- Friday, October 24, 2025 – 7:30 p.m.
- Salle Pierre-Mercure
- $20 – $59
- This concert will last approximately 88 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission.
Prices include service fees and taxes. - Artists and program are subject to change without notice.
- Ticket purchases are non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
- Please note that each free child ticket must be accompanied by a purchased adult ticket.
- Berri-UQAM metro station and Salle Pierre-Mercure are accessible to persons with reduced mobility.
The Concert:
You’ll be transported to the elegance and splendour of imperial Vienna as the OCM raises a toast to the “Waltz King,” Johann Strauss II, on the 200th anniversary of his birth. Presented in collaboration with the Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique and the Austrian Society of Montreal, the program will offer a tantalizing assortment of excerpts from popular Viennese operettas. A quartet of talented young singers will bring this sprightly and elegant repertoire to life under the baton of Simon Rivard, as the OCM celebrates the golden age of Viennese operetta and waltz music.
This concert is generously presented by Vanda Treiser, and is in collaboration with the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal and the Montreal Austrian Society
Repertoire
Strauss II, J. – Excerpts from Die Fledermaus and Der Zigeunerbaron
Emperor Waltz, Op. 437
Pizzicato Polka
Lagunen Walzer, Op. 411
Lehár, F. – Excerpts from The Merry Widow and Der Zigeunerliebe
Artists
Odile Portugais, soprano
Tessa Fackelmann, mezzo-soprano
Colin Mackey, baritone
Jamal Al Titi, baritone
Simon Rivard, conductor
Program notes:
Written by Olivier Bergeron
Known as the “Waltz King,” Johann Strauss II embodied Vienna’s nineteenth-century golden age. A charismatic conductor and master melodist, he brought the Viennese waltz to international fame and gave new brilliance to the operetta form. In Die Fledermaus (1874), his sparkling satire of bourgeois society, disguises, champagne, and mistaken identities whirl to irresistibly elegant music. More lyrical in tone, Der Zigeunerbaron (1885) blends Hungarian color and tender romance in the story of Baron Sandor and the beautiful Saffi. Among his orchestral works, the Emperor Waltz, op. 437, radiates imperial grandeur ; the Pizzicato Polka, written with his brother Josef, charms with wit and buoyancy ; and the Lagoon Waltz, op. 411, from A Night in Venice, shimmers with sensual, nostalgic grace. Together, these pieces capture the festive, refined spirit of imperial Vienna.
The heir to Strauss’s legacy, Franz Lehár carried the Viennese operetta into the twentieth century with greater emotional depth and sumptuous orchestration. His music reflects a world both glittering and fragile. In Zigeunerliebe (1910), the heroine Zorika wavers between bourgeois comfort and passionate freedom with the gypsy violinist Józsi — a conflict between duty and desire set to a score of radiant lyricism and bittersweet warmth. With this work, Lehár captured the fading light of a romantic era and the dawn of modern sentimentality.
Biographies:
Simon Rivard
Conductor
Simon Rivard is the music director of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and the Edmonton Opera.
This season, he leads Haydn’s Creation at the NSO, as well as Cusson & Vavrek’s Indians on Vacation (world premiere) and Wagner’s Siegfried at the Edmonton Opera. He makes his début with the Lapland Chamber Orchestra and collaborates with Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Orchestre Métropolitain, among others.
Rivard has conducted Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Opéra de Montréal, Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Verbier Festival Chamber Orchestra (Switzerland), and the Göteborgs Symfoniker (Sweden). From 2018 to 2022, he was the Resident Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, where he was mentored by Gustavo Gimeno and Sir Andrew Davis, and through 2024, he was the Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Born in Montréal, Rivard studied violin and orchestral conducting at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and McGill University.
Photo credit: Tam Lan Truong
Artists in residence at the Atelier lyrique of the Opéra de Montréal
Thomas Lussier – Montreal (QC)
Stage director
A graduate of the École de théâtre de Saint-Hyacinthe, Thomas divides his time between theatre and opera. He has shared his love of opera on the radio as a commentator on the program En direct du MET, broadcast on ICI Musique. His most recent theatre projects include directing the Université de Montréal Theatre’s production of Australian playwright Andrew Bovell’s Quand la pluie s’arrêtera (When the Rain Stops Falling) and Duncan MacMillan’s Lungs. He has also assisted renowned directors such as Angela Konrad, Joan Font and Stephen Lawless in productions by the Opéra de Montréal and Jeunesses Musicales Canada (La Reine-Garçon, La Traviata, Hamlet, Le Barbier de Séville, Les Noces de Figaro, La Fille du Régiment). This season, Thomas is assistant stage director to Stephen Lawless for the production of Don Giovanni, and for the production of Jenůfa, directed by Atom Egoyan (Opéra de Montréal), as well as stage director of The Turn of the Screw (Atelier / NACO). Thomas Lussier’s residency is made possible through artistic sponsorship by Dre Nathalie Zan.
Photo credit: Tam Lan Truong
Odile Portugais – Montreal (QC)
Soprano
At 23, Canadian soprano Odile Portugais has performed with the renowned Molinari Quartet and won numerous awards, including the Grand Prix at the Lanaudière Music Competition, the Prix d’excellence de l’Opéra bouffe du Québec and first prize at the Canadian Music Competition. Her repertoire includes the roles of the Woman (Erwartung), the Mother and the Witch (Hänsel und Gretel), Athamas (Semele), Angelina (La Cenerentola), the Woman (The Juniper Tree) and Actéon (Actéon changé en biche). This season, Odile makes her debut with the Opéra de Montréal in the role of Jano in Jenůfa and is the understudy for Micaela in Carmen. Odile has participated in the Franz Schubert Institute in Austria and the Académie Francis Poulenc in France and holds a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from the Conservatoire de Montréal as well as a master’s degree in opera performance from McGill University. Odile Portugais’s residency is made possible through artistic sponsorship by Claude Leblanc.
Photo credit: Tam Lan Truong
Tessa Fackelmann – Ottawa (ON)
Mezzo-soprano
Acclaimed for her irresistible humour and vocal charm, Ontario-born mezzo-soprano Tessa Fackelmann has performed on stage in works by Handel, Mozart and Rossini. She holds a Master of Music degree from Rice University, as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts and an Artist Diploma from the University of Ottawa. Tessa is also a former student of the Wolf Trap Opera Studio and the Santa Fe Opera Apprenticeship Program. A formidable competitor, Tessa performed on stage at the Metropolitan Opera as a national semi-finalist in the 2024 Metropolitan Laffont Competition. Later that year, she won First Prize in the Edmonton Opera’s Rumbold Vocal Competition. In 2025-26, she made her debut as Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro at the Sarasota Opera, conducted by Louis Lohraseb, and sang Mercedes in the production of Carmen at the Opéra de Montréal, conducted by Jean-Marie Zeitouni. Tessa Fackelmann’s residency is made possible through artistic sponsorship by Antoine Chagnon & Antonio Vieira.
Photo credit: Tam Lan Truong
Colin Mackey – St. John’s (NL)
Baritone
A native of Newfoundland, baritone Colin Mackey is a graduate of the McPhee Program at Calgary Opera, where he made his debut in Gianni Schicchi and Bluebeard’s Castle. His roles include the title role in Don Giovanni, Malatesta (Calgary Opera – role study), the Marquis de La Force (Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music), Belcore (Highlands Opera Studio), Minskman in Flight, Adonis in Venus and Adonis (Glenn Gould School) and Dr. Falke (Toronto Operetta Theatre). In 2024, he participated in the Franz Schubert Institute in Baden, Austria. That same year, Colin earned an Artist Diploma in Performance from the Glenn Gould School. He also holds a master’s degree from McGill University (2022), where he won the Concerto and Chamber Music Competition. This season, Colin is understudy for the title role in Don Giovanni and sings Rychtář (Mayor) in Jenůfa (Opéra de Montréal), as well as performing as a soloist in the Viennese Operetta Evening concerts (OCM). Colin Mackey’s residency is made possible through artistic sponsorship by Joan Vogelesang.
Photo credit: Tam Lan Truong
Jamal Al Titi – Minsk (Belarus)
Baritone
Belarusian-born Canadian Jamal Al Titi joined the International Meistersinger Academy in Germany in 2025 and sang the title role in Gianni Schicci at the Netherlands Lyric Opera Festival. In 2024-25, he performed the title role in the world premiere of Le Phare, as well as the roles of Le fauteuil (the armchair) and L’arbre (a tree) in L’Enfant et les sortilèges, Uberto in La Serva Padrona, and was the understudy for the roles of Figaro (Il Barbiere di Siviglia) and Marcello (La Bohème) at the Opéra de Montréal. He also made his debut at the Caramoor Festival with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra. During the current season, he sings Dancairo in Carmen at the Opéra de Montréal and performs in Handel’s Messiah with the Orchestre Classique de Montréal. Jamal is a recipient of the Rebanks Family Fellowship, the Stingray Award of the Opéra de Montréal’s Gala Talent, the Rumbold Vocal Prize and the Toronto Mozart Vocal Competition. He has performed the title role in Don Giovanni and the role of Tom in Adoration at the Banff Centre, of Belcore at the Highlands Opera, and Masetto and Schaunard at the Brott Opera Festival. Jamal Al Titi’s residency is made possible through artistic sponsorship by Dr. Joyce Fung.
Photo credit: Tam Lan Truong
Concert musicians:
Violins 1
Marc Djokic⁵, Concertmaster
Diane Rodrigue, Associate Concertmaster
Tara-Louise Montour
Isabelle Bouchard¹
Tsubasa Muramatsu
Violins 2
Marianne Di Tomaso², solo
Ryan Shao, associate solo
Béatrice Dénommée
Marc-Olivier Sourdif
Violas
Annie Parent³, solo
Chung Han Hsiao, associate solo
Troy Stephenson
Cellos
François Toutant⁴, solo
Crystal Kim, associate solo
Amos Friesen
Double Bass
Étienne Lafrance
Piano
Martine Jomphe⁶
5. Sponsored by Marie Christine Tremblay and Jacques Marchand.
6. Member of the Atelier lyrique of the Opéra de Montréal. Martine Jomphe’s residency is made possible thanks to the artistic sponsorship of Isabelle Murray & Dominic Chalifoux.
1. Isabelle Bouchard plays a violin by Paolo Castello of 1772 and a violin bow by Gustave Bernardel, graciously provided to her by the company CANIMEX INC. from Drummondville (Québec).
2. Marianne Di Tomaso plays a violin by Nicolas Lupot, Orléans, ca. 1788. And a violin bow by Georges-Frédéric Schwartz ca.1835-40 branded STRASBOURG, graciously provided to her by the company CANIMEX INC. from Drummondville (Québec)
3. Annie Parent plays a viola by French luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, 1842, and a viola bow by Émile Auguste Ouchard, New York, 1947, graciously provided to her by the company CANIMEX INC. from Drummondville (Québec).
4. François Toutant plays on a Giacomo Zanoli cello, Verona 1753, as well as a copy of a Peccatte bow by bow maker François Malo, generously loaned by Groupe Canimex of Drummondville.
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