Orchestras Canada

Last Sunday evening, the Conseil Quebecois de la Musique (CQM) celebrated both the 25th anniversary of its founding and the excellence of the musical community it supports, at the 15th annual Prix Opus Gala. We salute the following friends and members of Orchestras Canada, whose exceptional accomplishments were recognized:

Hommage prize: cellist and conductor Yuli Turovsky, founder and 30-year leader of I Musici de Montreal.
Concert of the year, Montreal: Shostakovich’s four last quartets, Quatuor Molinari
Concert of the year, modern/contemporary: Homage to Xenakis, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne
New work of the year: Mutation, by Denis Gougeon (Nouvel Ensemble Moderne)
Concert of the Year, young audiences: On n’est jamais trop classique, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Recording of the year, romantic/post-romantic/impressionist: La tragédie de Salomé, F. Schmitt, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Orchestre Métropolitain, ATMA Classique
Artistic Director of the year: Jean-François Rivest, Orford Arts Centre
Event of the year: Festival de Lanaudière, summer 2011

The last few weeks have been good ones for Orchestras Canada members, and we’d like to acknowledge some key accomplishments and landmarks.

Congratulations to the Royal Conservatory of Music, which kicked off its 125th year of operation on November 20th. Speaking about the milestone, RCM President Dr. Peter Simon noted that, ““the broad-based programs of The Royal Conservatory support Canadian education and, ultimately, Canadian innovation. The Conservatory provides a structured system of learning that develops musical literacy, professional training for Canada’s most gifted young artists, and pioneering learning solutions. Over 125 years it has been the vision of The Royal Conservatory to weave these programs into the very fabric of society, based on our conviction that the arts are our greatest tools for learning, for fostering creativity and personal fulfillment, and for contributing to stronger and more productive societies.”
For more information about The Royal Conservatory and its programs, please visit rcmusic.ca.

We’d also like to acknowledge the many Orchestras Canada members who are finalists for the 15th annual Prix Opus, presented by the Conseil québécois de la musique (CQM). The awards – which recognize outstanding concerts, events, musical works and writing about music during the 2010-11 season – will be presented January 29 at the Salle Bourgie at the Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal. The evening will also include a special tribute to Maestro Yuli Turovsky, founder of I Musici de Montreal.

Finalists of note from our membership include:

Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (multiple categories)
Quatuor Molinari (multiple categories)
Les Violons du Roy
Orchestre symphonique de Montreal (multiple categories)
Orchestre symphonique de Québec (multiple categories)
Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières
Orchestre Métropolitain
Tim Brady/Bradyworks

For more information about the Prix Opus – and to learn more about the nomination categories and nominees – please visit cqm.qc.ca (some pages are available only in French).

The Hamilton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra has announced its 47th season, under the leadership of music director Paul McCulloch. The HPYO comprises a Wind Ensemble and a full symphonic orchestra, and the groups will give three concerts this season, and will also take part in a number of different musical events, including a Showcase concert with the Orchestre des jeunes du Québec maritime in October. hpyo.com

Montreal’s Quatuor Molinari has announced details of its fall 2010 season. Repertoire includes quartets by American minimalist composers Riley, Glass and Reich; the four last quartets of Shostakovich, and a pair of performances with singer Pierre Lapointe, combining his repertoire in unique settings with string quartet, along with movements from quartets by Ravel, Schafer, Glass and Schnittke. For more information on the quartet and its series, you can visit their website at quatuormolinari.qc.ca

Toronto’s Aradia Ensemble (Kevin Mallon, music director) has announced details of its 2010-11 series at the Glenn Gould Studio. Highlights include a semi-staged performance of Handel’s Giulio Cesare (in collaboration with the Centre for Opera Studies in Italy), the “Dublin” Messiah, a program of new works for Baroque ensemble by young composers, and an all-Bach program featuring a singer, a dancer and a visual artist. For more information about Aradia, you can visit their website at aradia.ca

This week, Montreal’s Quatuor Molinari is presenting the winning works from its fourth International Composition Prize, featuring new string quartets by competition winners Snezana Nesic of Serbia, David Philip Hefti of Switzerland, Dae-Seob Han of South Korea and Zhenzhen Zhang of China.  The composers were featured on a Dialogue event on Wednesday night at the Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, and the new works will be heard in their entirety tonight in the concert hall at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal.  For more information about the Quatuor Molinari, please visit their website here.

The Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra has announced its 2009-2010 season, and you can learn more about it and the orchestra here.

Montreal’s Quatuor Molinari (Olga Ranzenhofer and Frédéric Bednarz, violins; Frédéric Lambert, viola; Pierre-Alain Bouvrette, cello) has just announced its thirteenth anniversary season – a season that contains three distinct series, and an intriguing range of Canadian and international quartet repertoire.  You can learn more by visiting their website here.

The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has recently launched a new website, where you can check out photos from the orchestra’s July concerts at the Forks, in Kenora and with Video Games Live.  They also note – proudly – that “we’ve made it easier than ever to buy tickets online.” You can admire it here.

The Vancouver Island Symphony Orchestra launched its fresh and informative new website last May, and we missed it!  Fortunately, you can still find it here.