Ensemble Transmission à New York

Montréal, le lundi 8 mars 2010 – Transmission fera ses débuts à New York  le 16 mars prochain, en rendant hommage au compositeur Iannis Xenakis dans le cadre de l’exposition Iannis Xenakis : architecte, compositeur, visionnaire organisée conjointement par le Drawing Center et le Xenakis Project of the Americas of the Barry S. Brook Center for Music Research and Documentation.  

Avec l’aide du CALQ, Transmission présentera son programme intitulé French Transmission à la salle Elebash du CUNY Graduate Center de New York.   

French Transmission (œuvres de Boulez, Murail, Leroux, Vivier et Xenakis) sera précédé d`une présentation sur Xenakis au Canada du compositeur canadien James Harley, élève de Xenakis et auteur de Xenakis, His Life in Music.  

Cette exposition sera d`ailleurs présentée à Montréal de juin à octobre 2010 par le Centre d`Architecture Canadien. Transmission participera à cet évènement en donnant deux concerts : It`s all Xenakis : œuvres de Xenakis et Xtc : œuvres de Xenakis, Aperghis et  Harley.  

Le collectif Transmission se compose de six artistes/musiciens, penseurs et producteurs indépendants: Guy Pelletier, flûte; Lori Freedman, clarinette; Alain Giguère, violon; Julie Trudeau, violoncelle; Julien Grégoire, percussion; Brigitte Poulin, piano. Transmission travaille sans chef la musique moderne et contemporaine du solo au sextuor.

Transmission est une énergie fraîche et essentielle, un refuge artistique, en constante recherche d’œuvres et de performances nouvelles. 

Principal Oboe Lidia Khaner showcases musicality and precision in a concert featuring Mozart’s Oboe Concerto

Midweek Classics

Principal Oboe Lidia Khaner showcases musicality and precision in a concert featuring

Mozart’s Oboe Concerto

Wednesday, March 17^th – 7:30 pm

Edmonton, AB … Your Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) and Resident Conductor Lucas Waldin bring a supernatural element, stark emotionality, and mysticism to their upcoming Midweek Classics concert at the Francis Winspear Centre for Music.  Featuring Principal Oboe Lidia Khaner in Mozart’s elegant Oboe Concerto, significant works by Weber, Vivaldi, and Tchaikovsky complete this midweek program of music.

Tuneful and powerful, and a staple in concert halls around the world, Weber's groundbreaking overture to Der Freischütz dawned a new era in German music.  With its daring innovations, this piece is considered the precursor to Wagner’s great music dramas.  Mozart’s only Oboe Concerto offers a light and transparent musical texture that highlights the soloist’s shining presence, and ebullient exchanges between the soloist and orchestra add touches of rhythmic challenge.  “The concerto may not be one of the hardest pieces in the oboe repertoire, but it can easily show an oboist’s musicality, technique, and precision,” explains Lidia Khaner.

On the contrary, Mozart's Masonic Funeral Music is dark and serious – a melancholic tune of mystery as opposed to fear or dread.  Though written following the deaths of two members of the same Masonic lodge to which Mozart belonged, Mozart viewed this chilling piece as a meditation upon death.  Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Orchestral Suite, “Mozartiana” – adapted from some of Mozart’s lesser known works – quickly won acclaim for its elaboration on graceful simplicity to create tone pictures full of charm and colour.  Vivaldi's variations on “La Folia”, a popular Spanish tune which has inspired dozens of composers including Corelli, will also be performed.

Ticket prices for Mozart’s Oboe Concerto range from $20 – $65 (agency fees apply), and are available through the Winspear Centre Box Office.  Call (780) 428-1414, toll-free 1-800-563-5081, or purchase online at www.EdmontonSymphony.com.

The next and final performance of the Midweek Classics series this season takes place on March 26^th, 2010.  Edmonton’s Jeremy Spurgeon performs Handel’s dramatic concerto on the Davis Concert Organ in Echoes from the Baroque – a concert also featuring substantial orchestral works by Bach, Bizet, and Poulenc.

Thank you to our series media sponsor Espace Musique, and our season media sponsors CBC and the Edmonton Journal.

Sponsorship inquiries can be directed to Marc Carnes, Director of Development, at (780) 401-2518.

The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, marking its 58^th season in 2009-2010, has taken its place as one of Canada's foremost orchestral ensemble.  Its current roster includes 56 musicians from Canada and around the world, performing a wide-ranging repertoire from the great classical masterworks to pops and children's concerts.  The presence of the orchestra and its enrichment of the community's quality of life are key elements in the stature and profile of Edmonton on the national and international scene.

Messe brève La Stella et Stabat Mater à 10 voix

Domenico Scarlatti

Messe brève La Stella et Stabat Mater à 10 voix

Le vendredi 19 mars 2010, 20 h 00

Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, 400, rue Saint-Paul Est, Vieux-Montréal

Prix des billets :

Entrée simple 28 $ / Aîné (65 ans et +) 25 $

Étudiant, temps plein, 25 ans et moins 10 $

15 ans et moins accompagné d’un adulte : gratuit

Renseignements et réservations : 514-748-8625 – www.clavecinenconcert.org

Montréal, 4 mars 2010 – Lors de son prochain concert, Clavecin en concert vous proposera d’entendre deux œuvres de musique sacrée de Domenico Scarlatti : la messe brève La Stella et le Stabat Mater à 10 voix. Dix chanteurs et trois musiciens seront dirigés par Luc Beauséjour. Quatre sonates pour orgue de Domenico Scarlatti complèteront le programme.

« Vin bénéfice » à la crypte au profit de Clavecin en concert

Après le concert, tous ceux qui désirent participer à un « Vin bénéfice » pourront se rendre à la crypte de la chapelle où des vins et fromages seront servis. Luc Beauséjour jouera d’une épinette en aile d’oiseau du facteur Yves Beaupré.

Prix des billets :

Concert seulement (20 h) : régulier 28 $, aîné 25 $, étudiant 10 $

Concert et vin bénéfice : aîné et régulier 75 $, étudiant 60 $.

Vin bénéfice : 50 $ (21 h)

Réservations : Gisèle Pelletier 514-748-8625 / gpelletier@vif.com / clavecinenconcert.org

Clavecin en concert remercie le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, le Conseil des Arts du Canada et le Conseil des arts de Montréal de leur soutien.

Renseignements : Louis Allard, 514-805-9904

Art of Time Ensemble presents The Kreutzer Sonata

Inspired by and featuring Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata

featuring Ted Dykstra in his adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novella of the same name

and the choreography of James Kudelka danced by Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie to Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata, performed by

Andrew Burashko on piano and violinist Marie Bérard

Toronto, February 24, 2010 - Capitalizing on the tremendous sold-out success of The Kreutzer Sonata last season, the Art of Time Ensemble, under the artistic direction of founder Andrew Burashko, re-stages this outstanding concert evening inspired by and featuring Ludwig Van Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata (Sonata for violin and piano No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47) at Harbourfront Centre's Enwave Theatre from March 18-21, 2010.

Sponsored by BMO Financial, this unique evening moves in a bold direction with a collage of theatre, dance and music that features a dramatic adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's passionate novella, The Kreutzer Sonata, written and performed by award-winning actor/director Ted Dykstra.

The second half features James Kudelka's 15 Heterosexual Duets: a virtuosic work choreographed by one of Canada's most eminent choreographers to Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata, and danced by the acclaimed Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie to the accompaniment of Andrew Burashko on piano and Marie Bérard on violin. Like the Tolstoy story, it explores the male/female relationship.

Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie is led by Bill Coleman and Laurence Lemieux, who are also life partners. 15 Heterosexual Duets features some of the most talented dancers in the country:

Kate Alton

Valerie Calam
Michael Caldwell
Lauren Chin
Bill Coleman
Luke Garwood
Andrew Giday  

Jones Henry
Sylvain Lafortune
Laurence Lemieux

Graham McKelvie

Christianne Ullmark

 Founded by Artistic Director Andrew Burashko, the Art of Time Ensemble is now in its 11th season. Art of Time provides a unique musical experience that breaks down barriers between artistic and musical disciplines, and reveals the vibrancy of classical music as a contemporary artistic expression, appealing to a range of audiences. Its concerts are provocative, engaging and accessible to people unfamiliar with classical music, but also immensely fulfilling to aficionados. Currently, Art of Time is on tour with singer Steven Page in support of the release this month of its latest CD, A Singer Must Die.

The 2009/2010 season features performances by Emilie-Claire Barlow, Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie, Guinga, Kevin Hearn, Gregory Hoskins, Raine Maida, Andy Maize, Peter Mettler, Andrea Nann, Steven Page, Alejandra Ribera, Sarah Slean, John Southworth and R.H. Thomson, plus some of the finest classical and jazz musicians in the country.

Art of Time Ensemble

-Andrew Burashko, Artistic Director-

presents The Kreutzer Sonata

Inspired by and featuring Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata

Featuring Ted Dykstra and the choreography of James Kudelka danced by Coleman Lemieux & Compagnie, accompanied by Andrew Burashko on piano and violinist Marie Bérard

Thursday March 18 - Sunday March 21, 2010

Thursday-Saturday at 8 PM with a Sunday matinee at 2 PM

Enwave Theatre | 231 Queens Quay West

Tickets: $19-$49 ; Box Office: 416-973-4000 AND www.artoftimeensemble.com

Opera Kitchener presents Madama Butterfly

Sunday March 14^th 2010 ~ 3pm

The most performed OPERA of all TIME

Opera’s most epic and exotic tale of passion and betrayal comes to THE HUMANITIES THEATRE;  a young woman must decide between living without dignity or dying with honour in the opera most performed throughout the world.

This fully staged performance will be sung in Italian, with English Surtitles, accompanied by orchestra, soloists and chorus conducted by Maestro Sabatino Vacca.

Puccini’s soaring melodies and iconic orchestration bring to life the tale of a young geisha girl, Cio-Cio San, also know as Madama Butterfly, who at the opening of the opera has been arranged to marry a U.S. Navel Lieutenant B.F. Pinkerton.  However, the carefree young officer tells his friend, the American Counsel Sharpless, that although he likes Butterfly and will proceed with the ceremony, he won’t think much of it when he returns to America. With the arrival of all her guests and relatives, Butterfly reveals to Pinkerton that she has renounced her faith to be with him.  As Pinkerton then realizes what Butterfly has given up for him, the gravity of this action climaxes: suddenly Butterfly’s Uncle, a high priest, arrives and curses the girl for forsaking the ancient religion of her ancestors. All the wedding guests leave, denouncing Cio-Cio San, and leave her to be comforted solely in the arms of her new husband.  Can the two lovers overcome the ancient curse as cultures collide ? 

As famous as the actual tale itself is the magnificent and memorable music that pours forth from the score; familiar arias such as the heart wrenching “Un bel Di” and “Addio, fiorito asil”, the duet of the young lovers “Vieni la sera”, and the hauntingly beautiful “Humming Chorus” all depict overwhelming emotions via of the power of the human voice soaring above an orchestra.  Premiering an all-Canadian cast, this period production features the vocal talents of Suzanne Kilgore as the heroine Cio-Cio San (Madama Butterfly), Romulo Delgado as Pinkerton, Louisa Cowie as Suzuki and Mark Gardner as Sharpless. 

Don’t miss this performance of the world’s most beloved opera: “Madama Butterfly” by G.Puccini will be for only one performance only ~ Sunday March 14^th 2010 at 3pm.  Call the Humanities Theatre Box Office at 519.888.4908 and book your tickets today!

OPERA KITCHENER is owned and operated by husband and wife team Emilio and Jennifer Fina.  Their mandate is to present traditional, fully-staged professional operatic productions on a yearly basis, to provide the experience only opera can bestow to the public with affordable ticket prices and to employ the talents of resident musicians and artists of the community.

OPERA KITCHENER’s “MADAMA BUTTERFLY” – an opera by G.Puccini  –

Sunday March 14^th 2010 at 3pm

The Humanities Theatre, University of Waterloo

200 University Avenue West, Waterloo Ontario

Fully staged with sets, costumes, orchestra, chorus and soloists

Sung in Italian with English Surtitles

For Tickets call the Humanities Theatre Box Office at 519.888.4908

Visit us at www.operakitchener.com for more information on this performance or our 2009/2010 season.

Exposition - Parle-moi d'amour

L’exposition-encan

Nouvelle formule pour la 12^e édition

Montréal, le lundi 1^er mars 2010 - Jean-Bernard Trudeau, président du conseil d’administration, Michel Dallaire, coprésident, artiste, Tina Sealy, coprésidente, Impatiente et Clémence DesRochers, porte-parole, ont le plaisir d’inviter le grand public à la 12^e édition de l’exposition-encan Parle-moi d’amour. L’exposition se tiendra jusqu’au 23 mars 2010 dans la salle RONA du Centre Les Impatients (100, rue Sherbrooke Est, 4^e étage).

L’exposition-encan Parle-moi d’amour, qui se déroule chaque année durant la période de la Saint-Valentin, connaîtra cette année sa 12^e édition. Cet événement unique en arts visuels réunit des artistes professionnels et des Impatients. Plus d’une cinquantaine d’artistes s’impliquent généreusement dans cette cause et offrent une œuvre qui est vendue lors de l’encan. Parmi eux, Madeleine Arbour, Elmyna Bouchard, Laurence Cardinal, Janine Carreau, René Derouin, Clémence DesRochers, Michèle Drouin, Jean-Louis Émond, Éliane Excoffier, Pierre Gauvreau, Raymonde Godin,  Yves Louis-Seize,  Jaber Lutfi, Léo Rosshandler et Serge Roy.

À l'occasion de cette 12^e édition, l'événement prend un nouveau virage :

·        Du côté des Impatients

Pour la première fois dans l’histoire des Impatients, une cinquantaine d’œuvres provenant des archives seront présentées, accompagnées des « Délirantes » et des « Tenaces », des poupées réalisées en atelier qui seront mises en vente lors de cette fête.

·        Du côté des artistes

Une plus grande variété de format est proposé cette année aux artistes professionnels.

·        Lors de soirée de clôture

Cette année, la soirée se terminera par un encan crié, animé par Pierre Paquet lors de laquelle une cinquantaine d’œuvres seront mises en vente. Mis à part la soirée de clôture, le fonctionnement de l'encan demeure le même. Les œuvres réalisées sont offertes aux collectionneurs par le biais d'un encan silencieux dès l’ouverture de l'exposition, et ce, jusqu'à la soirée de clôture. La mise de départ demeure à 50 $.

Cette exposition-encan a pour but de recueillir des fonds pour permettre aux Impatients de poursuivre leur double mission : offrir un lieu d’expression artistique et thérapeutique aux personnes souffrant de problèmes de santé mentale et de favoriser les échanges avec la communauté par la diffusion de leurs réalisations. Au-delà de l’impact financier de l’événement, il s’agit pour Les Impatients de sensibiliser le grand public aux réalités des personnes connaissant des problèmes de santé mentale, problèmes qui touchent une personne sur cinq au Québec.

Le centre Les Impatients est un organisme à but non lucratif dont la mission est d’aider les personnes atteintes de maladie mentale en leur offrant des ateliers d’expression artistiques, et ce, dans cinq lieux différents : au Centre Wellington (Institut Douglas), à l’Hôpital Louis-H. Lafontaine, à Montréal-Est et dans le centre-ville de Montréal.

Heures d’ouverture

Mardi au vendredi de 10 h à 17 h, jeudi jusqu'à 19 h

Samedi et dimanche de 13 h à 17 h

Pour plus d’information : 514-842-1043

Cet événement est réalisé grâce au ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, Postes Canada, Prologue, Transcontinental, Lundbeck Canada inc., Gestion Phila, Fondation du Grand Montréal, Hydro-Québec, Le Curateur public du Québec, Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP, Pélican International Inc, Fondation des maladies mentales, Communications Voir, SAQ, DeSerres et RONA.

The Hudson Music Club performs Disney's Beauty and the Beast: The Broadway Musical

Join The Hudson Music Club for its performance of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, happening at Le Grand Theatre in Vaudreuil (Cité des Jeunes) starting February 28^th till March 14^th, 2010. Proceeds of the show go towards La Passerelle, a shelter to help victims of domestic violence.  

In this beloved tale, we meet a spoiled prince, who has been turned into a Beast after being placed under a spell. Meanwhile, a young Beauty in a nearby village might be the only hope in breaking the spell and setting all those who reside in the castle, free.  

The Hudson Music Club is a non-profit organisation, dedicated to producing quality musical entertainment to benefit the community. Through annual productions and events, the Club raises funds for charities for the Hudson/St-Lazare/Vaudreuil area.  

Matinees are playing Feb. 28 ^th, March 6^th, 7^th, 13^th and 14^th. Evening shows are March 3^rd, 5^th, 6^th, 12^th and 13^th. Call 514-848-9696 for tickets today! Group rates available. 

Bravo Yannick!

Montréal, le mardi 23 février 2010 -L’Administration et les musiciens de l’Orchestre Métropolitain félicitent leur chef, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, lauréat du Prix du Gouverneur général pour les arts du spectacle (PGGAS) 2010 (Prix du Centre National des Arts).

Les PGGAS constituent la plus haute distinction accordée aux artistes canadiens.

« Il est touchant pour nous, qui avons soumis le dossier de Yannick aux PGGAS, de voir combien Yannick fait l’unanimité parmi ses pairs. Il est un chef et un homme d’une sensibilité et d’une intelligence remarquables. C’est un artiste ambassadeur de choix pour le Canada », a exprimé Luce Moreau, présidente-directrice générale de l’Orchestre Métropolitain.

Pour de plus amples renseignements: http://www.canadacouncil.ca/nouvelles/communiques/2010/fm129114250566215078.htm

Toronto Pictures Puts a Lens on Social Issues

SocialWorkersSpeak.org Talks to VP Daria Trifu About Studio’s Causes

WASHINGTON— Toronto Pictures is a movie studio on a mission.

The Canadian company is dedicated to making Hollywood quality films that explore different cultures and educate about social issues, including child abuse, modern-day slavery, eating disorders and prostitution.

The studio also listens to social workers and covers issues that interest them. In January Toronto Pictures appointed social worker and National Association of Social Workers (NASW) member Silvio Orlando, MSW, and his wife Adriana Hellinger Orlando, to their advisory board. Mrs. Orlando is a former social worker.

SocialWorkersSpeak.org sat down with Toronto Pictures vice president Daria Trifu to talk about the company and its projects. SocialWorkersSpeak.org is a NASW Web site that lets social workers comment on and influence how they and issues they care about are portrayed in film, on television and the news.

Here is the interview:

Q: How long have you been involved with Toronto Pictures and what can you tell us about the company?

A: I moved to Canada in 1999 (Trifu is Romanian) and became involved with Toronto Pictures in 2000. Toronto Pictures is an independent film studio which develops, produces and distributes Hollywood standard, 35-mm feature films around the world.  Maestro Bruno Pischiutta is the founder, president and chief executive officer of the company.  He is the one who had the vision of using mainstream filmmaking to address issues of our world, thereby bringing them forth to the general public, reaching a large audience with films produced according to top production standards.  Bruno Pischiutta is an internationally celebrated writer, director and producer who is known for his lifelong commitment to fostering the art of filmmaking.

Q: Tell us more about your latest project “Punctured Hope.”

A: “Punctured Hope: A Story About Trokosi and Young Girls’ Slavery in Today’s West Africa,” is the first mainstream feature film which is based on an African story interpreted by an all African cast of professional actors and shot in Africa under the direction of Bruno. ”Punctured Hope”  is inspired by the true life story of an African “trokosi” slave. Trokosi is one of the most widespread forms of women’s slavery that exists in the world today. In fact, today there are 25,000 trokosi slaves and two million women who are genitally mutilated every year. “Punctured Hope” was an official Selection at the Montreal World Film Festival in 2009 and it has recently been nominated by the Political Film Society as Best Film Exposé and Best Film on Human Rights of 2009. The film has now qualified for consideration for the Academy Awards as “Best Picture.”

Q: Where is the film being shown and how has it been received?

A: “Punctured Hope” has been screened in Los Angeles since November. Each screening of the film has evolved into an event. The audience included members of Amnesty International, the Green Party, Women in Film (WIF), Films4Change, Veterans for Peace and film professionals. Together with the general public present, they have all chosen to join the movement behind the film and Pischiutta’s cause. Viewers’ reactions have actually created a grassroots movement that identifies with this cause. Future event screenings will follow the film as it opens commercially in New York City beginning in June. When we decided to produce “Punctured Hope” we made the commitment to donate 10 percent of the net profit of the film from the first three years after the commercial release to develop the infrastructure of an African village.

Q: What other projects are you working on?

A: This year, we are producing the film “A Party Girl for the Rat Pack” which originates from the novel “Breaking My Silence: Confessions of a Rat Pack Party Girl and Sex-Trade Survivor” by Jane McCormick. For many years, Jane was very close to Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. The film will deal with the relationship between child abuse and prostitution. It will be non-graphic and it will constitute a new genre due to the fact that the structure of this new feature will be something that has never been seen before. This film has a budget of $3.5 million and it will be filmed in Brazil and in the United States.

Q: You recently formed an advisory board that includes social worker and NASW member Silvio Orlando. What is the importance of having a social worker involved with your film work?

A: Education is a big component of our films and, as I have stated before, most of our films’ topics consist of a social nature. The presence of Silvio Orlando and his wife Adriana Hellinger Orlando (who was herself a social worker for many years) on the advisory board is absolutely necessary for us and we are happy and honored to be able to count on their advice. As a matter of fact, when we were following the screenings of “Punctured Hope” in Los Angeles a month ago, we took the time to visit Optimist Youth Home and Family Services, a treatment center for young offenders in Pasadena. We were invited by Silvio Orlando, who has been executive director of the center since 1999. What we saw was amazing; we had the chance to speak with members of the staff and with young residents who were sent there by the courts instead of being sent to jail. OYHFS, rather than a detention center, resembles a resort. We did a walk-through of the entire facility: the chapel, the sport facilities, the art and music classrooms, the high school, the dining and social rooms and, of course, the residential apartments. OYHFS has a rehabilitation ratio record of 80 percent. We were very impressed by the attachment that the young offenders developed to the center, which they communicated to us. We were impressed by the staff’s dedication and we were particularly impressed by Silvio Orlando’s enthusiasm and complete devotion to his mission of rehabilitating these young men and women through his center. The new morality that our cause is aiming to achieve means not only exposing problems to our films’ viewers but also doing something about them. We are aware that the recent California budget cut to OYHFS funds result in a necessity for Silvio to look for private sponsors. Taking all this into consideration, we have decided to donate 10 percent of the net profit worldwide (including theater, TV, DVD, etc.) for the first three years from the commercial release date of the film “A Party Girl for the Rat Pack” to the center. This percentage will come from our producers’ share and it will not affect the profit share of film investors.

Social workers are dedicated to ensuring equal rights for all in the United States and abroad. To learn more, visit the National Association of Social Workers’ Human Rights and International Affairs Division Web page by clicking here.

The National Association of Social Workers (NASW), in Washington, DC, is the largest membership organization of professional social workers with 150,000 members. It promotes, develops, and protects the practice of social work and social workers. NASW also seeks to enhance the well being of individuals, families, and communities through its advocacy.

Infinithéâtre presents Write-On-Q winner

Infinitheatre Presents Third premiere of the 2009-2010 Season

 

Infinithéâtre presents the world premiere of Arthur Holden’s FATHER LAND directed by Guy Sprung and playing at the Bain St-Michel, March 9 to 28. 

Sunday morning in Westmount.   Fifteen-year-old Eric Brook is writing a history essay about Uday and Qusay, the sons of Saddam Hussein.   His father Joe, a successful accountant, is about to take Eric’s reformed drug-addict uncle Victor to see their elderly father at the seniors residence.   It’s a quiet, uneventful day that turns suddenly menacing when Victor reveals that he owes money to a local mobster – money he doesn’t have – and the mobster is on his way over to collect.   The irresistible force of Victor’s desperation confronts the immoveable object of Joe’s outrage as young Eric, excluded from the conflict by his father, finds himself drawn to the bright flame of his uncle’s recklessness.   In the boy’s imagination his uncle and father become Uday and Qusay Hussein in the fateful aftermath of the American invasion: two men trapped in a sumptuous house as a mortal enemy approaches.   Alternating between the Brook home and the Iraqi villa in which the Hussein brothers have taken refuge, Father Land advances toward twin resolutions: one decreed by history, both by loyalty shot through with spite.   It is a story of the debt owed by sons to fathers, by fathers to sons, by blood to blood. 

Father Land was chosen from nearly forty submissions by a jury of Kent Stetson (Order of Canada recipient and Governor General award-winning playwright), Emma Tibaldo (Artistic Director of Playwrights Workshop Montreal) and Carolyn Guillet (playwright, actor and Associate Artist at Infinithéâtre) as the winner of Infinithéâtre’s first Write-On-Q playwriting competition and received a public reading in The Pipeline in 2008. The audience was so involved in the play, the heated post-reading discussion threatened to go on longer than the play itself.  

Arthur Holden is a Montréal native, currently residing in Westmount, who has worked as an actor and writer in this city since the 1980’s.  Acting credits include Battlefield Quebec, a TV docudrama written and directed by Brian McKenna, and Four Minutes If You Bleed, a stage play by Alex Haber and Ned Cox, directed by Alain Goulem.  Arthur’s latest submission to the Write-On-Q contest, Kennedy: The Musical was chosen as one of the top three of 2009 and received a public reading using Arthur’s original compositions in The Pipeline reading series last fall.  Arthur garnered rave reviews for his character Marty in the recent Infinithéâtre smash hit, The Daily Miracle. 

With
Dylan Gouze

Neil Napier

Howard Rosenstein

Set and Costume Design by James Lavoie
Lighting Design by Sarah Yaffe
Sound Design by Keith Thomas
Stage Managed by Sarah-Marie Langlois 

MEDI          Dates & Times March 9 – 28/10

Previews     March 9 & 10 Pay-What-You-Can

Opening     March 11

Tues. through Sat.    20:00

Sunday Matinée    14:00

Monday     DARK

Tickets

General Admission         $20

Seniors & Students    $15

Groups (6 or more)    $10

Venue

Bain St-Michel

5300, St-Dominique

Box Office     Web Site

(514) 987 – 1774    www.infinitheatre.com

box-office@infinitheatre.com

Talks between Shaw Festival and Union Break Down

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, February 23, 2010 . . . The Shaw Festival announced today talks between management and IATSE Local 461 regarding the collective agreements for the Facilities, Production and Audience Sales and Services departments has broken down. 

The Union acquired bargaining rights over the Facilities department on July 25, 2008. Collective agreements in both the Audience Sales and Services and Production departments expired on November 30, 2008. 

Numerous negotiation sessions have taken place regarding the Facilities bargaining unit. The Shaw has also made repeated efforts to try and negotiate the renewal of Audience Sales and Services and Production contracts without success.

The parties met with a mediator appointed by the Ministry of Labour on February 18 and reached a tentative agreement on the Facilities contract at approximately 9 pm. At approximately 12:45 am on February 19, that agreement fell apart.

The parties agreed to return to the bargaining table on February 22 to revisit the Facilities contract. Those talks were again unsuccessful. The Shaw remains willing to return to the bargaining table as it continues to prepare to launch its 49^th season with previews beginning April 1.

Jonas Kaufmann sings great German arias on two new releases available April 6th, 2010

Opera Arias by
Mozart, Schubert, Beethoven, Wagner
Mahler Chamber Orchestra/Claudio Abbado
Die Schöne Müllerin with pianist Helmut Deutsch
“He has burst upon the international scene as a fully mature, major artist. And "artist" with Kaufmann means the full deal.” Gramophone

“It’s Kaufmann’s gift that his immensely seductive and secure voice can encompass nearly anything the tenor repertoire throws at him.” The Times of London on Romantic Arias
NEW YORK, NY – February 2010 – Jonas Kaufmann is now established as one of the most successful and versatile tenor of his generation, attracting rave reviews for his live performances and recordings. With a velvety rich and dark, almost baritonal timbre unique among tenors performing today, Jonas Kaufmann lends an exquisite sound and unique artistic outlook to a wide variety of repertoire.

Following the international success of Romantic Arias, Jonas Kaufmann returns with two new albums available on Decca on April 6th, 2010. These recordings are released simultaneously just as Kaufmann arrives in the Unites States to perform the role of Cavarodossi in Puccini’s Tosca at New York’s  Metropolitan Opera (April 14th-24th).

One album features outstanding German tenor arias from the great operas of Wagner, as well as the challenging leading role of Beethoven's only opera Fidelio, favorite arias by Mozart, and rarely heard opera arias by Schubert.  Jonas Kaufmann has already sung most of these roles on the world's great opera stages.  Claudio Abbado directs the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in his first ever vocal recital recording for Decca, and his first Decca recording for almost 40 years.

This album was released in Europe to coincide with his role debut as Wagner's Lohengrin in a new production at the Munich Festival last summer. “Quite simply,” Opera News wrote of that performance, “tenor Jonas Kaufmann sang a Lohengrin for the ages. Not one minute of his performance was less than extraordinary.”
The album cover shows Jonas Kaufmann as Wanderer - inspired by the much-loved painting by German Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich.

Tracklisting for Opera Arias

RICHARD WAGNER (1813–1883) In fernem Land ... bin Lohengrin genannt (Lohengrin); Mein lieber Schwan ... Leb wohl! (Lohengrin)
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1991) Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön ... Ware sie dann mein (Die Zauberflöte); Die Weisheitslehre ... führt mich der Ton zu ihr (Die Zauberflöte)

FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828) Was quälst du mich ... In tiefbewegter Brust (Fierrabras); Schon, wenn es beginnt zu tragen ... und mein Herze will ihm nach (Alfonso und Estrella)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (1770–1827) Gott, Welch Dunkel ... In des lebens Frühlingstagen (Fidelio)
RICHARD WAGNER Wintererstürme wichen dem Wonnemond (Die Walküre); Amfortas! Die Wunde! ... Ewig von mir (Parsifal); Nur eine Waffe taugt ... (Parsifal)

SCHUBERT: Die Schöne MullerinJonas Kaufmann with Helmut Deutsch, piano

Also in stores on April 6th is Jonas Kaufmann’s interpretation of Schubert’s devastating song cycle Die schöne Müllerin.  This is a work Kaufmann wanted to record before he got much older (he recently turned 40) as the piece, he says, “calls for a young voice as well as a young soul. It is about a young man who goes out into the world bright and happy and utterly carefree — and then his life is completely shattered. His ill-fated love for the miller’s daughter is his first painful experience. And for this ‘innocence’ to be reasonably believable, the interpreter should not sound overly mature.”

“For me, the first songs are purest expressions of joie de vivre,” Kaufmann goes on to say, “and that’s how they should be presented. The fellow who sets off on his wanderings is bursting with energy and self-confidence. The better you convey this mood, the greater the build-up of tension, the harder the fall.”

As with the best of German Lieder, Die schöne Müllerin is not music for the singer only but an equal duet between pianist and voice.  Helmut Deutsch, a renowned collaborative pianist, brings his intelligence and sensitive artistry to bear in these heart-rending performances.

For more information on Jonas Kaufmann’s Opera Arias and Die schöne Müllerin recordings, including exclusive videos and interviews with the artists, please visit www.jonas-kaufmann.com.

Violinist Scott St. John appointed New Artistic Director of Piano Plus

TORONTO, ON…Scott St. John, one of Canada’s best-known musicians and violinist of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, has been appointed Artistic Director of Piano Plus, effective immediately.  Founded by pianist Janina Fialkowska in 1993, Piano Plus is the only national not-for-profit dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in small and remote communities across the country, by presenting Canada’s internationally renowned classical musicians in affordable concerts and workshops.   St. John succeeds pianist Angela Cheng, who has led the organization since 2006.

Born in London, Ontario, Scott St. John is a highly sought-after soloist, teacher and a consummate chamber musician.  He made his Carnegie debut in 1988 after winning First Prize in the Alexander Schneider Competition.  He won the 1989 Young Concert Artists Award, and has since played an enormous variety of concerts across North America, including solo appearances with the Boston Pops, Vancouver Symphony, Toronto Symphony and Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.  From 1999 - 2006, St. John served as Associate Professor of Violin at University of Toronto and in 2003 he received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant.  Since 2006, he has been a member of the prestigious St. Lawrence String Quartet, performing over 100 concerts a year with them world-wide.  His solo recordings include an all-Dvorak CD, and 2 volumes of Paganini works for violin and guitar.  St. John resides and teaches in the Bay Area of California and will be in Toronto this week to perform on the Music Toronto series, Thursday, March 25 at 8 pm. 

“I believe strongly that every community should have access to the live concert performance, and the opportunity to experience great artistry in front of their eyes and ears - and feel thegoose bumps,” enthused Scott St. John. “Piano Plus artists are world-famous musicians who know their roots and have made commitments to play every corner of Canada.  I want to help them realize that goal.”

The Piano Plus artist roster is comprised exclusively of world-class Canadian pianists, vocalists and instrumentalists with exceptional performance and teaching expertise.  Motivated by a desire to give back to their country, this select group of artists waive their usual fees to ensure Piano Plus events are affordable to small communities.  Over the last 12 months, James Ehnes, Janina Fialkowska, Jon Kimura Parker, the St. Lawrence String Quartet, Jens Lindemann, Heather Schmidt, and David Jalbert have toured from Newfoundland to Bella Bella, BC; and Snow Lake, Manitoba to Owen Sound, ON.  Currently, both Andre Laplante and Katherine Chi are touring, in New Brunswick and northern Ontario, respectively.

A cultural pioneer, Piano Plus has created a huge impact on hundreds of small and remote communities across Canada.  Since 1993, more than 100,000 children, youth and adults have enjoyed Piano Plus recitals, school workshops, master classes, concerts, and individual teaching sessions.  The majority of these audiences have never experienced a live classical music performance before Piano Plus visited their community.   For more information about Piano Plus, or to download photos and a complete biography of Artistic Director Scott St. John, visit www.pianoplus.ca.

BBC brings Planet Earth live TO U.S. with Emmy-winning composer George Fenton

Monday, March 1, 2010 - New York, NY - The Emmy Award winning documentary series, Planet Earth caught the imagination of audiences around the world and now the BBC is bringing the awe-inspiring beauty of the series to live audiences across the U.S.  Planet Earth Live is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the series’ most spectacular moments on the big screen. Planet Earth composer and Emmy-winning George Fenton will conduct a full orchestra at each event. 

Planet Earth Live kicks off in early summer with the world premiere at Dallas’ Meyerson Symphony Center on Friday, June 25 and Saturday, June 26 with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Other venues and orchestras confirmed include Atlanta’s Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park on Friday, July 16 with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival in Millennium Park on Wednesday, July 21 with the Grant Park Symphony and two dates at LA’s Hollywood Bowl, Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Possible further dates and cities to be announced.  Each show, which runs 90 minutes plus an intermission, features the best moments from Planet Earth in full High Definition on the big screen with live orchestra and narration.  

Composer George Fenton says: “Planet Earth made a very special connection with the American audience and we are all very excited at the opportunity of coming to North America this summer to work with some of the greatest orchestras and together recreate the Planet Earth experience live."

Planet Earth, a BBC/Discovery co-production, aired on the Discovery Channel in 2007.  The BBC’s Alastair Fothergill was the series producer and he and his team spent four years in production, with over 2000 days in the field, using 71 film crews, across 204 locations in 62 countries to capture the ultimate portrait of the planet. It has garnered legions of fans and universal critical acclaim with Oprah Magazine saying “It is the most beautiful, wondrous and truly majestic series - the best thing I’ve ever seen on TV.”

It has sold over 5 million DVDs, with one in every 30 households in the U.S. owning the series and is the U.S.’s top selling documentary DVD of all time.

Alastair Fothergill says: “I’m delighted the incredible HD footage from Planet Earth will be experienced in a whole new way by Americans this summer.  With George’s amazing score and the wonder of the animals on our planet on a big screen, fans of Planet Earth are in for a fantastic treat.”

The BBC is the world’s largest producer of natural history programs and for over 50 years, has produced such notable titles as Life on Earth and The Blue Planet as well as the upcoming Life – airing on Discovery, March 2010.  BBC Earth is the global brand for all of this natural history content available on television, digital, DVD and merchandise.

Planet Earth Live is produced by IMG Artists in cooperation with The Gorfaine/Schwartz Agency.

Notes to editors:

PLANET EARTH LIVE DATES:
June 25, 2010             Meyerson Symphony Center                                              Dallas, TX

ticket info: www.dallassymphony.com

June 26, 2010             Meyerson Symphony Center                                              Dallas, TX

ticket info: www.dallassymphony.com

July 16, 2010               Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park            Atlanta, GA                                                  

ticket info: www.vzwamp.com  

July 21, 2010               Grant Park Music Festival in Millennium Park                 Chicago, IL   

ticket info: www.grantparkmusicfestival.com

July 23, 2010               Hollywood Bowl                                                                   Los Angeles, CA      

ticket info: www.hollywoodbowl.com

July 24, 2010               Hollywood Bowl                                                                   Los Angeles, CA      

ticket info: www.hollywoodbowl.com

ABOUT GEORGE FENTON

George Fenton began writing music for the theatre in 1974 working on productions for The Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre and Riverside Studios. His television scores include the major documentary series The Trials of Life, Life in the Freezer, Beyond the Clouds, Shanghai Vice, The Blue Planet, Planet Earth and most recently, Life.

Following the broadcast of The Blue Planet in 2001 for which he won a BAFTA and Emmy award for Best Television Score, he created the show, The Blue Planet Live! which toured in the UK and worldwide, performed by many of the world’s leading orchestras.

He has composed for a wide variety of feature films, receiving Academy Award nominations for The Fisher King, Dangerous Liaisons, Gandhi and Cry Freedom (for both score and song).  Other scores include The Madness of King George, Groundhog Day, Shadowlands, Ever After, Anna and the King, Mrs Henderson Presents, Hitch, and Fool’s Gold.

Recently the Royal Television Society awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award and he was made a Fellow of the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters.  

ABOUT ALASTAIR FOTHERGILL

Alastair Fothergill’s BBC career began at the world-renowned Natural History Unit in 1983 where he worked on a wide range of award-winning programs including Wildlife on One and the innovative Reefwatch - he was one of the team that developed live broadcasting from beneath the ocean.  His first project with Sir David Attenborough was The Trials of Life followed in 1993 by Life in the Freezer.  

He was Head of the Natural History Unit from 1992 to 1998 at which point he stood down to concentrate on his role as Series Producer of multi award-winning The Blue Planet, a landmark series on the natural history of the world’s oceans. His portfolio of work has included roles as producer and presenter on a diverse range of high quality natural history programs including Going Ape, a film that took him to the Ivory Coast and Deep Blue, a cinematic view of the world’s oceans and the innovative live broadcast Live from the Abyss. 

Alastair was Series Producer for the Emmy-winning, global hit Planet Earth. Currently he’s working as the Executive Producer on the BBC/Discovery co-production Frozen Planet, a major six part series, due to premiere in the U.S. in 2011.  He is also directing two movies for Disney’s new Disney Nature label.   Alastair has Honorary Degrees from Durham and Hull Universities. 

ABOUT BBC EARTH

BBC Earth is the global brand for all the BBC’s natural history content spanning the last 50 years. The BBC is the largest producer of natural history programming in the world and the brand highlights the vast scale of incredible content which is produced in this genre. Visible across all platforms - TV, digital and merchandising as well as expanding across TV stings, DVDs and digital products, BBC Earth encourages engagement with current as well as classic programs such as Planet Earth and The Blue Planet in addition to future commissions. 

ABOUT BBC WORLDWIDE, AMERICA

BBC Worldwide is the main commercial arm and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).  BBC Worldwide, America, with headquarters in New York and Los Angeles, brings together all of BBC Worldwide’s businesses in the U.S.  The company exists to maximize the value of the BBC’s assets for the benefit of the UK license payer, and invests in public service programming in return for rights. BBC Worldwide has seven core businesses:  Channels, Sales and Distribution, Content and Production, Home Entertainment, Digital Media, Global Brands and Magazines.  Under these businesses fall two key brands in the U.S. – digital cable channel BBC America and a bi-coastal production arm responsible for the smash hit Dancing with the Stars for ABC.

Crow, Solo Violin is Season

CROW CAPS OFF SEASON WITH SOLO FINALE

WINNIPEG­ — On Saturday, March 20, 2010 Jonathan Crow will bring to an end another critically acclaimed season with Virtuosi Concerts. The violin virtuoso has attracted a capacity audience for his unaccompanied performance which will undoubtedly showcase the extraordinary talent that has become synonymous with the series.

Born in Prince George in 1977, Crow began the Suzuki violin method at age six and continued studies first at the Prince George Music School, then at the Victoria Conservatory of Music before earning his Bachelor of Music in Honors Performance from McGill University. 

Upon graduation from McGill University, Crow joined the Montreal Symphony at the age of 19 as Associate Principal Second Violin, and won the Associate Concertmaster chair 5 months later. He was appointed Concertmaster in 2002, a position he held until 2006, and was the youngest Concertmaster to lead a major North American orchestra. He is currently Head of Strings and Assistant Professor of Violin at McGill University.

Crow has been featured as soloist with most major Canadian orchestras including the Montreal, Kingston, London, National Arts Centre, Victoria and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras. In 2009 he performed two world premiere concerti performances with the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Programme: J.S. BACH Partita No. 3 in E Major; PROKOFIEFF Sonata for Solo Violin, Op 115; ECKHARDT-GRAMATTÉ Selected Caprices;  BEN-HAIM Sonata in G for Solo Violin; YSAYE Sonata No. 3 “Ballade” 

Clavecin en concert : Communiqué concert 19 mars 2010

Domenico Scarlatti

Messe brève La Stella et Stabat Mater à 10 voix

Le vendredi 19 mars 2010, 20 h 00

Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours, 400, rue Saint-Paul Est, Vieux-Montréal

Prix des billets :

Entrée simple 28 $ / Aîné (65 ans et +) 25 $

Étudiant, temps plein, 25 ans et moins 10 $

15 ans et moins accompagné d’un adulte : gratuit

Renseignements et réservations : 514-748-8625 – www.clavecinenconcert.org

Montréal, 4 mars 2010 – Lors de son prochain concert, Clavecin en concert vous proposera d’entendre deux œuvres de musique sacrée de Domenico Scarlatti : la messe brève La Stella et le Stabat Mater à 10 voix. Dix chanteurs et trois musiciens seront dirigés par Luc Beauséjour. Quatre sonates pour orgue de Domenico Scarlatti complèteront le programme.

« Vin bénéfice » à la crypte au profit de Clavecin en concert

Après le concert, tous ceux qui désirent participer à un « Vin bénéfice » pourront se rendre à la crypte de la chapelle où des vins et fromages seront servis. Luc Beauséjour jouera d’une épinette en aile d’oiseau du facteur Yves Beaupré.

Prix des billets :

Concert seulement (20 h) : régulier 28 $, aîné 25 $, étudiant 10 $

Concert et vin bénéfice : aîné et régulier 75 $, étudiant 60 $.

Vin bénéfice : 50 $ (21 h)

Réservations : Gisèle Pelletier 514-748-8625 / gpelletier@vif.com / clavecinenconcert.org

Clavecin en concert remercie le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, le Conseil des Arts du Canada et le Conseil des arts de Montréal de leur soutien.

Renseignements : Louis Allard, 514-805-9904