Hervé Niquet figures among the most inventive musical personalities of our time. A harpsichordist, organist, pianist, singer, composer, choirmaster and conductor, he is particularly renowned as an eminent specialist of the French repertoire from the Baroque era to Debussy. Niquet founded the present-day Le Concert Spirituel in 1987 for the purposes of reviving the French grand motet. Over the past 35 years, this ensemble has grown to embody the benchmark for performing the Baroque repertoire, and has rediscovered and performed works, known or unknown in their time, from France, England and Italy. From his perspective of a single, unbroken line of French music throughout the centuries, Niquet conducts major international orchestras, exploring repertoires of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Niquet’s approach features a strong commitment to teaching and to passing on the results of his work on interpretation, period performance practice and the latest musicological discoveries. Along with his knowledge of the realities and demands of the musician’s craft, conveying this legacy is essential to him.

A graduate of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique (CSNM) in Paris, Cyrille Dubois began his career with the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Paris. Considered one of the finest tenors of his generation, he explores a broad spectrum of the opera repertoire, from Baroque to contemporary music, Mozart and French Opéra comique, performing in Europe’s greatest concert halls. His foremost passion remains the lied and mélodie, which he performs notably with pianist Tristan Raës. His discography includes So Romantique!, O lieb! (lieder by Liszt), Jouissons de nos beaux ans, Britten’s Canticles, and the complete art songs of Fauré.

French-Canadian mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne is acclaimed for the vocal agility and expressive power of her dark-hued tone, focusing on the works of Berlioz, Mozart, and Rossini. In the 23/24 season, she will return to the Wiener Staatsoper, the Theater an der Wien, the Opéra Royal Wallonie-Liège, and the Opéra national de Lorraine. In concert, she will sing Mozart’s Mass in C with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the Requiems of Fauré and Duruflé with Les violons du Roy, Mahler’s Symphony no. 3 with Seattle Opera, and Chausson’s Poème de l'amour et de la mer with the Gulbenkian Orchestra in Lisbon.

Canadian bass-baritone Gordon Bintner is a former member of the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio and has garnered a broad and impressive operatic repertoire across six seasons as an ensemble member of Oper Frankfurt. He is the Winner of the OSM Competition (2011), and his discography to date includes Bernstein’s A Quiet Place (in the role of Junior) recorded with the OSM and Kent Nagano. An avid recitalist, Bintner made his debut at London’s historic Wigmore Hall last season in a program of Busoni, Beethoven and Kurt Weill. In the current season, he performs a program of Brahms, Finzi, Schubert and Schumann at Montreal’s Salle Bourgie.

Since graduating from the Young Artists Programme of the Royal Opera House (UK), Canadian bassbaritone Robert Gleadow continues to make his mark on stages around the world. His performances at the Houston Grand Opera as Talbot in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda were lauded for “never lacking conviction or genuine concern” and for “his plangent bass [that] rang out with a sonic boom.” This season, the title role in Don Giovanni. He will perform as Gugliemo in Così Fan Tutte at Opera de Lausanne and portray Figaro at Opera de Marseille. Gleadow can be heard as Lorenzo in Capuleti e Montecchi with Anna Netrebko, recorded for Deutsche Grammophon.

Tomislav Lavoie completed violin studies at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal before joining several renowned symphony orchestras, including the Orchestre symphonique de Québec. After being asked at short notice to replace a singer in the role of Masetto (Don Giovanni), he decided to pursue voice studies at the Université de Montréal, subsequently receiving support from the Fondation Cédric Ferguson and Jeunesses Musicales Canada. Known for his “powerful voice” and “great stage presence” (L’opéra), he has performed in Amsterdam, Paris, Lyon, Cologne, Geneva, Valencia, Reykjavik, Innsbruck and Potsdam.

The chorusmaster chair is generously sponsored by Mrs. Ann Birks, in loving memory of Barry Drummond Birks. Andrew Megill is recognized as one of the leading choral conductors of his generation, known for his unusually wide-ranging repertoire, extending from early music to newly composed works. He has prepared choruses for the American Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, the National Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic, and he has worked with conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Charles Dutoit, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Alan Gilbert, Kurt Masur, and Kent Nagano. He is Director of Choral Activities at the University of Illinois and serves as Associate Conductor and Director of Choral Activities of the Carmel Bach Festival, as well as Artistic Director of the ensemble Fuma Sacra. He taught at Westminster Choir College and has been a Guest Conductor for the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Broadcast by Public Radio International and the BBC, his work can be heard on numerous recordings, including those of Magnussen’s Psalm (Albany Records), Haydn’s Masses (Naxos), and works by Caleb Burhans (Cantaloupe).

Baritone Geoffroy Salvas studied with Gabrielle Lavigne and Aline Kutan at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal before joining the Atelier Lyrique at the Opera of Montreal for two seasons. He was awarded First Prize at the Concours international de chant de Marseille (Operetta category) in 2017, and was a New England Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in 2019. His many collaborations with prestigious ensembles such as the Opéra de Montréal, OSM, Opéra de Québec and Pacific Opera Victoria enabled him to acquire a well-rounded stage experience.

— A native of Richmond (Qc), tenor Joé Lampron- Dandonneau quickly made a name for himself during his university years. After earning a bachelor’s degree from the Université de Montréal and a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Victoria, he completed his vocal studies at McGill University, earning the Graduate Diploma in Vocal Performance in the class of soprano Dominique Labelle, and where he had the immense privilege of being a finalist in the prestigious 2019–2020 Wirth Vocal Arts Award. Since his graduation, Joé has had the opportunity to work with numerous professional choirs, including La Chapelle de Québec. He continues to make strides as a chamber music artist.