The 18th season of the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, May 9 to June 1, mixes international and local string quartets, the brilliance of Bach and several evenings of jazz, all in the stunning, acoustically pleasing St. George’s Church in historical Old Montreal…

World-class musicians and emerging artists rub shoulders at the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, where the traditional music of the festival’s Classical Series is complemented by a Jazz Series, together proving that innovation, creativity and beautiful music remain at the heart of the festival. Opening night, marks a special occasion: for the first time ever, the Boston Chamber Music Society, led by Artistic Directors Marcus Thompson and Denis Brott, performs in Montreal. The following night, Montreal jazz legend, pianist Oliver Jones plays alongside musicians Eric Lagacé on bass and Jim Doxas on drums, with an opening set by bassist Brandi Disterheft and her quartet, all at St-George’s Church.

Further on the classical side, master cellist Colin Carr performs Schubert and more, while The Fine Arts Quartet and Brazilian pianist Cristina Ortiz and others offer a two-night performance dedicated to St. Saëns. May 22 marks the beginning of “Bach Week,” featuring solo Bach performances, the Brandenburg Concertos, the complete cello concertos and more, including jazz-Bach with the Swingle Singers. Enjoy two nights of French music with French pianist Jean-Philippe Collard and David Jalbert, and on May 30, The Emerson String Quartet performs with their new cellist Paul Watkins.

The festival also celebrates Camille Saint-Saëns via three concerts and talks by Oxford University Press author Sabina Ratner: the Fine Arts Quartet; Brazilian pianist Christina Ortiz; OSM Principal Trumpet Paul Merkelo, Principal Bass Ali Yazdanfar and up-and-coming star Annie Zhou. As well, winners of the triennial Instrument Bank Competition for emerging talents will perform on 18 unique violins and cellos, made by Stradivarius, Guarneri, Gagliano and other masters, from the Canadian collection.

The festival explores the overlap of genres with its Jazz Series: popular Brazilian guitarist Chico Pinheiro and his ensemble perform in Montreal for the first time; The Swingle Singers 50th Anniversary Celebration gets the party started with everything from their take on The Beatles to Debussy’s Clair de Lune, New York pianist Eldar Djangirov returns with a new album and many standards, and guitar duo The Assad Brothers with Grammy-winning clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera end the jazz portion of the fest on a Latin jazz note.

A double concert dedicated to Tchaikovsky’s chamber music closes the festival on June 1, including his first String Quartet, his Piano Trio, his Souvenir de Florence, the Scherzo from his 6th Symphony and his Serenade for Strings, featuring several festival artists in one big celebration of springtime-suited chamber music. And even before the festival begins, get a glimpse of the chamber-music spirit at free evening shows by brass quintet Frolic, at Place des Arts’ Espace culturel Georges-Émile Lapalme on May 7 and 8 at 6:30 p.m. For the full schedule of all the duos, trios and quintets on the program, see the Montreal Chamber Music Festival website.

THE DETAILS

Montreal Chamber Music Festival, May 9-June 1, 2013

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(pop overload) It’s all just so much, really. As a fan of live music, I’m in my happy place during Pop Montreal – and since the fest takes over many venues, that happy place seems to be everywhere. Whether you’re into folk-pop, indie-metal or country-electro, check out at least one show at this music fest. There’s also a great film program, stellar art exhibitions, free afternoon BBQs and music at Notman House (51 Sherbrooke W.), a talk by Maus creator and comic book icon Art Spiegelman (September 24, 4 p.m., 1455 de Maisonneuve West), and more. Shoppers can check out Puces Pop, an art, craft, jewellery and fashion fair, September 24–25 at St-Michael Church and the Record Fair at the Ukrainian Federation (5213 Hutchison). Lest we forget the children, Kids Pop offers sing-alongs, yoga, a dress-up photo booth and art workshops on the afternoon of September 25, at the Chinese Presbyterian Church.

(artistic leanings) The stunning Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is only on until October 2 – it seriously deserves at least one viewing, and I know several people who’ve made repeat visits. The Museum also unveils on Monday a monumental public artwork by internationally renowned Montreal artist David Altmejd in front of the Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art (1339 Sherbrooke West). The wonderful city-wide photography festival Mois de la Photo as well as the World Press Photo exhibition continue until the end of the month, as does Workspace Unlimited’s immersive multi-media work RealTime UnReal at the Musée d’art Contemporain.

(it’s not all pop) Pop Montreal may be drawing crowds young and old and rock n’ roll will never die, but neither will jazz and classical music, if Montreal can help it anyway. Jazz legends Oliver Jones and Michel Donato along with The Doxas Brothers play the Segal Centre, September 25, and the Montreal Jazz Festival’s autumn show series at the Bistro Le Balmoral heats up every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 9 p.m. Meanwhile, the 13th Orgue et couleurs Fall Festival of classical organ music runs September 23 to October 2, with free lunch-time concerts and reasonably priced evening concerts at churches, music venues, cultural centres around town. And the Montreal Symphony Orchestra settles into its new Concert Hall with conductor Michel Plasson, cellist Gautier Capuçon and works by Ravel, Roussel, Gounod and more, September 29 to October 2.

(Indian rhythms) This Sunday’s La Bal du Dimanche Danse Indienne not only gives us a performance by dancer Deepali Lindblom along with 6 other dancers skilled in various forms of Indian dance, such as folkloric theatrical dance and the classical Karthak, but also a free class on Bollywood dance, open to everyone! September 25, 2 p.m. at Places des Arts’ Espace Culturel Georges-Émile-Lapalme – free!

(far-east acrobatics) Montreal’s own circus centre, La Tohu, stretches the definition of circus once again with Chi of Shaolin: Tale of the Dragon, a high-energy, family-friendly show that blends martial arts, dance, sabre work, hand balancing, contortion, foot-juggling and Chinese diabolo to tell tell the story of a monk who takes a failed young thief under his wing. See the feats of studied technique, strength and pure entertainment as Chi of Shaolin’s Chinese acrobats push their own limits in a surprising show, at La Tohu, September 27 to October 6.

(fresh air) There’s still time to spend outside while the warm-ish weather lasts! Popular Sunday-afternoon electro-dance-party Piknic Electronik invites everyone out to Parc Jean Drapeau for the grand finale piknic of the year with French trio dOP and local favourites. Meanwhile, downtown on Ste-Catherine Street W., as part of In Town Without My Car, Cease Collective presents the vision of five artists who will create a 20′ x 8′ billboard using paper, glue, and scissors to be complete on September 22, at Square Phillips (Ste-Catherine at Union).

(high drama) Make a dramatic, thought-provoking night of it with Peter Shaffer’s play Equus – the performance, directed with creative panache by Domy Reiter-Soffer, left me, and the rest of the theatre, with plenty to ponder and talk about – at the Segal Centre, to October 2. Over at Places des Arts, the Opéra de Montréal goes grand and pulls out all the stops with Mozart’s classic Le nozze di Figaro, featuring soprano Nicole Cabell, to September 24.

(new dance) One of Montreal’s avant-garde dance institutions, Agora de la danse, produces two challenging shows this week: Jocelyne Montpetit’s butoh work Avril est le mois le plus cruel inspired by the poetry of T.S. Eliot, September 22–23, and Danse à 10, an unconventional approach to dance from young, hip, experimental dance troupe La 2e Porte à Gauche, known for performing in strange locales – eight choreographers take over a strip bar this time, Kingdom Gentleman’s Club of Montreal (1417 St-Laurent), September 25–27 and October 2–3, 7 p.m., $10. And on September 29, Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui returns to Montreal with Babel- 18 dancers and musicians representing elements of 13 countries and 7 religions, at Places des Arts.

(audio hackers) Montreal, ever the creative land, becomes a part of a relatively new phenomenon that blends music, technology and rebellion: Music Hack Day Montreal. Though it seems that musicians have been altering their instruments to get the sounds they want forever (hey, what are pedals for), new technologies in software and hardware have expanded the realm of music making exponentially in the last 50 years. Music Hack Day brings together programmers, musicians, designers and anyone with a bent for making music in any way shape or form – September 24–25 at Eastern Bloc (7240 Clark).

(film forum) The Montreal International Black Film Festival introduces a great variety of films from around the world that tackle everything from day-to-day existence to historical issues of slavery to racism in the suburbs of Paris. The opening film is French comedy Case Départ (Back to Square One), and closing the festival is Gabriel Range’s I Am Slave, based on the life of Mende Nazer. In between are over 125 more films as well as a September 24 conference on African-Americans in the film industry. The fest runs September 22 to October 2, at Cinéma Impérial, Cinéma ONF and Cinéma du Parc.

(music and more) While Pop Montreal would seem to be taking over the city’s music scene September 22–25, there’s still more music to be had. Like the full-on force of team Kanye West and Jay-Z – together the hip-hop royals make The Throne, at the Bell Centre, September 25. The music of Sigur Ros comes in film form in the North American Premiere of INNI, by amazing Montreal filmmaker Vincent Morisset – 75 minutes of footage from their last live shows at London’s Alexandra, playing September 27 at Le National (1220 Ste-Catherine E.), 8 p.m. Also that night, not only do indie-pop forerunners and always a good time, Mates of State play Il Motore (179 Jean Talon West), but Who-frontman Roger Daltry performs The Who at Place des Arts! And on September 29, long-time heavy new wavers Trans Am returns to play the entirety of their album Futureworld, at Il Motore.

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Voices of Hope is a World AIDS Day Benefit Concert to raise funds for La Maison du Parc, will be held on December 4th at 7:00 p.m. at The Chruch of St. Andrew and St. Paul in Montreal. Kent Nagano will be conducting L’association des musiciens de l’OSM with the Choir from the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul.

Voices of Hope pays tribute to those who have passed away from AIDS and brings attention to those living with it, including the need for ongoing health care, education and prevention initiatives as well as continued support and understanding.

It is a great way to see some very talented musicians while supporting a very worthy cause.

DETAILS

Voices of Hope
Saturday, December 4, 2010 – 7 PM
Church of St. Andrew & St. Paul (Corner Sherbrooke & Redpath)
Tickets: $50 (floor)/$25 (balcony)
(514) 523-6467 to purchase tickets

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The Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and their superstar conductor, Kent Nagano, have put together another great fall lineup and, once again, I’m impressed at what a forward-thinking, proactive organization they are. It’s easy for classical music to take the stance of letting the audience come to them, but the OSM continues to prove that they are an orchestra connected to their city…

Whether it’s the discounts aimed at younger concert goers and students, or their totally cool collaboration with Mutek and The Orb’s Thomas Fehlman, it’s abundantly clear that they are committed to finding new audiences. But don’t fear, classical purists, they have a fall schedule that has something for everyone and I suggest getting in at the ground level, as next year’s season will open in a brand new, world-class concert hall. But for now, here are some highlights from the fall lineup:

All Tchaikovsky: September wraps up with a look at some selected works from the Russian composer who has composed some of the most recognized pieces in the world- like Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and a little jam called the 1812 Overture. For these shows, Mikhail Pletnev and André Laplante, winners of the International Tchaikovsky Competition will tackle Romeo and Juliet, his Fifth Symphony and more.

Kent Nagano and Mahler: In October, everything is coming up Mahler at the OSM. We begin with the famed conductor and composer’s Fifth Symphony, an ode to his wife Alma, for which Nagano will be joined by master violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. From there we move onto Symphony No. 1, well known for its incorporation of popular and Gypsy music, before closing with Mahler’s “terrifying and tragic” Sixth , for which the Orchestra with joined by one of the world’s greatest living pianists, Emanuel Ax.

Paganini & Salvatore Accardo: Part of being an internationally respected Orchestra is the ability to bring in some of the most talented musicians in the world. For this look at Niccolò Paganini, a composer and violinist so technically proficient that he was thought to be in possession of supernatural powers, the OSM is welcoming to Montreal Salvatore Accardo, one of the preeminent Italian violinists of our time. Sir Roger Norrington, of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, will be on hand as they also delve into the music of Haydn and Elgar.

This is only a small sampling of what is on deck this fall at the OSM, so take some time to go through their schedule and find something that suits you. We’ll be back to check in on the OSM in December when, among other wintery treats for your ears, they present that Christmas classic, Handel’s Messiah, in the Notre-Dame Basilica…

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The  OSM’s  “Concerts In The Parks” series is not a new concept. In fact, they’ve been doing them since 1938, when the OSM’s first music director, Wilfrid Pelletier, made it a mission to use these openair events to build a bridge between the Orchestra and the citizens of Montreal.

For the 2010 edition, the OSM’s assistant conductor Stéphane Laforest will be reveling in the classical music of the American continents. Entitled “The Americas,”, the evening will feature music from George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein and Antonin Dvorák, as well besides presenting some of Astor Piazzolla’s tangos and some orchestral arrangements by Gilles Vigneault. With a 7:30 start time, these evenings are ideal for everyone- be it a family gathered together on a blanket or a group of friends looking to add a little class to the start of an evening out in Montreal. (PS- these events are happening rain or shine.)

Tuesday, July 27, 7:30 pm @ Park Maisonneuve: Located in Montreal’s east-end near the Botanical Gardens and filled with tons of paths and all sorts of things to discover, Park Maisonneuve is perhaps most easily accessed by getting off at the Viau metro stop.

Wednesday, July 28, 7:30 pm @ Terrebone/l’Île-des-Moulins : This beautifully preserved historic site just outside of the city is always hosting interesting cultural events- from tastings of the region’s wines to regular tango nights. Here’s how to find it.

Friday, July 30, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. Sorel-Tracy/Regard-sur-le-Fleuve Park: Given its location where St-Lawrence and Richelieu rivers meet, this park is truly one of the most amazing places near Montreal to get yourself a little nature. It’s bit more of a trip than the other two parks, but with activities ranging from cruises to canoe rentals to spa days, why not stay the night.

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