Montreal Vocal Preview

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For the first time in years, Montreal will have its own vocal recital series. The new André Turp Musical Society will team up with Production musicales Renaissance and Team Spinelli to present Canadian baritone Nathan Berg October 25, and Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin November 29. Wolfgang Holzmair, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Dominique Labelle will be featured next spring. Lectures and workshops are also planned for their free membership. Opéramania, a lecture-film series, continues at the University of Montreal - this year a special series on castrati in November and a reprise of the popular series on the female voice.

Also in recital, bass-baritone Robert Holl, December 6, with the Ladies' Morning Musical Club. Baritone Brett Polegato performs with CBC/McGill on March 10. In Quebec City, soprano Deborah Voight joins the Club Musical, on March 1st.

The Opéra de Montréal opens the season with the return of local favourite soprano Lyne Fortin in Verdi's La Traviata, September 26­Oct. 10. Greatly anticipated is Richard Margison's appearance in Verdi's Don Carlo, Nov. 7­21. L'Opéra de Québec offers Don Pasquale, Oct. 17­24. The Orchestre Métropolitain offers their second annual opera in concert with Humperdinck's Hänsel et Gretel December 1-9. I Musici will present Pergolese's La Serva Padrona and Cimarosa's Il Maestro di Capella with baritone Desmond Byrne and soprano Marie-Danièle Parent, Dec. 17­18.

Les productions Rigoletto, a group of recent university voice graduates, will be touring the Maisons de la Culture in October with a charming production of Pergolese's La Servante maîtresse and Blackburn's Une mesure de silence. At the universities, McGill Opera Studio will offer concert versions of Mozart's Così fan tutte, Nov. 4 & 5, Beethoveen's Fidelio, December 4 & 5, and the staged baroque opera Euridice by Jacopo Peri, Nov. 28 & 29. After a successful La Bohème with orchestra last year, the Atelier d'Opéra of UQAM will embark on a second annual production with orchestra, while the Opera Studio at the University of Montreal will stage an opera with orchestra for the first time in March.

Gala Concerts this year include mezzo Frederica von Stade with the MSO. This year's OdM "Le Gala" will be held on Sunday, Dec. 13 at 2 pm.

Vocal highlights from the Montreal Symphony include Verdi's Requiem, Sept. 29 & 30, Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, March 16 & 17, and the Symphony # 8, May 25 & 26. The Studio de musique ancienne celebrates their 25th season with masses and motets by Monteverdi and Colonna, Oct. 4. Saint-Lawrence Choir celebrates Christmas with Britten's "St. Nicolas" and Rutter's Magnificat. The Choeur de l'UQAM will bring their mass choir sound to Mozart's Requiem and Carmina Burana this year.