Kurt

Join us for a double billing of two chamber opera classics at the acoustically superb Maison Symphonique. Soprano Elizabeth Polese and baritone Clarence Frazer get their wires crossed in Gian Carlo Menotti’s comic, one-act opera The Telephone. Innu soprano, Elisabeth St-Gelais cries out for human connection in the one-woman show La voix humaine by French composer Francis Poulenc.

This introduction to opera and the operatic voice makes for a delightful show that can be enjoyed like candy by the whole family! Once upon a time, there were two giggly singers who wanted to tell the story of Hansel and Gretel in music. Their clever pal tries to help them out, but with his greed and absent-mindedness, he always gets into trouble! This concert, full of fun and fantasy, revisits a tale well known to gourmet fans.

Since her debut in 1875, Carmen, the titular character from Bizet’s opera Carmen has become a timeless cultural icon, inspiring generations of composers to attempt to capture her elusive and alluring nature. The central figure of this concert is Rodion Schedrin’s very famous Carmen Suite, as well as other Spanish influenced works by Spanish-Canadian composer José Evangalista and Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz.

Put on your most comfortable jeans and listen to some exciting jazz by some of Montreal’s top artists! Let the mellow lyrical lines from Paul Merkelo’s trumpet wash over you, and relax with the sultry, luscious vocals of renowned Montreal singer Kim Richardson. This concert will appeal to Montreal jazz lovers with its eclectic and tuneful programming.

As part of Black History Month, the OCM celebrates composers and artists of African descent featuring Cameroonian-Canadian soprano Suzanne Taffot and Panamanian-American conductor Kalena Bovell. The program highlights works by African-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, African-American composers George Walker and William Grant Still, and the world premiere of a song cycle, Le Deuil des roses qui s’effeuillent, by Haitian-Canadian composer David Bontemps based on poems by Jacques Roumain whose 80th anniversary of his passing is being commemorated.

Join us for this beloved OCM annual holiday tradition as we fill the acoustically superb Crypt of Saint Joseph’s Oratory with the comfort and joy of Handel’s richly expressive oratorio. Led majestically by Maestro Jacques Lacombe, a stellar quartet of renowned soloists and the Montreal choirs Les filles de l’île and Les chantres musiciens will be joining the OCM in this holiday favourite!

Let us paint you a tonal picture of La Belle Epoque with the Impressionist works of the French Masters. The modal, atmospheric sonorities of Claude Debussy’s Six épigraphes antiques will transport you into his world of colours and textures. Sit back and enjoy the masterful interpretation of Gabriel Fauré’s mélodies by renowned Quebec baritone Jean-François Lapointe. The program is rounded out with works by Florent Schmitt and Alexander Brott.

Join us in an intimate yet spirited performance of two notable chamber operas featuring the rising young stars of the Atelier Lyrique of the Opéra de Montréal residency program. Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona, a light comedic intermezzo, will delight your senses while hijinks and tomfoolery ensue. We then take a turn toward the macabre world of murder and mayhem with Gian Carlo Menotti’s one-act opera The Medium.

World renowned composer Leonard Bernstein reshaped the musical scene in the second half of the 20th Century. Join us as we present a variety of his works both from the concert hall and Broadway. This concert will feature excerpts from West Side Story brought to life by the rich tones of mezzo-soprano Rose Naggar-Tremblay and the powerful baritone of James Westman. Our principal violinist, Marc Djokic will charm you with his sensitive interpretation of Serenade, Bernstein’s love note to mankind.