What better way to begin 2013 than with an issue dedicated to creativity and contemporary music? This February/March issue shines a spotlight on Jack Hegge’s Dead Man Walking, which the Opera de Montreal is staging in March. In addition, the two leads, baritone Étienne Dupuis and mezzo Allyson McHardy are profiled. We also meet with Canadian stage director François Girard, who will be staging a new production of Wagner’s Parsifal at the Metropolitan Opera.

Étienne Dupuis graciously accepted to be our celebrity singer for our third annual Singing Valentines Fundraiser. For a donation of $25 to $50, offer your loved ones a unique Valentine on February 14, a song sung by trained opera singers over the telephone or Skype.

This year, every dollar donated to LSM will be tripled, as it will be matched by two dollars from the Quebec government’s Placement Culture program, adding to our existing Endowment Fund. Our goal is $80,000.

Meanwhile, we still have a few copies left of the 2013 Celebrity Recipe Calendar featuring twelve musicians and twelve recipes. Did you know that our February celebrity, Marie-Josée Lord’s favourite recipe is Beef Gumbo, while our March recipe is Jan Lisiecki’s Triple Chocolate Cookies? You can get the calendar for a special price of $10 plus shipping, or $5 for the eBook version.

Order the Singing Valentines and the Recipe calendars online at www.lascena.ca, by phone at 514-948-2520, or by emailing don(at)scena.org.

On behalf of our dedicated team of staff and volunteers, I wish you a Happy 2013 and a Happy Year of the Snake.