From the Editor

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October’s La Scena Musicale sets the tone for a musical season promising innovative concert programming and exciting performers. Our cover features the composer Gilles Tremblay, who is honoured this year with a series of over 60 concerts coordinated by the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec. Oliver Jones’s 75th anniversary is celebrated and we feature an exclusive interview with French soprano Natalie Dessay. Musicians will be interested in our guide to international music competitions. Our October Discovery CD features excerpts of François Panneton’s novel construction of a Bach’s Requiem (Recall, the Discovery CD is a co-production with XXI Records available exclusively with premium copies of LSM).

“It’s especially at the local level that the meeting of philanthropy, business and cultural development takes on new proportions,” writes Culture Montreal president Simon Brault in his new book Le Facteur C, a Richard Florida-inspired manifesto on the significance of the arts for Canadian business and politics. City Hall is the key player ensuring or curtailing a thriving arts community. As Montrealers prepare to head to the polls on November 1, LSM provides a preview to the political arts debate. We turn to Brault and President of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, Michel Leblanc, to weigh in on the three main parties.

Shaky government support of the arts has contributed to recent financial hardships at LSM, as caution and budget cuts make it difficult to produce a specialized arts publication in the current economic climate. More than ever, we need your help in order to continue providing a unique and necessary platform for music in Canada. As LSM Ambassador Yoav Talmi writes, “Music is essential for our well-being and La Scena Musicale is essential for music!” A subscription or donation will ensure the security of LSM. Please act now.

Your loyal readership has been our inspiration for producing LSM with passion and dedication and we want to hear from you. Why do you read La Scena Musicale? What do you enjoy the most? In essence: what does LSM mean to you? Share your experiences with us by writing to info[at]scena.org.

Enjoy the crisp fall weather and the many concerts on offer!