles Bibeau et Gabor Szilasi, tous deux importants collaborateurs des Impatients.

Parmi les cinq prix scientifiques, le prix L��on-G��rin (sciences humaines) est attribu�� �� Gilles Bibeau, anthropologue et professeur �� l'Universit�� de Montr��al. L'industrie de la g��n��tique, les gangs de rue, la m��decine traditionnelle africaine, la p��diatrie interculturelle�Ķ En se penchant sur toutes ces questions, Gilles Bibeau a su d��crypter les grands enjeux des soci��t��s
contemporaines et poursuivre une r��flexion de fond sur la nature humaine.

Gilles Bibeau s���est impliqu�� aupr��s des Impatients en tant que membre du comit�� de recherche, comit�� form�� en 2005 et toujours actif, qui vise l���exploration de l���exp��rience psychotique associ��e �� l���expression artistique.

Parmi les six prix culturels, le prix Paul-��mile-Borduas en arts visuels, en m��tiers d���art, en architecture et en design est attribu�� au photographe Gabor Szilasi. Au cours des 50 derni��res ann��es, le laur��at a r��uni un patrimoine photographique dont l���esth��tique et la valeur anthropologique sont uniques. L����uvre de M. Szilasi pr��sente un regard tr��s personnel sur son pays natal, la Hongrie, et sur son lieu d���adoption, le Qu��bec, ses habitants, ses artistes et ses paysages campagnards et urbains. On pourra voir �� Montr��al en 2011 la plus r��cente r��trospective de ses ��uvres, L����loquence du quotidien, au Mus��e McCord.

Depuis 2003, Gabor Szilasi collabore avec les Impatients par divers projets de photographie, entre autres la publication du livre �� Je ��, une exposition au Mus��e des Beaux-arts de Qu��bec, et sa participation depuis plusieurs ann��es �� l���exposition-encan Parle-moi d���amour.

Le centre Les Impatients est fier de souligner ces distinctions exceptionnelles et de compter parmi ses collaborateurs des gens de m��rite qui se d��marquent par la constance de leurs efforts et par la qualit�� exceptionnelle de leurs r��alisations.

Classical Archives Features Exclusive Interviews With Famed Choral Director Paul Hillier With FREE ���Classical Intro��� Concerts for All Visitors

Palo Alto, CA -- Classical Archives (www.classicalarchives.com), the ultimate classical music destination, proudly presents a high-profile Exclusive Interview with acclaimed choral director Paul Hillier, founder of the legendary vocal group, the Hilliard Ensemble

In a rich discussion with Artistic Director Dr. Nolan Gasser, Paul Hillier discusses the diversity of his past and present career, as a singer, writer, and choral director. Mr. Hillier rose to fame as the founder of the Hilliard Ensemble, among the initial driving forces of the Early Music movement in the 1970s and 1980s ��� famed for their recordings of music by Perotin, Ockeghem, Tallis, and others. Since leaving the Hilliard Ensemble in 1989, Mr. Hillier has led a number of vocal groups, most notably Theater of Voices, and has extended beyond early music to embrace especially Contemporary music as well. Among his most recent recordings is that of David Lang���s The Little Match Girl Passion, commissioned by Mr. Hillier, and recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in music. In this in-depth and entertaining interview, Mr. Hillier discusses all this and more, including his refreshing attitude toward music: ���It���s like when people go into an art gallery: they don���t only look at one kind of painting; they look at a whole range, and maybe find their favorite painters in each section�Ķ For me, it���s the same with music.��� A must read!

Classical Archives also features its new Home Page layout, including a new, dynamic section offering FREE ���Classical Intro��� Concerts to all visitors to the site ��� featuring great music of the key composers, musical periods, and genres. All this and unlimited streaming of our entire classical catalogue can be enjoyed at no cost by signing up for a 14-day Free Trial today!

Visit the Classical Archives at www.ClassicalArchives.com

About Classical Archives

Classical Archives (www.classicalarchives.com), the ultimate classical music destination, is the largest digital music subscription service dedicated to classical music. The site offers more than 620,000 tracks, 7,800 composers, and 27,000 artists representing more than 110 record labels. It also features a breakthrough in site navigation that allows users to search and cross-reference by any relevant criteria: composer, work title, artist, albums, historical period, instrument, genre, and many others that make finding and comparing the best classical recordings easier than it has ever been. Classical Archives offers unique membership opportunities that allow users to take advantage of its vast resources easily and affordably. Fees are $9.95/month or $99.50/year. Benefits include the ability to listen to music from the entire site (complete tracks or works); a 10% discount on all downloads (which are yours to keep for life!); and the first two weeks as a free trial of the service. Free registered members also enjoy great benefits: the ability to freely listen to Classical Archives��� own large catalog of contributed tracks, which includes many performances from world-class talents; the ability to listen to any music clips (30-60 seconds); the ability to purchase hi-definition downloads; and the ability to access and download free MIDI files.

Ap��ro �� l'Op��ra : Les gagnants sont�Ķ

Montr��al, le 23 novembre 2009 ��� L���Op��ra de Montr��al a d��voil�� dimanche soir, lors de son ��mission Raconte-moi l���op��ra sur les ondes de Radio Ville-Marie (91,3 FM), coanim��e par Pierre Vachon et Michel Beaulac, le nom des gagnants du projet Ap��ro �� l���Op��ra lanc�� cet automne. Au terme de six semaines intensives de formation �� l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al, les quatre experts-parrains du projet ont fait leur choix : trois candidates chanteront au Gala de l���Op��ra de Montr��al, le 6 d��cembre prochain. Les trois gagnantes sont Lise Brunelle (Mont-Tremblant), Sophie Lemaire (Montr��al) et Annie Sanschagrin (Crabtree)

Le jury a soulign�� la qualit�� exceptionnelle des 6 candidats qui ont suivi la formation, le professionnalisme et le talent de ces apprentis-chanteurs. Les crit��res de s��lection des gagnants ��taient les suivants : musicalit��, justesse d���intonation, pr��sence sc��nique, qualit�� vocale et capacit�� �� performer avec un grand orchestre devant un public.

Au d��part, 168 candidats de partout au Qu��bec et de tous ��ges ont soumis leur candidature ; 38 candidats ont ��t�� retenus pour les auditions pr��liminaires �� la Place des Arts, 17 ont ��t�� rappel��s en audition finale et 6 ont ��t�� choisis comme apprentis. Au terme des six semaines de formation, diverses activit��s d���int��gration comme un m��trOp��ra et un concert devant public au Piano nobile, le jury a bonifi�� le projet en choisissant trois gagnants au lieu de 2 initialement annonc��s. Les trois gagnantes chanteront au Gala le 6 d��cembre prochain en compagnie de l���Orchestre m��tropolitain. Au terme de leur prestation au Gala, le jury choisira une grande gagnante qui se produira dans le cadre de la production de Tosca, le 13 f��vrier 2010.

Ap��ro �� l���Op��ra, c���est l���histoire de la formation de six voix dans le contexte d���un haut lieu de la formation du chant lyrique : l���Op��ra de Montr��al et son atelier lyrique. Ce cadre a permis d���offrir �� six candidats s��lectionn��s les connaissances des grands experts et vedettes de l���art lyrique au Canada : classes de ma��tre avec Marc Hervieux, Marie-Jos��e Lord, Alain Trudel, Alain Gauthier, Lyne Fortin et Karina Gauvin, coaching personnel, classes de mise en sc��ne, de diction, de gestion du stress et de langues. Aussi, pour la premi��re fois, l���Op��ra de Montr��al ouvrira ses portes aux t��l��spectateurs �� travers l���exp��rience de ces apprentis : ce projet fait l���objet d���une s��rie documentaire de 7 ��pisodes de 30 minutes chacun qui sera diffus��e en primeur �� ARTV les mardis �� 19 h d��s le 26 janvier 2010.

Le jury est compos�� des experts suivants : Chantal Lambert, directrice de l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al et cantatrice, Michel Beaulac, directeur artistique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al, Claude Webster, chef de chant principal �� l���Atelier lyrique de l���Op��ra de Montr��al, et le metteur en sc��ne Normand Chouinard.

Info : www.operademontreal.com

Le public �� prouv�� que les Synths sont encore populaires / Public proves synths still groove

English to follow.

RICHMOND, C.-B., le 3 d��c. /CNW/ - Apr��s un mois de vote, ��ric Savard, de Pontiac (Qu��bec), a ��t�� d��clar�� gagnant du concours Synth��tiseur Roland 2009 par le public. En l'honneur de cette victoire, ��ric a re��u comme prix un synth��tiseur V-Synth GT Version 2.0 de Roland.

D��s sa plus tendre enfance, ��ric s'amuse �� jouer de l'orgue des heures durant. �� 12 ans, il commence �� suivre officiellement des cours d'orgue et de saxophone. C'est �� cette ��poque qu'il se d��couvre un int��r��t certain �� composer sa propre musique. Tout en poursuivant ses ��tudes, ��ric trouve le temps de combiner la musique et le travail en cr��ant le th��me du camp d'��t�� o�� il travaille.

Apr��s s'��tre ��loign�� de la musique pour se consacrer �� d'autres centres d'int��r��t, ��ric renoue avec sa passion pour la musique et la composition et se trouve un nouveau style, anim�� d'une d��termination accrue. La pi��ce gagnante d'��ric au concours Synth��tiseur Roland 2009 a ��t�� compos��e �� l'aide d'un ordinateur portatif, du Edirol UA-25UX avec logiciel SONAR 6 LE et d'un clavier Roland JX-3P.

Dans le cadre du concours Synth��tiseur Roland, des compositeurs venus de tout le Canada avaient ��t�� invit��s �� soumettre �� Roland Canada, entre le 1er mai et le 30 octobre 2009, des bandes musicales originales cr����es �� l'aide de synth��tiseurs ou de logiciels. Parmi les dizaines d'inscriptions re��ues, le jury a retenu les dix meilleures, qui ont ensuite ��t�� soumises au vote du public pendant un mois. Les Limaces, un duo montr��alais de musique ��lectronique, ont remport�� le deuxi��me prix, soit un synth��tiseur de sc��ne JUNO-Stage de Roland. Quant �� Justin O'Sullivan d'Ottawa (Ontario), il a remport�� le troisi��me prix, un ensemble de logiciels Cakewalk.

�� propos de Roland Canada Ltd.

Roland est un chef de file mondial sur les plans de la conception, de la fabrication et de la distribution d'instruments de musique num��riques, d'��quipement audio professionnel, de produits multim��dias et d'accessoires de musique. Les produits Roland constituent une famille compos��e des marques Roland, BOSS, EDIROL par Roland, Rodgers, RSS par Roland et Cakewalk par Roland. La gamme impressionnante de produits Roland, loin de s'y limiter, inclut notamment des p��dales d'effet pour guitare, des percussions ��lectroniques, des pianos num��riques r��put��s, des synth��tiseurs, des consoles de mixage num��rique et des logiciels de production musicale.

***

RICHMOND, BC, Dec. 3 /CNW/ - After a month-long public vote, Eric Savard of Pontiac, PQ has been declared the 2009 Roland Synth Contest winner. In honour of his win, Eric was awarded a Roland V-Synth GT Version 2.0.

As a child, Eric used to sit and play the organ for hours and hours. At the age of 12, he began formal music lessons on both the organ and saxophone. It was at this time that he first became interested in writing his own music. While pursuing his degree, Eric found time to combine work and play by creating the theme song for a summer camp where he was employed.

After taking a break from music to focus on other interests, Eric renewed his passion for songwriting with a new style and determination. Eric's winning composition for the 2009 Roland Synth Contest, "A Night of Rhythm," was composed using SONAR 6 LE and Dimension LE software, an Edirol UA-25UX and a Roland JX-3P Synthesizer.

The Roland Synthesizer Contest invited composers from across Canada to submit original music tracks created on hardware or software synthesizers to Roland Canada between May 1 and October 30, 2009. After receiving dozens of entries, a panel of judges narrowed the field to the top ten finalists who were then put to a month-long public vote. Les Limaces, an electronic duo from Montreal, came in second place and received a Roland JUNO-Stage Keyboard. Third spot went to Justin O'Sullivan from Ottawa, ON. Justin was awarded a Cakewalk software package for his win.

About Roland Canada Ltd.

Roland is a world leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of electronic musical instruments, professional audio equipment, multimedia products and music accessories. The Roland brand family includes Roland, BOSS, EDIROL by Roland, Rodgers, RSS by Roland, and Cakewalk by Roland. Roland's impressive line of products includes, but is far from limited to, guitar effects pedals, electronic percussion, acclaimed digital pianos, synthesizers, digital mixers and music production software.

Opera Atelier closes 08-09 season with 31% surge in subscriptions

Fundraising at $1 million for second year in a row

Toronto, ON (December 3, 2009)�ĶAlberta Cefis, chair of Opera Atelier���s board of directors, announced at the company���s Annual General Meeting on November 30, 2009 that the company ended its 2008-09 season with a loss of $68,072 on an annual operating budget of $2.3 million.

���While Abduction from the Seraglio played to 94% houses, our spring production of The Coronation of Poppea suffered the full brunt of the recession, with ticket sales below projections,��� said Ms Cefis. ���The 31% increase in Opera Atelier���s subscription base was the saving grace for ticket sales.���

For the second year in a row the company achieved $1 million in fundraising revenue. Individuals and corporations increased their investments in Opera Atelier by 15% and 21% respectively. This growth helped to offset a decline in foundation revenue: more than $100,000 in non-renewable foundation grants came to an end in this fiscal year. Going forward, the company will continue to ensure prudent fiscal management of expenses, and all senior managers have taken a 3% minimum salary cut across the board. Artist salaries have been protected.

The 2009-10 season continues with a new production of Mozart���s popular The Marriage of Figaro (April 24 - May 1, 2010) at the Elgin Theatre. Not only is this OA���s first new Figaro in 20 years, it marks the third new Mozart production of Opera Atelier���s ambitious ���Mozart Six��� plan which to date includes Idomeneo (2007) and The Abduction from the Seraglio (2008).

Single tickets for The Marriage of Figaro are on sale now through Ticketmaster at 416-872-5555, on-line at www.ticketmaster.ca or at the Elgin Theatre box office. For more information visit www.operaatelier.com .

Opera Atelier is grateful for operational funding from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council. Opera Atelier is a member of The Creative Trust.

2008-09 Season Sponsor: Sun Life Financial
2008-09 Production Sponsors: BMO Financial Group and Scotiabank
Operatix Sponsor: TD Canada Trust Music

No��l �� l���OSL : Un pur enchantement! 6 et 8 d��cembre �� la salle Andr��-Mathieu

Laval, le 30 novembre 2009 ��� Fid��le �� la tradition qui veut que le temps des f��tes soit une p��riode de partage, l���OSL vous offre son classique concert de No��l, deux fois plut��t qu���une! C���est donc avec un bonheur toujours renouvel�� qu���Alain Trudel, directeur artistique de l���orchestre, vous convie �� un v��ritable moment d���enchantement. �� la fois festif et empreint de solennit��, il a concoct�� un concert o�� s���entrecroisent avec grand art des airs classiques, traditionnels et folkloriques, d���ici et d���ailleurs. De l���incontournable Sainte nuit au grandiose J��sus, que ma joie demeure, de Jean-S��bastien Bach, en passant par l���irr��sistible Casse-Noisette, de Tcha��kovsky, ces ��uvres exercent sur chacun de nous, ann��e apr��s ann��e, leur ind��niable attrait. Et pour ajouter �� la beaut�� et �� la magie de ce concert, un conte de No��l in��dit viendra lier toutes les pi��ces musicales les unes aux autres, alors que les ch��urs des ��l��ves de concentration musique des ��coles Des C��dres et Marcel-Vaillancourt viendront joindre leurs voix �� celle de l���orchestre, en toute harmonie. C���est avec fiert�� que l���OSL profitera de ce concert pour mettre de l���avant le travail d���arrangeur de David Martin, trombone solo de l���orchestre, �� travers trois ��uvres - L���enfant au tambour, Nochebuena paraguaya et Les anges dans nos campagnes ��� et celui du Montr��alais d���origine croate Anthony Rozankovic. Engag�� au sein de sa communaut��, l���OSL a r��pondu �� la demande du Centre de b��n��volat de Laval et sollicite tous ceux qui assisteront aux concerts �� poser un geste de solidarit�� en apportant des pots de beurre d���arachide qui seront distribu��s aux plus d��munis.

L���OSL vous invite �� succomber �� la magie de No��l, le dimanche 6 d��cembre �� 14 h et le mardi 8 d��cembre �� 20 h �� la salle Andr��-Mathieu. �� noter que le concert du dimanche sera exceptionnellement dirig�� par Jean-Fran��ois Rivest qui effectuera pour l���occasion un retour au bercail!

AU PROGRAMME
Good King Wenceslas
Arrangement : Alain Trudel

�� partir d���un ancien carol du 13e si��cle, l���anglais John Mason Neale (1818-1866) a compos�� un texte racontant la l��gende de saint Wenceslas, un duc de Boh��me ayant v��cu au 10e si��cle. Ce dernier parcourait pieds nus les chemins de son royaume afin de faire l���aum��ne. Les traces de pieds qu���il laissait dans la neige r��chauffaient tous ceux qui marchaient �� sa suite.

Suite Folklorique
Andr�� Jutras (n�� en 1957)

Musicien, chef d���orchestre et compositeur originaire d���Asbestos, Andr�� Jutras s���est inspir�� d���airs traditionnels pour composer sa tr��s belle Suite folklorique.

Sainte nuit
Joseph Mohr (1792-1848) ��� Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863)
Arrangement : Anthony Rozankovic (n�� en1962)

C���est en 1816 que le pr��tre autrichien Joseph Mohr ��crivit les paroles de Sainte nuit. C���est ��galement lui qui mandata son ami Franz Xaver Gruber pour en composer la musique. On peut donc dire que l���un des plus beaux chants de No��l est l����uvre de deux illustres inconnus!

L���enfant au tambour
Katherine K. Davis (1892-1980)
Arrangement : David Martin (n�� en 1960)

Compos��e en 1941 d���apr��s un chant d���origine tch��que, L���enfant au tambour demeure l����uvre la plus connue de la pianiste et compositrice am��ricaine Katherine K. Davis. C���est la tr��s belle version de David Martin qui sera interpr��t��e.

L���Arl��sienne, suite no 2, Farandole
Georges Bizet (1838-1875)

Le m��lodrame L���Arl��sienne, imagin�� par Alphonse Daudet �� partir de ses Lettres de mon moulin, fut cr���� en 1872 �� Paris. Georges Bizet en r��alisa la musique de sc��ne qui totalisait vingt-sept num��ros. Si le m��lodrame de Daudet sombra dans l���oubli la musique de Bizet, elle, fit le tour du monde! Dans la Farandole ��� �� l���origine une danse populaire proven��ale ��� le th��me de la Marche des Rois, un vieux No��l, est repris en canon.

Casse-Noisette
Tr��pak ��� Danse russe
Petr Ilitch Tcha��kovsky (1840-1893)

La musique de Casse-Noisette est sans doute l���une des plus c��l��bres que Tcha��kovsky ait ��crite. Sugg��rant parfaitement le conte d���Hoffman dont Alexandre Dumas s���tait inspir��, Casse-Noisette est un pur ravissement pour les petits et les grands!

ENTRACTE

Hansel et Gretel
Ouverture & Finale du 3e acte : ch��ur des enfants en pain d���pice
Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921)

Cr���� en Allemagne le 23 d��cembre 1894, cet op��ra nous transporte dans l���univers des contes de f��es des fr��res Grimm. Humperdinck a concoct�� une ��blouissante partition orchestrale dont voici la recette : dans un chaudron de sorci��re, m��langer une pinc��e de musique populaire, quelques gouttes de comptines enfantines et une orchestration ��tincelante.

Troisi��me Gymnop��die
��ric Satie (1866-1925)
Orchestrations : Claude Debussy (1865-1916)

Les ondulantes Gymnop��dies, trois valses lentes et hypnotiques, furent compos��es en 1888 et selon les dires de leur auteur, elles lui furent inspir��es par la lecture de Salammb�� de Gustave Flaubert. En 1897, Claude Debussy orchestra la premi��re Gymnop��die et la troisi��me, mais en inversant leur num��rotation.

Choral : Jesus bleibet meine Freude - J��sus, que ma joie demeure - Tir�� de la cantate BWV 147 �ĮJean-S��bastien Bach (1685-1750)

Le choral J��sus, que ma joie demeure, tir�� de la cantate BWV 147 d��di��e �� la f��te de la Visitation, est l���une des plus c��l��bres pi��ces musicales du r��pertoire classique. Dans les ann��es soixante-dix, la chanteuse Frida Boccara en fit m��me sa carte de visite sous le titre de L���enfant aux cymbales.

Nochebuena paraguaya - Paraguay�ĮMauricio Cardozo Ocampo (1907-1982)
Arrangement : David Martin

Compositeur prestigieux, Mauricio Cardozo Ocampo a puis�� �� m��me la tradition populaire de son pays pour donner forme �� son inspiration. Nochebuena, c���est la Bonne Nuit, la nuit de No��l pendant laquelle les hispanophones c��l��brent la Nativit��.

Hansel et Gretel
Finale du 3e acte : ch��ur des enfants en pain d���pice
Engelbert Humperdinck (1854-1921)

Voir descriptif plus haut.

Symphonie des jouets, 1er mouvement (Allegro)
L��opold Mozart (1719-1787)

Nul ne peut ��chapper au charme ludique de cette Symphonie des Jouets, partition dans laquelle le papa de Mozart a rameut�� tous les jouets tapageurs de l���enfance afin de construire une gigantesque bo��te �� musique orchestrale qui roule au quart de tour pour la joie de tous!

La Chauve-Souris

Ouverture
Johann Strauss (fils) (1825-1899)

Inspir��e d���un vaudeville fran��ais des librettistes de Jacques Offenbach, cette ��uvre fut ��crite en quarante-deux nuits par un Johann Strauss alors au z��nith de sa carri��re et demeure sans contredit sa plus c��l��bre op��rette. L���ouverture est devenue de nos jours, une pi��ce ma��tresse du traditionnel Neujahrskonzertes, le fameux concert du Nouvel An pr��sent�� chaque ann��e �� Vienne.

Les anges dans nos campagnes
Arrangement : David Martin

Les origines du chant de No��l Les anges dans nos campagnes, dont le texte fait retentir les paroles tir��es de l����vangile de Luc et que chantent les anges dans le ciel la nuit de No��l, remontent de la Lorraine. Au Qu��bec, en 1897, l���organiste et folkloriste Ernest Gagnon eut l���heureuse id��e de l���inclure dans son attachant recueil de Cantiques populaires du Canada fran��ais.

White Christmas
Irving Berlin (1888-1989)

On dit de cette oeuvre d���Irving Berlin qu���elle est la chanson la plus vendue de toute l���histoire de la musique et que des g��n��rations enti��res d���Am��ricains en ont fait leur chanson culte du temps des f��tes. D���ailleurs, qui n���a jamais entendu le c��l��bre No��l blanc interpr��t�� par Bing Crosby?

En r��sum��
Concert : le dimanche 6 d��cembre �� 14 h et le mardi 8 d��cembre �� 20 h, �� la salle Andr��-Mathieu de Laval
Le concert est une pr��sentation de Desjardins Caisse de Laval

Les billets pour ce concert sont disponibles
En ligne : www.salleandremathieu.com.
Au guichet de la salle Andr��-Mathieu : 475, boul. de l���Avenir, Laval
Par t��l��phone, billetterie de la salle Andr��-Mathieu : (450) 667-2040
Via le R��seau admission : (514) 790-1245

L���Ensemble Sinfonia de Montr��al ouvre sa neuvi��me saison �Į

Montr��al, le 25 novembre 2009 ��� L���Ensemble Sinfonia de Montr��al et son chef Louis Lavigueur pr��sentent le premier concert de leur neuvi��me saison. Cette soir��e aura lieu le dimanche 6 d��cembre prochain, �� 19h30, �� la salle Oscar-Peterson de l���universit�� Concordia (7141 Sherbrooke Ouest). Au programme : l���Ouverture Po��te et Paysan de Franz von Supp��, Cinq chansons symphoniques sur des po��mes de Nikiforos Vrettakos de Nikos Kallitsis, avec les solistes Maria Diamantis, soprano, Dimitris Ilias, t��nor et le ch��ur d���enfants Chroma Musika/Socrates, ainsi que la Septi��me Symphonie en la majeur de Ludwig van Beethoven.

Nikos Kallitsis (n�� en 1946), Ayant profond��ment travaill�� la musique populaire grecque, Nikos Kallitsis a ��crit notamment ��crit des cycles de chansons bas��es sur des ��uvres du grand po��te grec contemporain Nikiforos Vrettakos. L���amour de la terre natale constitue la source in��puisable de son inspiration, comme en t��moigne les cinq po��mes au programme : �� Retour dans la montagne ��, �� Les chemins dansaient ��, �� Je ramasse les ��pis tomb��s ��, �� Les orangers de Sparte ��, et �� Amour ��.

Maria Diamantis, soprano, d��tient un baccalaur��at en chant classique de l'Universit�� McGill, et a eu la la chance d'��tudier aupr��s de grands noms du th����tre lyrique, comme Sena Jurinak et Maureen Forrester. Parall��lement �� ses activit��s de soliste, elle donne fr��quemment des s��minaires de chant en tant que professeure invit��e dans diff��rentes villes canadiennes et grecques, et dirige quatre chorales pour enfants.

Dimitris Ilias, t��nor, est dipl��m�� en chant classique de l'Universit�� Concordia. Il a interpr��t�� avec succ��s des r��les d'op��ra et d'op��rette dans d'innombrables th����tres en Am��rique du Nord. �� titre de soliste, il a chant�� avec de nombreux orchestres symphoniques et ensembles au Canada, aux ��tats-Unis et en Gr��ce.

Chorale d���enfants Chroma Musika. La n��cessit�� d'ex��cuter et de promouvoir des ��uvres de la musique classique grecque en Am��rique du Nord a pouss�� les chanteurs lyriques hell��no-canadiens, Dimitris Ilias et Maria Diamantis, �� cr��er Chroma Musika il y a 10 ans. La chorale d���enfants du mouvement est constitu��e de jeunes issus de 13 ��coles diff��rentes de Montr��al et de Laval, s��lectionn��s en audition pour la justesse de leur voix et leur aptitude �� chanter en grec. http://www.chromamusika.com

L���Ensemble Sinfonia de Montr��al est un orchestre symphonique qui regroupe une cinquantaine d���adultes de toutes les professions qui ont en commun l���amour de la musique. Fond�� en 2001 par un groupe d���anciens de l���OSJM et Louis Lavigueur, l���ensemble offre une saison r��guli��re de trois concerts. L���Ensemble Sinfonia accepte ��galement des contrats et a accompagn�� �� quelques reprises l���Ensemble vocal Polymnie, les Rhapsodes de Qu��bec et le Choeur de la Montagne. L���Ensemble Sinfonia a ��galement particip�� �� des concerts conjoints avec l���OSJM en 2004 et 2006.

Louis Lavigueur - Au pupitre de l���Ensemble Sinfonia de Montr��al depuis sa fondation, le chef d���orchestre Louis Lavigueur est ��galement chef de l���Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Montr��al depuis plus de vingt ans, ainsi que chef-adjoint et coordonnateur de l'Orchestre du Conservatoire de musique de Montr��al depuis 1980. P��dagogue recherch��, Louis Lavigueur a enseign�� aux universit��s de Montr��al, Laval et McGill, ainsi qu'au Conservatoire de musique de Montr��al o�� il est toujours actif. Il a sign�� plusieurs disques de compositeurs qu��b��cois avec l'Orchestre M��tropolitain, ainsi que des ��uvres de Saint-Sa��ns et Tcha��kovski avec l'OSJM, qu'il a men�� en tourn��e en Gr��ce, en France, en Belgique et en Allemagne.

�Ģ Billets: Adultes 20 $, ��tudiants et Ain��s 15 $
�Ģ Pour r��servations sinfonia@danslereseau.com �Į
�Ģ Ensemble Sinfonia de Montr��al
�Ģ http://sinfoniadanslereseau.com �Į

Mus��e en Herbe

Des souhaits qui ont du style
Un atelier de cr��ation pour tous!

Qu��bec, le jeudi 3 d��cembre 2009 �� �� l���occasion de l���exposition Qu��bec en design. 75 ans de cr��ations issues de la collection du MNBAQ ��� et de la p��riode des F��tes! ��� le Mus��e propose, tous les week-ends du mois de d��cembre, l���atelier Des souhaits qui ont du style.

Petits et grands sont invit��s �� s���inspirer de l���originalit�� des affiches publicitaires pr��sent��es dans l���exposition Qu��bec en design pour cr��er une carte de souhaits fantaisiste. Couleurs vives, typographies originales, titres accrocheurs�Ķ Offrir ses v��ux n���aura jamais ��t�� aussi amusant!

Les samedis et dimanches, du 5 au 20 d��cembre
3 ateliers par jour : 13 h, 14 h 15 et 15 h 30
L���activit�� est gratuite pour tous!

RENSEIGNEMENTS (grand public) :
418 643-2150 ou 1 866 220-2150 / www.mnba.qc.ca
L���exposition Qu��bec en design.
75 ans de cr��ations issues de la collection du MNBAQ est pr��sent��e au
Mus��e national des beaux-arts du Qu��bec jusqu���au 18 avril 2010.

Opera Lyra Ottawa Presents Operantics! at the Canadian Museum of Civilization

What do a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster have in common?? Come to Operantics! and find out! Join the members of the Opera Lyra Ottawa Studio as they embark on the adventurous road to Bremen to become Town Musicians. Excerpts from this new opera will be presented in FREE 30-minute concerts on Saturday, December 5 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

When: Saturday, December 5
Where: The Theatre of the Children���s Museum, Canadian Museum of Civilization
Times: 10am, 11am, 1pm and 2 pm

Commissioned by Opera Lyra Ottawa, The Bremen Town Musicians is composed by renowned Canadian opera composer Dean Burry. It is the story of a donkey, a dog, a cat and a rooster, who, mistreated by their masters, decide to run away. They meet up on the road to Bremen and decide to become ���town musicians���. Along the way they spot a lighted cottage ��� inside is a robber enjoying his ill-gotten gains. The four ���musicians��� decide to perform for him in hopes of gaining food. Instead, their ���music��� terrifies the robber into abandoning the cottage. The animals take possession of the cottage, eat and settle in for the night. After a time, the thief returns. He mistakes the cat���s eyes for coals of fire and the cat, startled, scratches his face, the donkey kicks him, the dog bites him, and the rooster squawks frantically at him. The animals make the robber repent. The robber decides to abandon the cottage to the strange creatures who have taken possession of it. The ���Bremen town musicians��� live there happily for the rest of their days.

Opera Lyra Ottawa Opera Studio: The studio is at the heart of OLO���s education program. This major stepping stone provides professional training for the next generation of Canadian singers, stage directors, conductors / repetiteurs and stage managers for professional operatic careers. Members have the opportunity to perform on stage and take master-classes from renowned opera singers.

In addition to Operantics!, members of the studio will perform the complete opera The Bremen Town Musicians at the NAC Fourth Stage on December 11, 12 and 13. This same production toured to select schools in the National Capital Region in the fall.

HarbourKIDS: SK8 - A fun and free weekend winter festival for kids ages five to 12

PARTICIP8, ACCELER8, CRE8 & CELEBR8 SKATE CULTURE!
Free family fun both inside & out at Harbourfront Centre!
December 5-6, 2009
11 a.m.-5 p.m.

TORONTO, ON, Friday, Nov. 27, 2009 ��� Harbourfront Centre is thrilled to present the second annual HarbourKIDS: SK8 ��� an exciting winter weekend of FREE family activities celebrating the fun of skate culture. HarbourKIDS is Harbourfront Centre���s free family programme designed for kids from five to 12 years old. Each festival centres around a ���Big Idea���. For this special first weekend of December, the Big Idea for HarbourKIDS is ���SK8���.

HarbourKIDS: SK8 celebrates skate culture in all its forms. Featuring ice skating on the Natrel�� Rink and the brand new synthetic Natrel�� Kinder Rink, skateboarding at the Natrel�� Indoor Skate Park, break dancing and DJ workshops, winter games, activities and crafts, and cool interactive music and ice shows, HarbourKIDS: SK8 keeps kids moving, thinking, creating, and having TONS of FUN!

For complete event details and full schedule, visit www.harbourfrontcentre.com/harbourkids.

Highlights of HarbourKIDS: SK8
Harbourkids: SK8 provides a fun platform for kids to explore and enjoy skating and all the culture that surrounds it. Here's what we���ll be exploring via our programming:

PARTICIP8
It���s time to feel the rhythm! From popping and locking with Street Dance Academy to learning to DJ with the Scratch Lab DJ Institute, kids will have a blast getting directly involved in these events.

Street Dance Academy
Performances: Saturday at 12 p.m. & 3 p.m.; Sunday at 12 p.m. & 1:30 p.m. (Studio Theatre)
Workshops: Saturday at 1:30 p.m. & 4 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m. & 4 p.m. (Brigantine Room)
Scratch Lab DJ Institute Workshops
Saturday & Sunday, 12-5 p.m. (Marilyn Brewer Community Space)

ACCELER8
Full steam ahead! Kids' abilities will accelerate at this festival whether they're on deck or on ice. How fast can they go on the Natrel�� indoor park and outdoor rink? How much speed is needed to send a curling stone down the ice? To improve their skills, kids will also have access to professional skateboarders, as well as curling and skating coaches who will hold free clinics throughout the weekend.

Skateboarding at the Natrel�� Indoor Skate Park
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Lakeside Terrace)
Ice Skating on the Natrel�� Rink
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
Curling on the Natrel�� Rink
Saturday & Sunday at 11 a.m.-12 p.m., 2-2:30 p.m. & 4-5 p.m.

CRE8
Express your creativity and bring home the Gold! Kids can custom-design a national hockey mask based on the country of their choice, learn some skateboarding lingo while stencilling graffiti, and create cool winter buttons. They can also envision themselves as athletes or architects as we create LEGO��-sized versions of a winter wonderland.

What���s Your Lingo?
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Lakeside Terrace)
LEGO�� Winter Village
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (Miss Lou���s Room)
Go Team Go! Hockey Masks
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (West Arcade)
Get Your Buttons On!
Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (West Arcade)

CELEBR8
Kids can let loose and indulge their eyes and ears through a variety of special presentations, including another exciting installation of our Music With Bite series for young music lovers, kid-friendly DJ Andrew Allsgood, and Montreal���s Le Patin Libre, an amazing ice show where Ice Capades meets Cirque du Soleil. HarbourKIDS: SK8 is also the perfect way to remind kids of the diversity and beauty of the winter season.

Music With Bite: Orfea and the Golden Harp
(a co-production with Jeunesses Musicales Ontario)
Sunday, 1 p.m. (Brigantine Room)
Kids Skate with DJ Andrew Allsgood
Saturday & Sunday, 4 p.m.-5 p.m. (The Natrel�� Rink)
Le Patin Libre
Saturday & Sunday, 12-12:45 p.m. & 2:30-3:15 p.m. (The Natrel�� Rink)

HarbourKIDS: SK8 ICE HOST
Ryan Gladstone will be your ���Ice Host��� for the weekend, making sure everyone on the ice knows what���s going on inside, giving directions around the site, helping to make sure your rink experience is UNFORGETTABLE and that everyone has TONS of FUN!

THE NATREL�� RINK
Every year approximately 150,000 people glide their skates across The Natrel�� Rink at Harbourfront Centre, which is one of Toronto���s largest and most beautiful outdoor rinks! Bordering the shoreline of Lake Ontario, The Natrel�� Rink provides skate rentals, lockers and a family-friendly environment that celebrates our country's national winter pastime seven days a week. Controlled fireplaces will be set up around the ice to keep all our HarbourKIDS warm! For more information, visit harbourfrontcentre.com/skating.

THE NATREL�� KINDER RINK
New this fall! Made of synthetic, eco-friendly materials, this alternative rink surface from AGL (Artificial Grass & Landscaping) is the perfect skating venue for beginners. Works with regular skates!

Come and enjoy its GRAND OPENING at HarbourKIDS: SK8!
THE NATREL�� INDOOR SKATE PARK
Skateboarding experts will be ready and waiting at a mobile skate park geared towards the amateur rider.

Kids and beginners will be monitored for safety and will be given pointers to improve their technique. The park can accommodate up to 15 skaters ��� 12 active and a few waiting to take their turn ��� and 12 skateboards and helmets will be available for those that don't own their own equipment. (Helmets are mandatory.) The park includes a quarter pipe, launch ramp, flat bank, grind box, two grind rails and a three-piece fly box.

VISUAL ARTS & CRAFT at YORK QUAY CENTRE: Homegrown Skateboards
Part of the winter Visual Arts & Craft exhibitions, this is an installation from LaHave, Nova Scotia featuring homemade skateboards by artist, craftsperson and entrepreneur Jesse Watson.

COURSES & WORKSHOPS: Candy Making for Families
Saturday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

*Pre-registration required - $40 (one adult and one child), $10 each additional child*
Before hitting the HarbourKIDS activities, spend some quality family time making tasty treats for the holidays! You and your kids will make a variety of treats to enjoy this holiday season. This workshop is suitable for children ages five and up, accompanied by a parent or caregiver.
HarbourKIDS Club Membership

Sign up to be a HarbourKIDS Club Member and receive your very own ���Splooshy��� tattoo! Pick up a copy of our Kid���s Guide to Harbourfront Centre and explore our site on an interactive discovery walk! If you want, we���ll send you periodic emails to let you know about fun upcoming family events at Harbourfront!

Croyez-vous au Miracle? Croyez-vous au Miracle? D��voilement de la programmation de Miracle sur la 3e Avenue

Qu��bec, 24 novembre 2009 - Miracle sur la 3e Avenue a d��voil�� aujourd���hui la programmation de sa 3e ��dition, qui se tiendra le 5 d��cembre de 10 h �� 17 h sur la 3e Avenue et ses environs. Pr��lude �� No��l et c��l��bration de l���hiver naissant, Miracle sur la 3e Avenue s���adresse aux familles qui ont le go��t de bouger, aux amateurs des m��tiers d���art et �� tout ceux et celles qui souhaitent s���impr��gner de l���esprit des f��tes dans une atmosph��re chaleureuse. C���est avec enthousiasme que le porte-parole, Fran��ois-Guy Thivierge, a pr��sent�� les grandes lignes de l���v��nement �� venir.

Une programmation pour tous! �ĮLa programmation de l���dition 2009 de Miracle sur la 3e Avenue comprend deux volets distincts : l���un ext��rieur et l���autre int��rieur.

Le volet ext��rieur propose aux jeunes familles d���poustouflantes activit��s en plein air et sous chapiteau. Animation de No��l, chansons, th����tre pour enfants, chorale ambulante, tramway tir�� par des chevaux, petite ferme, espace avec glissades pour tout-petits et d��coration de sapin. Bref, la 3e Avenue se m��tamorphosera en v��ritable royaume du P��re No��l.

Le volet int��rieur invite �� un contact privil��gi�� avec les m��tiers d���art, bien au chaud. D��monstrations des ��l��ves en joaillerie, exposition sur les techniques d���b��nisterie, expo-vente d����uvres issues des m��tiers d���art et des arts visuels, service d���emballage de cadeaux sur place, les visiteurs repartiront avec l���impression d���avoir visit�� la fabrique secr��te des lutins, d��gustations en prime.

L���aventure au c��ur de la Ville �ĮGr��ce �� une collaboration avec Roc Gyms, Miracle sur la 3e Avenue ajoute une nouvelle activit�� �� sa programmation ext��rieure : un mur d���escalade ext��rieur. Pour le plus grand plaisir des petits et des grands, cette activit�� gratuite sera anim��e par des professionnels qui accompagneront les visiteurs dans une pratique s��curitaire de ce loisir d���aventure.

Un porte-parole qui croit au Miracle �ĮFran��ois-Guy Thivierge, un alpiniste bien connu au Qu��bec pour avoir gravi les sept plus hauts sommets du monde, a accept�� de bon c��ur l���invitation de Miracle �� devenir le porte-parole de la 3e ��dition. Lui-m��me entrepreneur dans le quartier, il a ��t�� charm�� par le concept de la f��te hivernale, organis��e par des b��n��voles gr��ce �� l���nergie et �� la cr��ativit�� des citoyens et des gens d���affaires de Limoilou. �� Comme en escalade, tout part d���un r��ve et lorsqu���on y croit vraiment et qu���on fait les efforts n��cessaires, les miracles sont parfois possibles! ��, souligne-t-il avec le sourire.

La magie du Vieux-Limoilou�ĮAvec son ambiance conviviale, ses petits commerces tr��s tendance et son cachet unique, le Vieux-Limoilou s��duit �� tout coup ses visiteurs�Ķ m��me le P��re No��l! Miracle sur la 3e Avenue est fier de contribuer �� sa vitalit��.

Un miracle n���arrive jamais seul!�ĮL���organisation d���un ��v��nement comme Miracle sur la 3e Avenue ne se fait pas sans la collaboration de nombreux partenaires et collaborateurs. Celui-ci ne fait pas exception.

Pour cette 3e ��dition, le miracle est rendu possible gr��ce �� la participation des organismes suivants : la Ville de Qu��bec, l���Arrondissement La Cit��-Limoilou, la Caisse Desjardins de Limoilou, le CLD de Qu��bec, Roc Gyms, CKRL 89,1, le journal Voir Qu��bec, Le Carrefour de Qu��bec et le site Internet MonLimoilou.com.

Miracle sur la 3e Avenue est une r��alisation de Limoilou en vrac et du Regroupement des Artistes et Artisans de Limoilou, en collaboration avec l����cole de Joaillerie de Qu��bec, l���Institut Qu��b��cois d����b��nisterie et Initiative 1,2,3 GO! Limoilou.

Aux dires des organisateurs, il serait fort surprenant, qu���au terme de cette folle journ��e d���activit��s vari��es, vous ne soyez pas du nombre des nouveaux convertis ou des fid��les qui croient que le miracle est chose possible, surtout au d��but du mois de d��cembre sur la 3e Avenue �� Limoilou.�Į

Consultez la programmation: �Įwww.monlimoilou.com/miracle

Attention Jazz lovers and film fans: ���CHOPS��� is now available in Canada.

The film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, is a must-see film for anyone passionate about music. ���CHOPS��� tells the story of a remarkable group of music students from a public-arts school in Jacksonville, Florida as they compete in the prestigious national Essentially Ellington Competition & Festival, produced by Jazz at Lincoln Center and hosted by its Artistic Director, Wynton Marsalis.

The film is currently available via B-Side Entertainment���s signature ���Theatrical On Demand��� program where individuals, restaurants, jazz clubs and other organizations can host a screening of any size, in any location, at any time.

Additionally, the ���CHOPS��� DVD is now on sale and makes a perfect gift for the music lover in your family.

For more information about the film, visit www.chopsthemovie.com.

The WSO Gets Into the Holiday Spirit With Three Festive Shows!

Winnipeg, MB ��� December 1, 2009 ���The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) is offering something for everyone this holiday season! Whether your musical palette favours the classics or pops, or you like to enjoy an afternoon of fun with the kids, you can be sure to enjoy a holiday concert presented by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra! Covering six dates, the WSO is presenting three concerts to help get Winnipeggers into the spirit of the holidays.�Į�Į

Masterworks: The Creation�Į
Friday, December 4 at 8 pm�Į
Saturday, December 5 at 8 pm�Į�Į

Alexander Mickelthwate leads the orchestra for The Creation, known as Haydn���s greatest choral work. Along with the Mennonite Festival Chorus (with co-conductors William Baerg and Rudy Schellenberg), an all-star line-up will help us celebrate the 200th anniversary of the composer���s death.�Į�ĮCanadian soprano, Donna Brown, who performs on the world���s great opera and concert stages, will share the stage with the WSO for The Creation. She has received critical acclaim for her many operatic and her numerous recordings include programs with conductors Kent Nagano, Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Helmuth Rilling.

�Į�ĮTenor James McLennan is hailed for his ���emotional intensity��� (Opera News) with "a sweet lyric voice of great promise" and has won praise for compelling portrayals in repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary works. �Į�ĮBritish Columbia-born baritone Tyler Duncan is in high demand as an artist at home in lieder, opera and oratorio repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to modern music. Highlights of his 2009-2010 Season include Bach���s ICH HABE GENUG with Tafelmusik in Toronto, Haydn���s DIE JAHRESZEITEN for the Calgary Philharmonic, MESSIAH with the Toronto Symphony, and performances at Carnegie Hall with the New York Oratorio Society.�Į�Į

Sundays With the Family: The Snowman�ĮSunday, December 6 at 2 pm

�Į�ĮWe bring back Raymond Briggs��� heart-warming holiday film, The Snowman. The charming tale of the little boy James, who builds a snowman ��� only to have it come to life ��� brought the audience to its feet when the full WSO performed Howard Blake���s magical soundtrack score live to the film performed it with live music two seasons ago.�Į�ĮSoprano Andrea Macasaet will be the vocal highlight of The Snowman, singing its famous song Walking in the Air. Macasaet, a 15-year old Grade 10 student at Garden City Collegiate in Winnipeg, was a finalist for YTV and CMT���s ���Karoke Star Jr��� and the 2009 Grand Champion of Red River Ex���s Stars of Tomorrow.�Į�ĮFor Sunday���s concert, CBC TV���s Janet Stewart will narrate three favourite fables of Aesop in Anthony Plog���s engaging settings with orchestra. Janet is well known for her contributions to the community having served as the Honorary Chairperson of Easter Seals and the Parkinson Society of Manitoba. WSO resident conductor Richard Lee will be on the podium.�Į

Pre-concert activities begin at 1 pm with crafts, rhythm ensembles, a conducting station, and more!
�Į�Į

Pops: John McDermott's Holiday Special�Į
Friday, December 11 at 8 pm
�ĮSaturday, December 12 at 8 pm�Į
Sunday, December 13 at 2 pm�Į�Į

Richard Lee steers the WSO���s holiday sleigh to their last stop: John McDermott���s Holiday Special.�Į�ĮMcDermott���s performance of Celtic-inspired holiday music has fast become a Canadian tradition. An original member of the Irish Tenors and multiple Juno-nominee, McDermott boasts a remarkable work ethic, releasing at least an album a year, and averaging more than 100 performances a year over the last decade. John���s musical roots are equal parts Scottish and Irish.

The WSO performs the following concerts in December:

Masterworks - The Creation, on Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5 at 8 pm
Sundays with the Family - The Snowman, on Sunday, December 6 at 2 pm
Pops - John McDermott���s Holiday Special on Friday, December 11, Saturday, December 12 at 8 PM and Sunday, December 13 at 2 PM.

All concerts are being held at the Centennial Concert Hall. Tickets for all three shows range from $11.25 to $75 and are available through the WSO box office at 949-3999, online at www.wso.ca or through Ticketmaster (780-3333 or ticketmaster.ca).

Soir��es Intimate Sky : happenings po��tiques compl��tement d��lirants!

English to follow

Le 4 d��cembre au MAI (Montr��al, arts interculturels)
Po��sie / soul / funk / jazz / hip hop
(English will follow)

Chapitre 14 - vendredi le 4 d��cembre 2009 �� 20h
Chapitre 15 - vendredi le 19 mars 2010 �� 20h
Chapitre 16 - vendredi le 14 mai 2010 �� 20h (avec Nomadic Massive)

Montr��al, le 1er d��cembre 2009 ��� Le 4 d��cembre prochain �� 20h au caf�� du MAI - Montr��al arts interculturels, ne manquez surtout pas le Chapitre 14 des soir��es Intimate Sky. Cette s��rie de spectacles appr��ci��e du public et initi��e par Jason ��Blackbird�� Selman r��unit quelques-uns des meilleurs musiciens, chanteurs et po��tes urbains de la sc��ne artistique montr��alaise pour d���incroyables performances improvis��es tout en mots et en musique. Jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, reggae et spoken word se volent tour �� tour la vedette dans ces soir��es flamboyantes o�� la cr��ativit�� est �� l���honneur !

Chaque soir��e de la s��rie se d��roule sous un th��me particulier et r��unit des membres de Kalmunity ainsi que plusieurs invit��s sp��ciaux. Le Chapitre 14 de la s��rie pr��sente en 2009 divers trios compos��s de 2 chanteurs/chanteuses et de 1 musicien/musicienne sous le th��me Respect for the Gift. L���exp��rience sera renouvel��e �� deux autres reprises au cours de l���ann��e 2010, toujours sous un th��me diff��rent.

Lanc��e en 2005 et r��sidente au MAI depuis 2008, la s��rie Intimate Sky repose sur la red��couverte d���artistes issus de la communaut�� artistique urbaine et r��v��le une facette moins connue de leur talent. R��unis en petits groupes, chanteurs, rappeurs, po��tes et musiciens improvisent dans une ambiance �� mi-chemin entre le cabaret et le club de jazz. Ces artistes puissants n���h��sitent pas �� se mettre en danger avec des collaborations parfois surprenantes et ��mouvantes en anglais et en fran��ais. Compl��tement ancr��es dans l���intensit�� du moment pr��sent, ces soir��es d���envol��es po��tiques et musicales suscitent �� coup s��r l���enthousiasme du public.

�� propos du concepteur

Jason Selman est musicien, po��te, dramaturge, producteur, p��dagogue et professeur. Il est ��galement l���auteur de deux deux recueils de po��sie, d���une pi��ce de th����tre et s���implique activement dans le programme Youthworks du Black Theatre Workshop. Pr��sent sur la sc��ne montr��alaise et canadienne depuis 10 ans, ce trompettiste de renom fait ��galement partie des groupes de musique multiculturels de l���heure, soit Kalmunity et Nomadic Massive.

www.kalmunity.com www.nomadicmassive.com

On peut se procurer les billets pour ces repr��sentations au co��t exceptionnel de 12 $ en se pr��sentant �� la billetterie du MAI situ��e au 3680 rue Jeanne-Mance ou en composant le 514 982-3386.

*****

Intimate Sky Series: Intoxicated on music and poetry
December 4 at the MAI (Montr��al, arts interculturels)
Poetry / soul / funk / jazz / hip hop

Chapter 14 - Friday, December 4, 2009 at 8 pm
Chapter 15 - Friday, March 19, 2010 at 8 pm
Chapter 16 - Friday, May 14, 2010 at 8 pm (with Nomadic Massive)

Montreal, December 1st, 2009 ��� December 4th at 8 pm in the MAI���s caf��, don���t miss Chapter 14 of the Intimate Sky concerts. This popular series created by Jason ���Blackbird��� Selman brings together some of the finest musicians, singers, rappers, and urban poets of the Montreal scene for incredible lyrical and musical, improvised performances. Featuring Jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, reggae, and spoken word, theses dynamic concerts celebrate creativity at its best!

Each night has a specific theme and brings together Kalmunity members along with many special guests. In Chapter 14 presented in 2009, trios will take the stage ��� 2 singers and a musician working around the theme of Respect for the Gift. Intimate Sky continues in 2010, with each production having a different theme.

Launched in 2005, Intimate Sky has been a fixture on the MAI���s stage since 2008. This series is rooted in the rediscovery of urban artists and highlights their lesser-known talents. United in little groups, singers, rappers, poets, and musicians improvise all in a cabaret / jazz club setting. These bold new artists give stirring and startling collaborative performances in both French and English. Anchored in the intensity of the moment, these powerful spoken soul performances are guaranteed to win over audiences.

About the producer

Jason Selman is a musician, poet, playwright, producer, and teacher. He is also the author of two poetry anthologies and one play. He is actively involved in teaching the Black Theatre Workshop���s Youthworks program. Well-known on the music scene for over 10 years in Montreal and Canada, this trumpet player also plays along with the two most popular multicultural music groups of the moment: Kalmunity and Nomadic Massive.

Tickets for the show are available for only $12 at the MAI box office, 3680 Jeanne-Mance Street, or by calling (514) 982-3386.

www.kalmunity.com www.nomadicmassive.com

Quatuor en r��sidence au Conservatoire de musique de Montr��al

Olga Ranzenhofer, violon
Fr��d��ric Bednarz, violon
Fr��d��ric Lambert, alto
Pierre-Alain Bouvrette, violoncelle

Le Quatuor Molinari est heureux d'offrir au public une toute nouvelle s��rie de concerts intitul��e Le quatuor aux 20e et 21e si��cles. Co-produite avec le Conservatoire de musique de Montr��al, cette s��rie permettra au public d'entendre des oeuvres fascinantes dans leur enti��ret�� apr��s une pr��sentation et des exemples musicaux.

Le premier concert de cette s��rie aura lieu le vendredi 4 d��cembre �� 20 heures �� la nouvelle salle de concert du Conservatoire de musique de Montr��al au 4750, avenue Henri-Julien (m��tro Mont-Royal).

Au programme du concert, deux oeuvres canadiennes : le quatuor no. 3 de Michael Matthews et le 11e quatuor de R. Murray Schafer.

S��rie Le quatuor aux 20e et 21e si��cles
Vendredi 4 d��cembre 20 heures
Conservatoire de musique de Montr��al
4750, avenue Henri-Julien (m��tro Mont-Royal)
un stationnement est disponible au co��t de 5$ lors des concerts.

Billets : 5$ en vente �� la porte le soir du concert

Acadieman aux 8e Sommets du cin��ma d���animation de Montr��al : une premi��re qu��b��coise pour le �� First super h��ros acadien �� !

(Moncton, 27 novembre 2009) - En association avec le Centre de la francophonie des Am��riques, le long m��trage Acadieman vs le CMA du r��alisateur acadien Dano LeBlanc sera en montre aux 8e Sommets du cin��ma d���animation de Montr��al qui se tiendra du 3 au 6 d��cembre 2009. Le film sera projet�� les vendredi et samedi 4 et 5 d��cembre, �� 21 h. Dano LeBlanc sera sur place et rencontrera le public le dimanche 6 d��cembre �� 14 h. L���v��nement aura lieu �� la Cin��math��que qu��b��coise situ��e au 335, boul. de Maisonneuve Est, �� Montr��al.

Acadieman vs le CMA est un hilarant film d���aventures mettant en vedette le �� first super h��ros acadien ��, dont le dialogue est principalement en chiac, le parler d���une partie de la population francophone du sud-est du Nouveau-Brunswick. D���abord diffus��es sous la forme de capsules web sur Capacadie.com, les aventures du h��ros sont tr��s populaires aupr��s des jeunes acadiens. Ce premier long m��trage de Dano LeBlanc vient d���ailleurs d���tre couronn�� du prix �� La Vague L��onard Forest �� au Festival international du cin��ma francophone en Acadie 2009 pour la meilleure ��uvre acadienne, moyen ou long m��trage.

Acadieman vs le CMA est pr��sent�� aux Sommets du cin��ma d���animation de Montr��al en association avec le Centre de la francophonie des Am��riques. Le film a ��t�� lanc�� �� l���t�� 2009 au Nouveau-Brunswick. Un DVD du long m��trage est ��galement disponible.

Le Centre de la francophonie des Am��riques est fier de contribuer �� cette grande primeur d���Acadieman au Qu��bec. Cette initiative s���inscrit dans la r��alisation de la mission du Centre et met en valeur la diversit�� culturelle des communaut��s francophones des Am��riques.

Le film Acadieman vs le CMA peut ��tre visionn�� sous forme de capsules sur www.capacadie.com. Plus d���information sur les 8e Sommets du cin��ma d���animation de Montr��al au www.cinematheque.qc.ca.

Acadieman vs le CMA

Calendrier �� la Cin��math��que qu��b��coise (335, boul. de Maisonneuve Est, Montr��al)
- Le vendredi 4 d��cembre �� 21 h
- Le samedi 5 d��cembre �� 21 h
Rencontre du public avec le r��alisateur Dano LeBlanc
- Le dimanche 6 d��cembre �� 14 h

Delight the entire family with Symphony Nova Scotia���s The Nutcracker!

Presented by Symphony Nova Scotia with Halifax Dance and Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia
Conducted by Bernhard Gueller and Martin MacDonald
Choreographed and directed by Leica Hardy
Puppetry direction by Jim Morrow
December 4, 5, 11 & 12 at 7:30 pm
December 5, 6, & 12 at 2:00 pm
Music by Pyotr Il���ytch Tchaikovsky

Halifax, NS ��� Colourful characters. Larger-than-life puppets. Breathtaking live music. A fairy tale ballet. Symphony Nova Scotia presents its 19th-anniversary production of The Nutcracker, a holiday treat for all ages!

Taking place from December 4-12 at the Rebecca Cohn Auditorium, this annual production by Symphony Nova Scotia, Halifax Dance, and Mermaid Theatre is unmatched by any other in Nova Scotia. Combining the talents of over 100 musicians, dancers, and production staff, The Nutcracker entertains thousands of Nova Scotians each year.

It���s the story of a young girl who falls asleep in a dormitory and wakes up in a fantasy world with her beloved Nutcracker. Together, they fight a ferocious mouse queen and enter an enchanting Land of Snow, where flowers, dolls, and toys come to life.

���It���s a magical story,��� says Melanie Ferro, who plays Clara again this year. ���The huge puppets, the dancing, the live music by Tchaikovsky ��� it���s all very exciting, and it���s the perfect family event for the holidays. It���s the story of fighting your fears and turning them into something positive and hopeful. It gives you the feeling that anything can happen!���

Melanie performs in The Nutcracker with a cast of more than 30 dancers and puppeteers, ranging in age from seven all the way to 50. And while she and her fellow dancers and puppeteers are onstage, the musicians of Symphony Nova Scotia are beneath them in the pit performing Tchaikovsky���s famous Nutcracker Suite. The Suite includes some of the most recognizable classical music ever written, including the Russian Dance, the Waltz of the Flowers and Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.

"Our version of The Nutcracker is a very human narrative for all ages,��� says Leica Hardy, The Nutcracker���s choreographer and director. ���It is a story of loneliness and friendship, fear and courage, distrust and compassion, and the transformation of a lonely child into a courageous, gracious and forgiving young woman."

Get your tickets now! Prices range from $19-37, HST included. Call 494.3820 or 1.800.874.1669, or visit www.SymphonyNovaScotia.ca.

10e ��dition du Troph��e Roses des Sables

S��ance d���information le vendredi 4 d��cembre �� Montr��al

Montr��al, le jeudi 26 novembre 2009 ��� Trouvant chaque ann��e de plus en plus d'adeptes qu��b��coises, le Troph��e Roses des Sables se tiendra comme le veut la tradition, dans le d��sert du Maroc, du 9 au 19 octobre prochain. Une s��ance d���information, en compagnie de la porte-parole Sylvie Fr��chette, aura lieu �� Montr��al pour celles qui aimeraient en savoir davantage sur le rallye :

Le vendredi 4 d��cembre 2009 �� 19h00
Lieu : ��comus��e du fier monde
Adresse : 2050, rue Amherst ( angle Ontario ��� �� 5 minutes du m��tro Berri-UQAM )

Cette aventure est r��serv��e aux femmes du monde entier qui veulent vivre l'exp��rience des rallyes africains en 4x4. Les participantes, �� l���aide d���un �� Roadbook �� et d���une boussole, doivent rallier les ��tapes en respectant les points de contr��le. L���accent n���est pas mis sur la vitesse dans cette comp��tition. Les concurrentes sont class��es en fonction du kilom��trage qui doit ��tre le plus pr��s possible de la distance inscrite dans le �� Roadbook �� et sur le franchissement des dunes.

Une dimension humanitaire importante

Au-del�� de l'aspect sportif et de la soif d'aventure, le Troph��e Roses des Sables permet aux participantes de contribuer au d��veloppement humanitaire et social de plusieurs communaut��s sud-marocaines. Concr��tement, c'est 50 kg de dons humanitaires qui sont distribu��s par chaque ��quipe �� destination des enfants marocains. Une belle fa��on de combiner l'aventure au don de soi.

Site Internet: www.trophee-roses-des-sables.com

Bach, rigodons et rockn roll : rencontre avec un violoncelle iconoclaste Claude Lamothe en rentr��e montr��alaise

Montr��al, le jeudi 26 novembre 2009 - Absent des sc��nes montr��alaises depuis ao��t 2008, le Ges�� est fier d���accueillir, le vendredi 4 d��cembre 2009 �� 19h30, le violoncelliste Claude Lamothe en solo. En plus de revisiter quelques-unes de ses compositions telle �� Folk you ��, le spectacle sera essentiellement compos�� de nouvelles pi��ces dans le style qui fait sa renomm��e : unique et inclassable ! Pr��parez-vous �� une rencontre inoubliable et envo��tante dans l���atmosph��re mystique de l���glise du Ges�� !

Pour pr��senter Claude Lamothe, il faudrait tout d���abord parler du violoncelliste virtuose, ��tudiant de nul autre que Yuli Turovsky. Lamothe a commenc�� sa carri��re en jouant pour I Musici et le Nouvel Orchestre Moderne. Par la suite, il a grav�� trois albums salu��s par la critique et a remport�� deux G��meaux et un F��lix. Parmi ses collaborations, on retrouve Carbone 14, Diane Dufresne et Mes A��eux.

Mais il faudrait surtout parler d���un iconoclaste, ancien bassiste ��lectrique d��vergond�� en violoncelliste. Ses cr��ations inspirent toujours la m��me question : �� Quel est ton style ? �� Et il offre toujours la m��me r��ponse : �� Je n���en ai pas ! Enfin si, le mien ! �� Si ses inspirations puisent aussi bien dans Bach, dans Metallica que dans les rigodons irlandais, c���est pour faire acqu��rir au violoncelle les lettres de noblesse d���un instrument soliste ; capable, au m��me titre que la trompette ou la guitare, d���exprimer toute une gamme d���motions et de frissons. En concert, il convainc le n��ophyte comme le savant de la pertinence de son propos.

A l���occasion de ce concert unique, Claude Lamothe trouvera un partenaire exceptionnel en la personne de l���glise du Ges��. Cette majestueuse chapelle construite en 1865, reconnue Bien culturel et Patrimoine historique en 1975, lieu de culte et de spectacles aux murs couverts de trompe-l����il, servira d���crin au r��cital tout acoustique. Une exp��rience entre ombre et lumi��re, musique et ��cho ; en r��sonnance avec la mission du Ges�� qui vous convie �� ce voyage.

Le Ges��
pr��sente

CLAUDE LAMOTHE

Rentr��e montr��alaise
Solo et acoustique

Le 4 d��cembre 2009
19h30

��glise du Ges��
1202 de Bleury, Mtl

Billets : 25-30$
R��servations
514.861.4036
Admission.com
Mo Place-des-Arts

SMCQ :Vers une ��toile

Avec la participation de :
Culture, Communications et Condition f��minine
��ducation, Loisir et Sport

GILLES TREMBLAY 09/10
Grande soir��e d���orgue

Montr��al, le 23 octobre 2009 - Destination Cosmos. Pour c��l��brer la fin de l���ann��e 2009, la SMCQ, associ��e au Conservatoire de musique et d���art dramatique du Qu��bec, invite deux organistes de talent �� pr��senter deux ��uvres majeures du r��pertoire d���orgue contemporain, sur une des meilleures orgues de Montr��al. Une programmation qui, par ses sonorit��s g��n��reuses et enveloppantes, vous transportera... vers les ��toiles.

Dans le cadre de la S��RIE HOMMAGE consacr��e �� Gilles Tremblay, Jean-Willy Kunz nous offre son interpr��tation de Vers une ��toile, du compositeur �� l���honneur. L����uvre, ��crite ���dans
l���esprit de No��l et de l����piphanie���, est ici pr��sent��e �� Montr��al pour la premi��re fois depuis sa cr��ation en 1993. Kunz interpr��tera ��galement une cr��ation de Jean Lesage, ancien ��l��ve de
Gilles Tremblay, compos��e �� l���occasion du grand hommage qui lui est rendu cette ann��e.

En deuxi��me partie de concert, R��gis Rousseau prend �� son tour les r��nes de l���orgue pour interpr��ter Chorals orn��s, une ��uvre magistrale de Yves Daoust, lui aussi ancien ��tudiant
de Gilles Tremblay. ��crite pour orgue et ��lectronique, l����uvre s���est r��v��l��e ��tre un incontournable de la musique ���mixte��� lors de sa cr��ation en 2008. Tremblay, la puret�� du plain-chant gr��gorien ; Daoust, le faste d���une fusion ��lectroacoustique invoquant Bach. De
l���un �� l���autre, une m��me pl��nitude : une exp��rience hors du temps, vibrante, poignante, enlevante�Ķ ����levante��.

�� Jean Lesage : Cr��ation en hommage �� Tremblay (2009)
Jean-Willy Kunz, orgue

�� Gilles Tremblay : Vers une ��toile (1993)
Jean-Willy Kunz, orgue

�� Yves Daoust : Chorals orn��s (2008)
R��gis Rousseau, orgue

Yves Daoust, diffusion
Dimanche 6 d��cembre 2009, 16 h
��glise de l���Immacul��e-Conception
4201, ave Papineau
Prix des billets : 25 $ / 12,50 $ / 10 $
Coproduction Soci��t�� de musique contemporaine du Qu��bec / Conservatoire
de musique et d���art dramatique du Qu��bec.

Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould

�ĮDirected by Peter Raymont and Mich��le Hozer�Į�Į�Į
Special Presentation Screenings: The Royal in Toronto�Į
Thu Dec 3 ��� Sun Dec 6 and Tue Dec 8, 2009

�Į�ĮCinema du Parc in Montreal
�ĮFriday December 4 ��� Thursday December 17, 2009�Į

TORONTO - After a successful launch at TIFF 2009, Union Pictures and White Pine Pictures are pleased to bring Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould to audiences across Canada with a series of Special Screenings in select venues beginning with The Royal in Toronto and the Cin��ma du Parc in Montr��al. Confirmed dates in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Waterloo, and Ottawa will be announced in the coming weeks.�Į

�ĮIntimately revealing the man behind the myth, Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould casts a fresh light on the mysterious pianist whose ideas were as controversial, and his private life as passionate, as his music.�Į

�ĮAlthough undoubtedly one of the most famous artists of his time - what do any of us really know about the man Glenn Gould, who would turn his back on celebrity for the sake of his art and whose devotion to his craft cost him the relationships most dear to him? A collaboration between award-winning documentary director�ĮPeter Raymont and award-winning editor Mich��le Hozer in her directorial debut, Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould explores these questions and humanizes the icon.�Į

�ĮFeaturing never-before seen footage of Gould, photographs and excerpts from his private home recordings and diaries, plus personal memories from Gould's most intimate friends and lovers, some who have never spoken about him publicly before, Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould takes a fresh look at the artist who continues to captivate twenty-seven years after his untimely death.�Į �Į

ABOUT WHITE PINE PICTURES:�Į

Headed by award-winning filmmaker, Peter Raymont, the company is recognized internationally as a high quality production house with a reputation for compelling visual styles and depth of content. White Pine Pictures prides itself on its longtime relationships with Canadian talent and key industry players worldwide. White Pine has produced over 100 films, including the Emmy award-winning feature documentary Shake Hands With The Devil: The Journey of Rom��o Dallaire, the Oscar-short listed A Promise to the Dead: The Exile Journey of Ariel Dorfman, and the award-winning documentary Triage: Dr. James Orbinski���s Humanitarian Dilemma. www.whitepinepictures.com �Į

ABOUT UNION PICTURES:

�ĮUnion Pictures is a full-service movie distribution and production company dedicated to the idea that Canadians have the ability and the resources to be a world leader in creating the best in on-screen entertainment. Union is preparing for the upcoming release of Gary Yates High Life, a heist comedy set in the 80���s starring Timothy Olyphant, Stephen McIntyre, Joe Anderson and Rossif Sutherland. High Life opens in select centres across Canada on January 15, 2010.�Į www.unionpictures.ca website: www.glenngould.com Running time: 108 minutes

Les Jeunesses Musicales du Canada Soulignent le 20e Anniversaire de la Convention Relative aux Droits de l'Enfant des Nations Unies

For English see below�Į�Į

�ĮExtrait de la Convention relative aux droits de l���enfant des Nations Unies :
Article 31, 2. ��Les ��tats parties respectent et favorisent le droit de l'enfant de participer pleinement �� la vie culturelle et artistique et encouragent l���organisation �� son intention de moyens appropri��s de loisirs et d'activit��s r��cr��atives, artistiques et culturelles, dans des conditions d���galit��.��

Les Jeunesses Musicales du Canada (JMC) souhaitent aujourd���hui souligner le 20e anniversaire de la Convention relative aux droits de l���enfant des Nations Unies.

Un petit pas pour l���homme, un pas de g��ant�Ķ pour les enfants !

Depuis maintenant 60 ans, les artistes qui ��uvrent sous l���gide des JMC sillonnent sans rel��che les ��coles et les lieux de diffusion du pays afin de faire d��couvrir les plaisirs et les bienfaits de la musique aux enfants. Pr��sentes dans 9 provinces, dans plusieurs grands centres urbains comme dans les r��gions les plus ��loign��es, les JMC permettent �� beaucoup d���enfants d���apprivoiser la musique classique et de d��velopper leurs aptitudes et leurs connaissances musicales.

Chaque ann��e, les JMC ont �� c��ur de rendre la musique accessible aux jeunes en leur proposant diverses activit��s dont :
- Plus de 700 concerts par ann��e dans les ��coles et les centres de diffusion �� travers le pays ;�Į- Plus de 750 ateliers musicaux vari��s et adapt��s aux milieux pr��scolaire, scolaire et secondaire.
Annuellement, plus de 110 000 enfants d��couvrent la musique gr��ce aux JMC. Imaginez apr��s 60 ans... 60 ans �� croire que l���acc��s �� la musique est un droit pour tous, pour les petits et pour les grands.

Aidez-nous �� accro��tre notre port��e en faisant un don d��s aujourd���hui �� la Fondation des Jeunesses Musicales du Canada! Contactez Marie-H��lene Paquette, coordonnatrice au d��veloppement philanthropique, en composant le 514 845-4108, poste 246 ou par courriel �� l���adresse suivante : mhpaquette@jmcanada.ca �Į �ĮQuelle belle fa��on de c��l��brer l���adoption de la Convention relative aux droits de l���enfant des Nations Unies que celui de le faire�Ķ tout en musique ! �Į

***

JEUNESSES MUSICALES OF CANADA COMMEMORATES THE 20th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
�Į
Excerpt of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child:
Article 31, 2. "States Parties shall respect and promote the right of the child to participate fully in cultural and artistic life and shall encourage the provision of appropriate and equal opportunities for cultural, artistic, recreational and leisure activity. Jeunesses Musicales of Canada today wishes to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child."


�ĮIllustrations: Lorraine Beaudoin, Alpha Zulu

Jeunesses Musicales of Canada (JMC) today wishes to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A small step for man, a giant leap�Ķ for children!

For 60 years now, artists working under the aegis of JMC have tirelessly made their way into the country���s schools and venues to introduce children to the benefits of music. Present in 9 provinces, in several major urban centres as in remote regions, JMC allows great numbers of children to cultivate an appreciation for classical music and to develop their musical knowledge and abilities.

Each year, JMC takes great care to ensure that music is accessible to youth by offering an array of activities including:
- Over 700 concerts per year in schools and venues across the country�Į- A variety of over 750 music workshops adapted to the pre-school, elementary school, and high school milieus.
Annually, more than 110,000 children are able to discover music thanks to JMC. Just imagine after 60 years.... 60 years of believing that access to music is a right for young and old alike.
Help us increase our range of activities by making a donation to the Jeunesses Musicales of Canada Foundation today! Contact Marie-H��lene Paquette, Philanthropic Development Coordinator at 514-845-4108, extension 246 or by email at the following address: mhpaquette@jmcanada.ca

What better way to celebrate the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child than to do it with music!�Į �Į

Captivating holiday favourite matches powerful scripture and song - Dec. 4 & 5

Powerful and inspiring matching of scripture and song in the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra���s presentation of Handel���s Messiah

Friday, December 4th ��� 7:30 pm
Saturday, December 5th ��� 7:30 pm

Edmonton, AB �Ķ In its annual tradition, your Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) presents Handel���s Messiah, one of the worlds most enduring and cherished works of faith and inspiration. For over 250 years, audiences have been captivated by this Baroque treasure and holiday favourite. In what is considered Handel���s most famous creation, one of Canada���s brightest young conductors, Jean-Marie Zeitouni, returns to the Francis Winspear Centre for Music for a joyous and powerful musical experience. Along with four highly-acclaimed international soloists, and two of Edmonton���s finest chamber choirs, the ESO promises a stunning presentation of one of the greatest musical masterpieces of all time.

Making their ESO debut, Soprano H��l��ne Guilmette, Mezzo-Soprano Daniela Mack, Tenor Colin Balzer, and Bass Stephen Hegedus will recreate the opulent power and stirring contrast of this famous oratorio, based on libretto by Charles Jennens. The inspired relation between the words and music, and the compelling spaciousness of Handel���s music, will also be evoked by nearly 70 voices from the University of Alberta Madrigal Singers and i Coristi Chamber Choir. Backed by the full richness of the orchestra, concert patrons will be brought to their feet with its climactic ���Hallelujah��� chorus, the most famous and recognizable piece from Handel���s Messiah.

Ticket prices for this performance range from $20 ��� $79 (agency fees apply). All tickets for Youth/Child (aged 3 - 17) are $20 (agency fees apply). Tickets are available through the Winspear Centre Box Office at (780) 428-1414, toll-free 1-800-563-5081, or online at edmontonsymphony.com.

The next special performance for the ESO this season takes place on Monday, December 7, as the Canadian Tenors return for a sold out performance of traditional holiday favourites.

Thank you to our performance sponsors 105.9 Shine FM and AM 930 The Light, and our season media sponsors CBC and the Edmonton Journal.

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, marking its 58th season in 2009-2010, has taken its place as one of Canada's foremost orchestral ensembles. Its current roster includes 56 musicians from Canada and around the world, performing a wide-ranging repertoire from the great classical masterworks to pops and children's concerts. The presence of the orchestra and its enrichment of the community's quality of life are key elements in the stature and profile of Edmonton on the national and international scene.

Anne Akiko Meyers Appearing with Il Divo in Toronto December 11th

Star violinist to appear on Christmas Tour with the musical supergroup in Toronto, Atlantic City, Connecticut and Boston

New York, NY ��� The trail-blazing violinist Anne Akiko Meyers is one of the world's premiere concert artists, performing regularly in recital and with leading orchestras globally. On December 11th, she joins Il Divo, one of the world���s most popular musical groups as they appear in a series of intimate holiday concerts with 37-piece orchestra entitled Celebrate Christmas with Il Divo. The limited-run international tour launches in London on December 7th and lands in Toronto on the 11th. Emmy & Tony-winning soprano Kristin Chenoweth will also join Il Divo and Meyers on selected stops along the tour.

For the shows, Il Divo will perform songs in three languages from the group���s double platinum album The Christmas Collection and their recent album The Promise including stunning renditions of Silent Night, White Christmas and O Holy Night as well as inspirational favorites such as Amazing Grace and Ave Maria.

On each stop on the Il Divo tour, Anne Akiko Meyers will join the group for a performance of Somewhere Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz and Panis Angelicus, the moving sacred meditation by C��sar Franck. She will also perform Smile ��� from her hit album of the same name released in spring 2009 ��� along with the fiendishly virtuosic ���Winter��� section from Vivaldi���s Four Seasons and Jeff Tyzik���s arrangement of Autumn in New York by Vernon Duke. Both of these selections will also be featured on her next recording, The Seasons�ĶDreams ��� to be released on Koch in spring of 2010.

"I am totally thrilled to work with the wildly successful group, Il Divo,��� says Anne Akiko Meyers. ���Their range encompasses everything from Vivaldi to Christmas carols, and they reach audiences all over the world. This type of diversity is what I am all about."

Il Divo completes their largest worldwide tour to date, An Evening with Il Divo in November; the massive trek has brought them to 81 cities and 32 countries and was named one of the top 10 grossing tours of 2009 by U.S. trade magazine Pollstar. Il Divo, comprised of American tenor David Miller, popular French singer Sebastian Izambard, Swiss tenor Urs Buhler, and Spanish baritone Carlos Marin were initially brought together by pop impresario Simon Cowell in 2004, following an extensive worldwide audition process. The virtuoso blending of operatic technique with romantic and popular song took the world by storm, with sales of over 22 million.

Anne Akiko Meyers on tour with Celebrate Christmas with Il Divo December 2009
December 11th, Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada
December 12th, Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, NJ
December 13th, Chevrolet Theater in Wallingford, CT
December 18th, Wang Theater in Boston, MA

Visit www.AnneAkikoMeyers.com to learn more about Anne Akiko Meyers���s concerts, discography and latest news.
Visit www.IlDivo.com for Official Tour & Ticket Information, VIP Packages, Fan Club Memberships & more

SENAYA dans le cadre des Rythmes au F��minin , jeudi le 3 d��cembre 2009 au Club balattou pour diffusion imm��diate

Le Meilleur de la Musique du Monde

SENAYA


RYTHMES AU F��MININ
Club Balattou

Montr��al, le 09 novembre 2009 Les Productions Vues Sur Sc��nes en collaboration avec les Productions Nuits d`Afrique sont heureuses de vous inviter, dans le cadre de la s��rie des Rythmes au F��minin, au spectacle de SENAYA, le jeudi 03 d��cembre �� 20h30, au mythique Club Balattou.

Apr��s avoir donn�� des spectacles en r��gion du Qu��bec et dans le Canada en passant par une tourn��e au Mexique, l'auteure- compositrice ���interpr��te, revient sur la sc��ne montr��alaise pour notre plus grand plaisir !

C'est en 2003 que SENAYA remporte le Festival International de la chanson de Granby, cat��gorie Interpr��te, avec ses propres chansons !

En 2005, c'est la sortie d'un premier opus sous ��tiquette Audiogram, du nom de �� Garde la T��te Haute ��

En 2006, l'album est nomin�� au Juno's Awards, cat��gorie, meilleur album francophone. Au courant de la m��me ann��e deux vid��oclips tournent en forte rotation sur Musique Plus et Musimax ( �� Garde la T��te Haute �� et �� Dis-le-moi �� ) SENAYA se retrouve aussi nomin��e comme R��v��lation Archambault. et est nomm��e meilleure artiste Soul/Rnb au gala des prix SOBA.

Artiste ��clectique, SENAYA fa��onne son monde, �� sa mani��re sans rentrer dans aucune cat��gorie si ce n'est celle de la Musique, de la bonne musique, celle qui touche les c��urs. On l'appellera musique de l'��me, musique Soul, car elle est l'��me de l'artiste d��clin��e en une richesse de sons, couleurs chaudes, toutes diff��rentes les unes des autres.

Pas de barri��res, pas de fronti��res, SENAYA est avant tout une humaniste, les chansons de son premier album distillent avec g��n��rosit�� des messages d'espoir et de vie. L'artiste est capable de nous faire voyager, et, se r��v��le sur sc��ne, authentique, elle-m��me, jusqu'au bout, malgr�� tout et en toute sinc��rit��.

C'est donc, un rendez-vous de qualit�� auquel nous vous convions, l'auteure- compositeure- interpr��te pr��sentera des pi��ces de son premier album ainsi que de nouvelles pi��ces qui devraient figurer sur son prochain album. Plaisirs Garantis !!!

Les Productions Vues Sur Sc��nes remercient chaleureusement son partenaire officiel Afrique expansion pour leur appui dans le cadre de ce concert�Ķ.

Chor Leoni presents Yuletide Fires December 18/19

Chor Leoni Men's Choir
Diane Loomer, C.M., Artistic Director

presents

Yuletide Fires

with special guest reader, Pauline Holdstock, author

Friday, December 18, 2009 7:30 pm
St. Andrews-Wesley United Church
1022 Nelson St, Vancouver BC

Saturday, December 19, 2009 ~ 1 pm
West Vancouver United Church
2062 Esquimalt Ave, West Vancouver BC

Tickets to Vancouver & West Vancouver performances $28|$23
available from ticketmaster 604.280.3311

Saturday, December 19, 2009 ~ 7 pm
Howe Sound Secondary School
Squamish BC

*Squamish performance presented by Howe Sound Performing Arts Association.
Visit their website for ticketing details.*

Step inside, away from the rain or snow, and gather around the warmth of Chor Leoni's Yuletide Fires for a West Coast-inspired programme of seasonal beauty. Ancient Haida chant, newly composed carols and arrangements by BC composers Jonathan Quick, Stephen Smith, Larry Nickel and Don Macdonald will wrap you in light during this darkest time of the year and send you home refreshed for the upcoming holiday festivities.


Chor Leoni gratefully acknowledges the ongoing support of the Canada Council for the Arts, City of Vancouver, Government of British Columbia, British Columbia Arts Council, The Corporation of the District of West Vancouver, Vancouver Foundation, Martha Lou Henley Charitable Foundation, CBC, The Vancouver Sun, Playboard, Northwest Musical Services, Ltd, Cypress Choral Music,and Contact Printing & Mailing Ltd. Chor Leoni also thanks its many generous individual donors and volunteers.

Portland Symphony Orchestra's Festival of Trees Lights up the Holiday Season

PORTLAND, Maine ��� The Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is delighted to announce a new Portland holiday tradition, the Festival of Trees. A display of beautifully decorated Christmas trees will fill the lobby of Merrill Auditorium during this holiday season, December 7 through 21. The lobby of Merrill will be transformed into an enchanting winter wonderland by local companies who have donated the trees and their creative talents to provide a captivating, festive atmosphere. Each tree will have its own unique style, all charming and inspirational.

"We're thrilled to commence a new tradition this year on the 30th anniversary of Magic, and the first year Maestro Moody is conducting the performances," said Susan Dench, PSO Festival of Trees volunteer coordinator. "In conjunction with Magic of Christmas, Festival of Trees is sure to become an annual event anticipated by PSO sponsors, audience members and the larger community who can come and visit the Merrill lobby to get in the holiday spirit."

The PSO presents the 30th year of Magic of Christmas with eleven performances December 11-20, led for the first time by Music Director Robert Moody. Visit www.portlandsymphony.com for performance and ticketing information.

2009 Festival of Trees' founding sponsors are: Acadia Insurance, Cardiovascular Consultants of Maine P.A., Compositions, Cumberland Club, Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ, Haven's Candies, IDEXX Laboratories, Maine Lobster Direct, OceanView at Falmouth Retirement Community, Planet Dog, and Portland Pirates.

Members of the Festival of Trees' team are: Cindy Wilson (chair), Harper Lee Collins, Susan Dench, Nancy Greenblatt, Andrea Gross, Mary Jo Kolkhorst , Melissa LaCasse, and Paula Spencer. Joe Boucher, Gregg Carville, Andy Downs, Allison Earnhard, Jessica Ferris, Alice Kornhauser, Christopher LaCasse, and Pandora LaCasse also helped with the creation of this new holiday tradition.

About the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO):

Serving the city of Portland, the state of Maine, and northern New England, the PSO is the largest performing arts organization in Maine. With critically acclaimed performances and broad community engagement, the PSO is widely regarded as one of the top symphony orchestras of its size in the country. For complete season information, including artist biographies; program notes; and Online Insights, provided with support from season Enrichment Sponsor Fairpoint

Tania Miller signs with Victoria Symphony for another 3 years

Victoria, BC ��� Music Director Tania Miller has renewed her contract with the Victoria Symphony for another three years. Beginning immediately this contract will extend to 2013 bringing her to a total of 10 years as Music Director of Vancouver Island���s largest performing arts organization.

Maestra Miller has been the Music Director of the Victoria Symphony since 2003, and has been instrumental in raising the bar of the Orchestra. She has initiated many new programs with the Victoria Symphony in the last seven years. Highlights of the past seasons include the Beethoven Festival, three Mozart Festivals, the New Currents Festival of new music, and the Odyssey Series and Royal Tea Series. Education initiatives include: the Young Musicians Concerto Showcase concerts, the Rink Cycle concert performed with 1000 Greater Victoria students, the addition of K-3 education concerts, and vsNEW, the program for young composers. Her commitment to new music has presented many world premieres for the Orchestra, garnering special praise from the Canada Council for Arts, and has supported the tenures of four composers in residences while in Victoria.

Victoria Symphony Board President, Deedrie Ballard, worked with Ms. Miller to finalize the new contract and is very pleased with her decision to remain as the Symphony���s Music Director. "The Board of Directors feels that the Symphony and our many supporters are extremely fortunate to have Tania Miller under contract for an additional three years. It helps solidify our position as one of the most significant Arts organizations in the Province of British Columbia."

Ms. Miller joined the Victoria Symphony as Music Director in September 2003. As Music Director, Ms. Miller is responsible for programming, conducting the orchestra, and inviting soloists and guest conductors. She conducts between 10 and 12 concerts per season. As a spokesperson for the Victoria Symphony, she participates in events, media interviews, and appears at fund-raising activities. Continuously being involved in and connecting with the community, the public has witnessed Ms. Miller marry Tom Moonen, raise two sons Matthew (4) and Ben (2), and become a popular public figure in Victoria.

Maestra Miller is excited to be continuing with the Victoria Symphony. ���I am thrilled to be continuing as Music Director of the Victoria Symphony. I have grown very fond of the Orchestra. It has so many wonderful and warm people and I am surrounded each day by extraordinary talent. I am proud of the orchestra and its many accomplishments and look forward to our future together.���

Ms. Miller joined the Victoria Symphony as Music Director in September 2003. The 2009-2010 season marks Tania Miller's seventh as music director of the Orchestra, an appointment that made her the first Canadian woman to be appointed to 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.

The Victoria Symphony is Vancouver Island���s largest and most active arts organization performing for more than 125,000 people each year, including 10,000 schoolchildren. Showcasing the outstanding talents of its musicians and guest artists, the Victoria Symphony���s 2009-2010 season offers a diverse and exciting line-up of over 50 concerts.

Maestra Miller will conduct the following upcoming performances:

Haydn, Prokofiev and Mozart
Nancy Argenta, soprano
November 22, 2009
University Centre

Ehnes plays Beethoven
James Ehnes, violin
December 7, 2009
Royal Theatre

What a Wonderful World
Rachel Landrecht, soprano
December 14, 15, & 16
Royal Theatre

VO poised to make history again with Golden Anniversary production of Norma

Vancouver Opera Poised to Make History Again with
Golden Anniversary Production of
NORMA
Stellar cast of Canadian and international voices under the baton of
Maestro Richard Bonynge will rival the legendary 1963 performance

Vancouver, BC ~ In 1963, Vancouver Opera brought Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne together under the baton of Maestro Richard Bonynge in a legendary performance of Norma. 46 years later, VO is poised to make history again as Maestro Bonynge prepares to return to the podium, this time with a stellar cast of beautifully complementary voices handpicked to create an equally stunning Norma.

Excitement is building among those who were at that historic performance and those who will be experiencing Norma for the first time. Maestro Bonynge has conducted over 100 performances of Bellini���s bel canto masterpiece and is the world���s leading musical authority on this haunting, tender opera. There is no one alive who knows this work as well as he.

���I don't think you'll find any better singers for Norma than we have here, ��� Maestro says of VO���s 2009 cast. An audio clip of his thoughts on this production of Norma can be found at http://vancouveropera.blogspot.com.

Singing the title role is soprano Hasmik Papian, currently the world���s most in-demand Norma. Joining her will be tenor Richard Margison, singing the role of Pollione. Born in Victoria, Mr. Margison was in New York just weeks ago, where he delivered striking performances of Radames in Aida at the Metropolitan Opera.

Bringing a fresh, accomplished voice to the role of Adalgisa will be mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich in her VO debut. Bass Alain Coulombe, last seen in VO���s Carmen, sings Oroveso.

Opening night is Saturday, November 28, 2009, with subsequent performances Tuesday, December 1, Thursday, December 3 and Saturday, December 5. All performances take place at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Georgia and Hamilton Streets, Vancouver B.C. and begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets starting at $29 are available exclusively at the Vancouver Opera Ticket Centre, online at www.vancouveropera.ca or by telephone (604-683-0222). See complete ticket information below.

Details on the Artists

Making her VO debut is Armenian soprano Hasmik Papian, who has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera and in leading houses around the world. Ms. Papian is featured on the definitive DVD version of Norma, on the Pro Arte label. She is sure to impress with raw emotion and vocal fireworks as she takes on one of the most difficult opera roles in the repertoire.

Canadian tenor (and Victoria native) Richard Margison sings Pollione, the Roman commander whom Norma cannot resist. Mr. Margison, who last appeared with VO in memorable performances as Florestan in 2008���s Fidelio, has been described as ���magnificent���, ���sublime���, and ���radiating���.

Also making her VO debut is mezzo Kate Aldrich as Adalgisa. Among many roles, Ms. Aldrich has been praised for her fiery Carmen at the Met and San Francisco Opera, and for her touching Adalgisa in Miami. ���In many ways the American mezzo-soprano Kate Aldrich stole the show... Aldrich is destined for operatic stardom!��� raved the Miami Coral Gables Gazette.

Bass Alain Coulombe, who charmed audiences as Zuniga in last season���s record-breaking Carmen, returns to sing the archdruid Oroveso. Also appearing are John Arsenault as Flavio and Barbara Towell as Clotilda.

Conducting the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and Vancouver Opera Chorus (Leslie Dala, Chorus Director) will be celebrated Maestro Richard Bonynge. Maestro Bonynge conducted his first opera, Faust, in Vancouver in 1963. That same year he conducted Joan Sutherland and Marilyn Horne in the now-legendary performance of Norma. During his tenure as VO���s Artistic Director during the 1970s, he founded the VO Orchestra, which gave its first performances in 1977. VO is pleased to salute the company���s venerable history by welcoming Maestro Bonynge to the podium to kick off the Golden Anniversary season.

The stage director is Emmy-nominated Tazewell Thompson, who helmed VO���s memorable production of Dialogues of the Carmelites in 2005. Born in New York City, Mr. Thompson wrote and directed the acclaimed musical Constant Star. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Director for the televised performance of his production of Porgy and Bess.

The Story in Brief

Ancient religion and modern military force clash in this gripping and tragic tale. Passion leads to death when Norma, a powerful druid priestess, has a secret affair ��� and two children ��� with Pollione, the commander of the occupying Roman army. When she discovers that Pollione has seduced a young acolyte, Norma faces her own terrible guilt and pays for her betrayal of her people through a shocking act of self-sacrifice. Read a full synopsis at www.vancouveropera.ca

Background

Norma is one of the great bel canto masterpieces. Vincenzo Bellini���s haunting melodies, dramatic scene-painting and tender and intense emotions have been praised by no less than Richard Wagner, who loved the opera���s rich flow of melody and deep glow of truth.

The role of Norma is considered one of the most difficult in the soprano repertoire, not only for the vocal control required, but also for the tremendous range of emotion: romance, maternal love, friendship, jealousy, murderous intent and resignation. The aria ���Casta Diva��� was one of the most familiar of the nineteenth century and remains popular today. Norma has also been a signature role of Maria Callas, Beverly Sills and others.

Although Norma is considered one of the best examples of bel canto with its lyrical singing, it was also innovative for its long, sustained melodies, dignified fervour and feeling of earnest truth. Richard Wagner praised it: ���I admire its rich melodic vein together with its most intimate passion; a score which speaks to the heart and is the work of a genius.���

Full Ticket Information

Single tickets starting at $29 (plus handling fee) are available from the Vancouver Opera Ticket Centre, online at www.vancouveropera.ca, or by phone at 604-683-0222. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are accepted. Groups: For special pricing for groups of ten or more, call 604-683-0222.

VSA arts Announces International Collaborative Art Project

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) November 19, 2009 ��� VSA arts wants people around the world to get out their art supplies and create a visual representation of the word disability for its International Collaborative Art Project. Anyone can participate by downloading a postcard and creating a visual representation of impressions, experiences, and perceptions associated with disability. All languages are accepted.

���We want everyone to create a postcard that interprets the word ���disability��� and mail it in!��� remarks Soula Antoniou, president of VSA arts. ���Everyone has thoughts and ideas about ���disability.��� For the cost of a stamp, anyone anywhere in the world can be included in this art project.���

The postcards will become part of an exhibit that will be displayed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts during the 2010 International VSA arts Festival, June 6�������12.

The deadline for receipt of postcards is February 5, 2010. Visit www.vsarts.org/postcardproject for entry instructions or call VSA arts at (202) 628-2800. Entry instructions are available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian online. Large print and braille formats of this call for entries are available upon request. In addition to a Washington, D.C., exhibition at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the International Collaborative Art Project will be displayed online at www.vsarts.org/postcardproject.

About VSA arts

VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where people with disabilities learn through, participate in, and enjoy the arts. VSA arts provides educators, parents, and artists with the resources and tools to support arts programming in schools and communities. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for all people. Each year, 7 million people participate in VSA arts��� programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in 54 countries around the world.

From June 6���12, 2010, VSA arts���the premier arts and disability organization���will bring together artists, educators, researchers, and policymakers with disabilities from around the world for a multicultural celebration of the arts and arts education. Held in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Festival will feature a dazzling array of visual, performing, literary, and media artists. The guest list includes more than 2,000 people, including VSA arts��� 54 international affiliates, its U.S. network, and audience members from all corners of the globe.

Cherry Lane Music Publishing Signs Deal With Lionsgate Music

SANTA MONICA, Calif., VANCOUVER, British Columbia, and NEW YORK, Nov. 19 /CNW/ -- Lionsgate Music Publishing LLC, the music publishing arm of Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF), the leading next generation studio, and Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc., a leading independent music publishing company, have entered into a multi-year administration agreement for the US and Canada, it was announced today by Lionsgate Music President Jay Faires and Cherry Lane CEO Peter Primont. Under the terms of the deal, Cherry Lane will administer and exploit Lionsgate's extensive catalog of film and TV music and individual songs.

"Cherry Lane is proud to represent Lionsgate's growing music catalog," said Primont. "In addition to Lionsgate's many films and current hit TV series, Jay Faires and Lenny Wohl have developed an impressive music publishing company with a diverse array of copyrights. We look forward to working together with them and their team to further develop and promote the Lionsgate music library."

"Cherry Lane has a remarkable track record of efficient collection systems, and we are impressed by the breadth and depth of their entire licensing team," added Faires. "They have a more boutique roster than the majors, allowing our executives to get the focus we are looking for as we continue to build our music publishing assets. This is a unique opportunity for two similarly entrepreneurial companies to marshal their resources and skill sets to grow to the next level of our business."

Mike Connelly, EVP of Business Development, and Keith Hauprich, VP of Legal and Business Affairs, negotiated the deal on behalf of Cherry Lane. Lenny Wohl, GM and EVP of Business Affairs negotiated on behalf of Lionsgate Music.

About Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc.

Cherry Lane, the New York-based privately held music publisher founded in 1960 by renowned producer/arranger Milt Okun, oversees an extensive catalogue of legendary songs ranging from Elvis Presley, John Denver, Quincy Jones and Ashford & Simpson, to more recent Billboard chart-toppers including the Black Eyed Peas and John Legend. Known for its innovative copyright exploitation and administration, Cherry Lane has forged relationships with DreamWorks Pictures, DreamWorks Animation SKG, The Weinstein Company, Marvel Entertainment, Lionsgate Music, Lakeshore Entertainment, Walden Media, Sanrio (Hello Kitty), NASCAR, Icon Productions, NFL Films, World Wrestling Entertainment, Professional Bull Riders, Pokemon USA, Inc. and 4Kids TV, to name a few. Learn more at www.cherrylane.com.

About Lionsgate

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) is the leading next generation studio with a strong and diversified presence in the production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment, video-on-demand and digitally delivered content. The Company has built a strong television presence in production of prime time cable and broadcast network series, distribution and syndication of programming through Debmar-Mercury and an array of channel platform assets. Its feature film business achieved a number one box office opening weekend in September 2009 with the eighth film in the Tyler Perry franchise, I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF, and its most recent release, PRECIOUS, is achieving remarkable per screen averages in limited release. It expands to 629 screens on November 20. The Company's home entertainment business has grown to more than 7% market share and is an industry leader in box office-to-DVD revenue conversion rate. Lionsgate handles a prestigious and prolific library of approximately 12,000 motion picture and television titles that is an important source of recurring revenue and serves as the foundation for the growth of the Company's core businesses. The Lionsgate brand remains synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the world.

About Lionsgate Music

Lionsgate Music oversees music for Lionsgate's film and TV slate, builds the Company's music publishing assets and releases its soundtracks and scores. The music team has received two Oscar nominations for Marco Beltrami's score for 3:10 TO YUMA and for Bird York's song "In The Deep" for Best Picture Academy Award Winner CRASH. Current and upcoming projects include the soundtrack for PRECIOUS, released through Matriarch/Geffen Records and featuring a lead track from Mary J. Blige. PRECIOUS is directed by Lee Daniels (MONSTER'S BALL) and presented by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry and has already garnered rave critical reviews and remarkable per screen box office averages in its limited release rollout. Additional upcoming projects include the Jim Sheridan film BROTHERS, scheduled for release in December featuring music from U2, as well as music for such upcoming films as THE EXPENDABLES, starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham and Jet Li, FIVE KILLERS, starring Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher, KICK ASS, starring Nicolas Cage, and Academy Award winning director Paul Haggis' THE NEXT THREE DAYS, starring Russell Crowe. The Lionsgate Music team is also working on the Starz! television series Crash, featuring music from Paul McCartney and The Doors, the third season of AMC's Emmy-winning series Mad Men, scored by the critically lauded composer David Carbonara, and its live musical revue, Mad Men Live Revue, which premiered last fall to rave reviews at Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre, with more productions upcoming.
www.lionsgate.com

The VSO's December Concert Listings

VANCOUVER, BC ��� The Holiday Season is almost upon us and the VSO has many great concerts to choose from. The month begins with Russia Rocks!, the first Musically Speaking concert of the new Season, featuring cellist Julie Albers and the popular music of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. Musically Speaking is a 5-concert series that features popular classics, interesting and engaging dialogue from the conductor about the composers and their music, and a concert experience enhanced by video screens in the hall showing intimate and exciting close-ups of the orchestra, guest artists and conductor.

The VSO presents several children���s concerts in the month of December. Tiny Tots Holiday Hooray! stars children���s entertainers Let Your Music Shine with Lisa & Linda and the music of Tchaikovsky. Toddlers will move-along with the music of the Nutcracker and sing-along to frosty Holiday tunes! The Spectra Energy Kids��� Koncerts series features Vancouver favourite Al Simmons in his unique Festive Frivolity show ��� a non-stop Holiday romp of gags, jokes, spontaneous fun and audience interaction ��� you never know exactly what Al will do, but you know the kids will have the time of their lives!

And what December would be complete without the Traditional Christmas concerts, featuring VSO Assistant Conductor Evan Mitchell and narrated by our favourite ���Bard��� Christopher Gaze. The VSO celebrates Christmas at venues in Surrey, Burnaby, North Vancouver, South Delta, West Vancouver, and at St. Andrew���s Wesley Church in Downtown Vancouver. Come join us at one of the fourteen performances for carols, heart-warming music, and the perennial audience favourite sing-alongs!

Another perennial favourite is Vivaldi���s classic Four Seasons led by Baroque conductor/violinist Elizabeth Wallfisch and featuring VSO Principal Oboist Roger Cole. These concerts take place at the Chan Centre for Performing Arts at UBC and Massey Theatre in New Westminster.

The month ends with a London Drugs VSO Pops concert featuring clarinetist Dave Bennett in A Tribute to Benny Goodman! Bennett���s cool, smooth sound brings the Swing era back to life in dazzling style! The concert features many of the toe-tapping hits of the great master, Benny Goodman: Let���s Dance, Goodman Hits Medley, I Got Rhythm, Sing Sing Sing, and many more.

CONCERT INFO

Musically Speaking

Saturday, December 5, 8pm, Orpheum Theatre
Russia Rocks! The Music of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev

Evan Mitchell, conductor
Julie Albers, cello

Prokofiev Lt. Kije, Op. 60: Troika
Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations
Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capriccioso
Prokofiev The Love for Three Oranges, Op. 33bis
Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty: Suite

Beautiful Russian music kicks off the Musically Speaking series, with two of the greats: Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. Rocco Variations is the most fun you can have with a cello in public, and the Love for Three Oranges is a joyful romp ��� followed up by some of the most beautiful and sublime music ever written for a ballet in Tchaikovsky���s Sleeping Beauty Suite.

Visit Julie Albers at: www.cellistjuliealbers.com

Video Screen Sponsor: TELUS
Special Video Screen Presentations Created and Produced by: Columbia Academy
Radio Sponsor: CHQM-FM

Tickets: $20 - $56 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)
Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

Spectra Energy Kids Koncerts

Sunday, December 6, 2pm, Orpheum Theatre
Festive Frivolity

Evan Mitchell, conductor
Al Simmons, entertainer

Al Simmons��� Festive Frivolity show is a non-stop Holiday romp of gags, jokes, spontaneous fun and audience interaction ��� you never know exactly what Al will do, but you know the kids will have the time of their lives!

Visit Al Simmons at: www.alsimmons.com

Series Sponsor: Spectra Energy
Premier Education Partner: TELUS

Tickets: $26 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)
Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

Surrey Nights

Monday, December 7, 8pm, Bell Performing Arts Centre
Russia Rocks! The Music of Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev

Evan Mitchell, conductor
Julie Albers, cello

Prokofiev Lt. Kije, Op. 60: Troika
Tchaikovsky Rococo Variations
Tchaikovsky Pezzo Capriccioso
Prokofiev The Love for Three Oranges, Op. 33bis
Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty: Suite

Visit Julie Albers at: www.cellistjuliealbers.com

The VSO���s Surrey Nights Series has been endowed by a generous gift from Werner and Helga H��ing

Tickets: $37 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)
Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

Tiny Tots

Friday, December 11, 10am, 11:30am, 1:30pm, Vancouver Playhouse Theatre
Saturday, December 12, 10am, 11:30am, Terry Fox Theatre
Holiday Hooray!

Let Your Music Shine with Lisa & Linda, children���s entertainers

Featuring the music of Tchaikovsky. Move-along with the Nutcracker and sing-a-long to frosty favourites!

Premier Education Partner: TELUS

Tickets: Adult $15, Child $7, Children under 6 months by donation
Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

A Traditional Christmas

Evan Mitchell, conductor
Christopher Gaze, host
UBC Opera Ensemble
EnChor

St. Andrew���s Wesley, Vancouver
December 10, 7:30pm
December 11, 7:30pm
December 12, 4pm & 7:30pm

Michael J. Fox Theatre, Burnaby
December 13, 4pm & 7:30pm

South Delta Baptist Church, South Delta
December 16, 4pm & 7:30pm

Bell Performing Arts Centre, Surrey
December 17, 4pm & 7:30pm

Centennial Theatre, North Vancouver
December 18, 4pm & 7:30pm

Kay Meek Theatre, West Vancouver
December 19, 4pm & 7:30pm

Presenting Sponsor: YVR Vancouver Airport Authority

The VSO���s Traditional Christmas Concerts have been endowed by a generous gift from Sheahan and Gerald McGavin, C.M., O.B.C.

Tickets: $34 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)
Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

Bach & Beyond

Friday and Saturday, December 18 and 19, 8pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at UBC
Vivaldi���s Four Seasons

Elizabeth Wallfisch, conductor/violin
Roger Cole, oboe d���amore

Purcell Abdelazar, Z.570: Suite
Handel Concerto Grosso, Op 6, No. 9, HWV 327, in F Major
JS Bach Concerto for Oboe d'amore in A major, BMV 1055
Vivaldi The Four Seasons

Wonderful violinist and Baroque conductor Elizabeth Wallfisch leads from the violin in a program that includes Bach���s deliciously beautiful Concerto for Oboe d���amore ��� with VSO Principal Oboist Roger Cole taking a solo turn ��� and Vivaldi���s timeless classic The Four Seasons, which has stayed on the top of the charts for over two hundred and eighty years.

The presentation of this series is made possible in part through the generous assistance of the Chan Centre for Performing Arts of the University of British Columbia.

Series Endowed By: The Chan Foundation of Canada

Radio Sponsor: CHQM-FM

Tickets: $35 - $62.50 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)
Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

Specials

Monday, December 21, 7:30pm, Massey Theatre
Vivaldi���s Four Seasons

Elizabeth Wallfisch, leader/violin
Roger Cole, oboe d���amore

Purcell Abdelazar, Z.570: Suite
Handel Concerto Grosso, Op 6, No. 9, HWV 327, in F Major
JS Bach Concerto for Oboe d'amore in A major, BMV 1055
Vivaldi The Four Seasons

Wonderful violinist and Baroque conductor Elizabeth Wallfisch leads from the violin in a program that includes Bach���s deliciously beautiful Concerto for Oboe d���amore ��� with VSO Principal Oboist Roger Cole taking a solo turn ��� and Vivaldi���s timeless classic The Four Seasons, which has stayed on the top of the charts for over two hundred and eighty years.

London Drugs VSO Pops

Sunday and Monday, December 27 and 28, 8pm, Orpheum Theatre
A Tribute to Benny Goodman!

Jeff Tyzik, conductor
Dave Bennett, clarinet

Let���s Dance
Bugle Call Ray
Goodman Hits Medley
Why Don���t You Do Right (vocal)
These Foolish Things (vocal)
Airmail Special
I Got Rhythm
Slipped Disc
And The Angels Sing (vocal)
Blues in the Night (vocal)
Goody Goody (vocal)
Sing Sing Sing
Goodbye

���Dave Bennett is the next Eddie Daniels�Ķ If Benny had heard him, he would have had Dave over to play duets!��� So says jazz master and Benny Goodman���s longtime guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Bennett���s cool, smooth sound brings the Swing era back to life in dazzling style! The concert features many of the toe-tapping hits of the great master, Benny Goodman: Let���s Dance, Goodman Hits Medley, I Got Rhythm, Sing Sing Sing, and many more.

NOTE: These concerts are performed on Sunday and Monday ��� Friday subscribers attend Sunday concert and Saturday subscribers attend Monday concert.

Visit Dave Bennett at: www.davebennett.com

Series Sponsor: London Drugs

Tickets: $25 - $78.50 (senior, student and subscriber discounts available)
Tickets available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

The Messiah: December 4

The Messiah
Elmer Iseler Singers, Amadeus Choir and Orchestra conducted by Lydia Adams
Friday, December 4th 2009 at Metropolitan United Church at 8pm

���Handel understands effect better than any of us��� ��� Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Toronto, November 17, 2009: Toronto���s Elmer Iseler Singers and conductor/Canadian Music Centre ambassador Lydia Adams welcome in the holiday season with the vibrant melodies of The Messiah by George Friedrich Handel on Friday, December 4th at Metropolitan United Church. Continuing their annual tradition, the acclaimed Elmer Iseler Singers join forces with the Amadeus Choir to revive the outstanding and ingenious baroque work, possibly one of the most successful pieces ever written.

Handel composed The Messiah in 24 days without once leaving his house. The oratorio was first performed in Dublin on April 13th, 1742, and immediately won huge popular success. ���Words are wanting to express the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crowded Audience. The Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestic, and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished Heart and Ear..." These were sentiments expressed in Faulkner's Dublin Journal following the first performance in Neals Musick Hall in Dublin. This premiere proved to be a personal triumph to Handel and helped restore his self-confidence during a very difficult time in his life.

This year again, the Elmer Iseler Singers team up with outstanding Canadian soloists: Meredith Hall (soprano), Allyson McHardy (mezzo-soprano), Michael Colvin (tenor) and Peter McGillivray (bass), and welcome back the two featured trumpet players, Robert Venables and Robert DiVito and the distinguished Toronto organist, Patricia Wright. A hand-picked orchestra of accomplished Canadian musicians augments the luscious-sounding choruses of Handel���s Messiah.

Need a stocking stuffer? This Messiah performance is the perfect opportunity to obtain the newly released CD of Peter-Anthony Togni���s ���Lamentations of Jeremiah��� on the prestigious international ECM label featuring conductor Lydia Adams, the Elmer Iseler Singers with bass clarinet improviser/virtuoso Jeff Reilly and soprano Rebecca Whelan. The biography, ELMER ISELER, Choral Visionary by Walter Pitman ��� Dundurn Press and various Elmer Iseler Singers��� recordings will also be available.

Handel���s MESSIAH conducted by Lydia Adams
Friday, December 4th 2009 at 8:00 p.m.
Metropolitan United Church: 56 Queen St. East (at Bond), Toronto
Tickets: $50 Reg. $45 Sen. $10. Students w/ valid student I.D.
Group Rates Also Available.
For information about tickets and the Pre-Messiah Dinner, please call: 416-217-0537
http://www.elmeriselersingers.com/

LADMMI, un chef de file de la formation en danse selon les employeurs des arts de la sc��ne du Canada

Montr��al, le 17 novembre 2009 ��� C���est avec une grande fiert�� que LADMMI, l���cole de danse contemporaine a r��cemment accueilli les r��sultats d���une ��tude command��e par le minist��re du Patrimoine canadien qui la situent parmi les chefs de file de la formation en danse au pays.

Force est de constater �� la lecture du rapport final d��pos�� par la maison d���tudes Phoenix SPI, que les employeurs canadiens ayant fait appel aux services d���artistes oeuvrant en danse, au cours des cinq derni��res ann��es, tiennent LADMMI, l���cole de danse contemporaine pour un chef de file dans cette discipline.

De plus, il a ��t�� entendu au cours d���entrevues approfondies qu���il ��tait important de distinguer les diff��rents chefs de file suivant le type de danse. �� En tenant compte de ce qui pr��c��de, il a ��t�� ��tabli (�Ķ) que la School of Toronto Dance Theatre et LADMMI sont les chefs de file en danse contemporaine�Ķ ��

Lors de ces m��mes entrevues, une forte majorit�� d���employeurs, toutes disciplines confondues, ont expliqu�� que les ��tablissements qu���ils ont r��v��l��s ��tre des chefs de file se d��marquent des autres ��tablissements offrant une formation semblable gr��ce �� la qualit�� de l���enseignement et de la formation, �� la qualit�� du programme des arts de la sc��ne et aux qualifications professionnelles ou artistiques des enseignants.

En mati��re d���embauche, on relate dans le domaine de la danse que bien que la majorit�� des employeurs interrog��s connaissent la plupart des ��tablissements (57 % dans le cas de LADMMI), c���est dans une proportion inf��rieure au tiers que ceux au courant de l���existence de ces m��mes ��tablissements ont embauch�� des dipl��m��s qui en proviennent. Ce constat exclut LADMMI : �� Les exceptions les plus importantes �� cette derni��re observation ont pour objet la School of Toronto Dance Theatre (�Ķ) et LADMMI, l���cole de danse contemporaine (la proportion correspondante s���tablit �� 44 %.) ��

Vous n'avez qu'�� cliquer pour t��l��charger le rapport final de l���tude de Phoenix SPI.

�� propos de LADMMI

Fond�� en 1981 et sp��cialis�� dans la formation des interpr��tes en danse contemporaine, LADMMI, l���cole de danse contemporaine, est un ��tablissement d���enseignement affili�� au c��gep du Vieux Montr��al et accr��dit�� par le minist��re de l����ducation, du Loisir et du Sport. Reconnu pour l���avant-gardisme et la rigueur de la formation offerte �� ses ��tudiants, LADMMI se positionne comme un centre d���excellence dans le milieu des arts de la sc��ne.

Date butoir d���inscription aux prochaines auditions : 22 janvier 2010.

Gala de l'Op��ra de Montr��al

La 30e saison 09/10
30 ANS ET LE M��ME ENCHANTEMENT !


LE GALA, 14e ��dition
��v��nement-b��n��fice
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts
Le 6 d��cembre 2009 �� 14 h

Le Gala sera pr��c��d�� de l'intronisation, �� titre posthume,
au Panth��on canadien de l'art lyrique
du p��re Fernand Lindsay, csv

30 AIRS POUR NOS 30 ANS
et les gagnants d'Ap��ro �� l'op��ra

Montr��al, le mardi 17 novembre 2009 ��� L'Op��ra de Montr��al est fier de pouvoir se donner des airs�Ķ et les offrir �� son public friand de belles et grandes voix! Pour souligner ses 30 ans, la compagnie met au programme pas moins de 30 airs choisis du r��pertoire lyrique parmi les pr��f��r��s du public lors de la 14e ��dition du Gala b��n��fice de l'Op��ra de Montr��al, sous la pr��sidence d'honneur de madame Jacqueline Desmarais. Le Gala fera ��galement entendre les gagnants du projet Ap��ro �� l'op��ra pour la premi��re fois sur notre sc��ne. Il sera capt�� par Espace musique, diffuseur officiel, pour diffusion ult��rieure sur les ondes d'Espace musique et de la webradio d'Espace classique de Radio-Canada et fera l'objet d'un coffret double sous ��tiquette ATMA Classique.

��v��nement toujours tr��s attendu du public, le Gala se tiendra le dimanche 6 d��cembre 2009 �� 14 h �� la salle Wilfrid-Pelletier de la Place des Arts, en pr��sence de 25 artistes lyriques canadiens. Alain Trudel dirigera l'Orchestre M��tropolitain ainsi que le Ch��ur de l'Op��ra de Montr��al. Un hommage posthume sera rendu �� cette occasion au p��re Fernand Lindsay, csv.

Ce rendez-vous des amoureux du chant offrira un floril��ge des plus grands airs d'op��ra, duos et ensembles choisis du r��pertoire op��ratique parmi les favoris du public. Les plus belles voix d'ici, des habitu��s de notre sc��ne �� de nouveaux artistes, incluant des talents lyriques de la rel��ve qu��b��coise, fouleront la sc��ne dans la peau des personnages vibrants que le talent des grands compositeurs a anim��s. Parmi les compositeurs au programme : Verdi, Wagner, Mozart, Puccini, Donizetti, Strauss, Massenet, Gounod, Leoncavallo, Gershwin, Tchaikovski, Handel�Ķ

Les artistes pr��sents cette ann��e : Phillip Addis, Pascale Beaudin, Antoine B��langer, Caroline Bleau, Layla Claire, Gianna Corbisiero, Gregory Dahl, ��tienne Dupuis, Aaron Ferguson, Marianne Fiset, Lyne Fortin, Simon Gfeller, Marc Hervieux, Randall Jakobsh, Aline Kutan, Marianne Lambert, Ga��tan Laperri��re, Marie-Jos��e Lord, Stephanie Marshall, Allyson McHardy, Aaron St. Clair Nicholson, Rapha��lle Paquette, Annamaria Popescu, Nora Sourouzian, Alexandre Sylvestre, et les gagnants du projet Ap��ro �� l'op��ra.

Maestro Alain Trudel dirigera le Ch��ur de l'Op��ra de Montr��al et l'Orchestre M��tropolitain. Alain Trudel jouit d'une r��putation de musicien hors-pair. Chef titulaire du CBC Radio Orchestra et principal chef invit�� du Victoria Symphony Orchestra, il est ��galement le chef du Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, en plus d'��tre directeur musical et chef de l'Orchestre symphonique de Laval. Il a ��t�� invit�� �� diriger de nombreux orchestres ici et ailleurs, parmi lesquels le Toronto Symphony Orchestra, le Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, l'orchestre du Centre National des Arts, Les Violons du Roy, l'Orchestre M��tropolitain, le City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong, l'Orquestra Sinfonica de Guatemala, le Tokyo Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra, le Northern Sinfonia au Royaume-Uni et l'Orchestre de Saint-P��tersbourg. Derni��re pr��sence �� l'OdM : La fl��te enchant��e (novembre 2009).

Intronisation au Panth��on canadien de l'art lyrique

Le Gala rend un hommage vibrant �� une personnalit�� lyrique qui a marqu�� le monde de l'op��ra au Canada. Cette ann��e, les honneurs reviendront, �� titre posthume, au p��re Fernand Lindsay, csv, qui sera intronis�� au Panth��on canadien de l'art lyrique de l'Op��ra de Montr��al, rejoignant les 51 membres intronis��s �� ce jour, et soulignant ainsi son talent et son grand rayonnement sur la sc��ne nationale et internationale.

P��RE FERNAND LINDSAY

Fernand Lindsay na��t �� Trois-Pistoles en 1928, dans une famille o�� la culture tient une place de choix. Le jeune Fernand d��bute l'apprentissage du piano �� l'��ge de 5 ans et touche l'orgue d��s l'��ge de 10 ans. C'est en captant des ��missions de musique classique sur le poste de radio familial qu'il d��couvre un univers fascinant, la passion de toute une vie. Apr��s des ��tudes au S��minaire de Rimouski o�� il se met �� l'��tude de la clarinette et se joint �� l'orchestre du coll��ge, il suit les conseils de son oncle Georges Lindsay, organiste �� la Cath��drale de Montr��al et directeur du Conservatoire de Chicoutimi qui lui sugg��re de poursuivre ses ��tudes au S��minaire de Joliette; l'institution repr��sentera pour lui une ��cole de r��ve pour tout musicien aspirant �� une carri��re professionnelle.

La Soci��t�� des concerts et la Soci��t�� des amis du S��minaire donneront l'occasion �� Fernand Lindsay d'entendre des solistes de r��putation internationale dont Pierrette Alarie et le c��l��bre t��nor italien Tito Schipa. Le S��minaire de Joliette, en raison de la pr��sence des Clercs de Saint-Viateur, est un milieu propice �� la d��couverte et �� l'exploration de la culture sous toutes ses formes. Pour s'assurer une place au sein de l'orchestre du S��minaire, Fernand ��tudie aussi le basson et perfectionne sa technique �� Montr��al aupr��s de Louis Letellier, membre de l'orchestre de la NBC dirig�� alors par l'illustre Arturo Toscanini.

Passionn�� de musique, il est aussi un ardent sportif. Fernand et son fr��re s'adonnent �� la pratique du hockey, mais excellent vraiment au tennis.

Jamais Fernand Lindsay n'a song�� �� faire carri��re dans la musique. Sa mission sera plut��t d'en appr��cier l'��coute pour pouvoir ensuite mieux la partager avec d'autres. Suivant l'exemple de ses ma��tres il choisit de devenir Clerc de Saint-Viateur. �� Ces professeurs avaient d��j�� cr���� une tradition, avoue-t-il, j'ai tout simplement voulu poursuivre ce qu'ils avaient commenc�� ��. Il est ordonn�� pr��tre en 1953 et se voue principalement �� l'enseignement. Qu'il s'agisse du fran��ais, du latin, de l'histoire, de la philosophie ou de la litt��rature musicale, le p��re Lindsay s'y adonne en p��dagogue passionn��. Animateur inspir��, il fonde le Club Bartok dans le but d'initier les pensionnaires �� la musique classique.

En 1963, apr��s 10 ans d'enseignement et une licence en philosophie, la communaut�� propose au p��re Lindsay de se sp��cialiser �� Paris, �� la Sorbonne. Avant le d��but de ses ��tudes, il dispose de trois mois qu'il met �� profit en faisant une tourn��e des festivals de musique. Il va �� Salzbourg o�� il vit, selon ses propres mots �� le choc de sa vie �� lorsqu'il assiste �� des repr��sentations de La fl��te enchant��e, de Cosi fan tutte et du Chevalier �� la rose. Quelques jours plus tard, �� Bayreuth, il se plonge dans l'univers wagn��rien o�� il assiste aux repr��sentations de Parsifal, des Ma��tres chanteurs de Nuremberg et la t��tralogie. Puis suivront des voyages �� Munich et �� Vienne. Ce p��riple musical laisse des traces profondes chez ce jeune homme de 35 ans. D��j�� directeur des Jeunesses musicales de Joliette depuis 57, il r��ve que ce programme se prolonge par une s��rie de concerts. Il devra attendre 12 ans avant que prenne naissance l'embryon de ce qui deviendra un jour le Festival international de Lanaudi��re. Il fonde le camp musical de Lanaudi��re en 1967 pour r��compenser les gagnants du Festival-Concours de Musique institu�� en 1962. Le Festival international de Lanaudi��re, quant �� lui, est officiellement fond�� en 1977 ; il en sera le Directeur artistique jusqu'�� la fin de sa vie. La suite d'artistes de r��putation internationale �� avoir particip�� au festival est impressionnante. Une programmation de qualit�� aura permis aux m��lomanes de voir et d'entendre les James Morris, Cecilia Bartoli, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Renata Scotto, Karita Mattila, Dimitri Hvorostovsky, et Gwyneth Jones pour ne citer que ceux-l��.

Le p��re Fernand Lindsay aura pendant plus de 40 ans contribu�� �� faire de la r��gion de Joliette une capitale musicale. Son histoire est celle d'un homme qui s'est donn�� pour mission de promouvoir la musique, de la faire d��couvrir et d'en assurer le rayonnement. Ses qualit��s de p��dagogue et de visionnaire sont un exemple pour nous tous. Fier de ses nombreuses r��ussites, le p��re Lindsay a n��anmoins conserv�� une attitude humble face �� son grand succ��s. Combiner modestie, simplicit��, g��n��rosit��, d��termination et r��ussite en auront fait un ��tre extraordinaire, un g��ant de la musique au Qu��bec et un ambassadeur culturel de la plus haute tenue.

�� La musique est une des plus belles choses qui soit. Voil�� peut-��tre, disait-il, le vrai visage de Dieu. ��

Op��ra de Montr��al
Le Gala ��� 14e ��dition
Dimanche 6 d��cembre 2009 �� 14 h
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier ��� Place des Arts
25 chanteurs, le Ch��ur de l'Op��ra de Montr��al et l'Orchestre M��tropolitain,
sous la direction d'Alain Trudel.
pr��c��d�� de l'intronisation au Panth��on canadien de l'art lyrique du p��re Fernand Lindsay, csv.
Billets : 49 $, 76 $, 106 $, 136 $ + (taxes et redevance comprises)
Billetterie PdA : (514) 842-2112

500 VIP* - CONTACTER MONIQUE DENIS : 985.2222, poste 2221
*un re��u de charit�� est remis

Production �� venir : Tosca de Puccini
Production 30e anniversaire
Le 30 janvier et les 3, 6, 8, 11 f��vrier 2010 �� 20 h et 13 f��vrier 2010 �� 14 h
Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier de la Place des Arts.
Paul Nadler dirige l'Orchestre m��tropolitain

Susan Boyle Toronto Performance rescheduled to December 21

TORONTO, Nov. 17 /CNW/ - The hotly anticipated Canadian performance by Susan Boyle, has been rescheduled to December 21, 2009 due to the global demand on her very busy schedule. The performance and autograph signing will still take place at First Canadian Place in Toronto beginning at 12:15pm ET.

On her upcoming trip to Canada, Susan remarked: "I've never been to Canada and I'm very excited to visit and sing for the fans there."

For people wanting to see the performance, access to the Waterfall Stage and designated viewing area in First Canadian Place will be limited to 2,000 people on a first come first served basis and is standing room only.

In addition, for those fans wanting an autograph, 500 wristbands will be available at HMV in First Canadian Place only, on December 14 at 10 am. One wristband per person - while quantities last. You must have a wristband in order to enter the autograph line.
The only Canadian performance in 2009 will consist of Susan singing a selection of songs from her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream. Susan's audition on Britain's Got Talent made Internet history with over 300 million hits on YouTube.

I Dreamed a Dream is currently the No.1 pre-ordered album ever in the history of Amazon.ca Music. The album is available Monday, November 23.

www.susanboylemusic.com

Concert b��n��fice

�� Ensemble, chantons No��l ��
Par la Symphonie vocale
de la fraternit��
des Policiers & Polici��res de Montr��al
Dimanche le 6 d��cembre 2009 �� 14h30
��glise Ste-Bernadette
6960, 16e Avenue, Montr��al
Entr��e : 10 $ (adultes)
3 $ (12 ans et moins)
Information : Alain Larivi��re 514-725-9311 ( en a.m. seulement )

Magnificat | 4e album de Giorgia Fumanti

Entre chants sacr��s et bonheurs profanes
MAGNIFICAT
Le 4e album de Giorgia Fumanti

Montr��al, le 17 novembre 2009 ��� Il n'y a pas de hasard. C'est en chantant en solo dans l'��glise de son village natal de Aulla, en Italie du Nord, que Giorgia Fumanti a choisi de faire de la musique son m��tier. Trois disques et une impressionnante carri��re internationale plus tard, la soprano italienne devenue qu��b��coise ��� elle habite les Laurentides ��� fait un retour aux sources avec Magnificat, un quatri��me album teint�� d'encens, de musique sacr��e�Ķ et de quelques d��licieux p��ch��s profanes!

Pour Giorgia Fumanti, pr��ter sa voix �� des chants sacr��s ��� une voix que Jos�� Carreras et Lang Lang consid��rent comme l'une des plus belles du monde ���, c'est avant tout replonger dans l'ambiance recueillie du village toscan de son enfance, o�� l'on chantait l'Ave Maria de Caccini ou Astro del ciel (Sainte-Nuit) �� No��l. C'est aussi partager l'��motion majestueuse du chant classique qu'elle a appris au Conservatorio di Parma et qui habite chacun de ses disques : Schubert, Gounod, Brahms, Carl Orff�Ķ De grands hymnes religieux ou romantiques, servis par un souffle puissant et une voix capable de monter, monter, monter et tenir la note jusqu'�� la rendre cristalline.

Avec Magnificat, la soprano sacralise aussi des airs plus contemporains, emprunt��s aux r��pertoires classique, world, pop, jazz et �� des compositeurs qu'elle affectionne depuis toujours. La pi��ce-titre du disque, sign��e Marco Frisina, c��toie ainsi Goodnight My Angel de Billy Joel, l'��ternel What A Wonderful World et le profond Psalmus Ode du Grec Vangelis.

Apr��s avoir conquis la Chine, le Japon, Taiwan, la Cor��e, l'Afrique du Sud et les ��tats-Unis, o�� son CD From My Heart s'est hiss�� dans le top 20 du �� Billboard Classical Crossover Charts ��, Giorgia Fumanti donnera d��but novembre une s��rie de concerts au Royal Albert Hall de Londres, aux c��t��s de Michael Bolton. Mais c'est au Qu��bec que son Magnificat trouvera son plus bel ��cho :
- au Centre Leonardo da Vinci de Saint-L��ornard les 14 et 15 novembre, avec les 50 musiciens de l'Orchestre harmonie;
- �� l'��glise de La Nativit��-de-Notre-Dame, �� Beauport, le 28 novembre �� 20 h;
- �� l'��glise de Sainte-Ad��le dans Les Laurentides le 13 d��cembre �� 15 h; et
- �� l'��glise Notre-Dame de Roberval le 20 d��cembre �� 14 h.


En attendant et d��s le 17 novembre, Magnificat sera chez tous les disquaires, sur ��tiquette Isba Music, distribution DEP-Universal.

Phenomenal skill and ferocity: YAMATO DRUMMERS OF JAPAN -- Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 8 PM / Massey Hall / Toronto

���Phenomenal skill and ferocity somewhere between the seriousness of samurai
and the crazed exhibitionism of heavy-metal rock drummers.��� ��� The Telegraph (UK)

Yamato Drummers of Japan
Matsuri / Fiesta ��� 2009/2010 World Tour
Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 8 PM / Massey Hall / Toronto
$69.50 - $49.50 - Call 416-872-4255 or online at www.roythomson.com
Or visit the Roy Thomson Hall Box Office

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Toronto, ON. November 17, 2009 ��� The YAMATO DRUMMERS OF JAPAN bring their breathtaking blend of ancient and modern percussion artistry to Massey Hall on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. as part of their ���Matsuri: Fiesta��� 2009-2010 World Tour.

The word Matsuri translates as ���traditional Japanese festival��� and comes from Matsuru, which means ���praying to the higher spirits.��� The rituals of the festival ����� from giving thanks for a bountiful harvest to praying for good health and peace ����� were called Matsuri, and the traditional Japanese taiko drum would always be found at the heart of every Matsuri gathering.

Founded in 1993 by artistic director Masa Ogawa in Nara, Japan, Yamato���s 10-member troupe of men and women draw their inspiration from the warmth, tenderness and power of the heartbeat. Performing on Japan���s traditional taiko drums, the members of Yamato ���put our very souls into these unusual instruments and our performances are infused with the idea that the drumbeat, like the heartbeat, is the very pulse of life.��� Performing on several dozen drums of various sizes, Yamato creates a wide range of sounds, rhythms and moods, from the delicate tapping of falling rain to explosions of rhythmic thunder. The members perform in authentic costumes and combine powerful and dramatic drumming with dance, flutes, theatrics and humour. Their exhilarating performances, as fascinating for the eye as for the ear, are described as ���a dazzling display of dexterity, precision and physical endurance

Yamato���s world travels began in 1998 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival where they made their international debut and won the festival���s Spirit of Fringe award. They have since given over 1,500 performances throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. This is their fourth North American tour. To learn more about Yamato, visit www.yamato.jp

Taiko is a traditional Japanese art form that refers to both the drums and the physically demanding artistic discipline of ensemble drumming. Taiko is believed to have originated in ancient Japan thousands of years ago as a form of communication within villages to signal various activities and events, such as the beginning of a hunt or a storm approaching. As it is performed today, taiko is a relatively new phenomenon. The modern incarnation of the taiko drumming group was formed in Japan in the 1950s and has since become enormously popular. It is estimated that over 10,000 taiko groups have sprung up across Japan and North America in the last 50 years.

The Choral Art Society Presents Christmas at the Cathedral December 5 and 6 in Portland

PORTLAND, Maine ��� Christmas at the Cathedral is an annual Christmas holiday favorite for many seeking respite from the whirlwind of Christmas. A concert that emphasizes the beauty of song, the sound of trumpets and brass from the Portland Brass Quintet and the beauty of the organ at the adept hands and feet of organist Dan Moore, Christmas at the Cathedral provides an opportunity for calm reflection of the joys of the season.

This year the Choral Art Singers will present a new work, Charles Kaufmann's "A Longfellow Winter." The Choral Art Society (CAS) commissioned this piece from Kaufmann, an award-winning composer and the founding director of The Longfellow Chorus. CAS music director Robert Russell speaks well of this new work, "Two years ago we sang one of Chip's Longfellow settings, and we all liked it a lot. I asked him to compose around that original setting, and he has created a five-movement setting -- with his original setting in the center-- which brilliantly captures the various guises of a Maine winter: delicate, brutal, interminable, and ineffable. Some of the settings are for a cappella chorus, and some are accompanied by our keyboardist, Dan Moore."

Christmas at the Cathedral is scheduled for Saturday, December 5, with a noon preview and 8:00 p.m. concert and on Sunday, December 6 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. The concerts are held at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, Portland, 307 Congress Street.�Į �ĮThe concerts are sponsored by Norton Insurance and Financial and Ramblers Way Farm.

Tickets range from $10 (preview show, available at the door only) to $30 with a limited number of $5 youth tickets, and will be available through CAS by calling (207) 828-0043 or visiting www.choralart.org.

Other upcoming CAS holiday events include their annual CAS Messiah Sing-Along and Handel on Hunger Food Drive, Monday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Patrick's Catholic Church. The food drive will benefit Project FEED, an emergency food pantry in Portland, and admission is $5.00 at the door (students are free). An Epiphany Celebration will be held Saturday, January 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the Immanuel Baptist Church in Portland.

About The Choral Art Society:�Į

The Society has more than 150 members who perform in three distinct ensembles: the symphonic Masterworks Chorus, the mid-sized Choral Art Singers, and the intimate a cappella Camerata. All singers are skilled amateurs, selected by audition. The Society offers an annual concert series and appears regularly as guests of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Robert Russell, professor of music at the University of Southern Maine, is the conductor and artistic director of The Choral Art Society.

For more information about The Choral Art Society and the season of performances visit www.choralart.org or call (207) 828-0043.

TBPAC announces significant gift from the Straz Foundation

Celebrating the largest individual philanthropic gift made to a cultural institution in the Tampa Bay area, Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center President and CEO Judith Lisi today announced a major institutional gift from the David A. Straz, Jr. Foundation.

In recognition of that gift, Lisi said that TBPAC will be renamed:
David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts

The donation will be dedicated in perpetuity to benefit the performing arts center and its programs.

���My wife, Catherine, my daughter, Keebler, and I are happy to invest in the performing arts in Tampa and to help guarantee a wonderful experience for generations to come," Straz said.

As part of a confidentiality request in the donation agreement, the amount will not be disclosed.

���David is a national philanthropist, a managing director of the Metropolitan Opera, and a wonderful supporter of the arts," Lisi said. ���We are ecstatic that he believes so strongly in our mission and our organization. This generous gift will change lives not only now, but also for future generations.

���This also is a significant step toward our institutional goal of a $100 million endowment.���

Mayor Pam Iorio attended the announcement at Monday���s performing arts center board of trustees meeting.

���This is a significant milestone for our community ��� the largest charitable contribution to a cultural institution in Tampa by one of Tampa���s most philanthropic leaders,��� Mayor Iorio said. ���I thank David Straz and his wife Catherine for their generosity. They are creating an outstanding legacy of a stronger performing arts center that will continue to grow and thrive for generations to come.���

The David A. Straz Foundation was founded in 1993 for the primary purpose of supporting organizations in higher education, visual arts, civic advancement and performing arts.

A resident of Tampa, Straz is married to Catherine Louisa Lowry. Upon his graduation from Marquette University in 1965, he quickly moved into a leadership position in banking management. He built banking organizations in Wisconsin and Florida, which he sold to U.S. Bank, Bank of America and Fifth Third Bank.

There will be a transition to the new name for the new Straz Center for the Performing Arts. Collateral materials are being developed now and will be unveiled gradually.

Opening in 1987, the performing arts center consists of five theaters, three restaurants and the Patel Conservatory. the 335,000 square-foot TBPAC provides an environment for a wide variety of world-class events. It boasts one of the nation's leading Broadway series and is nationally respected for producing grand opera, as well as presenting a wide variety of concerts, performances and events.

The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and its programs are funded in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Arts; the Arts Council of Hillsborough County and the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners; the Tourist Development Council/Hillsborough County; and the City of Tampa.

Avast Matey! Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance

Celebrating International Talk Like a Pirate Day early, Edmonton Opera presents the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, Pirates of Penzance, February 6, 9 and 11, 2010 at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. All performances begin at 7:30pm. Tickets, ranging from $32 to $165, are on sale now at Ticketmaster, call 780-451-8000 or visit www.ticketmaster.ca.

Enjoy Brian Deedrick and the Operateers' Pirates of Penzance synopsis here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZZm0KMbGa0&feature=related

Edmonton Opera 2-Show Packages, which include tickets for Pirates of Penzance and Otello, April 24, 27 and 29, 2009 are available by contacting the Edmonton Opera Box Office at 780-429-1000 or www.edmontonopera.com. For more information about Edmonton Opera's season, signature events and education programs, visit www.edmontonopera.com.

Geordie Productions presents a holiday treat for the whole family

A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Alexandria Haber | Directed by Dean Patrick Fleming
December 4 ��� 18th at the D.B. Clarke Theatre

November 12, 2009 (MONTREAL) ��� Geordie Productions is proud to bring Montrealers a new theatrical adaptation of the classic holiday favourite, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Adapted by Alexandria Haber, and in co-production with Concordia University's Department of Theatre, this sophisticated production ��� and largest of the company's history - will be presented on Geordie's Mainstage at the D.B. Clarke Theatre from December 4th to 18th.

In keeping with the season's theme, "Theatre for all audiences", A Christmas Carol will welcome audiences of all ages, with or without accompanying children (minimum recommended age is 7 years). Explains Artistic Director, Dean Patrick Fleming: "Great stories of the past, present and future have one thing in common: they are inclusive of everyone. Should great theatre not be the same?"

It's Christmas Eve on a dark Victorian night and the wealthy miser Mr. Scrooge is haunted by a series of ghosts who show him the inevitable consequences of his selfish ways, if he doesn't change. As the bell in the clock-tower rings, Scrooge is taken on an unforgettable journey into his past, present and future that will help him discover the true spirit of the holidays and open his heart to love.

Under the direction of Dean Patrick Fleming, Geordie's team of prominent and award-winning actors and designers interpret Charles Dickens' timeless story with the spectacular creativity you've come to expect with acclaimed past productions such as The Little Prince, Alice Through the Looking Glass and The Jungle Book.

The elegance of the Victorian era is captured with a sophisticated set & lighting design by Ana Cappelluto, period costumes by James Lavoie, sound design by Jesse Ash and choreography by Robin Hendersen.

David Francis, fresh from his role in Inherit the Wind (Segal Centre) plays Scrooge, with an ensemble cast consisting of Leni Parker (Inherit the Wind, Segal Centre), Michel Perron (In Piazza San Domenico, Centaur Theatre), Owen Clark, Callahan Conner, Shannon Hamilton, Imogen Haworth, Christopher Hicks, Bryan Libero, Charlotte Rogers, Nicholas Santillo, and Emily Skahan.

Geordie Productions is a professional theatre company that has presented theatre for young audiences in Montreal and across Eastern Canada for over 25 years. Through Geordie's Mainstage Series ��� large-scale productions for family and school audiences in downtown Montreal ��� and Geordie's School Tour, which annually travels over 27,000km, Geordie touches the imagination of more than 80,000 audience members each year.

Les Syli d'Or de la Musique du Monde : Le Prix du public qui fait grandir le monde !

Les Productions Nuits d'Afrique pr��sentent
Les SYLI d'OR
de la Musique du Monde
4e ��dition

INSCRIPTIONS OFFICIELLES POUR L'��DITION 2010
du 16 novembre au 30 d��cembre 2009

Montr��al, le 16 novembre 2009, �� compter du 16 novembre prochain, tous les artistes de �� musiques du monde �� du Canada qui souhaitent participer aux �� SYLI D'OR 2010 �� auront jusqu'au 30 d��cembre prochain, pour soumettre leur inscription. Aucune demande pr��sent��e apr��s ces dates officielles ne pourra ��tre consid��r��e.

Malgr�� un nombre de soumissions de plus en plus ��lev�� chaque ann��e, les Productions Nuits d'Afrique, pour des raisons de logistique, se voient oblig��es de limiter le nombre de participants retenus �� 36. Il est donc fortement recommand�� aux artistes qui d��sirent participer �� ce prestigieux ��v��nement d'assurer leur place en s'inscrivant le plus t��t possible ! Une chance unique de se faire d��couvrir et de remporter de nombreux prix.!

Le Prix du public qui fait grandir le Monde !

Ainsi, �� raison de deux prestations par soir qui auront lieu chaque mardi et mercredi du 23 f��vrier au 21 avril 2010 inclusivement, le Club Balattou se fera l'h��te des s��lections pr��alables jusqu'au 21 avril, des semi-finales les 27, 28 et 29 avril 2010. Le GALA officiel et final des SYLI D'OR 2010 aura lieu le 6 mai . Lors de ces soir��es de spectacles gratuits, c'est au public qu'il reviendra de se prononcer en votant pour ses coups de c��ur!

En langage soussou, le mot �� Syli �� d��signe l'��l��phant, symbole de puissance, de noblesse et d'��ternit��. Depuis 1987, les Productions Nuits d'Afrique se consacrent enti��rement �� la diffusion de la musique du monde, cette musique d'hier et d'aujourd'hui qui conjugue toutes les origines.

Avec la volont��, tant aupr��s du public que de l'industrie musicale artistique montr��alaise, de mettre en valeur le talent, l'originalit�� et le patrimoine culturel de chacun, c'est tout sp��cialement pour les artistes de la musique du monde et pour leur assurer un rayonnement aussi vaste que possible, que les Productions Nuits d'Afrique ont cr��e cet ��v��nement unique et r��current qui encourage ��mergence, p��rennit�� et dynamisme.

Les artistes de la sc��ne musique du monde peuvent soumettre leur candidature en contactant madame H��l��ne Dimanche, responsable de la programmation locale et nationale au 514-499-9239 ou soumettre leur dossier par courriel �� l'adresse suivante : inscriptionsylidor@hotmail.com

Les Syli d'Or de la Musique du Monde, 4e ��dition
P��riode d'inscriptions
16 novembre au 30 d��cembre 2009
Tel : (514) 499-9239

Prochain concert du Club musical de Qu��bec, le 7 d��cembre

Concert de No��l
avec
la merveilleuse contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux
et le r��put�� ensemble Handel and Haydn Society,
au Club musical de Qu��bec, le 7 d��cembre

�� l'approche de la f��te de No��l, le CLUB MUSICAL DE QU��BEC pr��sente la merveilleuse contralto qu��b��coise Marie-Nicole Lemieux accompagn��e par le r��put�� ensemble Handel and Haydn Society sous la direction de John Finney, le lundi 7 d��cembre �� 20 heures, �� la Salle Louis-Fr��chette du Grand Th����tre de Qu��bec. Ce concert est enregistr�� par Espace musique, la radio musicale de Radio-Canada 95,3 FM.

La voix est probablement l'instrument le plus noble, le plus naturel. Celle de Marie-Nicole Lemieux se d��guste tel un vin capiteux et bois��. Sp��cialis�� dans le r��pertoire baroque et classique, l'ensemble am��ricain Handel & Haydn Society dirig�� par John Finney lui donnera la r��plique pour un concert unique sp��cialement con��u pour le Club.

Au programme :
Torelli : Concerto a 4 en sol mineur, opus 8 no 6
Haendel : Messiah (extraits)
Aria : �� O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion ��
Aria: �� How beautiful are the feet of them ��
Sammartini : Concerto grosso en sol mineur, opus 5 no 6
Scarlatti, D. : Salve Regina
Corelli : Concerto grosso en sol mineur �� de No��l ��, opus 8 no 6
Bach : Oratorio de No��l (extrait) BWV 248
�� Bereite dich, Zion ��
Bach : Cantate no 170 �� Vergn��gte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust �� (extrait)
Aria : �� Vergn��gte Ruh, beliebte Seelenlust ��
Choix de cantiques de No��l

Encore cette saison, les plus GRANDS se succ��dent au Club musical de Qu��bec, dans ce concert avec la contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux et l'ensemble Handel and Haydn Society dirig�� par John Finney, le 7 d��cembre, au Grand Th����tre de Qu��bec.

Il reste encore quelques bonnes places pour ce concert. Les billets sont en vente �� la billetterie du Grand Th����tre de Qu��bec, en composant le 643-8131 ou 1-877-643-8131 ou encore dans le r��seau BILLETECH (billetech.com).

Marie-Nicole Lemieux

Contralto

En 2000, �� l'��ge de 24 ans, la contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux devient la premi��re Canadienne �� remporter le Prix de la Reine Fabiola (1er prix) ainsi que le Prix sp��cial du Lied au Concours musical international Reine ��lisabeth de Belgique. Depuis, on ne cesse d'admirer sa musicalit�� inn��e ainsi que le timbre chaud et velout�� de sa voix, instrument qu'elle utilise avec un naturel d��sarmant et une virtuosit�� ��poustouflante. C'est ce talent sans commune mesure qui lui permet de mener de front une carri��re internationale autant �� l'op��ra qu'au r��cital ou comme soliste avec orchestre.

Parmi les ensembles avec lesquels elle a chant��, on compte les orchestres philharmoniques de Radio-France, de Saint-P��tersbourg, de Rotterdam, de Londres, les orchestres symphoniques de la Monnaie, de Singapour, de Montr��al, de Qu��bec, de Toronto, d'Edmonton, ainsi que l'Orchestre national de France, l'Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, l'Orchestre du Centre National des Arts, The Academy of Ancient Music, Les Musiciens du Louvre, le Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin, l'Ensemble Matheus, Les Violons du Roy, l'Ensemble orchestral de Paris, l'ensemble Modo Antiquo et le Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra. Le prestige de ces ensembles n'a d'��gal que ceux des chefs qu'elle a c��toy��s : Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, Kurt Masur, Sir Neville Marriner, Marc Minkowski, Sir Simon Rattle, Kent Nagano, Michel Plasson et bien d'autres.

Sur sc��ne, elle incarne avec fougue les grands r��les de l'op��ra. De Il Ritorno d'Ulisse de Monterverdi �� Pell��as et M��lisande de Debussy, en passant par Rodelinda de Handel, Falstaff de Verdi, Faust de Gounod et G��tterd��mmerung de Wagner, l'��tendue de son r��pertoire couvre plusieurs si��cles. Ayant enregistr�� sous diff��rents labels (Deutsche Grammophon, Virgin Classics, Analekta, Dorian, Cypr��s), elle est maintenant li��e par un contrat d'exclusivit�� avec l'��tiquette fran��aise Na��ve avec laquelle elle a enregistr�� deux op��ras de Vivaldi (Griselda et Orlando Furioso), L'heure exquise ��� un r��cital de m��lodies fran��aises ��� et le plus r��cent, contenant des ��uvres sacr��es de Vivaldi, dont on a lou�� la �� rare ��l��gance �� (Musicologie.org). Ces multiples enregistrements lui ont valu quelques prix, dont le prix du �� Meilleur enregistrement de l'ann��e �� aux Victoires de la Musique classique en 2005, un Prix Juno et un Prix Opus.

R��cemment, le critique Claude Gingras vantait son �� jeu d'une ��tonnante efficacit�� �� (La Presse, 28 septembre 2009) lors de sa participation �� Gianni Schicchi de Puccini �� l'Op��ra de Montr��al dans lequel elle tenait le r��le de la mar��tre Zita.

John Finney, chef d'orchestre

Le chef bostonnais John Finney est reconnu comme un musicien polyvalent d'une grande vitalit��. Depuis 1987, il est �� la t��te de la Heritage Chorale �� Framingham, au Massachussetts, qu'il dirige dans les grandes ��uvres chorales telles que l'oratorio Elijah de Mendelssohn et la Missa di Requiem de Verdi. Il est ��galement directeur de la University Chorale du Boston College depuis 1993 avec laquelle il a effectu�� plusieurs tourn��es �� New York, Dublin, Prague, Vienne et Rome. Maestro Finney a notamment ��t�� nomm�� chef attitr�� du Boston College Symphony Orchestra ainsi qu'artiste en r��sidence ��m��rite de l'��tablissement. Il occupe aussi le poste de directeur de la musique �� la Wellesley Hills Congregational Church.

L'ann��e 1990 marque son entr��e �� la Haydn and Handel Society alors qu'il en devient le chef de ch��ur. Deux ans plus tard, il est nomm�� chef associ�� de l'ensemble orchestral qu'il dirige �� de multiples reprises dans le Messie de Handel, entre autres.

John Finney est aussi r��put�� pour son jeu �� l'orgue et au clavecin. Il est dipl��m�� en orgue du Oberlin College Conservatory of Music et du Boston Conservatory, o�� il enseigne maintenant. Ses talents de p��dagogue sont aussi r��guli��rement sollicit��s par l'Acad��mie de musique ancienne de Bressanone en Italie.

Handel and Haydn Society

L'ensemble Handel and Haydn Society s'est donn�� comme but d'interpr��ter le r��pertoire des ��poques baroque et classique sur instruments d'��poque tout en recherchant la plus grande qualit�� d'ex��cution possible. ��tant �� l'origine un regroupement choral, l'ensemble a ��t�� fond�� en 1815 par un groupe de marchands de Boston, ce qui en fait l'un des plus anciens ensembles encore en activit�� aux ��tats-Unis. Depuis ses d��buts, la Handel and Haydn Society maintient une tradition d'innovation, accomplissant les cr��ations am��ricaines du Messie de H��ndel (1818), de la Cr��ation de Haydn (1819), du Requiem de Verdi (1878) et de la Messe en si de Bach (1887). Tout au long de son histoire, l'organisation s'est fait un devoir de faire conna��tre les grand chefs-d'��uvre et leur plus ��minents interpr��tes aux collectivit��s, tout en ��tablissant des standards de r��f��rence dans le domaine de la musique chorale et orchestrale.

Concours Musical International de Montr��al - Violon 2010 du 24 mai au 4 juin

See English below

Montr��al, le vendredi 13 novembre 2009 - Le Concours Musical International de Montr��al (CMIM) annonce officiellement l���identit�� des membres du jury de la prochaine ��dition Violon 2010.

Pr��sid�� par M. Andr�� Bourbeau, cofondateur et pr��sident du CMIM, le jury de l���dition 2010 sera compos�� de M. Patrice Fontanarosa (France), violon-solo honoraire de l'Orchestre National de France et titulaire d'une classe de perfectionnement �� la Schola Cantorum de Paris; de M. Rodney Friend (Royaume-Uni), violon-solo durant plus de trente ans, notamment des London et New York Philharmonic Orchestras et de la BBC Symphony Orchestra; de M. Michael Frischenschlager (Autriche), professeur r��put�� et pr��sident du Concours International de Violon Fritz Kreisler de Vienne; de M. Dong Suk Kang (��tats-Unis), professeur �� l���Universit�� Yonsei de S��oul et codirecteur artistique du Festival MusicAlp �� Courchevel; de M. Paul Kantor (��tats-Unis), p��gagogue recherch��, actuellement professeur distingu�� (Eleanor H. Biggs) au Cleveland Institute of Music; et des violonistes canadiens Vladimir Landsman, professeur agr��g�� �� la Facult�� de musique de l���Universit�� de Montr��al s���tant produit un peu partout dans le monde, et Martin Beaver, soliste renomm�� et premier violon du Tokyo String Quartet depuis 2002, avec lequel il s���est produit en concert dans les plus grandes villes du monde. L����uvre canadienne impos��e sera une composition originale pour violon solo de Kelly-Marie Murphy, dont la musique a ��t�� jou��e au Royaume-Uni, au Japon, en Europe et en Am��rique du Nord par de nombreux ensembles et solistes de renom.

La Direction du CMIM est ��galement fi��re de pouvoir compter sur la participation de M. Simon Durivage, animateur au R��seau de l���information de Radio-Canada, pianiste, m��lomane et porte-parole m��dias pour une troisi��me ann��e. �Į�ĮRappelons que l���dition Violon 2010 du CMIM se d��roulera du 24 mai au 4 juin prochains. Montr��al accueillera alors quelques-uns des meilleurs jeunes violonistes de la plan��te. Nous invitons les candidats �� s���inscrire en ligne d��s aujourd���hui. �Į�ĮTous les d��tails au www.concoursmontreal.ca

*****

Montreal, Friday, November 13, 2009 ��� The Montreal International Musical Competition (MIMC) officially announces the names of the jury members for the Competition���s upcoming 2010 Violin edition.

Presided over by MIMC president and co-founder Andr�� Bourbeau, the jury for the 2010 edition will be made up of Mr. Patrice Fontanarosa (France), honorary concertmaster of the Orchestre National de France, and tenured lecturer of an advanced training class at La Schola Cantorum in Paris; Mr. Rodney Friend (United Kingdom), concertmaster for more than thirty years, notably of the London and New York Philharmonic Orchestras and the BBC Symphony Orchestra; Mr. Michael Frischenschlager (Austria), renowned teacher and President of the Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition in Vienna; Mr. Dong Suk Kang (United States), professor at the Yonsei University in Seoul, and co-artistic director of the MusicAlp Festival in France; Mr. Paul Kantor (United States), renowned teacher and currently the Eleanor H. Biggs Distinguished Professor of Violin at the Cleveland Institute of Music; and Canadian violinists Vladimir Landsman, Associate Professor at the Universit�� de Montr��al���s Faculty of Music, who has performed all over the world, and Martin Beaver, renowned soloist, who in May 2002 was named First Violin of the Tokyo String Quartet, with which he has performed in the major capitals of the world. The imposed Canadian work will be an original composition for solo violin by composer Kelly-Marie Murphy, whose music has been performed in the United Kingdom, Japan, across Europe and North America by outstanding soloists and ensembles.

MIMC administrators are also proud of the participation of Mr. Simon Durivage ��� host on Radio-Canada���s R��seau de l���information, pianist, music lover, and spokesperson for a third year.
The 2010 Violin edition of the MIMC will take place from May 24 to June 4, when Montreal will be host to some of the world���s finest young violinists. Candidates are invited to register on line now.

Complete details at www.concoursmontreal.ca



�ĮA. Bourbeau P. Fontanarosa R. Friend M. Frischenschlager D.S. Kang P. Kantor�Į�Į �ĮV. Landsman M. Beaver K.-M. Murphy S. Durivage

Wawanesa Insurance provides the WSO musicians �Įwith innovative support

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra is the celebrated hub of Winnipeg's rich cultural life, delighting more than 100,000 audience members each year with innovative programming and musical excellence. The WSO presents educational programs for more than 25,000 students annually and tours outside the city reaching out to communities across Manitoba.

Winnipeg, MB ��� November 12, 2009 ��� Wawanesa Insurance has been a long time corporate donor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) since 1963 by providing financial support throughout most of the life of the orchestra.�Į�Į

For the 2009/2010 season, Wawanesa Insurance is proud to announce their continued support - but of a different nature! New special symphonic chairs were unveiled at the October 16, 2009 concert, thanks to Wawanesa, that will support the musicians in a more comfortable manner. After 20 years of providing lumbar support, the WSO has said goodbye and retired the long standing red and gold chairs.�Į�Į

���These chairs were specially designed for each WSO musician, taking into account their respective height and ergo dynamic requirements. We went the extra mile to ensure the safety, comfort and physical health of our valued musicians,��� said Jean-Francois Phaneuf, Director of Artistic Operations. Two suppliers were engaged in the process, Concert Design and Wenger, and the musicians were consulted as to their specific chair requirements. In fact, each chair is personalized with their respective names.�Į�Į

George Bass, Vice-President, General Counsel and Secretary, Wawanesa Insurance, is delighted to support the musicians in this way. ���It was a natural fit with us as an insurance company ��� looking out for the best interests of the musicians��� physical health allows us to partner with the WSO in a productive way so that they can continue to provide exceptional musical experiences for all Manitobans.��� �Į�Į

Together, the WSO and Wawanesa Insurance are thrilled to be promoting good health and musical excellence!

Below, viola player Anne Elise Lavall��e models her new chair:

Terra Bella de Natalie Choquette : Le Voyage se Poursuit

Montr��al, le 10 novembre 2009 ��� Voil�� plus d'un an que Natalie Choquette s'est lanc��e dans une folle ��� et ��mouvante ��� odyss��e aux quatre coins de la plan��te. Re��u comme une carte postale musicale en novembre 2008, l'album Terra Mia t��moignait de ses escales et de ses d��couvertes. Aujourd'hui, la soprano poursuit son tour du monde des musiques traditionnelles avec TERRA BELLA, un disque hommage �� la beaut�� de l'ailleurs et �� la diversit�� culturelle.

Le p��riple commence en France avec la c��l��bre chanson J'attendrai de Dino Oliveri, popularis��e par Dalida en 1975. De l��, Natalie Choquette met le cap sur Cuba avec une belle chanson de trova, ensuite sur Naples, dans un ��mouvant duo avec la voix touchante du qu��b��cois Micha��l, sur l'Acadie (en trio avec Pierre Robichaud du c��lebre groupe acadien 1755 et la jeune acadienne Fr��d��rique Cyr-Desch��nes (13 ans), les ��tats-Unis, la Russie (en yiddish), la Gr��ce, l'Australie, l'Espagne et l'Afrique de l'Ouest en duo avec Basile Seni du Burkina Faso.

En chemin, �� La diva �� prend le temps de revisiter le tr��s qu��b��cois Soir d'hiver, un po��me d'��mile Nelligan mis en musique par Claude L��veill�� et interpr��t�� la premi��re fois il y a plus de 40 ans par Monique Leyrac. Et c'est en Italie que s'ach��ve le voyage de TERRA BELLA, avec
des retrouvailles familiales et vocales : accompagn��e de ses trois filles ��� Florence K, ��l��onore Lagac�� (12 ans) et Ariane Lagac�� (9 ans) ���, Natalie Choquette y reprend Il mio canto libero, une chanson qui a berc�� son adolescence lorsqu'elle habitait l'Italie en 1972 et qui, depuis, a ��t�� reprise par�Ķ la populaire ��quipe de soccer de la Juventus!

V��ritable �� S��same, ouvre-toi �� de toutes ces cultures, la voix cristalline de la soprano change de langue et de rythme pour ��pouser chaque tradition comme si c'��tait la sienne. La mise �� contribution d'instruments traditionnels ��� violon tzigane, fl��te irlandaise, didgeridoo australien, mandoline, n'goni, balafon, conga, harmonica ��� contribuent aussi �� donner �� TERRA BELLA un son r��solument authentique.

The Collegiate Chorale Presents Gala Concert A JUBILANT SONG - 12/1 at 7pm at Carnegie Hall

The Collegiate Chorale, led by Maestro James Bagwell in his inaugural concert as The Chorale's newly appointed Music Director, presents A JUBILANT SONG, a celebration of the organization's remarkable history of exceptional conductors, noteworthy commissions and premieres, and multi-faceted choral programming on December 1, 2009 at 7pm at Carnegie Hall. Tickets are $25-$125 and are available through CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800, at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, or online at www.carnegiehall.org. For more information, visit www.collegiatechorale.org.

As the new Music Director, Mr. Bagwell will give tribute to his predecessors and usher in a new era of The Collegiate Chorale. Tony�� Award winner Roger Rees will host the evening. A JUBILANT SONG will feature Salvatore Licitra, tenor (who debuted at Carnegie Hall with The Collegiate Chorale in 2003 in Verdi's La forza del destino); Jenny Lin, piano; Erin Morley, soprano; Emily Pulley, soprano; Anita Johnson, soprano; Krysty Swann, mizzo-soprano; Vale Rideout, tenor; Robert Mack, tenor; Daniel Mobbs, bass-baritone; Kalif Omari Jones, boy soprano; and the American Symphony Orchestra. A benefit dinner with Mr. Bagwell and the artists at Carnegie Hall's Rohatyn Room will follow the concert.

"Before coming on board with The Chorale, one of the things which attracted me the most was its rich history of musical and programming diversity, going all the way back to the ideals of founder Robert Shaw and continuing steadily through the tenures of all subsequent Music Directors, particularly the late Robert Bass - and so I wanted this first concert under my baton to capture the essence of that diversity. We will perform works from Gabrieli to Dello Joio, and from Kopylov to Bernstein and Lerner. The programming will include Verdi and Meyerbeer arias, the beloved Beethoven Choral Fantasy, a couple of exquisite a cappella choral pieces, and musical theater excerpts from Bernstein and Lerner's A White House Cantata. Many of the works we will perform hearken back to earlier concerts, including the Kopylov Heavenly Light, which was on The Chorale's very first public program in 1942," said James Bagwell, music director of The Collegiate Chorale.

The evening's program follows:

Beethoven, Choral Fantasy; Gabrieli, In ecclesiis; Kopylov, Heavenly Light (part of the first public program presented by The Collegiate Chorale on March 8, 1942); Dello Joio, A Jubilant Song; Shaw/Parker, Set Down Servant; Meyerbeer, O Beau Pays, from Les Huguenots; selected arias from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera; and La forza del destino; excerpts from Bernstein and Lerner's A White House Cantata (which received its New York Premiere in March 2008 by The Collegiate Chorale); and the Brindisi from La Traviata.

The Collegiate Chorale, among New York's foremost vocal ensembles, has added to the richness of the city's cultural fabric for more than 65 years. Founded in 1941 by the legendary conductor Robert Shaw, The Chorale achieved national and international prominence under the leadership of Robert Bass. The Chorale has established a preeminent reputation for its interpretations of the traditional choral repertoire, vocal works by American composers, and rarely heard operas-in-concert, as well as commissions and premieres of new works by today's most exciting creative artists. In the summer of 2009, The Chorale performed for the fourth season at Switzerland's Verbier Music Festival. In July 2008, The Chorale toured with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem.

The mission of The Collegiate Chorale is to enrich its audiences through innovative programming and exceptional performances of a broad range of vocal music featuring a premier choral ensemble. Inherent in its mission is The Chorale's belief that choral music is a compelling collaboration that creates a powerful, shared experience unifying listeners and musicians of all backgrounds, beliefs and ages.

James Bagwell maintains an active schedule throughout the United States as a conductor of choral, operatic, and orchestral music. He has recently been named Principal Guest Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra in New York. Since 2003 he has been Director of Choruses for the Bard Music Festival, conducting and preparing choral works during the summer festival at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Bard College. He has also prepared The Concert Chorale of New York for performances with the American Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Mostly Mozart Festival (broadcast nationally in 2006 on Live from Lincoln Center), all in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. In 2005 he was named Music Director of The Dessoff Choirs in New York, who under his leadership have made numerous appearances at Carnegie Hall in addition to their regular season. In 2009 the Dessoff Symphonic Choir appeared with the New York Philharmonic performing both Mahler's Eighth Symphony and Britten's War Requiem for Lorin Maazel's final concerts as Music Director.

James Bagwell has trained choruses for a number of major American and International orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NHK Symphony (Japan), St. Petersburg Symphony, The American Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. He has worked with noted conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Michael Tilson Thomas, Louis Langr��e, Leon Botstein, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Raymond Leppard, James Conlon, Jes��s L��pez-Cobos, Erich Kunzel, Leon Fleischer, and Robert Shaw.

For eleven seasons, he has been Music Director for the May Festival Youth Choir in Cincinnati, which was recently featured on the radio program From the Top. He has conducted some 25 productions as Music Director of Light Opera Oklahoma, including Candide, Sweeney Todd, and The Merry Widow, among others. At Bard SummerScape he has led numerous theatrical works, most notably Copland's The Tender Land, which received unanimous praise from The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Opera News. He frequently appears as guest conductor for orchestras around the country and abroad, including the Jerusalem Symphony, Tulsa Symphony, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. For three seasons he was Artistic Director of The Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. He holds degrees from Birmingham-Southern College, Florida State University, and Indiana University. He has taught since 2000 at Bard College, where he is Director of the Music Program.

For more information, visit www.collegiatechorale.org.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMS FOR THE CHORALE'S 2009-10 SEASON
For season subscriptions please contact The Chorale office at 646.202.9623 or visit www.collegiatechorale.org.

OPERA-IN-CONCERT / AMERICAN MASTERS
The Grapes of Wrath at Carnegie Hall
Monday, March 22, 2010 at 8pm
Music by Ricky Ian Gordon
Libretto by Michael Korie

featuring
Jane Fonda - Narrator
Nathan Gunn - Tom Joad
Victoria Clark - Ma Joad
Elizabeth Futral - Rosasharn
Anthony Dean Griffey - Jim Casy
Peter Halverson - Pa Joad
Stephen Powell - Uncle John
Andrew Wilkowske - Noah
Steven Pasquale - Al
Christine Ebersole - Mae/Waitress
Matthew Worth - Ragged Man/Connie Rivers/Truck Driver
Madelyn Gunn - Ruthie

American Symphony Orchestra
Ted Sperling, Conductor
Eric Simonson, Director
Frances Aronson, Lighting Designer
Wendall Harrington, Projection Designer


CHORAL CLASSIC
Israel in Egypt at Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, New York University
Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 8pm
Music by George F. Handel

featuring
Sari Gruber, soprano
Brian Asawa, alto
Rufus Muller, tenor

The American Symphony Orchestra
James Bagwell, Conductor

Music School Inc Presents DRUM FIGHT 8 Event and Expo

Farmingdale, NY (November 12, 2009) On Sunday December 13th, join Music School Inc, special celebrity judges and many of the best and brightest in local drummers for the next installment of the widely popular and successful DRUM FIGHT, the eighth such event, happening once again at The Crazy Donkey on Rt 110 in Farmingdale from 5pm until 11pm.
This show will be MC'd and hosted by Terence Trend (Dead Superstar) and will feature special guest judges such as Michael McDermott of Bouncing Souls, Francis Mark of From Autumn To Ashes, Derjache Lange of Glassjaw/Saves The Day and Mike Smith of Suffocation. Contestants will have a chance to win thousands in prizes from top brands like GMS, EVANS, Vic Firth, Sam Ash, Modern Drummer, Zildjian and more.

"We are excited to be back with the heaviest hitting Drum Fight yet." said Jared Feldman, Founder, Music School Inc and creator of DRUM FIGHT.

Here are the full details:

SUNDAY DECEMBER 13TH�ĮClub Loaded Presents:
�ĮDRUM FIGHT 8 ��� "50 of Long Island's drummers unite for a showdown!"
�ĮSPONSORED BY MUSIC SCHOOL INC�Į
http://www.musicschoolinc.com
@ THE CRAZY DONKEY �Įhttp://www.thecrazydonkey.com�Į
1058 ROUTE 110�ĮFARMINGDALE, NY 11735�Į631-753-1975
$10($15 AT DOOR) TICKETS/ALL AGES/DOORS AT 5PM
TICKETS AVAILABLE AT: WWW.CLUBLOADED.COM
TYPE OF SHOW: DRUM COMPETITION
MC'D AND HOSTED BY TERENCE TREND OF DEAD SUPERSTAR
With Special Guest Star Judges:
Michael McDermott of Bouncing Souls�ĮFrancis Mark of From Autumn To Ashes�ĮDerjache Lange of Glassjaw/Saves The Day�ĮMike Smith of Suffocation
Plus DJ DETH spins the rock!
Age Groups are:�ĮBeginner (ages 7-9, 10-12)�ĮIntermediate (ages 13-15)�ĮAdvanced (ages 16-19)�ĮPro (ages 20+)
DRUMMERS STILL WANTED IN ALL AGE GROUPS! TO SIGN UP CALL 516-280-6191 OR EMAIL INFO@MUSICSCHOOLINC.COM

ABOUT MUSIC SCHOOL INC:�Į Music School Inc is the Premier In-Home, On Location, One-On-One, Group and Private Lesson music service on Long Island. If you are looking for lessons for your child, or for yourself, please visit our website and learn more about our different programs and faculty.

For more info on Music School Inc, please call 516-280-6191 or check out http://www.musicschoolinc.com

323East Presents David Foox���s First U.S. Solo Exhibition in 2009

Only U.S. Exhibit For Celebrated ���Organ Donor Doll��� Artist

323East hosts internationally acclaimed artist David Foox for his first and only U.S. solo exhibition in the 2009-2010 calendar year. The exhibit opens on Saturday November 28 with an artist���s reception from 6 p.m. ��� 11 p.m., and runs through December 18. The show is free and open to the public, and will help raise awareness for Gift of Life Michigan.

A former New York City attorney, Foox first gained international recognition for his Organ Donor Dolls. These vinyl ���toys��� (created in the vein of Kidrobot Munnies and Dunnies) consist of miniature human bodies displaying bulbous organ heads, and were designed by Foox to encourage people to become organ donors when a family member needed a double lung transplant. Organ Donor Dolls captured the attention of both the media and the medical world garnering features on the BBC, along with newspapers and magazines the world over.

Building on his Organ Donor Dolls��� notoriety, Foox���s exhibit will help raise awareness for Gift of Life Michigan, a full service organ recovery organization that acts as the intermediary between donors, physicians and hospital staff, provides all services necessary for organ, tissue and cornea donation. This includes education, retrieval, preservation, tissue-typing and organ placement, as well as maintaining the Michigan Organ Donor Registry.

323East will be the only US outlet to offer full sets of the Chinese edition of Organ Donor Dolls.

Shirking his legal suit for good, Foox now devotes his life to painting; sculpting and creating works of art that both beguile and heal. ���Painting transformed from a stress relief outlet to a mission of creation,��� explains Foox.

For Foox, 2009 has been a year of amazing highs and lows: while struggling through a painful divorce, he was invited to exhibit work at a high profile Beijing art gallery owned by Chairman Mao���s granddaughter, and he can now count influential New York gallery owner Jonathan Levine as an admirer. ���That���s a huge leap in development in a very short time,��� Levine commented about Foox���s Beijing collection.

These experiences have permeated Foox���s art. ���They say traumatic periods of an artist���s life result in some of the best work. Each of these pieces carries with it the notions of ���good fortune��� ���good luck ���opportunity��� and ���overcoming the impossible���. For this is what transpired during my time painting these pieces, ��� Foox reveals.

In honor of the exhibit, 323East is offering a limited edition of 8 signed and numbered Giclee prints of Foox���s ���Texas Tonka,��� featured in the June 2009 issue of Juxtapoz, and now available for sale in advance of the show.

Don���t miss this chance to meet David Foox, one of the most original and exciting artists working today.

323East is a collection of creative energy materialized in a mash-up of art, culture, lifestyle and fashion. During David Foox���s exhibition, 323East will debut their new boutique - an additional 400 square feet of space dedicated to handmade goods by local and international artists including jewelry, handbags, clothing and more.

323East is located at 323 East Fourth Street in Royal Oak, Michigan. For more information please call 248-246-9544.

More information on David Foox and 323 East are available here:
www.323east.com

Alberto Veronesi Conducts Mascagni's L'amico Fritz To Be Released by Deutsche Grammophon November 17

Alberto Veronesi conducts Pietro Mascagni���s rarely performed opera L���amico Fritz starring soprano Angela Gheorghiu and tenor Roberto Alagna, on a new recording to be released by Deutsche Grammophon Tuesday, November 17, 2009. The album was recorded in 2008 during acclaimed live performances at Deutsche Oper Berlin which were called ���a rare musical treat��� by Das Opernglas, and for which klassik.com wrote: ���The soloists gave of their phenomenal best and the orchestra under Veronesi played sensationally...I can't recall the last time I heard such enthusiastic (and prolonged) applause at the Deutsche Oper.���

L���amico Fritz is Mr. Veronesi���s third album in an ongoing collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon of recordings of lesser known works from the post-Romantic Italian operatic repertoire known as Verismo. The series began in 2006 with the critically acclaimed complete recording of Puccini���s early opera Edgar with Pl��cido Domingo in the title role. The second recording, Puccini Rediscovered released in September 2009, is an album of original editions and alternative versions of famous Puccini arias and ensembles as well as little-known orchestral compositions sung by Plac��do Domingo and soprano Violeta Urmana with the Vienna Philharmonic.

Upcoming recordings in Mr. Veronesi���s Verismo series include three additional recordings to be released in 2010-2011: Leoncavallo's La Nuit de mai, an album of songs and arias performed by Mr. Domingo and pianist Lang Lang; Leoncavallo's opera I Medici also starring Plac��do Domingo; and Giordano's Fedora with Ms. Gheorghiu and Mr. Domingo.

Mr. Veronesi has done extensive research on works from the late 19th to early 20th Century Verismo operatic repertoire by composers such as Mascagni, Leoncavallo and Puccini, among others, and continues to program and record these composers��� lesser known works in an effort to give this underexposed repertoire a wider audience and establish new masterworks.

L���amico Fritz is Mascagni���s second opera; a light-hearted follow-up to his popular Cavalleria rusticana. The opera tells the story of Fritz (Alagna), a wealthy landowner and confirmed bachelor who falls for Suzel (Gheorghiu), the young daughter of one of his tenants, and includes The Cherry Duet (���Suzel, buon di���) ��� a love duet considered the best known piece from the opera which has long been part of Alagna and Gheorghiu���s repertoire. The cast on the recording is rounded out by Laura Polverelli as the gypsy boy Beppe, a rare trouser role for the time period, George Petean as David, Yosep Kang as Federico, Hyung-Wook Lee as Hanez�� and Andi��n Fern��ndez as Caterina.

Born in Milan, Alberto Veronesi studied at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory and while a student, founded the Guido Cantelli Orchestra, which has since remained in residence at the Conservatory. He directed the orchestra until 2000, including performances at the Salzburg Easter Festival (at the invitation of Claudio Abbado), Teatro alla Scala and Maggio Musicale.

In 1999, Mr. Veronesi was appointed Musical Director of the Puccini Festival at Torre del Lago, where he has not only conducted all of Puccini's operas but was also actively involved in the construction of a new opera house. In 2003, his production of La Boh��me at the Festival won the Premio Abbiati, awarded by the Italian Music Critics Association. His performances at the Festival in 2009 included a new production of Manon Lescaut and a gala concert with soprano Angela Gheorghiu.

In 2001 Mr. Veronesi was named Artistic and Musical Director of the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana in Palermo, where he is performing complete cycles of symphonies by Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler and Shostakovich, as well as giving prominence to 20th-century Italian symphonic music and continuing to program contemporary works. He was also recently named Artistic Director of the Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna.

As a guest conductor, Mr. Veronesi has led orchestras in New York, Rome, Tokyo, Athens, and Tel Aviv among other cities, and at opera houses such as Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and La Monnaie Bruxelles. He lives in Palermo with his wife and young daughter.

�ĮL���AMICO FRITZ
Pietro Mascagni (1863 - 1945)
CD |D|D|D| 000289 477 8358 9 |G|H 2|
2 Compact Discs

Alberto Veronesi, conductor
Chor und Orchester der Deutsche Oper Berlin

Cast:
Fritz Kobus: Roberto Alagna
Suzel: Angela Gheorghiu
Beppe: Laura Polverelli
David: George Petean
Federico: Yosep Kang
Hanez��: Hyung-Wook Lee
Caterina; Andi��n Fern��ndez

Concert de No��l du Choeur de la montagne

Paris en d��cembre

Beloeil, le 10 novembre 2009. Le Ch��ur de la montagne, sous la direction de son nouveau directeur musical et artistique Julien Proulx, vous m��ne tout droit vers Paris les 12 et 13 d��cembre prochains.

Les quelque 115 choristes du Ch��ur de la montagne auront le bonheur d'interpr��ter des oeuvres de compositeurs ayant fait leur marque �� Paris, entre autres, Le Requiem de Faur��. N�� �� Paris, Gabriel Faur�� (1845-1924) est l'un des plus grands musiciens fran��ais de la fin du XIXe et du d��but du XXe si��cle. Cette ��uvre remarquable refl��te merveilleusement bien sa vision toute particuli��re de la religion qu'il percevait comme source d'amour et non de crainte. Il a lui-m��me avou�� son intention d'exprimer via cette musique sa conception personnelle de la mort comme ��une d��livrance heureuse, une aspiration au bonheur d'au-del��, plut��t que comme un passage douloureux��. Le Requiem sera accompagn�� �� l'orgue par Marie-France Veilleux, et les solistes invit��s seront la soprano St��phanie Lessard et le baryton Marc-Antoine D'Aragon.

Vous aurez aussi la chance d'entendre le Choeur interpr��ter Quatre chansons d'Andr�� Mathieu accompagn�� par Francine Lacroix au piano. Le pianiste Alain Lefebvre, promoteur des ��uvres d'Andr�� Mathieu, nous fait conna��tre ce grand pianiste virtuose et compositeur qu��b��cois que les critiques parisiennes avaient surnomm�� le petit Mozart canadien apr��s plusieurs concerts �� Paris en 1936 �� l'��ge de 7 ans. De plus, en cette p��riode de r��jouissances, s'ajouteront au programme plusieurs Cantiques de No��l.

Ne manquez pas ce concert de No��l du Choeur de la montagne Paris en d��cembre, ��v��nement musical unique qui aura lieu le 12 d��cembre �� 20 h 00 et le 13 d��cembre �� 14 h 30 en l'��glise Saint-Matthieu de Beloeil (1014, rue Richelieu).

Admission 20$ (10$/ ��tudiant, 30$/section r��serv��e) Information : 514.816.6577 ou www.choeurdelamontagne.com

Billets en vente chez Multi-��lectronique de Beloeil , 450.467.8273 (carte de cr��dit accept��e) et au
Mus��e des Beaux arts de Mont-Saint-Hilaire, 450.536.3033 (argent comptant)

La Galerie Michel-Ange, la plus ancienne du Vieux-Montr��al, f��te son 25e anniversaire, du 15 novembre au 23 d��cembre 2009. Vernissage le 15 novembre d

EXPOSITION du 15 novembre au 23 d��cembre 2009
Vernissage : Dimanche le 15 novembre �� 13 h00 en pr��sence des artistes

La galerie est tributaire du talent et du travail de ses artistes. Les ��uvres d'une 74 d'entre eux orneront ses cimaises. Cette exposition ��hommage�� souligne 25 ann��es d'audace, de collaboration et le travail acharn�� de la directrice Sonia Denault, de sa famille et des membres de son ��quipe.

Liste des artistes Expo 25e anniversaire

Arseno
Alexis Arts
L��o Ayotte
Marcel Barbeau
Yolande Bernier
Gertrude A. Barwick
Henri Beau
P.V. Beaulieu
Mich��le B��dard
Monique B��dard
H��l��ne B��land
L��on Bellefleur
Marcelle Bonenfant-Dub��
Daniel Brient
Diane Brunet
Serge Brunoni
Janine Carreau
G��rard Castonguay
Yvon Chartrand
Jacques Cl��ment
Sylvie Cloutier
Armand C��t��
Denise Custeau
Jean-Philippe Dallaire
G��rard Dansereau

N��r��e De Gr��ce
Oscar De Lall
Denise Desjardins
Desson
Ren��e duRocher
C��cile Fafard
Marcel Fecteau
Marcelle Ferron
Nicole Foreman
Marcelle Fortier
Marc-Aur��le Fortin
Rachel Gareau
Pierre Gauvreau
Diane Gervais
Marcel Gingras
Joseph Giunta
Sylvain Grondin
Normand Hudon
Francesco Iacurto
Louis Jaque
Jean-Paul J��r��me
Henry W. Jones
Jean-Pierre Lafrance
Sylvie Larose
Diane Leli��vre

Ren�� Lemay
Cl��ment Lemieux
Madeleine Lemire
Claude Le Sauteur
Pearl Levy
John Little
Lydia Malinowski
Claude Millette
Roger Monette
Danielle Nadeau-Lahue
Lynda Parent
Nicole Payette
Louis-Paul Perron
Roland Pichet
Marcel Ravary
Jean-Paul Riopelle
Goodridge Roberts
Albert Rousseau
R��jane Sanchagrin
Miyuki Tanobe
Fr��d��ric Thomas
Pierre Tougas
Fernand Toupin
Andr��e V��zina

C'est avec une fiert�� l��gitime que la Galerie Michel-Ange c��l��bre un quart de si��cle d'engagement, de pers��v��rance et de r��ussite dans sa mission : mettre de l'avant et encourager la production et la visibilit�� d'artistes qu��b��cois contemporains sans oublier de promouvoir l'h��ritage des grands ma��tres qu��b��cois et canadiens de renomm��e tels Paul-��mile Borduas, Jean-Philippe Dallaire, Marc-Aur��le Fortin, Pierre Gauvreau, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Marc-Aur��le de Foy Suzor-C��t���Ķ

Vous ��tes tous convi��s �� cette exposition de grande envergure r��unissant des tableaux et sculptures de nombreux artistes repr��sent��s par la galerie et qui s'annonce pour tous les amateurs d'art comme une remarquable aventure �� travers l'espace et le temps, dans un am��nagement redessin�� qui cr��e un environnement propice �� une lecture optimale des ��uvres.

Renseignements g��n��raux :

Galerie Michel-Ange
430, rue Bonsecours,
Vieux Montr��al, Qc , H2Y 3C4

Renseignements : 514.875.8281 ou www.michel-ange.net

Les heures d'ouverture sont du mardi au vendredi de 10 h �� 18 h
Samedi et dimanche de 11 h �� 17h. (Stationnement disponible)

Robert Porco conducts The Cleveland Orchestra in Handel's Messiah at Severance Hall on December 10 and 12

Vocal soloists are soprano Mary Wilson, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, tenor Alek Shrader, and bass-baritone John Relyea

CLEVELAND, November 10, 2009 ��� Robert Porco, The Cleveland Orchestra���s director of choruses, will lead The Cleveland Orchestra in performances of Handel���s Messiah at Severance Hall on Thursday, December 10, and Saturday, December 12, at 8:00 p.m. The performances will be given in observance of the 250th anniversary of Handel���s death (April 14, 1759). Vocal soloists for Messiah will be soprano Mary Wilson, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, tenor Alek Shrader, and bass-baritone John Relyea. With these performances, Ms. Wilson makes her Severance Hall debut and Mr. Costanzo makes his Cleveland Orchestra debut. The Cleveland Orchestra Chamber Chorus, prepared by Robert Porco, will also perform.

The program consists of a single work, Handel���s Messiah, with an intermission between Parts I and II.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Soprano Mary Wilson is cultivating a wide-ranging career performing chamber music, oratorio, and operatic repertoire. As an interpreter of Baroque repertoire, especially works by Handel, she has appeared with American Bach Soloists, Bach Society of St. Louis, Baltimore Handel Choir, Boston Baroque, Carmel Bach Festival, Florida Bach Festival, and Musica Angelica. Her engagements this season include the role of Oriana in Handel���s Amadigi di Gaula with Boston Baroque, Mahler���s Symphony No. 4 with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Bach���s Mass in B minor and the Mozart Requiem with Florida Baroque, Monteverdi���s Vespers of 1610 with Boston Baroque, and Bach���s St. John Passion with Musica Angelica. Ms. Wilson made her Cleveland Orchestra debut as a soloist in Mendelssohn���s A Midsummer Night���s Dream at the Blossom Festival in July 2008.
Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo began performing professionally at the age of 11 when he appeared in the Broadway touring production of Falsettos. In 2009, he was a Grand Finals Winner in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. During the 2009-10 season, Mr. Costanzo makes his New York City Opera debut as Armindo in Handel���s Partenope and his New York Philharmonic debut as Prince Go-Go in Ligeti���s Le Grand Macabre. In the summer of 2010, he will sing the title role in Glimmerglass Opera���s new production of Handel���s Tolomeo. Following his debut performances with The Cleveland Orchestra at these concerts, he travels to Carnegie Hall for performances of Messiah with Musica Sacra.
Tenor Alek Shrader, a winner of the 2007 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, made his San Francisco Opera mainstage debut during the 2008-09 season as Nemorino in L���Elisir d���amore. In March and April 2009, he sang the role of Count Almaviva in Opera Cleveland���s production of The Barber of Seville. He was a featured soloist in the 2009 Metropolitan Opera Concert in the Park series. During the 2009-10 season, he makes his European debut as Tamino in The Magic Flute at the Grand Th����tre de Bordeaux and appears in the Mozart Requiem with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. At the end of the season, he will make his Santa Fe Opera debut in the title role of Albert Herring. Mr. Shrader made his Cleveland Orchestra debut as a soloist in performances of Bach���s Magnificat and excerpts from Handel���s Messiah in December 2006.
Bass-baritone John Relyea has appeared in many of the world���s most celebrated opera houses and remains in high demand throughout the concert world, performing with leading orchestras across the United States and in Europe. This season, he makes his debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Mephistopheles in The Damnation of Faust and returns to the Metropolitan Opera in the title role of The Marriage of Figaro. He also appears with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Dresden Staatskapelle. Mr. Relyea made his Cleveland Orchestra debut in January 1998 as a soloist in Bach���s Mass in B minor and most recently appeared with the Orchestra at the Blossom Festival in July 2004.

TICKET PRICES (Add $5 for Saturday): Orchestra: $66, $44; Dress Circle: $87, $51; Balcony: $66, $51, $31.
TICKET SERVICES:
The Severance Hall Ticket Office is located in the Smith Lobby. The entrance and 15-minute Ticket Service parking are along East Boulevard. Single tickets for all concerts in the 2009-10 season are now on sale.
Severance Hall Ticket Office Hours:
M-F 9-6
Sat. 10-6
Closed Sundays and major holidays, except for those days with performances, when the Ticket Office opens three hours before the concert.
To charge tickets by telephone on American Express, Discover Card, MasterCard, and Visa, call Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Services at (216) 231-1111 (Cleveland) or 800-686-1141 during the regular ticket office hours listed above. Subscriptions and single tickets are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra���s website at clevelandorchestra.com. The website offers secure ticket transactions with any major credit card and provides complete concert listings.

FREE CONCERT PREVIEWS:
Concert Previews will be given prior to the December 10 and 12 concerts, beginning at 7:00 p.m., in the Concert Hall. Hugh Floyd, director of choral activities at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, will give the Preview. Concert Previews are designed to enrich the concert-going experience by providing historical background and critical insight into the music performed at each concert. This series is funded by a generous endowment gift from Dorothy Humel Hovorka.

PARKING:
For evening subscription concerts at Severance Hall, parking can be purchased for $10 per vehicle, when space permits, in the Campus Center Garage (the underground garage located directly behind Severance Hall). Pre-paid parking for the Campus Center Garage can be purchased in advance through the Ticket Office at the cost of $14 per concert (this includes City of Cleveland parking tax and handling fee). The pre-paid parking ensures patrons a parking space. Availability of these pre-paid parking passes is limited.
For further information, or to order pre-paid parking, patrons should call the Cleveland Orchestra Ticket Office during regular office hours at (216) 231-1111 or 800-686-1141. Pre-paid parking passes are also available through The Cleveland Orchestra���s website at clevelandorchestra.com.

Canadian Stage Company's Matthew Jocelyn directing opera on the world stage in France, Belgium and Germany

Julie premieres at Th����tre d'Orleans Nov. 12 and embarks on a tour of France and Belgium
Le Bal makes its world premiere at Germany's Hamburg Staatsoper in 2010
Lucia di Lammermoor returns to Germany's Oper Frankfurt in 2010

Toronto, ON (November 10, 2009) ��� Matthew Jocelyn, The Canadian Stage Company's new Artistic & General Director and an internationally acclaimed director of theatre and opera, will be directing the opera Julie in France this month in addition to a variety of operas in France, Belgium and Germany in 2010.

Jocelyn will direct Julie by Belgian composer Philippe Boesmans, based on Strindberg's classic play Miss Julie, at Th����tre d'Orleans in France on November 12 and 13, 2009. The production, starring mezzo-soprano Carolina Santos, baritone Alexander Knop and soprano Agnieszka Slawinski, will embark on a multi-city tour of Belgium and France, including a stopover in Paris at Th����tre de l'Ath��n��e-Louis Jouvet, January 8 to 13, 2010.

In March 2010, Jocelyn will direct an evening of three one-act operas including Erwartung by Arnold Sch��nberg, Das Gehege by Wolfgang Rihm and the world premiere of Le Bal by Oscar Strasnoy, based on the novel by Ir��ne N��mirovsky, at the Hamburg Staatsoper, one of Germany's national opera houses. Jocelyn also wrote the libretto for Le Bal, the first commission of a new opera at the Hamburg Staatsoper in over a decade. The triple bill runs March 7 to 26, 2010.

During the first half of 2010, Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti's tragic opera directed by Jocelyn, returns to Oper Frankfurt. Jocelyn originally directed the production for Oper Frankfurt in October 2008. The production was remounted in May 2009 and returns January 28 to February 28 and again May 1 to 16, 2010 as the most-often performed production of the Company's 2010 season.

Originally from Toronto and later based in France, Matthew Jocelyn was appointed Artistic & General Director of The Canadian Stage Company in February 2009. Jocelyn is an internationally acclaimed producer and director of theatre and opera as well as an arts administrator and educator. He was the Artistic and General Director of the Atelier du Rhin in Alsace, France for 10 years. He was responsible for establishing the organization as a major centre for theatre, opera and contemporary dance ��� the only multi-disciplinary artistic centre of its kind in France. In addition to his administrative and financial roles, he directed a number of productions at the Atelier du Rhin. He was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters), by France's Ministry of Culture in July 2008, one of the country's most prestigious arts honours. His professional credits also include: founding Th����tre de l'Autre Rive and Th����tre Des-H��rit��s in Paris; directing at the Centre de formation lyrique of the Paris National Opera over three seasons; directing theatre and opera, including original work and translations, throughout much of western Europe; guest director at Canada's Stratford Shakespeare Festival where he received critical acclaim for his production of Pierre Corneille's The Liar (Le menteur) in 2006. He has taught intermittently at the University of Toronto, the American University of Paris, the Universit�� de Toulouse-le Mirail and the Conservatoire National Sup��rieure d'Art Dramatique in Paris.

Nationally and internationally acclaimed, The Canadian Stage Company is Canada's leading not-for-profit contemporary theatre company. Founded in 1987 with the merger of CentreStage and Toronto Free Theatre, the Company is dedicated to producing international contemporary theatre and to developing and producing landmark Canadian works which have been awarded some of the country's most prestigious literary and performing arts honours, including the Governor General's, Chalmers and Dora Mavor Moore Awards. The Company presents the richest variety of Canadian and international plays and musicals ��� from edgy and provocative work at the Berkeley Street Theatre to popular productions at the Bluma Appel Theatre and a summer of Shakespeare at the TD Dream in High Park. Canadian Stage has a long-standing commitment to education and enhancement programs for the public, nurturing theatre professionals, and developing new Canadian plays, while producing thought-provoking theatre and quality entertainment in Toronto, one of North America's largest theatre centres. For more information, refer to canstage.com.

Music, Math and Birthday Cake...

NEW MUSIC CONCERTS��� 39th Season
New musical inventions that provoke, awaken and inspire

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UDO!

Honouring Estonian-Canadian composer Udo Kasemets
Sunday, December 13 at the Betty Oliphant Theatre, in Toronto

Toronto, November 10, 2009: New Music Concerts celebrates Udo Kasemets��� 90th birthday - and more than half a century of dedication to Toronto���s contemporary music scene - by presenting Happy Birthday, Udo! The evening features the Canadian premiere of fraCtal fibONaCciERTO. This astonishing, extended work for piano and mixed ensemble demonstrates a number of distinct aspects of Kasemets��� approach to composition. Dedicatee Stephen Clarke, who first performed this work with the S.E.M. Ensemble in New York, shares the stage with the NMC Ensemble, conducted by NMC artistic director Robert Aitken at the Betty Oliphant Theatre on Sunday, December 13 at 8PM.

Udo Kasemets was born November 16, 1919 in Tallinn, Estonia. He immigrated to Canada in 1951 and has been a mover and shaker in Canadian contemporary arts ever since. An accomplished conductor, pianist, teacher, lecturer and writer, Kasemets is better known as a composer. He began writing in conventional styles, first strictly tonally, then using more dissonant attitudes and finally adopting the dodecaphonic system, working within it throughout the 1950's. Around 1960 he totally abandoned these concepts and moved toward open forms, special notations, mixed media, audio-visual interactions, sound texts and electroacoustics.

For Kasemets, the most significant influences came from diverse sources which include composers, writers, thinkers, inventors and visual artists, such as Erik Satie, Marcel Duchamp, James Joyce, John Cage, James Tenney, Morton Feldman, Merce Cunningham and Buckminster Fuller. The I Ching (ancient Chinese classic text), fractal geometry and other mathematical phenomena are also major influences, especially in his recent works.

In 1962-63 Kasemets organized Toronto's first new music series: ���Men, Minds and Music���. He also established the Isaacs Gallery Mixed Media Concerts. Kasemets planned and directed the first Toronto Festival of Arts and Technology entitled SightSoundSystems. He founded and edited a new music publication series, Canavangard, while travelling, performing and lecturing in Canada and the United States. In 1971, Kasemets joined the Faculty of the Department of Experimental Art at the Ontario College of Art where he taught until retiring in 1987. Tirelessly, he continued to organize such celebrations and festivals as John Cage's 65th and 75th birthday, Marcel Duchamp's centennial as well as Counterbomb Renga, a continent-wide chain of poetry and music writing against nuclear weaponry.

fraCtal fibONaCciERTO is an extended work which demonstrates a number of distinct aspects of Kasemets��� approach to composition. It is in five interlocked sections, each based on a specific mathematical concept:

KOCH curve; CANTOR���s devil���s staircase; FIBONACCI series; MANDELBROT set; and FEIGENBAUM cascades. While the piano is the featured solo instrument, all players participate in the ���concerto��� aspect of the piece, not just by playing solo passages, but also making creative preparations for the realization of the score. The pianist makes choices about playing modes and dynamics; the percussionists must select appropriate arrays of instruments, the strings are involved in an interactive invention/imitation process and all the players participate in a programmed improvisation in the FIBONACCI cadenza.

Fibonacci series

Stephen Clarke has performed in festivals in Europe, Canada and the U.S., among these the Donaueschinger Musiktage and the Berliner Festwochen. He has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble and the Merce Cunningham Dance Company. He also plays in a duo with violinist Marc Sabat, is the pianist of Arraymusic and has worked with a number of other ensembles. Solo recordings include works by Giacinto Scelsi (Mode Records) and Udo Kasemets (hatHut), and James Tenney���s Music for Violin and Piano with Marc Sabat (hatHut). Mr. Clarke studied composition at the University of Toronto and has written works for various ensembles.

Happy Birthday, Udo!
Sunday December 13, 2009
7:15 PM Illuminating Introduction; 8:00 PM performance with birthday cake reception to follow.
Betty Oliphant Theatre: 404 Jarvis Street, Toronto
Stephen Clarke; New Music Concerts Ensemble; Robert Aitken;
Udo Kasemets (Estonia/Canada, 1919) ��� fraCtal fibONaCciERTO (1996) for piano and mixed ensemble


TICKET INFORMATION
Individual Tickets: - $30 (reg)/$20 (seniors/arts workers)/$10 (students)
Box Office: 416 961-9594

New Music Concerts
157 Carlton Street, Suite 203 Toronto ON M5A 2K3
416.961.9594 / fax 416.961.9508
nmc@interlog.com / www.NewMusicConcerts.com

New Music Concerts gratefully acknowledges the support of The Canada Council for the Arts; Toronto Arts Council; The Department of Heritage through Arts Presentation Canada; The Province of Ontario through the Ontario Arts Council & the Ontario Arts Foundation Endowment Fund; The Goethe Institut; The Julie-Jiggs Foundation; The Koerner Foundation; The McLean Foundation; Roger D. Moore; The SOCAN Foundation; The Imperial Tobacco Canada Foundation; The Amphion Foundation Inc.; The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc.; Edward Epstein and Gallery 345; The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Toronto

Symphonic tribute to esteemed Beatle marks latest addition to concert season - May 12

Entertaining Addition to ESO Season!

Live and Let Die ���
A Symphonic Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney�Į
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Tickets on sale now!

Edmonton, AB �Ķ The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is excited to announce the addition of Live and Let Die to their already remarkable line-up of special concerts this season. For one night only, Paul McCartney���s legacy comes alive at the Francis Winspear Centre for Music. From his great songs with The Beatles to his outstanding solo music, Paul McCartney���s essence comes alive in Tony Kishman's award-winning re-creation of the sound and look of one of rock���s most influential performers. Audiences will be dazzled by the combination of the power of pop with the beauty of symphonic orchestration.

The outstanding musicians of the highly successful Classical Mystery Tour have twice blown ESO audiences away with their powerhouse symphonic salute to The Beatles, so don't miss those same musicians when they present Live and Let Die. Kishman, with his uncanny resemblance both visually and vocally to the beloved Beatle, brings a delightful concert experience to a whole new generation of fans.

Ticket prices range from $20 - $79 (agency fees apply) and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased through the Winspear Centre Box Office. Call (780) 428-1414, toll-free at 1-800-563-5081, or purchase online at edmontonsymphony.com.

JBL Professional Ships MSC1 Monitor System Controller

The MSC1 optimizes studio workflow and tunes any speakers in the room.

NORTHRIDGE, California ��� JBL Professional announced delivery of the MSC1 Monitor System Controller, bringing convenience and greater accuracy to audio production rooms at a most accessible price point. The MSC1 Monitor System Controller includes features found in large mixing consoles to control essential monitoring functions from the mix position. Since acoustic issues in the room can compromise the quality of the mix, the MSC1 includes the new 3rd generation of JBL's highly acclaimed RMC�Ѣ Room Mode Correction Technology that tunes the monitor system to over come low frequency room problems that can affect the quality of the mix. The affordable MSC1 works with any speaker system, and is the perfect add-on to JBL���s new LSR2300 Series studio monitors. The MSC1 is available through JBL Professional dealers at a manufacturer���s suggested retail price of $375.00 US.

���JBL has led the charge to tackle problems in the room that have plagued music recording and post customers,��� said Peter Chaikin, JBL Professional Director of Recording and Broadcast Marketing. ���Our LSR6300 and LSR4300 studio monitors with RMC are helping mix engineers create better mixes. The new MSC1 gives any studio the ability and confidence to deliver mixes that sound great in any playback environment.���

The MSC1 provides the ability to monitor up to three 2-channel input sources, such as a mixing console, computer workstation, and personal music player while controlling the volume of the monitor system and connected headphones. The MSC allows connection of two sets of speakers and a subwoofer. The primary ���A��� speaker outputs include user-defined monitor EQ and JBL RMC to tune the system to the room. The subwoofer output has its own level control, selectable crossover settings and RMC to perfectly blend a sub with the ���A��� speakers. The ���B��� speaker outputs allow connection of a second set of studio monitors. Included MSC1 Control Center Software allows access to user-adjustable settings including speaker equalization, subwoofer crossover frequency, subwoofer polarity and level, and fine-resolution delay that can be applied to compensate for variations in speaker and subwoofer distance relative to the listening position.

Since much of today���s production is carried out in rooms with less-than-perfect acoustics, the MSC1 Monitor System Controller includes JBL���s highly acclaimed RMC Room Mode Correction Technology. RMC measures the room and automatically tunes the speakers to compensate for low frequency anomalies caused by room modes, proximity to walls and the work surface. RMC calibration is simply carried out using a supplied calibration microphone and MSC1 Control Center Software. During the RMC calibration, the software measures the room, calculates and downloads corrective filter coefficients to the MSC1 and balances the primary speakers and subwoofer within a 1/4 dB of each other. Following calibration, the MSC1 operates as a stand-alone unit without the need for connection to a computer. The MSC1 ships with Windows XP and Vista-compatible software. Macintosh-compatible software will be available spring, 2010.

JBL is a unit of Harman International Industries, Incorporated (www.harman.com). Harman International Industries, Incorporated designs, manufactures and markets a wide range of audio and infotainment products for the automotive, consumer and professional markets. Harman International maintains a strong presence in the Americas, Europe and Asia, and employs more than 11,000 people worldwide. The Harman International family of brands includes AKG��, Audioaccess��, Becker��, BSS��, Crown��, dbx��, DigiTech��, Harman Kardon��, Infinity��, JBL��, Lexicon��, Mark Levinson��, Revel��, QNX��, Soundcraft�� and Studer��. Harman International���s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ���NYSE: HAR.���

Sting and Trudie Styler star in Twin Spirits

WNYC���s The Greene Space, Classical 105.9 WQXR, Opus Arte and Music Unites

Welcome
Sting and Trudie Styler
for an Exclusive Presentation of the
New York Premiere Screening of
Twin Spirits

at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space
Thursday, December 3rd 6:30 pm

The poignant and tragic love story of Robert and Clara Schumann told in words and music will be webcast live on WNYC.org, followed by audio stream of conversation with Sting and Trudie hosted by WQXR's Elliott Forrest

Proceeds from this event will benefit the Music Unites Youth Choir and the Royal Opera House Education Programs

New York, NY ��� On Thursday, December 3rd, WNYC���s The Greene Space and Classical 105.9 WQXR together with Music Unites will host the New York premiere of Twin Spirits, a poetic meditation on the passionate relationship between composer Robert and wife Clara Schumann. Following the film, WQXR host Elliott Forrest will convene a conversation with the film���s leading couple, Sting and Trudie Styler.

In addition to the live studio audience, listeners around the world will be able to watch the film online through a live video stream at www.wnyc.org/thegreenespace and www.wqxr.org beginning at 6:30pm, followed by an audio stream of the post-film discussion.

The evening is being held as a benefit for the New York-based music education charity, Music Unites, and the Royal Opera House Education programs.

Released this fall on DVD and Blu-Ray disc on Opus Arte, Twin Spirits tells the story of the passionate romance and subsequent marriage between composer Robert Schumann and pianist and composer Clara Wieck. Twin Spirits brings together nine diverse performers of the highest caliber: Sting joins his wife, actress, producer and philanthropist Trudie Styler to read from the letters between Robert and Clara. Their story, narrated by Sir Derek Jacobi, is illustrated and interwoven with music composed by Robert ��� whose spirit is embodied by pianist Iain Burnside, baritone Simon Keenlyside and violinist Sergej Krylov ��� and by Clara, who is evoked by pianist Natasha Paremski, soprano Rebecca Evans, and cellist Natalie Clein. This ���beautifully constructed��� production (BBC Music Magazine), a subtle and moving fusion of recital and drama, was devised by the stage director and writer John Caird.

Love began to blossom between Robert Schumann (1810-56) and Clara Wieck (1819-90) when she was a teenager and he was the student of her father, Friedrich Wieck, who made every effort to impede the relationship. She was one of the 19th century���s greatest pianists and herself a composer of note. After a legal battle with her father the couple finally married in 1840. In the 1850s their happiness became compromised by Robert���s increasing mental instability, which resulted in a suicide attempt in 1854; he died in an asylum in 1856. Clara, who lived for another 40 years, devoted her considerable energies to propagating her husband���s music, which is at its greatest in his intimate works for piano, voice and chamber ensemble.

Twin Spirits was recorded before a small audience in a studio space at London���s Royal Opera House shortly before Christmas 2007. All the artists involved donated their talent and time so that everyone buying a copy will be supporting the important work of the Royal Opera House Education Program which provides opportunities for some 90,000 people annually to engage with opera, music and dance.

The New York-based charity Music Unites shares the goals of the Royal Opera House Education Program and was therefore an ideal American partner organization for this event. Music Unites aims to heighten the appreciation of music across all genres, raise awareness for established musicians and emerging talent, support music education programs and bring music into the lives of people in under-served communities. Music Unites hopes to inspire and encourage musicians to contribute to the vitality and wealth of musical expression, which enriches the cultural life of any community.

Proceeds from the Twin Spirits screening will benefit the Music Unites Youth Choir, bringing together public high school students from across the five boroughs in an effort to create a diverse performance ensemble. Participants will study and perform compositions in all musical styles including classical, musical theater, R&B and gospel and have the opportunity to perform at Music Unites events and collaborate and be mentored by established Music Unites artists including Lang Lang, Blue October, Tamarama, Chester French, Peter Bjorn & John, John Forte, Howie Day, Mark Ronson and Daniel Merriweather. Music Unites will also be creating opportunities for students to interact with music industry professionals, giving them access to well-known cultural venues for practice and performances through a special partnership with the Young Audiences of New York.

The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space is WNYC���s new multi-platform broadcast studio and performance venue. A new destination for artists and audiences, The Greene Space presents live performances, signature WNYC radio shows and video webcasts, and special programming from WQXR ��� with concerts, audio theatre, political and cultural discussions, film, visual arts, public radio events and more.

For more information about the Twin Spirits project, Robert and Clara Schumann and the Royal Opera House Education Program visit www.twin-spirits.com. Visit www.musicunites.org, to learn more about the mission of Music Unites.

Twin Spirits Screening with Special Guests Sting and Trudie Styler
Hosted by WNYC, WQXR, Music Unites and Opus Arte
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 6:30 pm
The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space
44 Charlton Street, New York
LIVE webcast of Twin Spirits on WNYC.org/thegreenespace and WQXR.org
Audio stream of Interview with Sting and Trudie Styler hosted by Elliott Forrest to follow screening at 8:30 pm

# # #

WNYC Radio is New York's premier public radio franchise, comprising WNYC FM, WNYC AM, and WQXR, as well as www.wnyc.org and www.wqxr.org. As America's most listened-to AM/FM public radio stations, reaching more than one million listeners every week, WNYC extends New York City's cultural riches to the entire country on-air and online, and presents the best national offerings from networks National Public Radio, Public Radio International, American Public Media, and the British Broadcasting Company. WNYC 93.9 FM broadcasts a wide range of daily news, talk, cultural and classical music programming, while WNYC AM 820 maintains a stronger focus on breaking news and international news reporting. Classical 105.9 WQXR is New York City���s sole classical music station, which presents new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, among other New York City venues, immersing listeners in the city���s rich musical life. In addition to its audio content, WNYC produces content for live, radio and web audiences from The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, the station���s street-level multipurpose, multiplatform broadcast studio and performance space. For more information about WNYC, visit www.wnyc.org.

'Hermann Prey - When Love Falls Silent' world exclusive documentary film

'Prey ��� When Love Falls Silent' is a unique cinematic homage to Hermann Prey, with close to 200 million recordings sold, Germany's all-time best-selling classical musician. Our documentary is anything but a clich��d "best of" collection of career highlights. Instead, it relies heavily on previously unreleased Super 8 home movie and live concert footage to tell the story of Hermann Prey both as an international star and as a human being. We also see Prey through the eyes of the people who were closest to him, both personally and professionally: his family and world-famous colleagues including Jonas Kaufmann and Thomas Hampson. With unusual openness, they appear on camera and talk about what it takes to be an international star on the scale of Hermann Prey ��� the enormous energy, commitment and willingness to do without so many aspects of private life. And what it means to live a family life with an international star. Prey was always sure of his ability and never doubted he was destined for fame. But he was equally convinced that he needed a wife at his side. And that this would mean leaving the children to be raised by their grandparents.

The children's hopes for more time with their father had to wait for his career to come to end.
Hermann Prey didn't want his career to end. Those hopes were crushed by his sudden death in 1998.

�ĮTen years after the death of Hermann Prey, his wife and children speak for the first time publicly about their great loss, about their own longings and the process of mourning. And about how they have come to terms with the fact that Hermann Prey was compelled to follow his musical calling with such an utterly single-minded focus. The film includes footage of a last photo shoot with Prey in the USA, a worldwide exclusive debut of his last TV concert performance in Japan in 1997, additional worldwide exclusives from private Prey film and photo archives as well as excerpts from private journals and diaries.

A film of sadness and beauty that explores passion in its truest sense

With great music and appearances by many of the world's current stars, who pay their personal homage to Hermann Prey. �Į�ĮFor more information about the film, please visit our offical websites www.stille-meine-liebe.de or www.hermannprey.com.

The DVD 'Prey ��� When Love Falls Silent' ('Prey- Stille meine Liebe') is available in German with English subtitles via JPC, Europe`s biggest internet shop for classic music.

In addition to the main film, the DVD features over 60 minutes of bonus material including further interviews and complete music performances, available here exclusively. The package also comes with an 80-page booklet documenting the almost three-year-long "making of" story of the film in words and pictures. English version of the booklet is downloadable here or at the offical website.

PORTopera Issues Challenge to Supporters: Raise $100,000 and Match Major Donor

PORTLAND, Maine ��� PORTopera has been presented with an incredible fundraising opportunity: a long-time donor has pledged $100,000, but with one condition; this money will be a match to an additional $100,000 that the company must raise through new donations. If PORTopera is able to complete the challenge, the gifts will total $200,000���a sum that will help secure the future of the opera company for years to come.

PORTopera made the fiscally conservative decision to celebrate its 15th Anniversary last summer with a concert instead of presenting a fully staged production. The decision was made out of concern for the challenging economic climate and provided a sound alternative to the much pricier option of casting, rehearsing and staging a full-scale opera. The savings realized from this event have allowed the company to finish its fiscal year in the black; other similarly sized opera groups across the country have not been able to stay afloat during the recession.

Achieving the recently presented $100,000 goal for new donations and receiving the corresponding matching gift will enable PORTopera to return to the stage at Merrill Auditorium next summer with a full-length production. In anticipation of meeting the challenge, PORTopera is planning a provocative version of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel for 2010.

Gifts that qualify for the matching program include donations from patrons who have not contributed since before 2007, from those who increase their gifts from previous years and completely new donors, including corporations and foundations. All of these gifts will be matched, up to $100,000, by PORTopera's major donor.

"This $200,000 opportunity is exactly what we needed in order to truly plan for our future," said board president Don Head. "We were very nervous about our future leading up to last summer's concert, but after meeting this challenge, we will be in a strong position for the next 15 years."

For more information about PORTopera and this matching challenge, visit www.portopera.org or call 207-879-7678.

30��me festival Jazz �� Vienne

Du 25 juin au 9 juillet 2010

Vienne / Rh��ne-Alpes / France

Le festival Jazz �� Vienne et Vienne Action Culturelle, en partenariat avec le Th����tre de Vienne et le 15��me festival Sang d'Encre, vous invitent �� d��couvrir ou red��couvrir sur sc��ne, Kyle Eastwood, le samedi 21 novembre, au Th����tre de Vienne.

En pr��ambule du concert, Jean-Paul Boutellier, directeur artistique de Jazz �� Vienne, et Bruno Th��ry, artiste peintre et cr��ateur du visuel du festival depuis 23 ans, d��voileront l'affiche Jazz �� Vienne 2010 - 30��me ��dition, en pr��sence de Jacques Remiller d��put�� maire de Vienne.

Cette soir��e sera l'occasion pour l'��quipe du festival de pr��senter l'offre sp��ciale "abonnement de No��l".

19h30 : pr��sentation de l'affiche Jazz �� Vienne 2010 et lancement de �� l'abonnement de No��l ��
20h30 : Concert de Kyle Eastwood, suivi de la d��dicace de l'album Metropolitain

Emerging Pictures' Opera in Cinema Live! Returns with La Scala Opening Night on December 7th 2009

6 OPERAS LIVE FROM MILAN���S LA SCALA AND BARCELONA���S GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU IN CINEMAS THIS SEASON

Live Transmissions will feature some of the world���s greatest opera stars such as Pl��cido Domingo, Jonas Kaufmann, Erwin Schrott, Ren�� Pape, Diana Damrau, Ben Heppner, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Fiorenza Cedolins and more

HD Satellite Transmissions in over 200 Cinemas in Europe and the United States

NEW YORK, November 6, 2009: Following the huge success of its Opera in Cinema LIVE in High Definition throughout Europe, Emerging Pictures is pleased to announce the expansion of the program for the 2009-2010 season with six new performances���three from Teatro alla Scala in Milan and three from Barcelona���s Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Opera in Cinema LIVE is part of Emerging Pictures��� ongoing high definition digital cinema presentations of Opera and Ballet Programs from Europe���s most prestigious institutions, now in its third year, reaching audiences in 21 countries worldwide.

LIVE FROM LA SCALA

This season���s first Opera in Cinema LIVE presentation in the United States will be La Scala���s 2010 Opening Night - Monday December 7, 2009, when Daniel Barenboim leads a new production of Georges Bizet���s Carmen starring Jonas Kaufmann, Erwin Schrott, Anita Rachvelishvili and Adriana Damato.

La Scala���s opening night���always December 7, a holiday in the city of Milan, in honor of Sant���Ambrogio, the patron saint of the city���is one of Europe���s most important cultural events, with heads of state, celebrities, as well as Italy���s elite certain to be in attendance.

Tickets to ���la Prima della Scala,��� as the opening night is referred to in Italy, can cost up to $3200.

US cinema audiences will experience the event in digital HD for $25.
The Carmen broadcast will begin at 12:00 noon Eastern Time, with a LIVE delayed broadcast the same day at 7:30 PM Eastern Time.

LIVE FROM GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU

The Opera in Cinema LIVE series continues on Tuesday December 22 with a performance of Verdi���s Il Trovatore from the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.

The Liceu has hosted the greatest talents in opera since its founding in 1847, and is the hometown theater for such Catalan artists as Conchita Supervia, Montserrat Caball��, and Jose Carreras.

The worldwide digital cinema presentations of the operas from Barcelona are the fruit of a new collaboration between Emerging Pictures and the Gran Teatre de Liceu, which has been self-producing its shows in High Definition for the past year and broadcasting them to cinemas in Spain.

Opera in Cinema LIVE broadcasts are currently scheduled as follows:

December 7, 2009
Bizet���s Carmen
Live in HD from Teatro alla Scala, Milan
conducted by Daniel Barenboim
directed by Emma Dante
starring Jonas Kaufmann, Erwin Schrott, Anita Rachvelishvili and Adriana Damato

December 22, 2009
Verdi���s Il Trovatore
Live in HD from the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
Conducted by Marco Armiliato
Directed by Gilbert Deflo
starring Fiorenza Cedolins and Marco Berti

April 21, 2010
Mozart���s Die Entf��hrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio)
Live in HD from the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
Conducted by Ivor Bolton
Directed by Christof Loy
starring Diana Damrau

April 2010 - exact date TBA
Verdi���s Simon Boccanegra
Live in HD from Teatro alla Scala, Milan
Conducted by Daniel Barenboim
Directed by Federico Tiezzi
starring Pl��cido Domingo, Ferruccio Furlanetto

May 2010 ��� exact date TBA
Wagner���s Das Rheingold
Live in HD from Teatro alla Scala, Milan
Conducted by Daniel Barenboim
Directed by Guy Cassiers
Starring Ren�� Pape

July 1, 2010
Tchaikovsky���s The Queen of Spades
Live in HD from the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona
Conducted by Michael Boder
Directed by Gilbert Deflo
Starring Ben Heppner

In addition to the LIVE broadcasts from La Scala and the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the new season will also include LIVE HD recordings from the Salzburg Festival, Valencia���s Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, St. Petersburg���s Mariinsky Theater and more. Check www.operaincinema.com for the complete upcoming program.

���US Theaters participating in the Opera in Cinema LIVE broadcasts���
(as of 11/04/2009)

Tucson, AZ ��� The Loft Cinema
Scottsdale, AZ ��� Harkins Theatres
Apple Valley, CA ��� Ultrastar Apple Valley
Pasadena, CA ��� Playhouse 7, Laemmle Theatres�ĮWest Hollywood, CA ��� Sunset 5, Laemmle Theatres
Encino, CA ��� Town Center Encino, Laemmle Theatres
Key West, FL ��� Tropic Cinema
Chicago, IL ��� Film Row Cinema at Columbia College
Kansas City, KS ��� Legends 14, Phoenix Adlabs
Gloucester, MA ��� Cape Ann Community Cinema
Baltimore, MD ��� Charles Theatre
Chesterfield, MO ��� Galaxy 14, Wehrenberg Theatres
Toms River, NJ ��� Orchard 10, Marquee Cinemas
Farmington, NM ��� Animas 10, Allen Theatres
Las Cruces, NM ��� Cineport 10, Allen Theatres
Roswell, NM ��� Galaxy 8, Allen Theatres
Las Vegas, NV ��� Town Square 18, Rave Motion Pictures
Schenectady, NY ��� Proctor���s Theatre
New York, NY ��� Symphony Space
Tulsa, OK ��� Circle Cinema
Bryn Mawr, PA ��� Bryn Mawr Film Institute
Newport, RI ��� Jane Pickens Theater
Herndon, VA ��� Worldgate 9, Phoenix Adlabs
Burlington, VT ��� Roxy Cinema

-US Theaters participating in the Opera in Cinema LIVE HD recordings-

(as of 11/04/2009)

Rave Valley Bend 18, Huntsville, AL
Rave Valley Bend 18, Huntsville, AL
Rave Vestavia Hills 10, Birmingham, AL
Rave Colonel Glenn 18, Little Rock, AR
The Loft Cinema, Tucson, AZ
UltraStar Surprise Pointe, Surprise, AZ
UltraStar Lake Havasu, Lake Havasu, AZ
Harkins Arrowhead Fountains, Peoria, AZ
Harkins Chandler Fashion, Chandler, AZ
Harkins Scottsdale 101, Scottsdale, AZ
Harkins Norterra 14, Phoenix, AZ
Camera 7 Pruneyard, Campbell, CA
The Jarvis Conservatory, Napa, CA
Laemmle���s Music Hall, Beverly Hills, CA
Laemmle���s Playhouse 7, Pasadena, CA
Laemmle���s Town Center 5, Encino, CA
Laemmle���s Royal Theatre, West LA, CA
Vogue Theater, San Francisco, CA
Rave Brentwood 14, Brentwood, CA
UltraStar Apple Valley, Apple Valley, CA
UltraStar Mission Marketplace, Oceanside, CA
UltraStar Mission Valley, San Diego, CA
UltraStar University Village, Riverside, CA
UltraStar La Costa, Carlsbad, CA
Harkins Chino Hills, Chino Hills, CA
Kress Cinema & Lounge, Greeley, CO
Harkins Northfield, Denver, CO
Warner Theatre, Torrington, CT
Marquee Westbrook 12, Westbrook, CT
Theatre N at Nemours, Wilmington, DE
Beach Theatre, St. Pete Beach, FL
Bill Cosford Cinema, Coral Gables, FL
Cinema Paradiso, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Lake Worth Playhouse, Lake Worth, FL
Tropic Cinema, Key West, FL
5 Points Theatre, Jacksonville, FL
The Enzian Theatre, Maitland, FL
Rave Avenue 16, Melbourne, FL
Marquee Coralwood 10, Cape Coral, FL
Parkside Main 8, Greensboro, GA
Film Row Cinema at Columbia College, Chicago, IL
Rave Grand Prairie 18, Peoria, IL
Wehrenberg Galaxy 14, Bloomington, IL
Wehrenberg O���Fallon 15, O���Fallon, IL
Big Cinemas Golf Glen 5, Niles, IL
Rave Jefferson Pt. 18, Ft. Wayne, IN
The Legends 14, Kansas City, KS
Rave Baton Rouge 16, Baton Rouge, LA
Capawock Theater, Martha���s Vineyard, MA
Cape Ann Community Cinema, Gloucester, MA
Coolidge Corner, Brookline, MA
Patriot Cinemas Loring Hall, Hingham, MA
Charles Theatre, Baltimore, MD
The Criterion Theatre, Bar Harbor, ME
Frontier Cinema & Gallery, Brunswick, ME
Patriot Cinemas Nickelodeon 6, Portland, ME
Grand Theatre, Ellsworth, ME
The Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI
The Michigan Theater, Jackson, MI
The Riviera Theatre, Three Rivers, MI
Rave City Place 14, Kalamazoo, MI
Wehrenberg Galaxy 14, Rochester, MN
Wehrenberg Campbell 16, Springfield, MO
Wehrenberg Ronnie 20, St. Louis, MO
Wehrenberg Galaxy 14, Chesterfield, MO
Galaxy Cinema, Cary, NC
Turnage Theater, Washington, NC
Marquee Wakefield 12, Raleigh, NC
Marquee Mimosa 7, Morganton, NC
Marquee Statesville 10, Statesville, NC
Rave Westroads 14, Omaha, NE
Marquee Orchard 10, Toms River, NJ
Rave Town Sq. 18, Las Vegas, NV
Symphony Space, New York, NY
Kew Gardens Cinemas, Kew Gardens, NY
Hamilton Theatre, Hamilton, NY
Little Theater, Rochester, NY
Mountain Cinema, Hunter, NY
Proctor���s Theatre, Schenectady, NY
Marquee Orchard 14, New Hartford, NY
Irvington Town Hall Theater, Irvington, NY
Cedar Lee Theatre, Cleveland Heights, OH
Rave West Chester 18, West Chester, OH
Rave Polaris 18, Columbus, OH
Circle Cinema, Tulsa, OK
Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City, OK
Harkins Bricktown, Oklahoma City, OK
Ambler Theatre, Ambler, PA
Bryn Mawr Film Institute, Bryn Mawr, PA
Community Arts Center, Williamsport, PA
County Theater, Doylestown, PA
Rave Promenade 16, Center Valley, PA
The Jane Pickens Theater, Newport, RI
Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Memphis, TN
Rave Eastridge 18, Chattanooga, TN
Marquee Fort Henry Cinemas, Kingsport, TN
Rave Ridgmar 13, Ft. Worth, TX
Rave Yorktown 15, Houston, TX
Santikos Embassy 14, San Antonio, TX
Santikos Silverado 19 IMAX, Tomball, TX
Harkins Southlake, Southlake, TX
Worldgate 9, Herndon, VA
Marquee Southpoint 9, Fredericksburg, VA
Roxy Cinema, Burlington, VT
Pickford Film Center, Bellingham, WA
Marquee Galleria 14, Beckley, WV
Marquee Pullman Square 16, Huntington, WV
Marquee Southridge 12, South Charleston, WV
Marquee Highlands 14, Triadelphia, WV

For an updated list of the worldwide Opera in Cinema locations, go to www.operaincinema.com

-About Emerging Pictures-

Emerging Pictures was founded in 2002 by Barry Rebo, Giovanni Cozzi and Ira Deutchman to create a new theatrical distribution network for independent, international and documentary films through the use of digital technology. Emerging has grown into a distribution, marketing and exhibition company through its network of theaters, Emerging Cinemas, bringing first-run art house cinema, opera and ballet worldwide. www.emergingpictures.com. Emerging Pictures is the leading distributor of Operas and Ballets into Cinemas representing the programs from Teatro alla Scala (Milan, Italy), Salzburg Festival (Austria), Teatro La Fenice (Venice, Italy), Teatro del Maggio Musicale (Florence, Italy), Teatro Regio (Parma, Italy), Teatro Comunale di Bologna (Italy), Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia (Valencia, Spain), Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona, Spain) Bolshoi Theater and Ballet (Moscow, Russia), and the Mariinsky Ballet (St Petersburg, Russia). www.operaincinema.com

Full Program Announced for Portland Symphony Orchestra's 30th Magic of Christmas

PSO Music Director Robert Moody conducts Magic for the first time with many new program additions

PORTLAND, Maine ��� For 30 years, the Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO)'s Magic of Christmas productions have brightened the holidays of thousands of New Englanders. This season, for PSO Music Director Robert Moody's first year leading the Magic performances, the Symphony will continue this joyful tradition while adding exciting new elements that are sure to enchant those who've been coming for 30 years as well as those who are new to Magic. Eleven performances of Magic of Christmas will run from December 11 to December 20 at Merrill Auditorium, 20 Myrtle Street in Portland.

30th anniversary Magic highlights:
Magic memories this year will range from fun and spirited to solemn and sacred. There's something for everyone as the PSO evokes the spirit, story and traditions of Christmas.

Favorite Magic traditions:
�Ģ "Sleigh Ride" returns ��� always a favorite of PSO musicians and audiences alike. Each year, Magic attendees anticipate the lively crack of the whip and the sleigh bells jingling as the musicians try to outdo each other with their festive and comical attire.
�Ģ The lively audience sing-along to some favorite Christmas tunes lets audience members lift their own voices at each performance.
�Ģ Carols and holiday tunes sung by the Portland Community Chorus, this year including Many Moods of Christmas and the beautiful "O Holy Night."
New Magic traditions:
�Ģ Freeport's Figures of Speech Theatre (FST) has been commissioned to create dramatic and imaginative puppetry figures for a condensed adaptation of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. With an accompanying musical score by Michael Runyan, dancers animate the puppets and perform multiple roles while a solo actor provides the story's narration and character voices. The PSO expects this to be a centerpiece of Magic for years to come, and each year will commission a new set of puppets to build the "cast of characters."
�Ģ Dancers will form a Rockettes-style kickline of dancing Santas, sure to add a sensationally fun element to the show.
�Ģ At the Sunday 1:00 PM matinees, students from the Maine Suzuki Association will perform for audience members before the concert begins. At all other performances, audiences will enjoy the traditional Kotzschmar Organ Prelude Concert.
2009 Magic guest artists include:
�Ģ Magic of Christmas concert soloist Joe Cassidy, tenor, has been seen on NBC's Law & Order as well as on Broadway as Freddy in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and in 1776, Les Mis��rables and A Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden. As a concert soloist he has performed with over fifteen symphony orchestras around the country. In addition to crooning throughout Magic, Cassidy will narrate a choreographed retelling of the Nativity, and he and Maestro Moody even have a special duet surprise planned!
�Ģ Figures of Speech Theatre (FST), the creators of the larger-than-life puppetry figures for Magic in 2009, explores the interplay of puppets, actors, shadows, music, movement and masks, believing that audiences experience art most vitally when they are called upon to engage their imaginations fully. The company produces visual theater that emphasizes myth, metaphor and transformation. They have performed at venues such as the Kennedy Center, the Smithsonian Institution and the New Victory Theatre on Broadway and they are a four-time recipient of the coveted UNIMA Citation of Excellence, the highest distinction in American puppet theatre.
�Ģ The Portland Community Chorus, conducted for Dr. Richard Nickerson, consists of over 150 singers as annual members. They will join the stage at Magic after intermission for rousing renditions of classics such as "O Holy Night" and more, as well as leading the audience in the annual favorite audience sing-along.
�Ģ New this year, the PSO has assembled the Magic of Christmas Dancers from local companies and studios throughout southern Maine. The dancers are Bethany Field, Jeff Decareau, Hilary Melcher Chapman, Jennifer Bourgeault, Ren Morrill, Michelle Bernier and Vincent Ratsavong.
Many more surprises await at this year's 30th anniversary of PSO's Magic of Christmas, sponsored by Hannaford Supermarkets, IDEXX Laboratories and Northeast Delta Dental.

Magic of Christmas tickets start at just $25 and can be purchased online at www.porttix.com, by phone at 207-842-0800, or at the PortTix box office, 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday from noon to 6:00 PM. Discounts for most performances are available for students, seniors and groups of 10 or more. New this year, "Magic" Magic tickets are available: if there are concerns about the weather, these tickets can be exchanged for other Magic performances (restrictions apply). Phone and internet orders are subject to $6 per-ticket PortTix handling fee, and all tickets include a $2 Merrill Restoration fee.

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Full list of 2009 PSO Magic of Christmas performance dates and times:
Kotzschmar Organ Prelude begins one hour before each concert except for the Sunday 1:00 PM matinees which will feature students from the Maine Suzuki Association.
�Ģ Friday, December 11, 2009 at 7:30 PM (Preview)
�Ģ Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
�Ģ Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM
�Ģ Friday, December 18, 2009 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
�Ģ Saturday, December 19, 2009 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM
�Ģ Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM

2009 PSO Magic of Christmas full program:
Beckel: Christmas Fanfare
Anderson: Christmas Festival Overture
Torme/Wells arr.: The Christmas Song (with singer)
Tchaikovsky: "Trepak" from The Nutcracker
Runyan: A Christmas Carol (with narrator, dancers and puppets)
Shaw/Bennet: Many Moods of Christmas, Suite IV (with chorus)
Massenet: Meditation from Tha��s (with dancers)
Reading: "One Solitary Life" (over Ravel's "The Enchanted Garden")
Adam/Rutter: O Holy Night (with singer)
Anderson: Sleigh Ride
Tchaikovsky/Moody: Sugar Plum, the Oratorio (comedy duet)
Finnegan, arr.: Christmas Sing-a-Long (with audience and chorus)
Foster: My Grown-up Christmas List (with singer)
Santa Dance Medley
Ades, arr.: Let There Be Peace on Earth (full cast)

Winners of the Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton awards announced

Ottawa, November 5, 2009 ��� Choreographer Tammy Forsythe; collaborative duo 2boys.tv, composed of Stephen Lawson and Aaron Pollard; filmmaker Jackson 2bears; saxophonist and composer Kirk MacDonald; playwright Drew Hayden Taylor; visual artist Adad Hannah; and author Andr�� Girard are the winners of the Canada Council for the Arts Victor Martyn Lynch���Staunton Awards.

The annual awards, worth $15,000 each, recognize outstanding mid-career artists in the seven disciplines funded by the Canada Council: dance, integrated arts, media arts, music, theatre, visual arts and writing and publishing. The prizes were created using funds from a generous bequest made by the late Victor Martyn Lynch���Staunton to the Canada Council. Through a nomination process, the peer assessment committees of the Grants to Professional Artists programs during the 2008���2009 fiscal year selected the most outstanding professional mid-career artists among the successful applicants.

Tammy Forsythe ��� Dance

Choreographer Tammy Forsythe first rose to prominence in Montreal in the early nineties, creating highly physical theatrical ensemble and solo works. Ms. Forsythe founded her company Tusketdance in 1996. Seven group works followed and in 2003 her septet The Backtrack won the third Prix du public at the Festival international de nouvelle danse.

Ms. Forsythe's multidisciplinary practice culminated with the 2006 installation work The Deergirl Diaries: gestures of combat and passion, a ten-day movement installation at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in Toronto. Her complex lexicon mines her interests in pop and folk cultures, music and politics. She is currently working on a new group work, Golpe, a co���production with Festival TransAm��riques and L'Agora de la danse, which will be premiered in Montreal in May 2010. Visit www.tusketdance.com for more information.

2boys.tv ��� Integrated arts

In 2002, Stephen Lawson and Aaron Pollard founded 2boys.tv, a collaborative, transdiciplinary art duo. Together they have created and toured a wide repertoire of epic multimedia cabaret works, performances, videos and installations in clubs, galleries, theatres and festivals across Canada and internationally.

Stephen Lawson has been considered an artistic chameleon, repeatedly traversing the discipline defined boundaries of theatre, music, television/radio, print and video. Upon graduating from the acting program of the National Theatre School of Canada (1988) he became a co���founder of the Winnipeg-based performance troupe PRIMUS (1989-1998) which created/toured numerous original productions. Mr. Lawson moved to Montreal in 2001.

A Montreal-based performance and video artist, Aaron Pollard has created and presented video and multimedia performance works to Canadian and international audiences since the early 1990s. He is a graduate of the Emily Carr University of Art + Design (Media Division) and he obtained an MFA in Studio Arts (Open Media) from Concordia University. He currently works as the Technical Director for OBORO New Media Lab and Exhibition Centre in Montreal.

Jackson 2bears ��� Media arts

Jackson 2bears is a Kanien'kehaka (Mohawk) multimedia artist and theorist currently based in Victoria B.C. His installation works have been presented in solo exhibitions nationally in artist-run centres, public galleries, and group exhibitions in numerous venues such as EM���Media in Calgary, the Vancouver Art Gallery, SAW Gallery in Ottawa, the North American Indigenous Games in Cowichan and The New Gallery in Calgary. His work has also been presented internationally in festivals and group exhibitions such as Digital Art Weeks, Zurich, Switzerland.

Mr. 2bears has performed his multimedia works extensively and has released several recordings on CD and DVD in both solo and collaborative contexts. He scored several independent films, including the award winning short-feature Bloodriver by Kent Monkman and Urbannation. Jackson 2bears is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Victoria.

Kirk MacDonald ��� Music

Toronto saxophonist and composer Kirk MacDonald has received numerous awards and has worked and recorded with many leading Canadian and international musicians in a variety of musical genres. He has performed on over 40 CDs as both leader and sideman, and has participated in many national broadcast recordings. In addition to performing extensively throughout Canada, he has also performed in the U.S.A., Europe, Asia and Australia.

Over 65 performances of Mr. McDonald's compositions appear on CDs, both on his own recordings as well as on recordings by other artists. He recently released Family Suite (2008), an 11 part suite for jazz quartet on Romhog Records, and Songbook Vol. I (2009) ��� a collection of his compositions for jazz quartet, on ADDO Jazz Records, with Songbook Vol. II scheduled for release in 2010. He also leads the Kirk MacDonald Jazz Orchestra, a 19-piece all-star ensemble dedicated to performing his original compositions. He is a full-time faculty member at Humber College in Toronto where he teaches in both the Music Degree Program and at the Community Music School.

Drew Hayden Taylor ��� Theatre

Award-winning playwright, author, columnist, filmmaker and lecturer, Drew Hayden Taylor is an Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario. He has worn many hats in his literary career, from performing stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. to being Artistic Director of Canada's premiere Native theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts. Most notably, he wrote and directed Redskins, Tricksters and Puppy Stew, a documentary on Native humour for the National Film Board of Canada.

Over the last 25 years, Mr. Hayden Taylor has traveled to sixteen countries around the world, promoting Native literature which addresses topics that reflect, celebrate, and interfere in the lives of Canada's First Nations. His new play, Dead White Director on the Floor, will open in January at Magnus Theatre in Thunder Bay. Currently, he is working on a new play titled Crees in the Carribean, and a collection of essays called Postcards from the Four Directions. Author of 20 books, his novel Motorcylces and Sweetgrass will be published in early 2010.

Adad Hannah ��� Visual Arts

Adad Hannah is an artist working at the intersection of video, photography and performance. His video���recorded "tableaux vivants" restage the photographic moment and open a space for the contemplation of time and the human condition. His works have been produced in collaboration with such institutions as the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Rodin Gallery in Seoul.

Mr. Hannah has exhibited at the Mus��e national des beaux-arts du Qu��bec (currently on view), the Mus��e d'art contemporain de Montr��al, Zendai MoMA, Shanghai, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the National Gallery of Canada, Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, the 4th Seoul International Media Art Biennale, and at the Casa Encendida in Madrid. His works are in private, corporate, and institutional collections around the world. Born in New York in 1971, Mr. Adad lives and works in Montreal. He is represented by Pierre-Fran��ois Ouellette art contemporain of Montreal. For more information, visit www.adadhannah.com.

Andr�� Girard ��� Writing and Publishing

Andr�� Girard is a Quebecois novelist. In 2007, with his fifth novel, Port-Alfred Plaza, he began a hotel series at Qu��bec Am��rique ��� a fictional series in which readers follow two young Quebeckers who have decided to meet up once a year in a major capital city. The second book, Moscou Cosmos, will be released in the spring of 2010.

In 2008, Mr. Girard received the Canada���Japan Literary Award for Marcher le silence ��� carnets du Japon. A Japanese-style travel diary, this haibun, co-authored with Andr�� Duhaime, was written following an initial trip to Japan and published by L��mac. While staying in Tokyo for two months, Mr. Girard started writing the third book in his hotel series, Tokyo Imperial. After obtaining a master's degree in literary studies (UQAM, 1994), he went on to earn a PhD in the same subject under the direction of Neil Bissoondath (Universit�� Laval, 2008). Winner of several literary awards, including the 1991 Prix Robert���Cliche, he currently teaches French and Literature at the C��gep de Chicoutimi.

General information

In addition to its principal role of promoting and fostering the arts, the Canada Council for the Arts administers and awards many prizes and fellowships in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural and health sciences, engineering, and arts management. These prizes and fellowships recognize the achievements of outstanding Canadian artists, scholars, and administrators. The Canada Council is committed to raising public awareness and celebrating these exceptional people and organizations on both a national and international level.

Please visit our website (www.canadacouncil.ca) for a complete listing of these awards.

Mireille Proulx en concert le 6 d��cembre �� Ch��teauguay

English below

Montr��al, le 2 novembre 2009 ��� La violoniste et compositeure de jazz Mireille Proulx donnera un concert �� Ch��teauguay, �� la salle Jean-Pierre-Houde du Centre Culturel Vanier, le 6 d��cembre prochain.

Qualifi��e d���inclassable et bourr��e de talent, Mireille Proulx met sa solide formation classique au service du jazz, qu���elle aborde avec une ��l��gance et un go��t tr��s s��r. Ses compositions nous livrent une musique tour �� tour sensuelle, audacieuse, contemplative et passionn��e.

Au programme on entendra des ��uvres extraites des remarquables albums qui ont valu �� la musicienne la reconnaissance spontan��e du public et de la critique ��� Il y avait des p��licans, Infini rendez-vous et Le Jardin de Nuit (maintenant distribu��s par Scandinavian Record Import) ��� ainsi que des ��uvres in��dites.

Mireille Proulx sera accompagn��e au piano par John Sadowy.

Le Centre Culturel Vanier est situ�� au 15, boul. Maple, �� Ch��teauguay.
Pour information : 450-698-3100
Le concert d��bute �� 11 heures, alors que les brioches, croissants et caf�� sont offerts des 10 heures.

Le prix des billets se situe entre 12 $ et 15 $.

*****

Mireille Proulx in concert on December 6 in Ch��teauguay

Montreal, November 2, 2009 ��� Jazz violinist and composer Mireille Proulx will be giving a concert in Ch��teauguay, Qu��bec, this December 6, at Salle Jean-Pierre-Houde in Centre Culturel Vanier.

Described as unclassifiable and overflowing with talent, Mireille Proulx puts her rock-solid classical training at the service of jazz, to which she brings an elegance and irreproachable taste. Her compositions deliver a music that is by turns sensual, daring, contemplative and impassioned.

The program will consist of excerpts from three remarkable albums that have delighted the public and critics alike ��� Il y avait des p��licans, Infini rendez-vous and Le Jardin de Nuit (all three titles now distributed by Scandinavian Record Import) ��� in addition to new works.
Mireille Proulx will be accompanied on the piano by John Sadowy.
Centre Culturel Vanier is located at 15 Maple Blvd. in Ch��teauguay.
For information: 450-698-3100
The concert begins at 11 a.m., with brioches, croissants and coffee available starting at 10 a.m.
Ticket prices are between $12 and $15.

HATCH: emerging performance projects, 2010 Season Announced

Realizing Ideas, Revealing Potential: Harbourfront Centre's Unique Residency and Mentorship Programme Returns with Five Contemporary Performance Projects

TORONTO, ON (Nov. 5, 2009) ��� Harbourfront Centre is thrilled to announce five works for the seventh season of HATCH: emerging performance projects, January through April, 2010. One of the city's most unique development opportunities, HATCH offers promising local talent professional support during the cultivation of their work from proposal to realization, culminating in a one-week residency and public presentation at Harbourfront Centre's Studio Theatre. The mentorship from Harbourfront Centre is available to HATCH artists from September 2009 through May 2010.

Five projects were selected from 56 submitted proposals to participate in HATCH for 2010, demonstrating the crucial role the programme plays for Toronto's ever-burgeoning performance community. HATCH is an excellent opportunity for both nascent artists and those who have presented works previously to develop a project through its crucial stages. Audiences have the opportunity to be the first to view these works in their initial stages and to be a part of the continuing development of the project, and the artists involved, through their participation and feedback.

Tickets for all HATCH performances are on sale Dec. 15 through the Harbourfront Centre box office. Prices are $12 or $10 for Students/Seniors/Arts Workers. Tickets are available by phone at 416-973-4000 or through www.harbourfrontcentre.com/hatch

2010 Season Schedule ��� HATCH: emerging performance projects
*PLEASE NOTE: All performances take place in Harbourfront Centre's Studio Theatre

Everything I've Got
Jess Dobkin
January 31, 4 p.m.
Jess Dobkin offers her newest performance art piece in progress ��� a raw and intimate examination of creativity and mortality where the artist offers up the entirety of her collection of artistic ideas. NOW Magazine's Best Performance Artist of 2006, Dobkin is well known for her previous performances Lactation Station Breast Milk Bar and Fee For Service.

Body Cartography
Cara Spooner and Alicia Grant
February 25 & 27, 8 p.m.
Created in collaboration with visual artist Simon Rabyniuk, as well as urban theorist Alex Marques, Body Cartography emphasizes and distorts the idea of a city within a city. A performance that mixes disparate details of balancing on rooftops, walking home alone at night, raiding secret swimming pools and feeling too close to strangers ��� employing installation, dance and question and answer periods.

Section 98
Praxis Theatre
March 13, 8 p.m.
The award-winning indie theatre company behind Stranger, Dyad, Steel and The Master and Margarita presents an open-sourced, interactive, work-in-progress that uses performance and technology to explore and debate individual and civil rights in Canada. The production invites the audience to participate in the production with their cell phone or PDA during the presentation, and online before or afterwards.

The Physical Ramifications of Attempted Global Domination
Birdtown and Swanville
April 17, 8 p.m. & April 18, 2:30 p.m.
This play explores the mysterious and bountiful medical ailments suffered by many of history's most aggressive dictators. With animal balloons, clogged intestinal tracts, and power hungry autocrats, this investigation uses debate, dance and melodrama to understand the consequences that the perpetration of mass violence creates. The group recently made waves with their 2009 Fringe hit, 36 Little Plays About Hopeless Girls.

Red Machine: Under the Knife
The Room
April 24, 8 p.m. & April 25, 4 p.m.
From this newly formed theatre company that NOW Magazine called the "indie theatre version of Broken Social Scene" comes Red Machine: Under the Knife ��� the latest phase of their continuing work-in-progress. A theatrical journey into the meat of the human mind, The Room presents four abstractions of a single event as interpreted by four distinct physical areas of the brain. Be prepared for a virtual dissection, revealing how movement, sight, sound, and ecstasy can each have their own story to tell.

ABOUT HATCH: emerging performance projects at Harbourfront Centre

Entering its seventh year, HATCH is a key initiative in Harbourfront Centre's mission to develop local artists and their unique practices. The HATCH mentorship provides resources and professional assistance to a new generation of engaging and innovative contemporary artists to reach the next career stage with a comprehensive understanding of process and challenges that artists must embrace.

The HATCH residency package includes one week rent-free in the Studio Theatre, technical and production assistance, box office backing and administrative assistance, marketing and media relations support and workshops, and professional development assistance.