Pointe-à-Callière, the Montreal history and archaeology museum, has been hosting its Port Symphonies for 20 years now, challenging a local or international composer to pen a symphony to be performed using a variety of ship horns, train whistles and percussion found in the harbour of the Old Port – the result of that endeavour plays out near the museum at Place Royale on March 3 and March 10 at 1:30 p.m.

This year, in light of Pointe-à-Callière’s Japan-focused temporary exhibition Samurai: The Prestigious Collection of Richard Béliveau, the museum asked Japanese Montrealer Kota Nakamura to compose a work that would evoke the culture and history of Japan. The symphony, entitled Cymbidium, not only makes use of train whistles and tugboat horns, but incorporates human voices, flute, taiko drums and more.

While the armour and weaponry of Japan’s samurai tradition stand proudly displayed in all their finery inside the museum, representing one aspect of the country’s culture, Nakamura’s symphony, named after Japanese orchids that blossom in March, lends a lighter note to traditional and contemporary Japanese ways of life, while also commenting on the urban landscape of the Port of Montreal. The museum even adds another Japanese touch this weekend with their Nuit Blanche festivities including re-tellings of traditional samurai tales.

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THE DETAILS

Pointe-à-Callière’s Port Symphonies, March 3 and 10, 2:30 p.m.

Photo Credit: © Noémie Letu

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(light up the town) The Telus Fire on Ice fireworks go off with a bang on Saturday night in the Old Port, while Noël sur l’avenue makes shopping and dining along Mont Royal Avenue all the more festive with concerts, family friendly activities and more all weekend. Downtown at the Quartier des Spectacles, play with outdoor interactive musical installation Iceberg, part of Luminothérapie exhibition. And the Olympic Parc celebrates the grand opening of their winter site on December 15: from 11:30-8 p.m., help decorate their 15-metre Christmas tree, visit with Santa, and partake of gourmet treats from some of the city’s best food trucks.

(circus lights) Cirque du Soleil’s colourful, musical Saltimbanco fits right in with the festive season and delights with all kinds of acrobatics, juggling, feats of strength and stamina, and, of course, tension-diffusing clowns. Cirque returns home this month to mark the final run for the company’s longest-running show – 20 years! – see it December 19-30 at the Bell Centre, with behind-the-scenes packages available for some shows. On another musical circus note, Cirque Alphonse’s Timber! takes place in a forest full of lumberjack acrobats, clowns and family-friendly comedy – December 18-31 at Montreal’s one-and-only circus centre, Tohu.

(gift giving) Sometimes it’s just easier to shop in a town that isn’t your own. Take some of the pressure off gift buying by stopping in at some of Montreal’s hot, variety-packed craft and artisanal fairs. The Pop Montreal music festival puts on hip and super cute Puces Pop DIY & Craft Fair December 14-16 with an opening party on Friday evening, at Église Saint-Enfant-Jésus (5035 St-Dominique). The biggest fair of its kind in Canada, Salon des métiers d’art continues to December 22 with over 400 Quebec artists and artisans selling clothing, toys, food and much more at Place Bonaventure – see Santa every Saturday afternoon. And the smaller Old Skool Crafts Holiday Fair sees local craftspeople bringing their quality handmade goods to L’Église St-Michel (105 St-Viateur W.) on Saturday and Sunday.

(sounds of Christmas) Classical music and traditional Christmas songs fill December’s days and nights. Notre-Dame Basilica hosts the Montreal Symphony Orchestra performing Hector Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ with Kent Nagano conducting, December 19-20, and on December 14-15 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., eight Quebecois singers sing traditional Christmas songs for the Les Stars chantent Noël. On December 16 at the Gesù hear the French 18th century organ music of Les douze Noëls pour orgue de Louis-Claude Daquin. Québec writer Bryan Perro tells a magical, Christmassy tale of two villages as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra accompanies, December 14-15 at Maison symphonique de Montréal. And at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Bourgie Hall, soprano Suzie LeBlanc sings a traditional concert of Advent music, with violinist, organist and conductor on December 16 at 3 p.m.

(sights on stage) The traditional December run of Les Grands Ballets’ The Nutcracker continues to December 30 at Place des Arts, while there are only a few days left to catch Robin Hood, as staged by children’s theatre experts Geordie Productions, at the Centaur Theatre in Old Montreal (453 St-Francois-Xavier). If you’ve been waiting years for Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to be turned into a 14-song musical, well, that dream is now a reality, at Theatre Rialto on December 14. And critically lauded play Red , about the life and art of Mark Rothko, continues at the Segal Centre to December 16.

(sports on ice) Get your hockey fix at CWHL fundraiser game Les Boys (NHL alumni and stars of the Les Boys television series) vs. Les Girls (Montreal’s national championship team The Stars, featuring Olympic players) on Saturday, December 15, 1 p.m. at Etienne Desmarteau arena (3430 Bellechasse). Canada’s other official sport takes over the Bell Centre this Saturday: National Lacrosse League teams Toronto Rock and Rochester Knighthawks face off. And ski and snowboard freestylers literally take to the street for Amnesia Shack Attack on December 15 starting at 7 p.m. – see tricks, jumps and more on St-Denis between Sherbrooke and Ontario.

(more music) Montreal’s live music scene is feeling the holiday party vibe this weekend. Get along with the locals on Friday night with Mac Demarco, Each Other, Freelove Fenner and DJ Cadence Weapon At Il Motore (179 Jean-Talon W.). On Saturday night, Swiss folk-metal band Eluveitie loudly zooms into town with Wintersun and Varg at Club Soda,  and rock-dance it up with Mark Sultan and Lunar Exile, at Casa Del Popolo (4873 St-Laurent). On December 16, get closer with indie-pop cool kids Tegan & Sara at Metropolis, while American hip hop artist Machine Gun Kelly brings his rapid-fire vocal ways to Club Soda. Artist centre Easter Bloc brings together international sound artists and experimental musicians to perform, record and discuss their work in Object Inusité, December 19-22, with opening night performances December 19 at 7 p.m. And on December 20, get into a little American country music with Drew Womack and his band Sons of the Desert at Sala Rossa.

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(outdoor sparkle) While the Old Port lights up to musical accompaniment every Saturday night at 8 p.m. for December’s Telus Fire on Ice fireworks show, the Noël sur l’avenue Mont-Royal brightens up a long stretch of shop-and-restaurant-rich Mont-Royal Avenue, beginning with a joyful, candle-lit parade on December 8, starting at Mont-Royal Metro at 7 p.m. and ending at Parc Lafontaine with choirs singing, music playing and fireworks too! And throughout the month, kids and adults alike can take part in all kinds of activities, including a tree decoration workshop, December 9 at Place Gérald-Godin. And over at the beautiful Montreal Botanical Gardens, the main greenhouse is decked out for the holiday season with lights, new plant life, choir performances on weekend afternoons, and a craft fair December 7-9.

(glimmering gifts) Find professionally handmade and unique gifts at Montreal’s craft and artisanal fairs this weekend. Over 400 Quebec artists and artisans offer clothing, toys, food and much more at Salon des métiers d’art, downtown at Place Bonaventure to December 22 – Santa even drops by every Saturday afternoon. Find more creative gifts at the festive Le Marché Casse Noisette, co-organized by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, on until December 9 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. Designers, artists and other creative types set up mini-boutiques at the hip, cool Smart Design Mart, December 7-9 at 5505 Casgrain, in Mile End. Also in the neighbourhood is the Old Skool Crafts Holiday Fair, at L’Église St-Michel (105 St-Viateur W.) – it continues next weekend too, rivalling the new-skool at Puces Pop DIY & Craft Fair. And head east to Haut & Fort Noël Market at Marché St-Jacques (2nd floor, 1125 Ontario East).

(fancy food & drink) December is a time to indulge in social delights and delicious things – both are plentiful at FoodLab this month as the restaurant, located in cutting-edge multimedia centre le SAT, offers a “Grandes tablées” menu of Québécois terroir: December 10-13 try the Terrine De Gibier & Pot-Au-Feu, plus appetizers and desserts, all for $45 a person. Or warm up in nearby Chinatown with a steaming bowl of cheap and cheerful pho soup. Later, get cozy with friends and friendly Montrealers at any one of the city’s neighbourhood brew pubs.

(art & sound) Family friendly activities abound in December, including entertaining, interactive art around the city: downtown at the Quartier des Spectacles, walk through and play with musical installation Iceberg and see several large-scale projections on buildings along Sainte-Catherine and de Maisonneuve, all part of Luminothérapie. It’s also worth the trip to Maison de la Culture Maisonneuve to make your own music inside The Improbable Igloo, an igloo-shaped dome made of speakers by artist Alexis O’Hara, on until December 20. And fans of the band Sigur Ros won’t want to miss a screening of Sigur Ros: Valtari Film Experiment at the Phi Centre on December 9.

(comedy & theatre) Comedian Jeff Dunham’s show on December 9 at the Bell Centre is sure to be funny and strange and puppet-filled, just like Christmas, right? Later in the week, check out the hilarious DeAnne Smith headlining and Al Lafrance hosting “giftalicious” stand-up comedy show Let’s Do This! – it costs a mere $5 or a wrapped present if you want to be a part of a wacky gift exchange – at Mainline Theatre, December 13. Children’s theatre experts Geordie Productions add entertaining new twists to the classic tale of Robin Hood, December 7-16 at the Centaur Theatre. And for more traditional holiday theatre there’s Les Grands Ballets The Nutcracker, December 13-30 at Place des Arts.

(classical tunes) The sounds of Christmas are writ large when The Montreal Symphony Orchestra teams up with the Montreal Bach Festival to present Bach’s Christmas Oratorio performed by internationally renowned Collegium Vocale Gent, December 12-13. On December 8, The Orchestre Métropolitain performs Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6, while on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, Les Choralies Christmas concerts find harmony at Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours in Old Montreal. Le Choeur Gospel Célébration sings its Noël Divin program of Christmas and holiday-themed music at The Gesù on December 9. And at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts on December 9, the Cantivo Vocal Ensemble gives a performance free of charge and on December 12, soprano Hélène Guilmette sing cantatas and traditional songs.

(rock n’ roll) Friday night brings much-loved Australian multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd to Metropolis and Loreena McKennitt to Place des Arts, while the skyrocketing love for the indie-rock of Half Moon Run peaks at Le National, Alaclair Ensemble adds hip hop to modern art at the MACM, and Keys N Krates’ electro-hip-hop fills the dancefloor at Le Belmont. More dancing is in store with electronic music producer Jacques Greene, Doldrums and more live on Saturday night at the SAT. Sunday, December 9 sees The Faint playing their album Danse Macabre, with Trust opening, at Club Soda. Since Monday is the new Friday, why not make a night of it with NYC’s St. Lucia at Divan Orange on December 10. On Tuesday, Rock and swoon to the electro-orchestral-tinged sound of The Breezes, with Montreal’s CFCF at Sala Rossa.

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Montreal is a city of many churches, some of which host spectacular Christmas concerts. Notre-Dame Basilica welcomes the Montreal Symphony Orchestra performing Hector Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ for the first time with Kent Nagano conducting the powerful orchestral and choral oratorio, December 19-20. The Basilica also hosts eight Quebecois singers interpreting traditional Christmas songs for the Les Stars chantent Noël concert, December 14-15 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. There’s even a chance to hear the Notre-Dame Basilica organ in action as organist Pierre Grandmaison rehearses on December 23-24 and 28-31 at 2 p.m. The Basilica’s Let There Be Light multi-media show also continues throughout the month.

Les Choralies Christmas concerts add harmonious voices to the quiet space of Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours in Old Montreal, every Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 1:30 and 3 p.m., including a jazz twist on December 9, gospel hymns on December 16, a closing concert on December 23 with the Da Capo ensemble. The Gesù, a downtown church that also has a concert venue, will be full of glorious sound on December 9 at 3 p.m. as the award-winning Le Choeur Gospel Célébration sings its Noël Divin program of Christmas and holiday-themed music. On December 16, the Gesù’s organ gets a workout in the French 18th century music of Les douze Noëls pour orgue de Louis-Claude Daquin, with organist François Zeitouni. And December 27-28 brings La Pastorale des Santons de Provence d’Yvan Audouard to the Gesù space.

The newly built Maison Symphonique de Montréal, downtown at Place des Spectacles, also rings in the holiday cheer this December. The Montreal Symphony Orchestra and conductor Kent Nagano add a twist to traditional Québécois music as Québec writer Bryan Perro tells a magical, Christmassy tale of two villages on the Saint-Maurice River – the storytelling is in French, while the music transcends language – December 14-15 at Maison symphonique de Montréal. The OSM and the Montreal Bach Festival present internationally renowned Collegium Vocale Gent performing Bach’s Christmas Oratorio on December 12-13. And The Orchestre Métropolitain, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, makes the month more romantic with performances of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6 on December 8.

Festive sounds permeate the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts throughout the month in a series of Christmas- and holiday-themed concerts. Free choral concerts take place on December 9 (Cantivo Vocal Ensemble) and on December 16 (Westmount Harmonia) in the Hall of Bronzes of the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion at 3 p.m., with local vocal groups lifting their voices high. In the museum’s grand Bourgie Hall, hear soprano Hélène Guilmette sing cantatas and traditional songs on December 12, soprano Suzie LeBlanc in a traditional concert of Advent music, with violinist, organist and conductor on December 16 at 3 p.m., and on December 28-29, join in on the Arte Musica choral concert Let’s Sing Christmas! at 2 p.m.

And if the natural world is your sanctuary, choirs also come to the Montreal Botanic Gardens this month, making themselves at home among the greenery in the festively decorated and lit-up main greenhouse December 8-9, 15-16, and 22-23 throughout the afternoon.

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