In many ways, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal’s 2019-20 season is a particularly special one. The expression of timeless human creativity, optimism and spirituality, as well as deeply provocative aesthetic and existential questions will shape this season. It also marks the 16th and final one I will have the honour and privilege of presiding over... Read more »
The four concerts in the “Brahms and the Art of Film” week are the opportunity for the OSM to present four new creations: three works for orchestra, commissioned to three different composers – Blair Thomson, Zosha Di Castri and Régis Campo –, and a film created by the young filmmaker Mathias Arroyo-Bégin. The musicologist Gabriel... Read more »
Music: an accessible art for everyone Conductor François-Xavier Roth is a master of his art, in both the way he practices it and the ease with which he places it in context. He knows where he’s going, knows how to get there and eloquently communicates his passion along the way. He sees music as a... Read more »
The first question that usually pops up about this name is how to pronounce it. In English, “č” is “ch,” so we would say: Yoorai Valchooah. While only in his early forties, this fast-rising conductor who hails from Bratislava, Slovakia can already boast of having conducted some of the world’s greatest orchestras. A larger-than-life symphony... Read more »
Marked for life by war Christoph Eschenbach was born as the Second World War was raging, in 1940, Breslau (Germany), now Wrocław (Poland). His mother died at birth and his father died during the war, after being sent to the front. Young Eschenbach was placed in a camp of 60 refugees. Living in atrocious conditions,... Read more »
An impassioned multi-instrumentalist As a young child, New York conductor and rising star James Feddeck always believed that music would be an integral part of his life. More uncertain, however, was how he would take possession of this art. At the age of eight, he began to play the organ in a church, then went... Read more »
“He is a prodigious artist, who combines the gift of rare sound perfection with a deep, delicate, intense and quivering sensitivity.” - Le Monde French horn debut Rafael Payare was born in Venezuela in 1980 and started learning music at the age of 14. He set his sights not on the piano or the violin...... Read more »
This year, the Fine Arts Quartet will be performing at the Classical Spree. This presents an excellent opportunity to examine the string quartet, a subtle musical form that is still alive and well two centuries after its birth. What is a string quartet? Comprising two violins, a viola, and a cello, the string quartet... Read more »
In less than three weeks, Montréal audiences at the Classical Spree will have the opportunity to discover the incredible Moldavian violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja: an audacious and absolutely unique classical artist. Patricia Kopatchinskaja distinguishes herself from other violinists by her originality, her nonconformist approach, her strong personality, and her bold musical offerings. Some people would... Read more »
It’s time to take stock as the musicians of the OSM and their conductor make their way home after playing in Krakow, Poland, and opening the prestigious Salzburg Festival in Austria. On July 20, Kent Nagano and the OSM opened the 98th edition of the Salzburg Festival to a full house of 1400 spectators. It... Read more »
In many ways, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal’s 2019-20 season is a particularly special one. The expression of timeless human creativity, optimism and spirituality, as well as deeply provocative aesthetic and existential questions will shape this season. It also marks the 16th and final one I will have the honour and privilege of presiding over... Read more »
The four concerts in the “Brahms and the Art of Film” week are the opportunity for the OSM to present four new creations: three works for orchestra, commissioned to three different composers – Blair Thomson, Zosha Di Castri and Régis Campo –, and a film created by the young filmmaker Mathias Arroyo-Bégin. The musicologist Gabriel... 
Music: an accessible art for everyone Conductor François-Xavier Roth is a master of his art, in both the way he practices it and the ease with which he places it in context. He knows where he’s going, knows how to get there and eloquently communicates his passion along the way. He sees music as a... 
The first question that usually pops up about this name is how to pronounce it. In English, “č” is “ch,” so we would say: Yoorai Valchooah. While only in his early forties, this fast-rising conductor who hails from Bratislava, Slovakia can already boast of having conducted some of the world’s greatest orchestras. A larger-than-life symphony... 
Marked for life by war Christoph Eschenbach was born as the Second World War was raging, in 1940, Breslau (Germany), now Wrocław (Poland). His mother died at birth and his father died during the war, after being sent to the front. Young Eschenbach was placed in a camp of 60 refugees. Living in atrocious conditions,... 
An impassioned multi-instrumentalist As a young child, New York conductor and rising star James Feddeck always believed that music would be an integral part of his life. More uncertain, however, was how he would take possession of this art. At the age of eight, he began to play the organ in a church, then went... 
“He is a prodigious artist, who combines the gift of rare sound perfection with a deep, delicate, intense and quivering sensitivity.” - Le Monde French horn debut Rafael Payare was born in Venezuela in 1980 and started learning music at the age of 14. He set his sights not on the piano or the violin...... 
This year, the Fine Arts Quartet will be performing at the Classical Spree. This presents an excellent opportunity to examine the string quartet, a subtle musical form that is still alive and well two centuries after its birth. What is a string quartet? Comprising two violins, a viola, and a cello, the string quartet... 
In less than three weeks, Montréal audiences at the Classical Spree will have the opportunity to discover the incredible Moldavian violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja: an audacious and absolutely unique classical artist. Patricia Kopatchinskaja distinguishes herself from other violinists by her originality, her nonconformist approach, her strong personality, and her bold musical offerings. Some people would... 
