A New Beginning
The OCM is pleased and proud to present this 84th season, under the theme of A New Beginning, as it welcomes its new Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, Jacques Lacombe, CM, CQ.
“Taking up the baton as a new Artistic Director always generates a considerable amount of excitement and anticipation,” says Maestro Lacombe. “For me, these feelings are now accompanied by a profound appreciation for the major cultural and artistic legacy I have been charged with, and it is therefore with gratitude and humility that I begin this new mandate. I am committed to continuing the work of my two illustrious predecessors, guided by the same principles that underpinned their success: artistic excellence, innovation and originality, not to mention the relevance and impact that our orchestra continues to have in our community.”
This 84th season is inspired by these three overarching principles. Our talented orchestra and distinguished guest artists will present a varied selection of works, all veritable pearls of artistic excellence.
Upcoming Concerts
Concertmaster of the OCM, Marc Djokic is put in the spotlight for this wonderful evening of chamber music of the Americas (John Corigliano, Philip Glass, Christos Hatzis, and Astor Piazzolla). This chamber concert in the wonderful acoustics of the historic Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel will also feature pianist Julien LeBlanc and OCM’s string quartet.
The rich musical heritage of Ukraine will be celebrated in Jacques Lacombe’s first concert as OCM’s new Artistic Director. This grand evening will cover over 200 years of Ukrainian classical music for orchestra, piano, choir and opera soloists by Ukrainian composers and a world premiere by composer Joanna Storoschuk.
This dramatic concert-version of the surreal, three-character tango operita will be performed in Spanish with subtitles in French and English. The rarely produced opera about the urban underworld that produced the tango, by Astor Piazzolla, will star the mezzo-soprano Julie Nesrallah.
Join us for this beloved OCM annual holiday tradition as we fill the acoustically superb crypt of Saint Joseph’s Oratory for two nights with the comfort and joy of Handel’s richly expressive oratorio.
The OCM welcomes back Mohawk violinist Tara-Louise Montour for the North American premiere of Phœnix, a violin concerto by Louis Babin. Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) takes us on a transformative emotional journey. An excerpt from the ballet L’Oiseau Phénix (The Phoenix Bird) by Clermont Pépin recounts the story of a dutiful son. The programme is rounded out with an early work for strings by Janáček.
The stirring and expressive themes from some of the greatest international movies by the two world renowned Italian film composers, Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone, will shimmer in this concert.
Guest conductor Jean-Claude Picard will guide us through this journey of sacred and profane repertoire. Bach’s religious music is some of the most emotionally powerful music ever created. Three Astral Visions by Alexander Brott transforms the energy of the cosmos into music. Boccherini’s La casa del diavolo embodies the popular Spanish story of Don Juan. Canadian composer Matthew Ricketts presents the world premiere of his concerto for oboe and countertenor Contrition. To end the concert, a once-thought-lost Mozart oboe concerto.
Mozart’s Requiem is one of the most popular masterworks of the classical repertoire. Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de Saint Georges’ buoyant Symphonie concertante no. 2 will take you into the perfumed salons of Ancien régime France. Lacrimae Beati (Tears of the Blessed One) by Richard Danielpour was inspired by the ‘’Lacrimosa’’ of Mozart’s Requiem.
To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the passing of world-famous operatic bass Joseph Rouleau, join us for a night of the most beloved opera excerpts by composers such as Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Bizet, Delibes and Offenbach. It will be a passionate evening of opera hits you won’t want to miss. A quartet of Canada’s star opera singers will be accompanied by the OCM in full symphonic form.
Official Hotel of the OCM
