- Thursday, November 20, 2025 – 7:30 p.m.
- Salle Pierre-Mercure
- $20 – $59
- This concert will last approximately 103 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 child’s free 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:
Immerse yourself in dynamic Latin rhythms in this concert of musical gems from Central and South America. With Jean-Marie Zeitouni at the podium, the evening will feature guitarist Adam Cicchillitti and bandoneonist Denis Plante in a program of stirring Hispanic music.
Passion and virtuosity combine in performances of Astor Piazzolla’s seductive tangos and Manuel Ponce’s Concierto del Sur, along with a world premiere of newly arranged tangos by Canadian composer Luis Ramírez. Don’t miss this stiring tribute to the musical soul of Latin America.
In collaboration with:
Repertoire
Piazzolla, A. – Two Tangos for Strings: Coral & Canyengue
Ponce, M. – Concierto del Sur
Plante, Denis – Tango Boréal: Ciudad
Ramirez, Luis – Sola & Insidia from the Suite Immigration
Piazzolla, A. – Double Concerto for Guitar and Bandoneon: Hommage à Liège
Artists
Adam Cicchillitti, guitar
Denis Plante, bandoneon
Jean-Marie Zeitouni, conductor
Program notes:
Written by Olivier Bergeron
Astor Piazzolla’s Two Tangos for Strings: Coral & Canyengue showcases the composer’s revolutionary approach to traditional tango, infusing it with elements of jazz and classical music. The first tango, Coral, features lush harmonies and evocative melodies, inviting listeners into a world of rich emotional depth. In contrast, Canyengue captures the lively spirit of Argentine folk traditions, highlighting Piazzolla’s ability to blend nostalgia with modernity.
Moving to the classical guitar repertoire, Manuel Ponce’s Concierto del Sur, composed in 1941 for the renowned guitarist Andrés Segovia, reflects a deep appreciation for Mexican folk music and lush harmonic textures. This concerto is structured in three movements, each revealing different facets of the guitar’s expressive capabilities. The lyrical first movement leads into a spirited second, culminating in a reflective third, creating a journey through Ponce’s musical landscape that resonates with both technical brilliance and emotional depth.
Denis Plante’s piece Tango Boréal: Ciudad presents a unique fusion of tango with a northern twist. Inspired by his Canadian roots, Plante intertwines the rhythmic intensity of traditional tango with the serene beauty of the northern landscape. This work takes listeners on a sonic journey through urban life, encapsulating the essence of cityscapes while harnessing the emotive power of tango, illustrating the genre’s adaptability across diverse cultural contexts.
Lastly, in Double Concerto for Guitar and Bandoneon: Hommage à Liège, Astor Piazzolla pays tribute to the city of Liège, reflecting his admiration for its artistic spirit. This work showcases the intricate interplay between the guitar and bandoneón, highlighting the contrasting timbres and styles of the two instruments. The concerto’s structure allows for both solo and ensemble moments, capturing the essence of Piazzolla’s tango nuevo. It is a celebration of cultural exchange, combining the richness of Argentine tango with the nuances of European classical traditions.
Written by Luis Ramirez
Sola and Insidia are two tangos drawn from my Immigration Suite, a suite that traces the emotional landscape of leaving one life for another. The movements explore profound facets of the immigrant experience through the intensity of tango.
Sola embraces the depths of loneliness, portraying the rock-bottom despair and depression that can accompany displacement and isolation, evoking a raw confrontation with solitude.
Insidia illustrates how subtle everyday actions accumulate with compounding effects – positive or negative – shaping resilience amid uncertainty.
Together, they highlight the immigrant’s path toward solace, letting go of the past while finding strength in vulnerability.
Artist biographies:
Jean-Marie Zeitouni
Conductor
Recognized as one of the most accomplished conductors of his generation, Jean-Marie Zeitouni stands out for his expressive, precise, and deeply committed style. Appreciated in both the symphonic and opera repertoires, he regularly conducts the most prestigious orchestras in Europe and America.
During the 2025–2026 season, beyond his programs in Edmonton, his engagements will include conducting La Cenerentola at the Opéra de Québec, Carmen at the Opéra de Montréal, as well as concerts with the Milwaukee Symphony, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, and for the first time in Portugal at the Casa da Música in Porto.
Jean-Marie has recently conducted notable productions such as Sigurd in Marseille, Carmen in Lausanne, Médée in Montpellier, and Massenet’s Grisélidis with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpellier and at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, which gave rise to a discographic recording. He has also conducted the Brussels Philharmonic for a recording dedicated to the French cello in the Bru Zane collection, as well as the Orchestre National de Lille for the recording of a French arias recital with soprano Vannina Santoni. At the Opéra de Montréal, he successively conducted two world premieres by composer Julien Bilodeau on texts by Michel Marc Bouchard: La Beauté du monde and La Reine-Garçon, two important milestones in the history of lyrical creation in Canada.
In 2025, Jean-Marie became Music Director of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Artistic and Musical Director of the Opera de Québec and the Festival d’opéra de Québec.
Over the years, Jean-Marie has served as Artistic Director of the Orchestre de chambre I Musici de Montréal and as Music Director of the Colorado Music Festival and the Columbus Symphony in Ohio. For over twelve years, he was a key collaborator with Les Violons du Roy, where he successively held the positions of Conductor in Residence, Associate Conductor, and Principal Guest Conductor. A graduate of the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal in conducting, percussion and musical writing, where he studied with Raffi Armenian, Jean-Marie now teaches conducting and conducts their orchestra.
Adam Cicchillitti
Guitarist
Adam Cicchillitti is a Montreal-born guitarist praised by Classical Guitar magazine as “a virtuoso at the top of his game.” Known for his bold programming and deep collaborations with composers, Adam has commissioned over 30 new works for solo, duo, and chamber guitar since 2019. His latest album, Re/String (Leaf Music, 2025), features six world premieres for two guitars and string ensemble with Steve Cowan and collectif9.
Adam’s recordings on Analekta, ATMA Classique, and Leaf Music have received critical acclaim, including a Classical Recording of the Year award from the ECMAs for Focus. He is a multiple-time laureate of the Guitar Foundation of America competition, winner of the Canimex Concerto Competition, and a prizewinner in several national and international competitions.
He has performed with major Canadian ensembles including the Orchestre classique de Montréal and toured widely across North America and the U.K. He holds a doctorate from McGill University and teaches at Mount Allison University.
Denis Plante
Bandoneonist
Denis Plante plays one of the celebrated doble A series bandoneons, the authentic instrument of Argentinian tango. His original career as a composer-performer makes him Canada’s essential bandoneonist and a singular presence in the world of contemporary tango. The spiritual son of Astor Piazzolla, he has enriched the bandoneon repertoire with a hundred works that capture the essential pulse of tango. Denis Plante has performed concerts around the world, earning critical acclaim for his virtuosity and lyricism. He is frequently invited to perform as a soloist in Canada, the United States, and South America, with symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles.
Concert musicians:
Violins I
Marc Djokic*, concertmaster
Ana Drobac¹, associate concertmaster
Tara-Louise Montour
Diane Rodrigue
Isabelle Bouchard²
Violins II
Antoine Bareil³, principal
Ryan Shao, associate principal
Ewa Sas⁴
Valérie Belzile⁵
Violas
Annie Parent⁶, principal
Félix Lefebvre, associate principal
Samuel Hogue
Cellos
Marieve Bock⁷, principal
François Toutant⁸, associate principal
Tim Halliday
Double Bass
Étienne Lafrance
Flute
Naama Neuman
Oboe
Kirsten Zander
Clarinet
Brent Besner
Bassoon
Joëlle Amar
Timpani
Mathieu Pouliot
* Sponsored by Marie-Christine Tremblay and Jacques Marchand.
1. Ana Drobac plays on a 1766 violin by Jean Baptiste Lefebvre and a bow by Charles Louis Bazin made for Granier, c. 1930, branded “GRANIER,” both generously loaned by the Canimex Group Inc. of Drummondville, Quebec.
2. 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).
3. Antoine Bareil performs on an 1840 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin and a François Nicolas Voirin bow, both graciously lent by Canimex inc. Drummondville (Québec), Canada.
4. Ewa Sas plays a violin by Gerolamo Trucco ca.1835 and a violin bow by Louis Bazin, graciously provided to her by the company CANIMEX INC. from Drummondville (Québec).
5. Valérie Belzile plays with a violin bow by Claude Charles Nicolas Husson, circa 1890, graciously provided to her by the company CANIMEX INC. of Drummondville.
6. 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).
7. Mariève Bock plays a cello by Charles Adolphe Maucotel, Paris, 1849, “Ex-Pierre Fournier” and a cello bow by Claude Thomassin made for Caressa & Français, Paris, ca. 1910, graciously provided to her by the company CANIMEX INC. from Drummondville (Québec).
8. 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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