Protest at CBC Vancouver on April 1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contemporary composer Anita Sleeman of West Vancouver, BC is spearheading a protest on Tuesday morning at 10am at the CBC building Temporary Entrance, 775 Cambie Street in Vancouver. She is asking everyone who disagrees with the elimination of the CBC Orchestra to attend, including musicians, listeners, and members of the public.

"Composers depend on the skill and dedication of such performers as the CBC Radio Orchestra for the production of their compositions, music which presents unique techniques and concept approaches, beyond the requirements of the mainstream repertoire. Discontinuing this ensemble is putting musical creation back into the nineteenth century."

"The CBC belongs to the people of Canada, not a political party. The President of CBC was a Harper appointee. If the people of Canada don't want the public purse raided, we must stand up to this cultural tyranny."

For more information contact: thinkAbstract@shaw.ca
www.anitasleeman.com

Canadian Music Centre and Canadian League of Composers Shocked By Decision to Disband CBC Radio Orchestra

March 28, 2008, Toronto, ON – Today, the Canadian Music Centre and the Canadian League of Composers, are trying to come to terms with the CBC Radio's decision to disband its orchestra – the last radio orchestra still functioning in North America. This announcement, made privately yesterday in Vancouver with less than a 24 hour notice to the orchestra's musicians, has left much of the Canadian musical community questioning the broadcaster's commitment to both classical music and its own broader cultural mandate.

Elisabeth Bihl, CMC Executive Director, believes that "the decision to disband the CBC Radio Orchestra must have been a decision made with little to no input from the Canadian public or our music community. The orchestra may have been around for some 70 years - but since when is longevity equated automatically with having already served its purpose?"

She further states that "the need for CBC Radio to fulfill its mandate to showcase Canadian talent has not evaporated with time. If CBC management can simply destroy such a vitally important infrastructure for Canadian talent, then it must be held publicly accountable. As a government funded institution, it must see beyond its immediate actions of budget cutting and pursue its mandate cultural role – for the benefit of all Canadians."

Jennifer McGuire, Executive Director of CBC English Radio, indicated yesterday that the money "saved" as a result of this decision will be used more efficiently by spending it on other Radio 2 musical programs. While also asserting that CBC Radio was still committed to innovative and creative Canadian music, she made no concrete indication that this funding would be used to directly support future classical music programming.

As organizations focused on the promotion of Canadian composers and their work, the Canadian Music Centre and Canadian League of Composers, see this most recent CBC Radio announcement as yet another in a series of decisions made without input from the communities to which the broadcaster is ultimately accountable – both its listeners and the broader Canadian public. Sadly, the disbanding of the CBC Radio Orchestra came as a fait-a-compli news yesterday afternoon.

Ms. Bihl feels that the following statement made today (via e-mail) by Sarah Davis Buechner, a piano professor at the University, all too accurately sums up this situation: "It is a sad day in the history of this country when artists have to stand up to defend their contributions against the very institutions which were founded to foster cultural understanding, emotional connection and pride in the Canadian national character."

Established in 1959, the Canadian Music Centre exists to stimulate the awareness, appreciation and performance of Canadian music, making the music of its Associate Composers available through its music libraries and through various promotional and outreach activities. The CMC is Canada's primary information resource, producer, distributor of concert music and sound recordings.

Founded in 1951, the Canadian League of Composers is the oldest organization in Canada that speaks for professional composers in an official capacity. It represents the interests of composers, monitoring and influencing the conditions that affect their livelihood and public image.

-30-

For further information, please contact:

Steven W. Foster

Manager of Communications & Resource Development

Phone: 416.961.6601 ext. 303 Email: sfoster@musiccentre.ca

Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ Celebrate the Legacy of Hermann Kotzschmar - April 15

PORTLAND, Maine – The Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ will celebrate the Legacy of Hermann Kotzschmar, Portland's pre-eminent musician of the late 19th century and the organ's namesake, on Tuesday, April 15, 2008. This marks the 100^th anniversary of Hermann Kotzschmar's death.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in Portland's Merrill Auditorium. Organists/choir directors Harold Stover, Albert Melton and Chip Kaufman will join Portland Municipal Organist Ray Cornils in a concert featuring works of J. S. Bach, Franz Joseph Haydn, Will Macfarlane, John Knowles Paine, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy and Mr. Kotzschmar. Highlights of the program include Haydn's "The Heavens Are Telling" (from The Creation), Bach's "Fugue in Eb Major" (St. Anne), Macfarlane's "Evening Bells and Cradle Song," and Kotzschmar's "Rejoice in the Lord" and "Commercial Street Polka."

Choirs from First Parish Church UU, Portland; First Parish Church, UCC, Brunswick; St. Luke's Cathedral, Portland and Woodfords Congregational Church will join the Organists and Directors for this special celebration.

Hermann Kotzschmar, a German native, moved to Portland in 1849, where he worked as organist at First Parish Church Unitarian Universalist for 47 years, and as a choral conductor in Portland. Kotzschmar was a talented musician, composing music as well as instructing hundreds of students at the "Kotzschmar Piano School" for more than 50 years. His great friend, Cyrus H. Curtis, donated the Kotzschmar Organ to the City of Portland as a permanent fixture of City Hall in memory of Hermann Kotzschmar.

Admission is a suggested $12 at the door; under 21 free.

About the Kotzschmar Organ
The Kotzschmar Memorial Organ, built in 1912 by the Austin Organ Company of Hartford Connecticut, is this nation's oldest working municipal organ. With 5 manuals for the hands, a 32-note pedal board, 6857 pipes from ½ inch to 32 feet in length, 87 stops, 101 ranks, it is truly one of this nation's musical treasures.

About Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ
Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ was founded in 1981 as a result of the city of Portland's need to withdraw funding for the organ due to financial limitations. Today, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the Kotzschmar Organ, the Friend's responsibilities include raising funds, presenting concerts and educational programs and engaging the services of a Municipal Organist.

For more information on any of the concerts contact Friends of the Kotzschmar Organ Executive Director Kathleen Grammer, 207-883-4234 or visit www.foko.org.

###

The Legacy of Hermann Kotzschmar

July 4, 1829- April 15, 1908

Homeland Traditions

The Heavens Are Telling (from The Creation) Franz Joseph Haydn

Chorus 1732-1809

Ray Cornils, conductor, Harold Stover, organ

Fugue in Eb Major (St. Anne) Johann Sebastian Bach

Albert Melton, organ 1685-1750

Happy and Blest Are They (from St. Paul) Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy

Chorus 1809-1847

Albert Melton, conductor, Ray Cornils, organ

When Will Ye Think of Me? Hermann Kotzschmar

Soloist TBA

Hermann Kotzschmar in Portland

Rejoice in the Lord Hermann Kotzschmar

Chorus

Chip Kaufmann, conductor, Ray Cornils, organ

The Leviathan March Hermann Kotzschmar

Ray Cornils, organ

Commercial Street Polka Hermann Kotzschmar

Henry Kramer, piano

Variations on the Austrian Hymn John Knowles Paine

Ray Cornils, organ 1839-1906

The Kotzschmar Hymn Hermann Kotzschmar

Chorus and audience

Hermann Kotzschmar's Legacy

Malaga Isaac Albeniz

Henry Kramer, piano

Evening Bells and Cradle Song Will C. Macfarlane

Harold Stover, organ 1870-1945

I Was Glad C. Hubert H. Parry

Chorus 1848-1918

Harold Stover, conductor, Albert Melton, organ

America, The Beautiful Will C. Macfarlane

Chorus and audience

Harold Stover, conductor, Ray Cornils, organ

Karen Kain announces she is stepping down as Canada Council Chair

Ottawa, March 28, 2008 – Karen Kain, Chair of the Canada Council since September 2004, announced today she is stepping down on March 31 to dedicate herself completely to her full-time job as Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada.

"I accepted this position because I passionately believe in the essential role of the Canada Council and thought I would be able to devote sufficient time, attention and energy to it," she said in a letter to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. "Since my subsequent appointment as Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Canada, I have found it increasingly difficult to do justice to both positions."

"It is with regret that I accept Ms. Kain's resignation. Over the past three and a half years, she has contributed greatly to the successes of the Canada Council for the Arts," said Josée Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages. "However, I understand her desire to fully direct her energy to her work with the National Ballet of Canada. I offer my sincere thanks for the leadership Ms. Kain has provided and wish her the very best in her future endeavours."

Ms. Kain described her experience at the Canada Council as "deeply rewarding" and thanked the federal government for increasing its financial support to the Canada Council during her tenure as Chair. The government announced last July that the Council's annual parliamentary appropriation would be increased by $30 million on an ongoing basis, following a one-time increase of $50 million over two years. Ms. Kain also presided over the celebration of the Canada Council's 50^th anniversary in 2007 and, most recently, the development of a new Strategic Plan and Action Plan to guide the Council's activities over the next three years.

"I have been deeply honoured to have had the opportunity to lead the Canada Council for the Arts, which is one of the most important public institutions in the country," she said. "I am particularly proud of the Council's 50th anniversary year, when we drew attention to the outstanding Canadian artists and arts organizations that have contributed so much to the lives of Canadians, with Council support. I am also grateful for the appointment of a new Director in Robert Sirman, who has brought a new dynamic to the Canada Council at this important time in its history."

Under the Canada Council's governance policy, Vice-Chair Simon Brault will assume the official duties of the position until a new Chair is appointed by the federal government. The Chair's responsibilities include presiding at meetings of the Council's 11-member Board and representing the Council in its relations with the government, Parliament and the public.

-30-

Media contact: Donna Balkan: 613-566-4305 or 1 800 263-5588, ext. 4134

E-mail: donna.balkan@canadacouncil.ca

Heather McAfee: 613-566-4414 or 1 800 263-5588, ext. 4523

E-mail: heather.mcafee@canadacouncil.ca

Visit our web site at www.canadacouncil.ca.

Tous les documents du Conseil des Arts du Canada sont disponibles en français et en anglais.

--
Wah Keung Chan
Publisher/Editor
La Scena Musicale
La SCENA
The Music Scene
12 years of promoting music and the arts

5409 Waverly, Montreal, QC Canada H2T 2X8

http://www.scena.org
514-274-1128 (office/bureau)
514-815-0465 (cell)
wkchan@scena.org

--

Read the NEW La Scena Musicale Blog http://www.scena.org/blog for regular news on music and the arts.
Voyez le nouveau blogue de La Scena Musicale à http://www.scena.org/blog pour les dernières nouvelles sur la musique et les arts.

La Scena Musicale, Honourable Mention at the 2007 Canada National Magazine Awards, Arts & Entertainment category
La Scena Musicale, mention d'honneur aux Prix du magazine canadien de
2007, catégorie arts et spectacles

Moses Znaimer Calls Frustrated CBC Radio 2 Listeners

For immediate release – Wednesday, March 26, 2008

ATTENTION CBC Radio 2 CLASSICAL MUSIC LISTENERS!
KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON
There Is An All Classical Alternative: www.classical963fm.com

"CBC Management should have the right to manage!
In any case, they cannot be held hostage to
the claim that there is no other source for classical music in English Canada."
– Moses Znaimer, Zoomer and Proprieter, The New Classical 96.3 FM

Calling all frustrated CBC Radio 2 listeners! Media innovator and Zoomer Moses Znaimer, proprietor of The New Classical 96.3 FM and 103.1 FM (in the Greater Toronto Area) wants Canadians in search of classical music to know that they DO have an alternative. Across Canada, and worldwide, classical music is available around the clock at http://www.classical963fm.com and for Bell ExpressVu's 1.8 million subscribers, on Channel 963.

Since its official re-launch in September 2007, Moses has dramatically transformed the content, look, and sound of The New Classical 96.3 FM and 103.1 FM, starting with Live in The Concert Lobby, a series of live and interactive hours of 'Concert and Conversation' with the greatest artists on the world stage today! These exclusive and high-profile performances have quickly established The New Classical 96.3 FM as a premier promotional stop for every major classical artist on tour. Most recently listeners were treated to the exquisite sounds of piano marvels Lang Lang and Yundi Li who performed to packed houses of VIPs and members of the Classical 96.3 FM Classical Club, now standing at 15,000 members and growing. Past performers have included vocal superstars Measha Brueggergosman and Ben Heppner; violinist Lara St. John; The Gryphon Trio; The Canadian Brass; and pre-eminent pianists Angela Hewitt and Leif Ove Andsnes.

Other station innovations include revitalized morning, drive-home and late-night shows with the station's CJs (Classical Jocks); the re-introduction of vocal music; and more themed weekend programming including a By-Request Hour and Sunday Night At The Opera.

The New Classical 96.3 FM is also the premiere source for the breaking news in the classical music world. In addition to the usual up to the minute news, traffic and weather, there is information on the arts: season announcements, special concerts and awards ceremonies. On the horizon, Moses plans to dispatch "The Classical Corps", a battalion of mobile young reporters who will cover a multitude of cultural events. A classical music game show is also in the works. There you have it – the future of classical music in Canada is alive and well at The New Classical 96.3 FM. Moses Znaimer invites all classical music lovers to turn on and tune in anywhere in Canada, and the world.

AT THE NEW CLASSICAL 96.3 FM, IT'S ALL CLASSICAL, ALL THE TIME
Tune in to the next "Live in The Concert Lobby" event:
TOMORROW! Thursday, March 27 from 12noon – 1pm
Canadian Vocal Sensations Baritone Russell Braun and Tenor Michael Schade

96.3 FM and 103.1 FM (GTA+)
http://www.classical963fm.com
Bell ExpressVu Channel 963

Media contact:
Leanne Wright, MZMedia
416.367.5353 X 200
leanne@mzmedia.com
www.mzmedia.com

COMMUNIQUÉ : Le député Daniel Turp présente le projet de création de Radio-Québec, le lundi 7 avril

Dans le cadre des conférences du Cercle de musicologie de l'Université de Montréal

Montréal, le 27 mars 2008 – Le Cercle de musicologie de l'Université de Montréal recevra le député Daniel Turp, le lundi 7 avril prochain, à 16 h, dans le cadre de sa série de conférences. Député de Mercier à l'Assemblée nationale du Québec, M. Turp présentera le projet de création d'une nouvelle radio publique, Radio-Québec. La conférence aura lieu au local B-421 de la Faculté de musique de l'Université de Montréal (200, Vincent d'Indy, Montréal, métro Édouard-Montpetit).

Intitulée « Le projet de création de Radio-Québec : Une place pour la musique et un espace pour la médiation musicale », cette conférence a pour but de présenter à la communauté des musiciens, des musicologues et des mélomanes le projet de création d'une nouvelle radio musicale. Elle fournira également au grand public une occasion unique de discuter avec le député Turp et de lui poser des questions sur ce projet.

Résumé de la conférence

L'initiative de doter le Québec de sa propre radio publique se veut un projet destiné à créer un espace pour la culture. Outre la musique, qui représenterait une part importante de sa programmation et de ses activités, et les autres arts, la parole y occuperait une place de choix.

S'agissant en particulier de la musique, l'univers musical de Radio-Québec privilégierait une écoute mélomane, mais non spécialisée, plutôt que le simple fond musical ou le divertissement. Pour donner un sens à cette écoute, Radio-Québec ferait une place à la médiation musicale de façon à ce que les œuvres présentées puissent être appréciées et situées dans leur contexte.

Consciente du devoir de mémoire qui lui incomberait, elle serait soucieuse de donner accès à la musique qui a résisté au temps et serait également à l'affût des phénomènes émergents et, tournée vers l'avenir, favoriserait la création.

Tant sur les ondes que sur une plate-forme électronique, Radio-Québec pourrait développer une programmation autour de l'enregistrement, de la captation et de la production d'un nombre significatif des concerts donnés par les orchestres et ensembles nationaux, régionaux et locaux du Québec, présentés par les conservatoires et facultés de musique et organisés dans le cadre des nombreux festivals de musique se déroulant sur l'ensemble du territoire du Québec.

En sa qualité de diffuseur national, et dans le respect de la diversité culturelle, Radio-Québec accorderait une place significative au contenu québécois tout en assurant un accès aux diverses expressions culturelles provenant des autres pays du monde et collaborerait, à cette fin, avec les autres radios publiques nationales ainsi qu'avec l'Organisation des radios francophones publiques (ORFP) et le Conseil international des radios télévisions d'expression française (CIRTEF).

Daniel Turp

Daniel Turp est député du Parti Québécois à l'Assemblée nationale du Québec pour la circonscription de Mercier (Montréal). Il est membre de la Commission des institutions. Il est également vice-président de la Délégation de l'Assemblée nationale pour les relations avec l'Europe. Il exerce les fonctions de porte-parole en matière de réforme des institutions démocratiques ainsi qu'en matière de Relations internationales et de Francophonie. Il est membre de la « Mission Identité, langue, culture et relations extérieures » de l'aile parlementaire du Parti Québécois à l'Assemblée nationale. Il a assumé les fonctions de porte-parole de l'Opposition officielle en matière de culture et de communications entre 2004 et 2007. Les activités du député Turp sont présentées sur le site électronique www.danielturp.org.

Le député Turp est à l'origine du Mouvement Radio-Québec (www.danielturp.org/radio-qc) qui promeut la création d'une radio publique québécoise. Il est l'auteur d'un article paru le 15 mars 2008 dans la revue Argument intitulé « De la dérive d'Espace musique à la création Radio-Québec : du choix du divertissement à un espace pour la culture », Argument (Vol. 10, n^o 2- Printemps-Été 2008).

Daniel Turp est professeur titulaire à la Faculté de droit de l'Université de Montréal depuis 1982 et est en congé pour fonction politique. Il enseigne le droit international public, le droit international et constitutionnel des droits fondamentaux ainsi que le droit constitutionnel avancé. Les activités du professeur Turp sont présentées sur le site électronique www.danielturp.org/professeur.

Cercle de musicologie

Le Cercle de musicologie de l'Université de Montréal est un organe de l'AÉMUM (Association des étudiant(e)s en musique de l'Université de Montréal) dont l'objectif est de créer un réseau des étudiants en musicologie. Les activités du Cercle sont variées et s'étendent de rencontres sociales jusqu'aux journées d'étude, en passant par le groupe courriel et la série de conférences.

-30-

Source :

Marie-Hélène Benoit-Otis

Présidente, Cercle de musicologie

info@cercledemusicologie.com

www.cercledemusicologie.com

L'Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal présente Vivier1 + Mahler5, le samedi 5 avril

Montréal, le 27 mars 2008 – L'Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal, sous la direction de Jean-François Rivest, présentera la Symphonie n^o 5 de Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) lors du concert de clôture de sa saison 2007-2008, le samedi 5 avril prochain, à 19 h 30, à la salle Claude-Champagne.

La première partie du programme de la soirée comprend l'œuvre Lonely Child de Claude Vivier (1948-1983), qui permettra d'entendre la soprano Kripa Nageshwar, étudiante à la maîtrise à la Faculté de musique, ainsi que la création d'Upload de Margareta Jeric (née en 1982), gagnante ex-aequo du 1^er prix du Concours de composition 2007 de l'OUM.

Ce concert s'inscrit dans le cadre de la Série Hommage à Claude Vivier de Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques.

La Cinquième Symphonie de Mahler

Gustav Mahler créa lui-même, en 1904, sa Cinquième Symphonie, œuvre dans laquelle il renouvelle totalement sa vision de l'écriture symphonique. Exempte de tout élément descriptif, faisant état d'un art purement orchestral, la Cinquième Symphonie correspond parfaitement à l'adage de « la musique pour la musique ». Mahler rompt avec la structure traditionnelle et articule son œuvre en cinq mouvements, divisés en trois parties. Bien qu'entamée par une marche funèbre, la symphonie se conclut par un Finale débordant de joie de vivre, introduit par le Choral de la vie aux cuivres et couronné par une coda apothéotique.

Claude Vivier et Lonely Child

Compositeur québécois sacré « trésor national » par ses pairs, Claude Vivier a été un ardent défenseur de la création musicale au Québec. Il a puisé son inspiration à différentes sources sans jamais trahir son monde intérieur, riche de voyages et de langues inventées. Ses réflexions autobiographiques sur l'enfance, la mort, le rituel, le cosmos caractérisent ses grandes œuvres vocales telles que Lonely Child, pour soprano et orchestre. L'instrumentation de cette pièce nous transporte au cœur de rituels bouddhistes tibétains, tandis que le texte, écrit en français ainsi que dans une langue inventée par Vivier lui-même, chante l'innocence de l'enfance. Œuvre quasi-mystique, tanguant entre la pureté et l'aliénation, Lonely Child est un des plus beaux témoins du style de Vivier, que György Ligeti décrira en ces termes : « Ni néo ni rétro à la mode d'Arvo Pärt, ni même avant-gardiste comme Stockhausen, mais portant le flambeau d'une école à part : un « viviérisme », inventeur de timbres. »

Margareta Jeric et Upload

Originaire de Croatie, Margareta Jeric vit à Montréal depuis 1990. Après avoir étudié l'accordéon et le piano, elle se tourne vers la composition. Elle a étudié avec Alan Belkin et Michel Longtin et poursuit actuellement des études de doctorat auprès d'Ana Sokolovic et de Robert Normandeau à la Faculté de musique de l'Université de Montréal. « Upload, dit la compositrice, est une pièce en un mouvement, dont la cellule de base est un motif de quatre notes duquel découle tout le matériau musical et rythmique de la pièce. Métamorphosé et dans certains cas totalement imperceptible, ce matériau a donné naissance à deux thèmes principaux et à l'harmonie ainsi qu'à la forme globale de l'œuvre. Il s'agit d'une pièce très vivante, entrecoupée de deux sections calmes et méditatives. De cette pièce émanent une folie et une joie de vivre étincelantes. »

L'Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal, sous la direction de Jean-François Rivest

Dès sa création en 1993, l'Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal (OUM) a suscité un véritable engouement. L'orchestre a séduit d'emblée le public montréalais grâce à l'enthousiasme communicatif de ses musiciens et de son directeur artistique, Jean-François Rivest, qui ont contribué à donner un caractère particulier à chacun des concerts de l'OUM. Le talent, l'énergie et la fraîcheur de cet orchestre de plus de 80 musiciens éblouissent; son professionnalisme convainc. Sa saison artistique (quatre concerts ainsi qu'une collaboration annuelle avec l'Atelier d'opéra) est non seulement une occasion pour les étudiants de se familiariser avec la vie professionnelle et de fréquenter un répertoire varié allant de la musique baroque à la musique contemporaine, mais aussi, de vivre des moments de grâce durant lesquels technique et musicalité ne font qu'un.

L'Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal est le carrefour des énergies créatrices de la Faculté en réunissant ses instrumentistes, ses solistes, ses compositeurs et ses chanteurs. L'OUM tient chaque année un concours de solistes et un concours de composition dont les lauréats occupent une place de choix dans la programmation de la saison suivante.

VIVIER¹ + MAHLER⁵

L'Orchestre de l'Université de Montréal

sous la direction de Jean-François Rivest

PROGRAMME :

Margareta Jeric : Upload (création)

Claude Vivier : Lonely Child pour soprano et orchestre (1980)

Kripa Nageshwar, soprano
Mahler : Symphonie n^o 5 en ut dièse mineur (1904)

Le samedi 5 avril 2008 – 19 h 30

Salle Claude-Champagne de l'Université de Montréal

220, av. Vincent-d'Indy, Montréal

(métro Édouard-Montpetit)

12 $, 10 $ (aînés), gratuit (étudiants)

Billetterie ADMISSION (514 790-1245) ou en vente à la porte

Renseignements : 514 343-6427

www.musique.umontreal.ca

- 30 -

Source :

Julie Fortier

Faculté de musique – Université de Montréal

514 343-6365

julie.c.fortier@umontreal.ca

Le Big Band de l'UdeM accueille le clarinettiste André Moisan, le jeudi 3 avril

Avec la participation de la Chorale jazz de l’Université de Montréal

Montréal, le 26 mars 2008 – Le Big Band de l’Université de Montréal, sous la direction de Ron Di Lauro, vous convie au dernier concert de sa saison 2007-2008, le jeudi 3 avril prochain, à 19 h 30, à la salle Claude-Champagne.

À cette occasion, le Big Band accueillera comme invité spécial le clarinettiste André Moisan, qui célèbre cette année ses 30 ans de carrière. La Chorale jazz de l’Université de Montréal, sous la direction de Vincent Morel, se joindra aux musiciens du Big Band pour une partie du concert.

Au programme :

Spring Is Here – Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers, arr. : Lennie Niehaus

Game of Inches – Gordon Goodwin

Ride Home – Rémi Bolduc

Uno Más – Paul Lopez

Days Of Wine And Roses – Henry Mancini, arr. : Maria Schneider

**

Chattanooga Choo Choo – Mack Gordon/Harry Warren, arr. : Mike Carubia
Indiana – James F. Hanley, arr. : Ryan Jesperson

Satin Doll – Mercer, Ellington, Strayhorn, arr. : Mike Carubia
Get Me To The Church On Time – Lerner/Lowe, arr. : Mike Carubia

Avec la Chorale jazz de l’Université de Montréal

ENTRACTE

All Of Me – Seymour Simons/Gerald Marks, arr. : Billy Byers

**

Under The Wire – Gordon Goodwin

Symphonie n^o 40 en sol mineur – W. A. Mozart, arr. et adapt. Gordon Goodwin

Petite Fleur – Sydney Bechet, arr. : Rémi Bolduc

Thad Said No – Gordon Goodwin

Ballad For Benny – Oliver Nelson

Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs – Leonard Bernstein

Invité spécial : André Moisan, clarinette

**

Réputé pour sa maîtrise de l'instrument, sa grande musicalité et la clarté de son jeu, le clarinettiste André Moisan célèbre, en 2008, ses 30 ans de carrière en tant que musicien professionnel. Occupant le pupitre de saxophone solo et de clarinette basse au sein de l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal depuis mai 1999, il dirige également l’orchestre, entre autres, lors de concerts jeune public. Au fil des ans, il a reçu plusieurs nominations pour des prix Opus et ses enregistrements ont retenu l’attention de la critique internationale. On peut l'entendre régulièrement en concert et à la radio, tant comme soliste que comme chambriste. André Moisan est professeur agrégé à la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal.

Le Big Band de l’Université de Montréal, dirigé par Ron Di Lauro, est constitué d'une quinzaine de musiciens qui explorent avec passion et énergie le répertoire des classiques (standards jazz) des années 50 à 70 et le jazz fusion et actuel des années 70 à aujourd'hui. Lauréat de plusieurs mentions « OR » au JazzFest des Jeunes du Québec, le Big Band contribue ardemment au rayonnement de l’excellence du secteur jazz de la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal.

La Chorale jazz de l’Université de Montréal, dirigée par Vincent Morel, est formée de 25 à 30 étudiants qui participent avec enthousiasme à cette formation explorant le répertoire jazz. La Chorale se produit à l'Université de Montréal, mais aussi dans d’autres institutions d'enseignement et des lieux consacrés au jazz dans la région montréalaise.

LE BIG BAND DE L’UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL

Invité spécial : André Moisan, clarinette

Avec la participation de la Chorale jazz de l’Université de Montréal

Jeudi 3 avril 2008 – 19 h 30

Salle Claude-Champagne

220, Vincent-d’Indy, Montréal (métro Édouard-Montpetit)

12 $, 10 $ (aînés), gratuit (étudiants)

Billetterie ADMISSION : 514.790.1245

Renseignements : 514.343.6427

www.musique.umontreal.ca

- 30 -

Source :
Julie Fortier

Faculté de musique – Université de Montréal

514.343.6365

julie.c.fortier@umontreal.ca

TSO April Concerts

Roll over Beethoven,

make room for the Chairman of the Board!

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Celebrates Sinatra!

Other April Highlights include

Opera Favourites and Tchaikovsky Symphony 4

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra's Pops Concert Series continues with Celebrate Sinatra, a swinging tribute to the blue-eyed legend from Hoboken. Cincinnati's Jeff Tyzik joins the TSO as guest conductor for the evening's concert, which also features guest vocalist Steve Lippia on scooby-dooby-duties. The programme covers all the classic tunes that made Frankie a legend, from Come Fly with Me and All the Way, to New York, New York and That's Life. There will be three performances only, April 22 at 8pm, April 23 at 2pm and 8pm.

On April 25, Alain Trudel concludes the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra's season with the "little one", Beethoven's Symphony No. 8, and a rousing performance of Shostakovich's popular work, Symphony No. 5.

On April 26 and 27, passion, drama, and epic adventure reign as guest conductor James Gaffigan leads soprano Sally Dibblee, rising tenor (and one of the judges of Bravo's Bathroom Divas) Luc Robert, and the TSO through some of the most popular operas ever written, including works by Mozart, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner, Rossini, and more. Opera Favourites features operatic overtures, duets, and interludes from La Bohème, The Barber of Seville, Tristan and Isolde, and many others.

On April 30 and May 1, Estonian conductor Eri Klas makes his TSO debut conducting Tchaikovsky Symphony 4 and master pianist Alexander Toradze returns with Prokofiev's thrilling showpiece, Piano Concerto No. 3.

April at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra

Pops, Opera, and Tchaikovsky Symphony 4!

Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto

Celebrate Sinatra: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 8pm

& Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 2pm and 8pm

* Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra: Friday, April 25, 2008 at 7:30pm *

Opera Favourites: Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 7:30pm & Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 3pm

Tchaikovsky Symphony 4: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 8pm & Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 8pm

For tickets to all TSO concerts, call Roy Thomson Hall box office 416.593.4828

or online http://www.tso.ca/

*George Weston Recital Hall, 5040 Yonge Street

Tickets to this concert can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 416.872.1111

or online at www.ticketmaster.ca

Media Contact: FLIP PUBLICITY, Barbora Krsek 416.533.7710 X236, barbora@flip-publicity.com
720 Bathurst Street, #403 TOR M5S 2R4 www.flip-publicity.com

-- 

Barbora Krsek

Publicist

FLIP Publicity & Promotions Inc.
720 Bathurst Street, Suite 403

Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 2R4

416.533.7710 x.236 fax 416.533.7797

Choral Art Society to Present Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil

PORTLAND, Maine – The Choral Art Society (CAS) singers will present Sergei Rachmaninoff's beautiful a cappella All-Night Vigil on Sunday, May 4 at 3:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, located at 307 Congress Street in Portland. All advance tickets are $15, admission at the door will be $20. All-Night Vigil is an a cappella choral composition written and originally premiered in 1915. It is one of Rachmaninoff's most admired works, as well as one of his personal favorites. The piece is comprised of the settings of texts taken from the Russian Orthodox liturgical services, and is widely considered "the greatest musical achievement of the Russian Orthodox Church." The a cappella chorus is so richly textured that the blending of singers' voices evokes the sound of an orchestra. Sunday's performance at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is sponsored by the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Portland . Tickets are available through CAS and all CAS ticket outlets, call 207-828-0043 or visit www.choralart.org for more information. In addition to Sunday's performance, CAS will also perform All-Night Vigil on Saturday, May 3 at 8:00 p.m. at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, 27 Bartlett Street in Lewiston , Maine . Suggested donations at the door will benefit the Basilica's organ restoration fund. There is a third performance planned for Saturday, May 10th at 7:30 p.m. at the St. Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church, 5 Paleologos Street in Peabody, Massachusetts. About The Choral Art Society: The Society has more than 150 members who perform in three distinct ensembles: the symphonic Masterworks Chorus, the mid-sized Choral Art Singers, and the intimate a cappella Camerata. All singers are skilled amateurs, selected by audition. The Society offers an annual concert series and appears regularly as guests of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. Robert Russell, professor of music at the University of Southern Maine , is the conductor and artistic director of The Choral Art Society.

Music at Sharon Festival

MUSIC AT SHARON CONCERT SERIES

RETURNS FOR FOUR DELIGHTFUL SUNDAY AFTERNOONS THIS JUNE

After the tremendous success of last year's festival, Music at Sharon will be back again this summer! For the second year Stephen Cera has been appointed as artistic director to create a musical feast inspired by the Temple's history and designed to showcase its extraordinary acoustics. The festival offers high quality summer concerts not found anywhere else in Ontario, thus providing a unique musical experience to the residents of Toronto and the GTA.

Beloved Quebec soprano Suzie LeBlanc will open the festival with "Songs of Earth and Heaven" on Sunday, June 1, at 3pm. She was recently described by The Australian as "Ša singer of the highest quality, she dazzled and entranced with her impeccable vocal control and a sound of wonderful beautyŠThis was music-making to live for." The concert programme includes songs by Mozart, Poulenc, Faure, Debussy, Messiaen, and Weill, all accompanied on the piano by Robert Kortgaard.

The second concert of the festival will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Olivier Messiaen. Pianist Louise Bessette, violinist Olivier Thouin, cellist Yegor Dyachkov, and clarinetist Simon Aldrich will present the Quartet for the End of Time. Also on the bill is a world premiere by the young Quebec composer Nicolas Gilbert. An homage to Messiaen, this new work is scored for the same
instrumentation as the Quartet. Beethoven's youthful Clarinet Trio in B-flat, Opus 11, will complete the programme on Sunday, June 8, at 3pm.

Works by Mozart, Ibert, Poulenc, Eliot Weisgarber, and Gershwin will be explored by the award winning pianist Sara Davis Buechner on Sunday, June 15, at 3pm. The Washington Post enthused: "Buechner's performance had a beauty that might have taken even Mozart's breath away." Buechner, a consummate performer, is always charming and engaging on stage.

A very special concert, titled "Beginning to See the Light", with a start time of 6pm on Sunday, June 22, will close the festival. Celebrating their 10th Anniversary, True North Brass initially burst on to the scene in 1997, and has since solidified its reputation as one of the world's finest brass ensembles. Proudly Canadian in focus and expression with an international outlook, they will perform a delightful mix of classical, traditional, Canadian and jazz music including the historic Tunes of the Sharon Band. The concert, marking the Summer Solstice, will take advantage of the unique spatial and architectural characteristics of the Sharon Temple by positioning the musicians on a balcony high above the performance space.

Stephen Cera is best known for his role as vice president, concert music programming, with Toronto's Livent Inc. where he developed the distinguished concert season at the George Weston Recital Hall from 1991 - 2000. His connection to Sharon dates back to the late-80s when, as a CBC Radio music producer, he recorded for broadcast a series of performances in the Temple, including the Orford Quartet and renowned Italian pianist Aldo Ciccolini.

A national historic site, the Sharon Temple of the Children of Peace was built from 1825 - 1831 by a group of former Quakers who called themselves the Children of Peace. The Temple was designed to represent their vision of a society based on the values of peace, equality, and social justice. The annual summer concert series was founded to celebrate the Temple's 150th anniversary and lasted initially from 1981 to 1990. Audiences will once again have the opportunity to experience the musical delights of this intimate 230-seat venue that topped the Toronto Star's 2006 list of essential Canadian architecture.

The Sharon Temple Museum Society presents

MUSIC AT SHARON CONCERT SERIES

Artistic Director Stephen Cera

June 1 - June 22, 2008

Temple of the Children of Peace

18974 Leslie Street in Sharon, ON

north of Newmarket near the northern terminus of Hwy. 404

Free Parking

Sunday, June 1, at 3pm: SUZIE LeBLANC, soprano

Sunday, June 8, at 3pm: MESSIAEN CENTENARY CONCERT

Sunday, June 15, at 3pm: SARA DAVIS BUECHNER, piano

Sunday, June 22, at 6pm: TRUE NORTH BRASS, quintet

Tickets $45

Subscription for all four concerts $150 o Group discounts available

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

Call the Toronto Symphony Orchestra Customer Service Centre at 416.597.7840

http://www.sharontemple.ca/

Artists and programmes are subject to change.

Media Contact: FLIP PUBLICITY, Barbora Krsek 416.533.7710 X236 barbora@flip-publicity.com
720 Bathurst Street, #403 TOR M5S 2R4 www.flip-publicity.com

-- 

Barbora Krsek

Publicist

FLIP Publicity & Promotions Inc.
720 Bathurst Street, Suite 403

Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 2R4

416.533.7710 x.236 fax 416.533.7797

Laitman's Latest Song Cycle Commemorates 40th Anniversary of Deaths of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.

March 23, 2008

For Immediate Release

A new song cycle by acclaimed composer Lori Laitman, commissioned to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the tragic deaths of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, will premiere on April 18, 2008 at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

For this commission by the Lyrica Society for Word-Music Relations, Laitman selected two unpublished poems which reflect on life, death and the notion of legacy. Titled "And Music Shall Not End," the cycle includes the works of poets Anne Ranasinghe and John Wood.

Holocaust-survivor Anne Ranasinghe's poem, "Partial Lunar Eclipse, September 7^th, 2006," reflects on the mystery and timelessness of the universe, as well as her realization that she is nearing the end of her life, while John Wood's poem, "A Pastoral Lament," dedicated to a colleague upon his death, is a message of love and grief and a celebration of an enduring legacy.

Mezzo Soprano D'Anna Fortunato will perform the works with composer Lori Laitman at the piano. The performance will be presented at the Lehman Hall Music Room of Dudley House, Harvard Yard, at 4pm on Friday, April 18, 2008. Admission to the event is free of charge.

Contact:

Jona Rapoport

Jona Rapoport Artist Management

www.jonarapoport.com

jonarapoport@gmail.com

Lori Laitman Seed of Dreams European Premiere April 2008

By Jona Rapoport Artist Manager/Publicist March 24, 2008 "The Seed of Dream", Lori Laitman's song cycle for baritone, cello and piano, will have its overseas premiere at The Tolerance Center of the Vilna Gaon Jewish State Museum in Vilna, Lithuania. The powerful song cycle is based on five poems written by Abraham Sutzkever during his imprisonment in the Vilna Ghetto, and stand witness to the transcendent power of art in the face of unimaginable cruelty and brutality. Commissioned by Music of Remembrance, a Seattle-based organization dedicated to remembering Holocaust musicians through their art, the cycle saw its premiere performance in May of 2005 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, Washington. A recording of the song cycle will be released in April 2008 on the Naxos label. A recent review of the cycle from the Journal of Singing is quoted as saying: "The American song composer, Lori Laitman, has been lauded by reviewers as one of the most extraordinary song composers working today, likening her to Ned Rorem. She has an innate ability to capture the essence of textual meaning, a keen perception of vocal nuance, and a lavish intellectual and musical vocabulary that she uses with a facile ease. It was with all of these extraordinary skills that she created a magnificent song cycle called The Seed of Dream..." The concert, which will also include works by Brahms and Ulmann, takes place on April 29, 2008 in Vilna, with baritone Stein Skjervold, accompanied by pianist Rokas Subovas and cellist Mindaugas Backus. --------------------------30----------- Contact: Jona Rapoport Jona Rapoport Artist Management jonarapoport@gmail.com www.jonarapoport.com

Pacific Opera presents REGINA, April 17-26

REGINA
SCENTED WITH MAGNOLIA, AND A WHIFF OF ARSENIC
APRIL 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 2008

IN BRIEF
Pacific Opera Victoria presents the Canadian premiere of an American
opera. Based on Lillian Hellman's 1939 play The Little Foxes, with a
sweeping cinematic score that blends jazz, ragtime, spirituals and blues
with hints of Copland and Bernstein, Marc Blitzstein's REGINA is
presented April 17, 19, 22, 24 and 26, 2008 at the Royal Theatre, 805
Broughton Street in Victoria.

REGINA is performed in English with a running time of approximately 2 ½
hours with one intermission. All performances begin at 8pm. Priced
between $25 and $100, tickets are available from the Royal and McPherson
Box Office at (250) 386-6121, or on-line at www.rmts.bc.ca.

Student
RUSH tickets for those presenting valid student identification are
available at the door of the theatre, 45 minutes prior to each
performance, subject to availability. RUSH tickets are $15, inclusive
of all box office charges.

IN FULL
Pacific Opera Victoria provides a fresh, new experience for audiences
with the Canadian premiere of Marc Blitztein's REGINA. Based on Lillian
Hellman's 1939 play, The Little Foxes, REGINA is presented April 17, 19,
22, 24 and 26, 2008 at Victoria's Royal Theatre.

REGINA tells the gloriously toxic tale of a nouveau riche southern
family who have fuelled their greed through cynical marriages, the
exploitation of workers, and now theft and murder. Regina Giddens and
her two brothers, Ben and Oscar Hubbard, scheme for money and power.
When her ailing husband Horace opposes her plans, Regina denies him his
heart medication and he dies of a heart attack. Their daughter
Alexandra, realizing the true cause of Horace's death, finds the
strength to leave her mother. Having double-crossed her brothers as
well, Regina is left wealthy but alone.

REGINA premiered on Broadway in 1949 to critical acclaim, but most agree
that this work really belongs in the opera house. With its sweeping
cinematic score that blends jazz, ragtime, spirituals and blues with
hints of Copland and Bernstein, REGINA is drenched in the language and
music of America circa 1900. Blitzstein himself explained, "I wanted to
write something as real musically to Americans as Italian opera is to
the Italians".

Timothy Vernon conducts this Canadian premiere, which will be recorded
by CBC Radio for future broadcast on "Saturday Afternoon at the Opera".
Maestro Vernon has received national honours for his leadership in
Canadian opera. His great musical acumen and passion have guided
Pacific Opera Victoria since the company's inception, and his unique
ability to interpret new and existing works has engaged the community
and made POV a nationally recognized symbol of artistic excellence.
Glynis Leyshon, Artistic Director of the Vancouver Playhouse and former
Artistic Director of the Belfry Theatre, returns to Victoria to direct
the production with lighting designer Alan Brodie, costume designer Erin
Macklem and choreographer Anne Wootten. Pam Johnson (POV's 1999 Don
Giovanni) is creating a set that evokes the languid nostalgia of the
American South. This made-by-POV production of REGINA will be presented
by Utah Opera in January 2009.

Tallulah Bankhead described the role of Regina Giddens, which she
created on Broadway, as "etched in acid". Her sensational performance in
the stage play The Little Foxes was followed by Bette Davis's
Oscar-nominated portrayal in the 1941 film. "Regina is a tour-de-force
for an actor and requires no less intensity from a singer", declares
Timothy Vernon, Artistic Director of Pacific Opera Victoria. "We have
contracted the finest opera actors for this Canadian premiere, many of
whom have never performed with Pacific Opera Victoria, and we are
especially delighted to announce that Kimberly Barber will make both her
role and POV debut as Regina."

Kimberly Barber has performed throughout the world and is acclaimed for
the power and beauty of her voice and the intelligence and intensity of
her acting. She performs opposite another newcomer to POV, Dean Elzinga,
as Horace Giddens. Mr. Elzinga has impressed the New York Times with
the "mesmerizing dramatic intensity" of his performances. They are
joined by Robyn Driedger-Klassen as their daughter, Alexandra, and by
Kathleen Brett (POV's Roméo et Juliette) as Birdie, Tracie Luck as
Addie, Doug MacNaughton (POV's The Tempest) and Gregory Dahl (POV's Don
Giovanni) as Ben and Oscar, Lawrence Wiliford as Leo and DeAndre Simmons
as Cal. Victoria's jazz diva, Louise Rose, makes her POV debut as the
appropriately named Jazz.

Performed in English with English surtitles, Pacific Opera Victoria's
production of REGINA runs April 17, 19, 22, 24 and 26, 2008 at the
Royal Theatre in Victoria. All performances begin at 8pm. Priced
between $25 and $100, tickets are available from the Royal and McPherson
Box Office at (250) 386-6121 or www.rmts.bc.ca.

Student RUSH tickets for those presenting valid student identification
are available at the door of the theatre, 45 minutes prior to each
performance, subject to availability. RUSH tickets are $15, inclusive
of all box office charges.

For more information, please contact Pacific Opera Victoria at (250)
385-0222 or visit www.pov.bc.ca.

- 30 -

Benjamin Zander Delivers Special Pre-Concert Talks for the TSO, April 3 and 5

The Toronto Symphony Orchestra is especially pleased to welcome the multi-talented Maestro Benjamin Zander to Toronto and Roy Thomson Hall in the first week of April. As a prominent Mahler interpreter and specialist, he will conduct Mahler's Symphony No. 5, as well as deliver pre-concert talks from the stage to all members of the audience.

After completing his studies at Harvard, Maestro Zander settled in Boston and in 1967 joined the New England Conservatory, where he teaches the Interpretation Class, conducts the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, and regularly conducts the Conservatory's orchestras. In 1979 he became the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and in their 28 seasons together they have performed an extensive repertoire with an emphasis on late-Romantic and early-twentieth century composers, including Gustav Mahler's complete symphony cycle. To celebrate the orchestra's 25th anniversary in 2003-2004, the BPO completed an all-Mahler season, including a concert of Mahler's Second Symphony at Carnegie Hall.

Maestro Zander is currently recording Beethoven and Mahler Symphonies for the Telarc label with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London. His earlier Mahler recordings were awarded prizes from High Fidelity magazine, the Critic's Choice by the German Record Critic's Award Association, and a Grammy Award-nomination.

In addition to being an internationally renowned conductor, Zander is a respected teacher and speaker. He has an extensive speaking career, traveling the world lecturing to organizations on leadership. He was just presented with the Crystal Award for "outstanding contributions in the Arts and international relations" in Switzerland. His philosophy on teaching, conducting, and leadership are outlined in the best-selling book, The Art of Possibility, which he co-authored with his wife, Rosamund Stone Zander. It has already been translated into 16 languages.

On April 3 and 5 with the TSO, Maestro Zander will conduct Mahler's Symphony No. 5, as well as Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro Overture and final Piano Concerto, No. 27, K. 595, performed by 2008 Grammy Award-winner Garrick Ohlsson.

BENJAMIN ZANDER

SPECIAL PRE-CONCERT TALKS AT THE TORONTO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Thursday, April 3, 2008 from 7pm to 7:30pm (concert starts at 8pm)

Saturday, April 5, 2008 from 6:30pm to 7:00pm (concert starts at 7:30pm)

OPEN TO ALL TICKET HOLDERS

At Roy Thomson Hall, 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto

For tickets to all TSO concerts, call Roy Thomson Hall box office 416.593.4828

or online http://www.tso.ca/

Media Contact: FLIP PUBLICITY, Barbora Krsek X236, barbora@flip-publicity.com

720 Bathurst Street, #403 TOR M5S 2R4 www.flip-publicity.com

-- 

Barbora Krsek
Publicist
FLIP Publicity & Promotions Inc.
720 Bathurst Street, Suite 403
Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 2R4
416.533.7710 x.236 fax 416.533.7797

Check out our new and improved web site
http://www.flip-publicity.com

Sign up for The FLIPSTER®
http://www.flip-publicity.com/flipster.html

please consider before printing

A Lie Of The Mind

FALLEN ANGEL TELLS A LIE

Fallen Angel Productions presents "A Lie Of The Mind"
by Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard.

Come take a ride down the big bad American road. Somewhere along the
way you'll meet two dysfunctional families tied together by the
marriage of their children.

A Lie Of The Mind examines the deceitful tricks the mind can play and
the harsh reality of being surrounded by alcoholism, domestic violence
and emotional instability. The play ties in one very important
universal truth, each of us is on a desperate search for love and
peace of mind.

Directed by Frances Balenzano A Lie Of The Mind features: Rick Bel,
Brad Carmichael, Vance De Waele, Doreen Fagan, Melissa Paulson,
Jessica Rose, Andre Simoneau and Katie Stanfield.

--A love ballad… a little legend about love.
Sam Shepard describes A Lie Of The Mind.

A Lie Of The Mind

Preview Wednesday April 16th
Thursday April 17th to Sunday April 20th
and Wednesday April 23rd to Sunday April 27th at 8:00p.m
with a Saturday matinee April 26th at 2:00p.m.

Mainline Theatre
3997 St. Laurent Blvd. Montreal
Tickets are $17.00/adults $13.00/students&seniors
Groups of ten or more $11.50

Box Office: (514) 489-0271

For information e-mail us at
fallen.angel.prod@gmail.com

Anna De Santis
Media Representative
Fallen Angel Productions
(514) 887-7093

New Website for Producer/Host of Art Fine Living with Jona

For Immediate Release

March 23, 2008

New Website for Producer/Host of Art Fine Living with Jona

Jona Rapoport, the producer and host of Art & Fine Living with Jona on Radio Shalom, is thrilled to have launched her official website at www.jonarapoport.com. The site features an extensive guest photo gallery, press releases and a section dedicated to her client, American art song and opera composer, Lori Laitman.

Art & Fine Living with Jona is an acclaimed weekly program dedicated to arts and culture, featuring insightful interviews with talents in dance, music, visual arts, theatre, cinema and literature. The show also highlights upscale lifestyle trends and features the latest classical and jazz album releases.

Art & Fine Living with Jona airs on Radio Shalom CJRS 1650 AM, and can also be accessed online at http://www.radio-shalom.ca/showemission.php?ID=1015.

-----------------30---------------

Portland Symphony Orchestra's Kinderkonzert Series Presents "Dancing with Strings"

A full schedule follows at the end of the release. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 21, 2008 CONTACT: Gillian Britt, 207-775-2126 gBritt PR PORTLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA'S KINDERKONZERT SERIES PRESENTS DANCING WITH THE STRINGS Introducing young children to instrument families and musical concepts PORTLAND, Maine - The Portland Symphony Orchestra (PSO) continues its KinderKonzert series with "Dancing with the Strings," where kids will explore different styles of dance through music performed by a string quintet. The program opens on March 31 at South Hiram Elementary School and then travels to nine other locations in Maine and New Hampshire for a total of 25 performances. "Dancing with Strings", narrated by Alex Ende, takes children on a trip back in time to discover how music has influenced dancing over time. Ende encourages and teaches the audience to move along with him to Renaissance Dances of the 1600's, gentle Minuets, jumping and kicking the Trepak, a popular Russian Dance, and the ballroom Waltz. The PSO Strings Quintet, comprised of 2 violins, viola, cello and bass, will demonstrate how music can tell a story in much the same way that words or pictures can. KinderKonzerts are fun, interactive programs with Portland Symphony musicians where kids ages 3 - 7 can sing, dance, wiggle, clap, and have fun listening and learning about music and instruments. The Spring 2008 KinderKonzert concludes with "Percussion: Cowboy Ed Rides Again," May 9 through May 16. School systems can coordinate the KinderKonzert visit with Science and English Language Arts instruction in addition to Visual and Performing Arts. Specially prepared worksheets designed to support Maine's Learning Results are available online or by contacting the PSO. KinderKonzerts are sponsored by Time Warner Cable. Tickets for the Portland Symphony Orchestra's KinderKonzerts are $3. For additional information and reservations visit www.portlandsymphony.com or call (207) 773-6128. # # # KinderKonzert Schedule for Strings Concerts March 31, 2008 South Hiram E.S. 9:15, 10:15 April 2, 2008 South Portland H.S. Auditorium 9:30, 10:30, 12:45 April 3, 2008 Saco, Fairfield School 9:30, 10:30, 1:00 April 4, 2008 Brunswick H.S. 9:30, 10:30, 1:00 April 7, 2008 Portland, Reiche School 9:30, 10:30, 12:45 April 8, 2008 Waldoboro, Waldo Theatre 9:30, 10:30 April 9, 2008 Center Conway, NH, Pine Tree School 9:30, 10:30 April 10, 2008 Lewiston, Bates College 9:00, 10:00, 11:00 April 28, 2008 Shelburne, NH, Town & Country Motor Inn 9:30, 10:30 April 30, 2008 Manchester, Maine, Manchester E.S 9:30, 10:30

"We are castaways" The Backyardigans

THE BACKYARDIGANS FACE THEIR BIGGEST CHALLENGE YET:

A CROSS-CANADA TOUR!

"We're stuck where we are/With no house, no car/Castaways ahoy/

We are castaways Š" - The Backyardigans, "Castaways"

After nearly four days stuck in Sydney Harbour aboard an ice-trapped ferry, with little more than granola bars and their indomitbale spirits to sustain them, The Backyardigans are back on land and headed to Fredricton for their re-scheduled show.

This recent real-life adventure is only one of a series of calamities that The Backyardigans have had to overcome since they first set out on their cross-Canada tour. They began the national tour of their stage show, QUEST FOR THE EXTRA ORDINARY ALIENS, last January in British Columbia. The tour quickly became a hot ticket, selling out major venues and delighting kids and parents alike.

As the tour progressed, it became clear The Backyardigans would need their sunny attitudes, unshakeable optimism and vivid imaginations more than ever! Snow-bound in Thunder Bay, they were forced to re-schedule their show in Sault Ste. Marie. Their fully-loaded equipment truck was then stolen in Montreal (later recovered but missing three high-end projectors) but a massive snow storm kept them in Montreal, forcing them to re-schedule their show in Saint John.

Another major blizzard held our intrepid friends captive in Windsor, which forced them to re-schedule their show in Gander. This past Monday, they were trapped on board a ferry firmly stuck in Sydney's ice-packed harbour, forcing them to re-schedule shows in Charlottetown and Fredericton.

On March 20, Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Louis St. Laurent, Canada's largest icebreaker, rescued The Backyardigans from the ice-bound boat after nearly four days and helped deliver them to Fredericton in time for their show, re-scheduled for March 21.

Patrons with tickets for shows that have been postponed are encouraged to use their tickets for
re-scheduled dates. Those unable to attend re-scheduled shows are asked to contact the venue box office for a full refund.

They've scaled the heights of Mt. Olympus, faced the notorious tickle-monster and protected the world from nasty evil-doers; they've survived the ice age, raging high seas, a blistering volcano and a dangerous mission to Mars Š but nothing compares to the real-life adventures The Backyardigans have faced during their current cross-Canada tour!

KOBA Family Entertainment presents

THE BACKYARDIGANS:

QUEST FOR THE EXTRA ORDINARY ALIENS

Book by Patti Caplette and Rodney Stringfellow

Directed and Choreographed by Patti Caplette

Music Composed by Evan Lurie

Set Design and Video by Beth Kates

Executive Producer Gilles Paquin

http://www.kobafamily.com/

Media Contact:

Carrie Sager, President

FLIP Publicity & Promotions Inc.

416.533.7710 X224 fax 416.533.7797

carrie@flip-publicity.com

http://www.flip-publicity.com

Auditions for the OLO Opera Studio

Opera Lyra Ottawa’s (OLO) Opera Studio is a training program for developing artists founded in 1999 by OLO Artistic Director Tyrone Paterson to help prepare young Canadian singers, stage directors, conductor/repetiteurs and stage managers for professional operatic careers, enabling them to move on to either more advanced training programs or the mainstage itself.

2008-09 Season Auditions
Friday, May 9 beginning at 2:00pm
Christchurch Cathedral (420 Sparks Street)

To request an audition, resumes should be sent by April 14 to the Education/Music Manager at music@operalyra.ca. All applicants must submit two letters of reference in sealed envelopes with the reference's signature across the seal. Letters of reference are to be mailed to:

Education/Music Manager
Opera Lyra Ottawa
Suite 110, 2 Daly Ave
Ottawa, ON K1N 6E2

Applicants will be notified at least 2 weeks prior to the audition as to whether or not they have been accepted for an audition. An accompanist will be provided at the audition at no cost to the applicant. Applicants may also bring their own accompanist. Audition requirements: 3 operatic arias of contrasting style, presenting at least two of the following languages: Italian, French, German, English.

Karl Balisch

Director of Marketing and Communications

www.operalyra.ca (613) 233-9200 ext 229

Orchestre Symphonique de Laval-Concerts avec François Dompierre et Alain Trudel

François Dompierre est à l'honneur en avril à l'Orchestre Symphonique de Laval

Laval, le 19 mars 2008 – L'Orchestre Symphonique de Laval et son directeur artistique, Alain Trudel, accueillent le compositeur François Dompierre qui, à l'image de ses multiples talents, se fera tour à tour arrangeur, pianiste, chef d'orchestre et animateur… car qui de mieux que François Dompierre pour commenter la musique de… Dompierre? Personnalité musicale éclatée et unique, François Dompierre occupe une place de premier plan sur la scène culturelle québécoise et mérite pleinement cet honneur que l'OSL lui rend, en lui consacrant ce programme. Curieux de tout et insatiable, il saura assurément nous surprendre! Outre de magnifiques musiques de films et un extrait de sa Symphonie imaginaire, le compositeur nous fera également cadeau de nouvelles pages de l'œuvre pour trombone qu'il compose à l'intention d'Alain Trudel, et que ce dernier interprétera lors de ce concert. Les deux artistes n'en sont pas à leur première rencontre, ils collaborent étroitement depuis plusieurs années à l'écriture de différentes œuvres pour trombone. Et, est-il nécessaire de le rappeler, Alain Trudel est considéré comme l'un des trombonistes jouissant du plus grand rayonnement artistique au monde. Le compositeur a également inscrit à ce programme L'Oiseau de feu, une œuvre magistrale de Stravinski. Le concert Dompierre, ses plus belles musiques sera présenté, le mardi 1^er avril et le mercredi 2 avril 2008 à 20 h, à la salle André-Mathieu.

Alain Trudel et François Dompierre vous invitent à la conférence d'avant-concert qu'ils donneront le mercredi 2 avril dès 19 h 15. Les élèves de l'ensemble à cordes de l'école Poly-Jeunesse, sous la direction de Manon Reddy, offriront, quant à eux, une prestation en prélude à ce programme le mercredi 2 avril.

François Dompierre

Né à Ottawa le 1^er juillet 1943, François Dompierre découvre la musique à quatre ans et cette passion l'habite depuis. Il étudie d'abord le piano avec Hélène Landry et Noëlla Vaillancourt, et travaille l'orgue avec Paul Larose, avant d'aller parfaire ses connaissances musicales au Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. Il étudie la musique classique avec Claude Champagne, Françoise Aubut et Gilberte Martin, pour ne nommer que ceux-ci, et découvre le jazz en parallèle. Après ses études, il se fait d'abord connaître comme accompagnateur et auteur-compositeur-interprète, et c'est à lui que l'on doit, entre autres, la très belle chanson L'âme à la tendresse. À titre d'orchestrateur et de directeur musical, il travaille avec Pauline Julien, Claude Gauthier, Monique Leyrac et Renée Claude. C'est également lui qui réalise Le tour de l'île et les quatre derniers albums de Félix Leclerc. Il boucle cette première période de création avec Dompierre, un album de musique instrumentale qui se vend à cent mille exemplaires! C'est après avoir collaboré à IXE-13, que François Dompierre bientôt se découvre une nouvelle passion musicale : la musique de film. Il travaille alors avec Denys Arcand, Michel Brault, Francis Mankiewicz, Claude Miller, Claude Chabrol… et signe une soixantaine de bandes originales et la musique de Demain matin, Montréal m'attend, une comédie musicale de Michel Tremblay. Il voue également à la musique de concert un amour particulier et on lui doit une vingtaine d'œuvres dont Les diableries, Les jardins intérieurs et la Symphonie imaginaire, qui sont jouées régulièrement au Canada et à l'étranger. Un de ses concertos pour piano a par ailleurs été enregistré sur étiquette Deutsche Grammophon par Édith Boivin-Béluse, l'OSM et Charles Dutoit. Il dirige également, à l'occasion, et c'est ainsi qu'on a pu le voir au pupitre, notamment, de l'orchestre de l'Opéra de Paris, de l'OSM, de l'OSQ ou encore de l'Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal. Il a récemment publié Flash Back, un album compilation de ses œuvres qu'il interprète au piano, et c'est à lui que l'on doit Les Glorieux, un hommage au Canadien de Montréal. Il termine présentement une série de pièces qu'il destine à son ami Alain Lefèvre, et on peut l'entendre sur Espace Musique, où il réussit avec art à communiquer sa grande passion pour toutes les musiques!

Au programme

Alain Trudel, chef d'orchestre et tromboniste

François Dompierre, chef invité et pianiste

Cinéma d'ailleurs

Symphonie imaginaire

Deuxième mouvement : Un peu mystérieux

Igor Stravinski

Suite de L'Oiseau de feu (version de 1919)

Introduction – Danse de L'Oiseau de feu – Variations de L'Oiseau de feu

Khorovode des Princesses

Danse infernale de Kachtcheï et de ses sujets

Berceuse

Finale

Entracte

Cantilène et Burlesque

Les Portes tournantes

« La mort de Céleste »

L'Odyssée d'Alice Tremblay

Musimage

Toutes les œuvres au programme sont des compositions et des arrangements de François Dompierre, à l'exception de la suite de L'Oiseau de feu d'Igor Stravinski.

En résumé :

Concert-bénéfice ouvert au public à prix régulier : le mardi 1^er avril 2008 à 20 h, à la salle André-Mathieu

Concert : le mercredi 2 avril 2008 à 20 h, à la salle André-Mathieu

Conférence d'avant-concert avec Alain Trudel et François Dompierre : le mercredi 2 avril 2008, dès 19 h 15, à la salle André-Mathieu

Les billets pour ce concert sont disponibles :

En ligne : www.salleandremathieu.com

Au guichet de la salle André-Mathieu : 475, boul. de l'Avenir, Laval

Par téléphone, billetterie de la salle André-Mathieu : (450) 667-2040

Via le Réseau admission : (514) 790-1245

- 30 -

Renseignements et relations de presse : Evelyn Dubois

Bureau : (514) 527-3983 Cellulaire : (514) 770-3983 Courriel : e.dubois@sympatico.ca

Bulletin LSM mars 2008

Dans les numéros d’avril de La Scena Musicale et de la revue trimestrielle sur les arts La SCENA : Simon Brault et Anton Kuerti!

(English version)

En avril, La Scène Musicale publiera sa revue trimestrielle consacrée aux arts autres que la musique, La SCENA. En vedette, Simon Brault, directeur général de l’École nationale de théâtre du Canada, président de Culture Montréal, membre de l’Ordre du Canada et un formidable défenseur des arts au Canada. Quant à notre numéro mensuel de La Scena Musicale, nous saluerons le pianiste de renommée mondiale Anton Kuerti, l’un de musiciens et professeurs les plus respectés au pays. Présentement professeur invité à l’École de musique Schulich de l’Université McGill, M. Kuerti a reçu récemment le Prix du Gouverneur général pour les arts de la scène, un prix prestigieux qui récompense l’œuvre de toute une vie. Un article portera sur la violoniste et compositrice Ruth Fazal et son œuvre remarquable, Oratorio Terezin, qui sera exécutée au début de mai à la Place des Arts. Le texte de cette composition puissante pour orchestre, chœurs et solistes est tiré de poèmes écrits par des enfants du ghetto de Terezin durant la Shoah. Nous nous arrêterons également sur les amendements proposés au projet de loi C-10, une loi fédérale qui permettrait au ministère du Patrimoine canadien de refuser des crédits d’impôt à des réalisations artistiques jugées répréhensibles ou contraires à l’intérêt public. Il va sans dire que des artistes de tout le pays ont vigoureusement dénoncé ce projet de loi, le qualifiant de censure nous ramenant à une « police des mœurs ». Un autre dossier à suivre de près est la saga de la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur. Le 10 mars, la Ville de Montréal a subitement annoncé l’annulation de toute la programmation musicale à la Chapelle. Depuis, des manifestations et protestations du public et de divers organismes, notamment le Conseil québécois de la musique, ont amené la Ville à revenir sur sa décision et à rétablir toutes les activités prévues à la Chapelle. C’est assurément une grande victoire pour la communauté musicale de Montréal, mais nous suivrons de près l’évolution de ce dossier. Ce mois-ci, nous inclurons divers guides qui réuniront les deux volets de ce numéro spécial : les festivals d’arts internationaux (musique et arts) et les festivals de printemps au Canada (musique et arts). Nous publierons également un guide des abonnements à la saison 2008-09. Comme toujours, le numéro mensuel comprendra les sections sur le jazz et la musique du monde, des critiques de disques et de DVD et, bien sûr, le calendrier régional d’avril des concerts et récitals.

Nouveautés chez www.scena.org: blogue et fil de presse!

Nous sommes fiers de présenter le blogue de La Scena Musicale (www.scena.org/blog), idéal pour trouver les commentaires et les nouvelles de la musique et des arts au Canada et à travers le monde. Nos journalistes affichent très régulièrement les actualités en musique. Nous vous invitons également à découvrir notre blogue de fil de presse, www.scena.org/blog/newswire, un nouveau service pour les organisations des arts qui veulent afficher leurs communiqués. Les détails des concerts, les diffusions à la radio et la télévision, les événements des arts en ligne…vous y trouverez tout cela !

Pourquoi passer une annonce dans La SCENA/La Scena Musicale? Trouvez les consommateurs canadiens les plus friands de culture

Vous désirez trouver des lecteurs de 35 ans et plus avertis et plus à l'aise financièrement que la moyenne ? Ou bien des musiciens/artistes professionnels et les étudiants ?

La Scena Musicale vous invite chez 100 000 Canadiens éduqués, mélomanes, passionnés de culture. Nos lecteurs s'intéressent à la musique, la danse, le théâtre, le cinéma, les arts visuels, la cuisine et la mode.

Nos revues renommées La Scena Musicale, La SCENA et The Music Scene publient des articles et critiques qui font réfléchir. La Scena Musicale et La SCENA sont les seules publications bilingues à Montréal consacrées à la musique de concert (classique, jazz et musiques du monde) et aux arts et à la culture (la musique, la danse, le théâtre, le cinéma et les arts visuels). En plus, le calendrier culturel le plus complet au Canada assure que la lecture sera répétée (plus que 225 000 par mois).

Ci-dessous, vous trouverez des renseignements pour les prochains numéros de La Scena Musciale, La SCENA, et The Music Scene. Pour de l'information sur les tarifs de publicité et la production, veuillez visiter http://ads.scena.org ou contacter notre service des ventes au 514-948-2520 ou sales@scena.org.

Wah Keung Chan
Éditeur fondateur
La Scena Musicale
La SCENA
The Music Scene

La SCENA: printemps 2008 / La Scena Musicale: avril 2008

•50,000 lecteurs
•Distribution: 25,000 copies
•Montréal: 20,500
•Québec: 500
•En kiosque: 2,000
•Abonnements: 2,000
•Sortie: le 2 avril
•Tombée publicitaire: le 25 mars
•Maquettes: le 25 mars

LSM March 2008 Newsletter

April’s La Scena Musicale and special arts quarterly, La SCENA, features Simon Brault and Anton Kuerti!

(version française)

April will see La Scène Musicale release its special quarterly magazine dedicated to non-musical arts, La SCENA. We will feature Simon Brault, Director General of the National Theatre School of Canada, president of Culture Montréal, recipient of the Order of Canada, and a formidable advocate for the arts in Canada. As for our monthly edition of La Scena Musicale, we will pay tribute to internationally recognized pianist Anton Kuerti, one of the country’s most respected musicians and teachers. Currently a visiting professor at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, Mr. Kuerti was recently honoured with a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, a prestigious lifetime achievement prize. Other highlights include a look at violinist/composer Ruth Fazal and her remarkable piece, Oratorio Terezin, which will be performed in early May at Place-des-Arts. The composition is a stunning full-scale work for orchestra, choirs and soloists, and its text draws upon poetry written by children from the ghetto of Terezin during the Holocaust. We’ll also bring you up to speed on the latest developments on the proposed amendments to Bill C-10, federal legislation which would allow the Heritage Department to deny tax credits to artistic projects deemed to be offensive or not in the public interest. It goes without saying that artists across the country have soundly denounced the bill, calling it “censorship” and “morality policing”. Another story we are following very closely is the ongoing Chapelle Historique du Bon Pasteur saga. On March 10, the city of Montreal had unexpectedly announced the cancellation of all musical programming at the iconic venue, though a wave of demonstrations and protests from a wide variety of individuals and musical organizations, most notably the Conseil Québecois de la musique, pressured the city to overturn its decision and restore all activities initially planned at the Chapelle. While this is a great victory for the musical community of Montreal, we intend to keep a very close eye on all developments in this matter. We will include a variety of guides this month that will tie together both components of this special issue: International Summer Festivals (music and arts) and Canadian Spring Festivals (music and arts). We will also have a guide to 2008-09 Season Subscriptions. As always, our regular features this month include the Jazz and World music sections, CD and DVD reviews, and of course, the April regional music calendar.

New LSM Online Features: Blog and Newswire

We are proud to unveil the LSM Blog (www.scena.org/blog), which is the ideal place to check out commentary and news on music and the arts in Canada and around the world. Our writers will be posting regularly to keep you up to date on the latest developments throughout the musical world.

We would also like to tell you about our new free service called LSM Newswire. E-mail your press release to newswiresubsmit@scena.org. The text must be in the body of the e-mail. We will post it in our newswire page http://www.scena.org/blog/newswire. We will also put a direct link to your press release in the "LSM Newswire" section at the bottom of our home page http://en.scena.org. Please note that this service will not work with if the info is in a file attachment (PDF, Word, etc.). The text must be in the body of the e-mail.

Why advertise in La SCENA/La Scena Musicale?

Reach Canada's most cultured consumers

Want to reach the affluent, sophisticated, urban 35+ demographic, or professional and student musicians/artists?

Highly educated and with sophisticated tastes in culture and lifestyle: La Scene Musicale invites you into the lives of 100,000 Canadians. Our readers are passionate about music, dance, theatre, film, visual arts, as well as food, fashion and their homes.

Our award-winning magazines La Scena Musicale, La SCENA and The Music Scene contain thought-provoking articles and reviews. Furthermore, La Scena Musicale and La SCENA are the only bilingual Montreal publications dedicated to covering concert music (classical music, jazz and world music), and arts and culture (music, dance, theatre, film and visual arts). In addition, the inclusion of Canada's most in-depth cultural calendar ensures repeat viewings, over 225,000 per month. Our new direct distribution to affluent households ($100K+) means our magazines truly deliver, meaning they are read and read often.

Enclosed is more info on the next issues of La Scena Musicale, La SCENA, and The Music Scene. For more info on rates and production, please visit http://ads.scena.org, or contact our sales department directly at 514-948-2520 or sales@scena.org.

Yours sincerely,

Wah Keung Chan
Founding Publisher and Editor
La Scena Musicale
La SCENA
The Music Scene

La SCENA: Spring 2008 / La Scena Musicale: April 2008

•50,000 readers
•Quebec circulation: 25,000 copies
•Montreal: 20,500
•Québec City: 500
•Newsstands: 2,000
•Mailing: 2,000
•Distribution date: April 2
•Advertising deadline: March 25
•Materials deadline: March 25

Playwright Daniel Lillford Interview on Art & Fine Living with Jona

Playwright, actor and director Daniel Lillford made a guest appearance on Art & Fine Living with Jona to air March 23^rd and 26^th, 2008. In a lively conversation, the creator of The Mystery of Maddy Heisler, to premiere at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal in late March, spoke candidly about his fascination with the two great wars of the last century, about his own family's strife in the German-occupied Channel Islands and about the making of the mystery which was already nominated for five East Coast awards.

The play is set in rural Nova Scotia during WWII, where a young local man falls in love with an older woman who arrives mysteriously and disappears in the midst of their rapturous love affair. Years later, the young man, now an aging mystery writer, is approached by a young woman carrying a small notebook, the contents of which open an unexpected door to the past.

Art & Fine Living with Jona is produced and hosted by Montrealer Jona Rapoport. The program showcases talents in theatre, music, opera, dance, literature and visual arts, with a delightful mix and commentary on fresh classical and jazz releases. The show airs on Sundays at 7pm and on Wednesdays at 3pm on Radio Shalom 1650 AM, and shows are archived on the host's page at www.radio-shalom.ca for downloading.

---------------------30------------------

Source:

Jona Rapoport

jonarapoport@gmail.com

Un nouveau programme pour encourager l'émergence dans les arts

Appel de projets : date limite d’inscription le 11 avril 2008

Montréal, le 17 mars 2008 – Le Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM), le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) et la Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal (CRÉ) invitent les organismes artistiques professionnels montréalais à soumettre des projets artistiques dans le cadre du nouveau programme Soutien des pratiques émergentes.

Ce programme vise à soutenir les projets innovateurs qui recourent à l’une des approches artistiques suivantes : utilisation des nouvelles technologies (traitement numérique, nouveaux médias, technologies de l’information et des communications, etc.); transgression des frontières disciplinaires avec un processus créatif atypique; intégration, dans une discipline peu reconnue, de nouveaux modèles de création/production/diffusion. Il s’adresse aux organismes professionnels à but non lucratif de l’île de Montréal incorporés depuis un an ou plus et qui oeuvrent dans les domaines suivants : arts du cirque, arts médiatiques, arts multidisciplinaires, arts visuels, cinéma, danse, littérature et conte, métiers d’art, musique, théâtre, nouvelles pratiques artistiques, design et recherche architecturale.

Ce programme triennal dispose de crédits annuels de 100 000 $ et s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une entente générale entre le CAM, le CALQ et la CRÉ de Montréal qui vise à accroître le soutien à des organismes artistiques professionnels de l’île de Montréal.

Les organismes ont jusqu’au vendredi 11 avril 2008 pour soumettre un projet. Les projets seront évalués par un comité de sélection formé de pairs issus du milieu artistique de l’île de Montréal. La description du programme et les formulaires sont disponibles sur le site du Conseil des arts de Montréal : www.artsmontreal.org
• Programme : www.artsmontreal.org/formulaires/20082009/SPECriteres0809.pdf
• Formulaire d’inscription : www.artsmontreal.org/formulaires/20082009/SPE-Inscription08-09.doc
• Formulaire détaillé : www.artsmontreal.org/formulaires/20082009/SPE-Detail08-09.xls

Pour toute information sur le programme, veuillez contacter Marie-Michèle Cron à mcron.p@ville.montreal.qc.ca ou au 514 280-4125.

— 30 —

Source : Christian O’Leary, directeur des communications et du développement
(514) 280-3991, coleary.p@ville.montreal.qc.ca

La Ville de Montréal continuera d’assurer la programmation de la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur

Montréal, le 17 mars 2008 – Au terme d’une rencontre avec les représentants du Conseil québécois de la musique, le maire de Montréal, M. Gérald Tremblay et Mme Catherine Sévigny, conseillère associée à la Culture et au Centre-ville, ont réitéré l’intention de la Ville de maintenir accessible la Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur. Ils ont également donné l’assurance que la programmation de la Chapelle sera maintenue.

« Je suis sensible aux préoccupations du milieu culturel et à l’importance qu’il accorde à ce lieu de diffusion. Nous allons prendre le temps nécessaire pour examiner avec toutes les personnes intéressées et plus particulièrement avec le Conseil québécois de la musique de quelle manière nous pouvons assurer la pérennité de la mission de la Chapelle », a déclaré le maire Gérald Tremblay.

– 30 –

Source : Renée Sauriol
Cabinet du maire et du comité exécutif
514 872-4894

[Montreal] JAZZ AU PLATEAU MONT-ROYAL, une semaine de concerts avec la relève du secteur jazz de l'UdeM, du 25 au 29 mars

Dix concerts d’une heure seront présentés à la Maison de la culture du Plateau Mont-Royal, soit deux chaque soir, par les ensembles jazz de la Faculté de musique, les chanteuses de son secteur vocal jazz et le Big Band de l’Université de Montréal.

Cette série est une occasion pour la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal de faire connaître le dynamisme de son secteur jazz à un public encore plus large que celui toujours grandissant et fidèle qui fréquente ses salles de concerts.

La Faculté de musique et la Maison de la culture du Plateau Mont-Royal invitent donc les amateurs de jazz à venir découvrir la relève lors des concerts suivants :

Mardi 25 mars 2008

20 h : combo dirigé par Pierre Leduc

21 h 30 : combo dirigé par Dany Roy

Mercredi 26 mars 2008

20 h : combo dirigé par Simon Stone

21 h 30 : combo dirigé par Simon Stone

Jeudi 27 mars 2008

20 h : combo dirigé par Ron Di Lauro

21 h 30 : combo dirigé par Michael Gauthier

Vendredi 28 mars 2008

20 h : combo dirigé par Michel Donato

21 h 30 : combo dirigé par Luc Beaugrand

Samedi 29 mars 2008

20 h : combo jazz vocal dirigé par Vincent Morel

21 h 30 : Le Big Band de l’Université de Montréal, sous la direction de Ron Di Lauro

« JAZZ AU PLATEAU MONT-ROYAL »

Du mardi 25 mars au samedi 29 mars 2008

À compter de 20 h

Maison de la culture du Plateau Mont-Royal

465, av. du Mont-Royal Est, Montréal

Laissez-passer gratuits disponibles

à compter du mardi 18 mars, 17 h

514.872.2266

- 30 -

La Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal bénéficie du soutien de

Renseignements :

Julie Fortier

Faculté de musique – Université de Montréal

514.343.6365

julie.c.fortier@umontreal.ca

Éric Champagne

Maison de la culture du Plateau Mont-Royal

514.872.2266

maison_mr@ville.montreal.qc.ca

[Paris] Le Concours International de Cor de Paris-Ville d'Avray - Résultats

Le Concours International de Cor de Paris-Ville d'Avray a récompensé, le 16 mars 2008, les interprètes suivants :

1er Prix (Prix du Conseil Général des Hauts de Seine) : Kevin RIVARD (USA)

2ème Prix (Prix de la Commune de Ville d'Avray) : Mathieu ROMAND (France).
Mathieu Romand remporte aussi le Prix de l'Association Française du Cor pour le meilleur "jeune espoir français"

Prix du Public : Kevin RIVARD

Mention spéciale à Anna Magdalena EUEN (Allemagne).

--30--

Jean-Louis Petit
34 Avenue Bugeaud, 75116 PARIS
téléphone : 08 77 11 14 57
portables : 06.85.73.72.93 - 06 11 75 20 63
jlpetit@jeanlouispetit.com
http://jeanlouispetit.com

Soirée avec Ohad Naharin / Evening with Ohad Naharin

COMMUNIQUÉ

Pour diffusion immédiate

UNE soirée avec Ohad Naharin

AU Théâtre Maisonneuve de la Place des Arts

les 3, 4, 5, 10 et 12 avril 2008 à 20 h

Montréal, le 3 mars 2008 – Chorégraphe d'origine israélienne, à l'humour et à l'imagination poétiques, Ohad Naharin développe depuis le début des années 1980 un langage chorégraphique excentrique, astucieux et d'une musicalité naturelle, qui nous plonge dans l'intimité des choses. Après le succès phénoménal de son fameux Minus One, conçu pour Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, et présenté à Montréal et sur la scène internationale, il est aujourd'hui de retour avec Danz, un collage inédit d'œuvres, créé spécialement pour la compagnie. À cette œuvre originale, s'ajoutent la reprise de Kaamos, une pièce atmosphérique sur le thème de l'ambiguïté, et de Arbos, un ballet explorant le domaine viscéral des pulsions, de la passion et du désir ; un diptyque superbement maîtrisé. Le spectacle a lieu au Théâtre Maisonneuve de la Place des Arts, les 3, 4, 5, 10 et 12 avril 2008 à 20 h.

« Nous savons que Naharin n'est rien de moins qu'un génie parce qu'il s'empare du corps humain et le retourne dans tous les sens, repoussant ses limites. Il ne cite et n'imite personne —ce qu'il fait est du pur Naharin. » (Habama, Israël).

Danz

Florilège et formidable rétrospective du travail créatif de Naharin des neuf dernières années, Danz comprend des séquences tirées de Moshe (1999), Naharin's Virus (2001), gagnant d'un prix Bessie à New York, Three (2005), une chorégraphie étonnante par les astuces de mouvement imaginées, Telophaza (2005), où se déploie une armée enjouée d'interprètes en escadron, et Max (2007), dont la gestuelle est décrite comme étant des plus impressionnantes. De la pièce Three, Naharin a choisi la section intitulée Humus, « une danse hypnotique et particulièrement belle pour neuf femmes, qui bougent comme un seul et même organisme.» (The New York Times). Danz est une œuvre portant le sceau d'un artiste au sommet de son art.

Kaamos

Tirée du ballet Z/Na, commandé par le Nederlands Dans Theater en 1995, Kaamos « nous plonge au sein d'un univers futuriste éclaté ne nous laissant pour tout repère que des symboles, des sons, des mots et des gestes qui semblent nous parvenir des temps immémoriaux » (Voir). Kaamos fut ajoutée au répertoire des GBCM et présentée pour la première fois dans la métropole québécoise en 2005. Si, en finlandais, le mot kaamos désigne la longue noirceur des hivers boréales, Ohad Naharin explore ici la qualité singulière que prennent les objets dans l'obscurité et comment ceux-ci nous deviennent soudainement étrangers. Dansée sur une musique originale d'Ivry Lider, l'œuvre est « une apothéose, […] une harmonie en noir, qui joue sur le caché et le dévoilement, visages et corps tour à tour cachés, puis unis en pleine lumière ou révélés par des transparences.» (La Presse).

Arbos

Commandée en 1989 par la Sydney Dance Company et acquise par les GBCM en 2005, Arbos avait aussi renversé le public des GBCM lors de sa première montréalaise. Le chorégraphe compare Arbos à « une pierre flottant dans les airs » ou encore à « un lieu entre le ciel et l'enfer, une espèce de passage vers le lieu de la sagesse ». La pièce se déploie sur la musique chorale d'Arvo Pärt, que Naharin harmonise superbement aux mouvements des danseurs vêtus de longues jupes rouges. « Arbos touche au sublime sans être dépourvu d'humour et de lucidité. C'est là toute l'intelligence de Naharin, qui sait jouer de contrastes et de revirements. » (Le Devoir)

OHAD NAHARIN

« Mon histoire, mon passé, ma culture, mes origines et mon errance fondent mon approche de la danse. » Ohad Naharin

Auteur d'un langage gestuel exubérant et énergique, Naharin place le plaisir au cœur de sa danse. Directeur de la Batsheva Dance Company, il travaille depuis le début des années 1990 à renouveler la danse en Israël. Ces dernières années, il a développé un entraînement spécifique pour ses interprètes. Nommée Gaga, cette technique a été élaborée pour aiguiser la perception sensorielle, encourager l'usage de l'imagination, améliorer l'agilité, la souplesse et l'efficacité du mouvement.

Artiste de réputation internationale, Ohad Naharin est lauréat de nombreux prix et distinctions ; il est notamment Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France) et a reçu le prix de danse d'Israël en 2005. Il a créé de nombreuses œuvres qui ont fait de la troupe l'une des plus réputées du monde. Ses chorégraphies font partie du répertoire des compagnies de ballet contemporain, telles que le Nederlands Dans Theater, le Ballet de Francfort, le Ballet de l'Opéra de Lyon, le Ballet National de Madrid, le Ballet Cullberg (Suède) et le Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris. Naharin a reçu un doctorat honorifique du Weizmann Institute of Science pour les implications scientifiques de son œuvre.

« Ohad Naharin possède la maîtrise d'un classique chevronné et le tempérament d'un jeune rocker […] Il est maître de l'effet, bien de son temps, doué d'une imagination désarmante. » Le Figaro, Paris

La soirée Ohad Naharin prendra l'affiche du Théâtre Maisonneuve de la Place des Arts les 3, 4, 5, 10 et 12 avril à 20 h. Billets en vente à la Place des Arts, 514-842-2112 / www.pda.qc.ca.

Des causeries animées auront lieu au Théâtre Maisonneuve avant toutes les représentations, de 19 h à 19 h 30.

POUR NE RIEN MANQUER, OFFREZ-VOUS UN ABONNEMENT !

Pour des renseignements sur les différentes formules d'abonnement des Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, les forfaits de groupe et les privilèges exceptionnels qui leur sont rattachés, le grand public est invité à téléphoner au 514-849-0269 ou à consulter la brochure de saison ou le site www.grandsballets.com. Le site offre également des renseignements sur les spectacles, la compagnie et les danseurs.

-30-

Renseignements : Francine Arsenault, communications

Tél. : 514.849.8681, poste 227

farsenault@grandsballets.com / www.grandsballets.com

---

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

AN EVENING WITH Ohad NAHARIN

Théâtre Maisonneuve OF Place des Arts

April 3, 4, 5, 10 and 12 at 8 p.m.

Montréal, March 3, 2008 – Since he first began working in the 1980s, Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin, known for his humour and poetic imagination, has developed a choreographic lexicon that — eccentric, adroit and suffused with natural musicality — plunges the audience into an intimate relationship with the surrounding world. On the heels of the phenomenal success of Minus One, commissioned by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal in 2002 and staged in Montréal and abroad, Mr. Naharin is back with Danz, an inspired collage created especially for the dancers of Les Grands Ballets. This new work will be joined by two previous works: Kaamos, an atmospheric piece on the theme of ambiguity; and Arbos, a ballet that explores the visceral domain of impulse, passion and desire. Together, the three works form a masterful triptych. The performance takes place at Théâtre Maisonneuve of Place des Arts at 8 p.m. this April 3, 4, 5, 10 and 12.

"We know Mr. Naharin is no less than a genius because he takes the human body and turns it upside down, testing all of its limitations. He does not quote nor imitate — it is all pure Naharin ..." (Habama, Israel)

Danz

A stunning retrospective of Mr. Naharin's work over the past nine years, Danz consists of sequences taken from Moshe (1999); Naharin's Virus (2001), winner of a Bessie award in New York; Three (2005), an astonishing series of imaginative movements; Telophaza (2005), a playful army of performers who group and regroup into squadrons; and Max (2007), a piece noted for its striking gestural language. From Three, Naharin has chosen the segment titled Humus, "an especially beautiful dance for nine women, who move as one mesmerizing organism." (The New York Times). Danz: an anthological work that bears the stamp of an artist at the height of his creative powers.

Kaamos

Taken from the ballet Z/Na, Kaamos, commissioned by the Nederlands Dans Theater in 1995, "plunges the viewer into an explosive futuristic world in which the only points of reference are symbols, sounds, words and gestures that seem to come to us from long, long ago" (Voir). It joined the Grands Ballets repertoire and was staged in Montréal in 2005. Though in Finnish the word kaamos refers to the long nights of northern winters, Mr. Naharin was more interested in conveying the singular quality that objects take on in the darkness, where they suddenly appear foreign. Performed to the music of Ivry Lider, Kaamos is "an apotheosis ... a harmony in black that plays on concealment and revelation. Faces and bodies are hidden then united in full light or revealed through transparency." (La Presse)

Arbos

Commissioned in 1989 by Australia's Sydney Dance Company and acquired by Les Grands Ballets in 2005, Arbos was enthusiastically received by Montréal audiences. For Mr. Naharin, Arbos is "a stone floating in the air" or "a space somewhere between heaven and hell, a sort of passageway to the place where wisdom dwells." The piece unfolds to Arvo Pärt's choral score, to which Mr. Naharin superbly harmonizes the movements of his dancers, garbed in long red skirts. "Arbos reaches sublime heights without losing any of its humour or lucidity. This is where we see the considerable intelligence of Mr. Naharin, who is so apt at working with contrasts and reversals." (Le Devoir)

OHAD NAHARIN

"My history, my past, my culture, my origins, my wandering: these are the foundations of my approach to dance." (Ohad Naharin)

As the creator of an energetic and exuberant gestural language, Mr. Naharin puts "pleasure" squarely at the heart of his dance. Artistic Director of the Batsheva Dance Company, since the early 1990s Mr. Naharin has worked hard to inject dance in Israel with a new impetus. In recent years, he has fine-tuned his own brand of advanced training, developed for his dancers. Dubbed "Gaga," the technique aims to sharpen sensorial perception, encourage free use of the imagination, and improve agility, flexibility and gestural impact.

The internationally renowned choreographer has received numerous awards and distinctions, including Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France) and the 2005 Israeli Prize for dance. His choreography has brought Batsheva to world fame, while his works appear in the repertoires of such companies as Nederlands Dans Theater, Frankfurt Ballet, Ballet de l'Opéra de Lyon, Madrid's Compañía Nacional de Danza, Sweden's Cullberg Ballet and Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris. In 2004, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Israel's Weizmann Institute of Science for the scientific implications of his work.

"Ohad Naharin combines the mastery of a veteran classicist with the temperament of a young rocker ... A master of effect, a man of his time and blessed with a breathtaking imagination." (Le Figaro)

Ohad Naharin takes the stage at Théâtre Maisonneuve of Place des Arts on April 3, 4, 5, 10 and 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets available at Place des Arts, 514-842-2112 / www.pda.qc.ca.

Pre-show talks will be held at Théâtre Maisonneuve before each performance, from 7 to 7:30 p.m.

DON'T MISS OUT: SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

For more information on subscribing to Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, group rates and the many associated advantages, call 514-849-0269, consult the seasonal brochure or visit www.grandsballets.com, where you'll also find information on shows, the company and its dancers.

-30-

Information: Francine Arsenault, Communications

Tel.: 514.849.8681, ext. 227

farsenault@grandsballets.com / www.grandsballets.com

PSO Showcases Music Director Robert Moody in Special Performance May 5

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 13, 2008



CONTACT:

Gillian Britt 207-775-2126

gBritt PR



PORTLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA SHOWCASES MUSIC DIRECTOR DESIGNATE ROBERT MOODY IN A SPECIAL PERFORMANCE OF MAHLER'S SYMPHONY NO. 1 AT MERRILL AUDITORIUM MAY 5

PORTLAND, Maine – The Portland Symphony Orchestra is presenting a special low-price, hour-long concert designed to introduce incoming Music Director Robert Moody to Portland and the southern Maine community. All seats for this Podium Prelude Concert are $25 and Maestro Moody has selected the monumental Symphony No. 1 by Gustav Mahler. The concert is on Monday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Merrill Auditorium and is a "prelude" to the PSO's season finale the following night.

Deborah Galarneau, President of the PSO's Board of Trustees, said, "We are thrilled to be able to offer the community a special prelude presentation of Mahler's entire first symphony at a much-reduced price. This is a one-and-only opportunity to see a particularly powerful symphony, led by Music Director Designate Robert Moody. I hope that people who have been curious about our new Music Director will take advantage of this concert and come see him conduct."

In addition to the $25 tickets for the May 5 concert there are a limited number of $150 tickets, which include Grand Tier seating and an exclusive cocktail reception at the Cumberland Club with Robert Moody. Those tickets can be purchased by calling the PSO office at (207) 773-6128.

Moody is also conducting the "Rumba Sinfonica" Pops concerts with Tiempo Libre in late April and Independence Pops in June and July. Subscriptions for the 2008-2009 season, Moody's first as Music Director, are on sale now.

Tickets for the Podium Prelude and other PSO performances are available now through www.porttix.com, by phone at 207-842-0800, or at the PortTix box office, 20 Myrtle St., Monday through Saturday from noon to 6 p.m.

World premier of Poet and Prophetess

Welcome to the world premier of Poet and Prophetess!

World premier! 29 March at NorrlandsOperan, Umeå - Sweden Teatern 6 pm, introduction 5.30 pm in the Bar, NorrlandsOperan Poet and Prophetess is a story based on two real-life tales of Europe vs. Africa in a time when the future of both continents was shaped, though with very different results. This newly written opera is about the young 18th century Swedish poet Bengt Linder, who was forced to travel with the East India vessel Terra Nova. The opera Poet and Prophetess is the culmination of NorrlandsOperan's successful collaboration with Cape Town Opera. NorrlandsOperan's resident composer Mats Larsson Gothe has contributed the music, with the libretto being written by Cape Town Opera's general manager Michael Williams. Conductor Jonas Alber I Assistant Conductor Albert Horne I Music Mats Larsson Gothe I Libretto Michael Williams I Production Matthew Richardson I Scenography Lars Östbergh I Costumes Annsofi Nyberg I Masks Robin Karlsson I Choreography Sibonakaliso Ndaba I Vocalists Göran Eliasson, Thomas Lander, Elisabet Strid, Philisa Sibeka, Richard Mbovane, Aubrey Lodewyk, Miranda Tini, Xolela Sixaba, Rouel Beukes, Lars Martinsson, Kosma Ranuer, Stefan Dahlberg, Anna Johansson I Choirs NorrlandsOperan's choir, Vocal Ensemble I Chorus Master Kjell Oscarsson, Albert Horne I Dancers Bruno Wani, Nosiphiwo Samente, Owen Manamela I The Symphony Orchestra at NorrlandsOperan Language: Sung in english with swedish subtitles Time & Place: Teatern, NorrlandsOperan, Umeå - Sweden PREMIERE Sat 29 mar - 6 pm Tue 1 apr - 7 pm Thur 3 apr - 7 pm Sat 5 apr - 6 pm Wed 9 apr - 7 pm Fri 11 apr - 7 pm Sun 13 apr - 4 pm Wed 16 apr - 7 pm Fri 18 apr - 7 pm Sun 20 apr - 4 pm Introduction 30 minutes before the performance, The Bar, NorrlandsOperan

---

For further information, please contact: Johanna Mattsson, Marketing Manager Phone number: +46(0)90 15 43 23 or +46(0)70 361 77 09 E-mail: johanna.mattsson@norrlandsoperan.se

Michael Schade & Russell Braun give duo Recital in Toronto

International Vocal Recitals Series
Duo Recital
Michael Schade, tenor
& Russell Braun, baritone
with Carolyn Maule, piano
Friday, March 28, 2008 at 8:00 pm / Roy Thomson Hall / Toronto
Tickets: $85 - $25 / 416-872-4255 / or visit the RTH Box Office / www.roythomson.com

For Immediate Release, Toronto, ON. February 29, 2008: - Two world-renowned Canadian opera singers, tenor Michael Schade and baritone Russell Braun, return to Roy Thomson Hall on Friday, March 28 at 8:00 p.m. for their 2nd collaborative appearance on the International Vocal Recitals series. Their "debut" duo recital at Roy Thomson Hall on this series was almost ten years ago, in September 1998. Then, they were called "rising" stars; today, they are hailed as "super" stars!

Michael Schade and Russell Braun each enjoy thriving international performing careers as soloists with the world's leading orchestras and opera companies. The Toronto-based artists are stars at La Scala, Covent Garden, the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna State Opera and more. As well, these two good friends are equally well known for their duo recital performances throughout the USA, Europe, the UK and Canada.

For their Roy Thomson Hall recital they offer an exhilarating program of solos and duets by Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Wolf, Lysenko, and a Viennese medley arranged by Canadian composer John Greer. Once again, the esteemed Canadian pianist Carolyn Maule (Braun's wife) accompanies them.

Michael Schade was named a Kammersänger by the Austrian government in 2007, the country's highest award for a singer. Highlights of his 2007-2008 season include performances with the symphonies of Chicago, Montreal and Toronto, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Virtuosi; recitals and concerts in Bucharest, Amsterdam, Rome, Munich and Vienna; and opera appearances in Vienna, Luxembourg, Hamburg and at the Salzburg Festival. His impressive discography includes the Juno Award-nominated solo albums Die Schöne Müllerin and Of ladies and love...; and the Grammy Award-winning recording of Bach's St. Matthew Passion.

Russell Braun began his 2007-2008 season as the conniving Count in the Canadian Opera Company's production of The Marriage of Figaro. His opera calendar also includes the role of Wolfram in the San Diego Opera's production of Tannhäuser; as Le Gentil in the world premiere of Victor Davies' Transit of Venus with Manitoba Opera; as Figaro in the Metropolitan Opera in the Park's performances of The Barber of Seville; and a return to the Salzburg Festival in Romeo et Juliette. He recently added to his extensive discography with releases of the Grammy Award-nominated Das Lied von der Erde and the Juno Award-nominated Die Winterreise.

Award-winning collaborative albums: In addition to their individual recording credits and honors, Schade and Braun have collaborated on three albums for CBC Records. Two are Juno Award winners: Mozart Arie e Duetti (2007), and Soirée Française (1998) which also received the prestigious Gabriel Fauré Award in France; and Serata Italiana (2001), an album of Italian opera arias and duets, which earned a Juno Award nomination.

This performance is sponsored by Lexus.

Upcoming on Roy Thomson Hall's 2007/08 International Vocal Recitals Series (Call 416-872- 4255):
- Tuesday, April 15, 2008, 8:00 pm - BRYN TERFEL, bass-baritone; Malcolm Martineau, piano


MEDIA CONTACT: Liz Parker, Publicity Manager / Ph: 416 593 4822, Ext. 318 / email: liz.parker@rth-mh.com
THE CORPORATION OF MASSEY HALL AND ROY THOMSON HALL, 60 Simcoe Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2H5

CQM consterné par la décision de la Ville de Montréal de mettre fin à sa programmation de concerts à la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur

Le Conseil québécois de la musique consterné par la décision de la Ville de Montréal de mettre fin à sa programmation de concerts à la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur

MONTREAL, le 11 mars /CNW Telbec/ - C'est avec consternation que les membres du Conseil québécois la musique ont appris hier que la Ville de Montréal a décidé de mettre fin à sa programmation de concerts à la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur dès l'été 2008. Alors que la Ville cherche à se positionner en tant que métropole culturelle, comment peut-elle justifier un tel désengagement, et à une telle vitesse ?

Interpellé par une note du Service de la culture invitant les organismes artistiques à déposer des propositions de partenariat avec la Ville, le CQM s'interroge sur les intentions de la Ville dans ce dossier. Que veut-elle dire par "... le lieu, les instruments ainsi que les équipements techniques seront mis à la disposition d'un éventuel partenaire" ? Qu'est-ce que la Ville nous dit lorsqu'elle affirme que "la Chapelle doit demeurer à la disposition de la communauté musicale ? Comment croit-elle "rendre possible la diffusion d'une programmation régulière de concerts" ? Bref, de nombreuses questions qui devront trouver réponses avant que le CQM encourage ses membres à développer des projets de partenariat pour la Chapelle du Bon-Pasteur.

De plus, le moment choisi est bien mauvais pour faire une telle annonce. La semaine dernière, des dizaines d'organismes musicaux acheminaient aux principaux organismes de soutien, que sont le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec et le Conseil des arts de Montréal, leur demande annuelle ou pluriannuelle. Ils se devaient de faire un exercice de projection et ainsi annoncer leurs projets artistiques pour les années à venir. Aucun de ces organismes n'a pu y introduire l'idée d'un projet pour la Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur puisque l'intention de Montréal de se retirer de sa programmation n'était pas encore connue. Ce n'est certainement pas en moins de six semaines que des projets structurants et structurés pourront être déposés avec tout le sérieux et le professionnalisme que le processus impose. Le CQM se désolerait de voir une partie de sa communauté se fragiliser dans une aventure où les risques n'ont pas été calculés.

Rappelons que la Chapelle historique, restaurée en 1987, est l'une des trop rares bonnes salles de concert à Montréal. En plus d'offrir une acoustique exceptionnelle, elle invite le public à rencontrer une diversité de styles musicaux allant de la musique classique au jazz en passant par la musique contemporaine. Elle permet de plus aux musiciens de la relève de faire connaître leur talent dans des conditions optimales.

Le CQM entend dans ce contexte faire de ce dossier une priorité et rencontrera dans les prochains jours ses membres afin de faire le point sur la situation. Il espère que la Ville pourra répondre à ses nombreuses questions afin de donner un éclairage plus optimiste quant à l'avenir de ce prestigieux lieu de concerts qui appartient aux Montréalais.

-30-

/Renseignements: Sylvie Gamache, Conseil québécois de la musique, (514)
524-1310, info@cqm.qc.ca

[Montréal] Conférence / Lecture / Scott Burnham

NOUVELLES DU CIAC – CENTRE INTERNATIONAL D'ART CONTEMPORAIN DE MONTRÉAL

Samedi le 15 mars prochain, à 16h 30, Scott Burnham, Directeur de création de La Biennale de Montréal 2009, donnera le discours de clôture du Symposium Charged Circuits à l'Université Concordia. Veuillez trouver en pièce jointe un communiqué.

De plus, une entrevue avec Scott Burnham par Isa Tousignant, éditrice du cahier Arts & Culture du journal montréalais HOUR MAGAZINE, paraîtra ce jeudi 13 mars.

Pour plus d'information sur La Biennale de Montréal 2009 veuillez consulter notre site au : http://www.ciac.ca/biennale2009

CIAC'S NEWSLETTER

On Saturday March 15, at 4:30 pm, Scott Burham, Creative Director of the upcoming Biennale de Montréal 2009, will give the closing keynote of the Symposium Charged Circuits at Concordia University. Please find attached a press release.

Also, an interview with Scott Burnham by Isa Tousignant, Arts and Culture Editor of Montréal's newspaper HOUR MAGAZINE, will be published this Thursday March 13.

For more information on La Biennale de Montréal 2009 please check our website at: http://www.ciac.ca/biennale2009

[Montréal] L'École des jeunes de la Faculté de musique de l'UdeM célèbre ses 15 ans

Communiqué de presse

pour diffusion immédiate

L’École des jeunes célèbre ses 15 ans

L’école préparatoire de la Faculté de musique accueille aujourd’hui 300 élèves

Montréal, le 11 mars 2008 – À l’occasion de son 15^e anniversaire, l’École des jeunes de la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal invite grands et petits à fêter avec elle lors d’un concert-anniversaire, le dimanche 16 mars prochain, à 15 h, à la salle Claude-Champagne.

À cette occasion, professeurs et élèves (plus de 20 musiciens professionnels, 45 élèves percussionnistes, 35 choristes et un orchestre à cordes) offriront des musiques dans des styles des plus variés (évidemment, du classique, mais également du tango, du gospel, du traditionnel québécois et des chants du monde !), le tout animé par la célèbre cantatrice Rose-Mimi Sinote, personnage bien connu des élèves de l’École des jeunes.

« Célébrer les 15 ans d’existence de l’École des jeunes, c’est souligner le dynamisme de notre équipe et l’excellence de nos programmes », souligne Sophie Lapierre, fondatrice et directrice de l’École des jeunes.

L’École des jeunes a été créée en janvier 1993 au sein de la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal. De 13 élèves qu’elle accueillait à sa fondation, l’école a connu une croissance telle qu’ils sont aujourd’hui plus de 300, âgés de 3 à 17 ans, à fréquenter ce lieu d’apprentissage musical où plaisir et rigueur vont de pair.

L’École des jeunes réunit une équipe d’une trentaine de professeurs (majoritairement des diplômés de la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal) et offre un programme de formation auditive et instrumentale novateur qui intègre notamment cours individuels, cours de groupe, jeu d’ensemble, créativité et improvisation. On y retrouve également un programme estival (Camp musical d’été de Montréal, offrant des sessions d’initiation à la musique et de perfectionnement) et un secteur chant choral en effervescence.

Pour en savoir plus sur l’École des jeunes : http://ecoledesjeunes.musique.umontreal.ca

Les 15 ans de l’École des jeunes

de la Faculté de musique de l’Université de Montréal

Le dimanche 16 mars 2008 – 15 h

Salle Claude-Champagne de l’Université de Montréal

220, Vincent-d’Indy, Montréal (métro Édouard-Montpetit)

15 $ (adultes), gratuit (enfants)

Réservations et renseignements : 514-343-7512

- 30 -

Source :

Sophie Lapierre

Responsable, Activités jeunesse

Faculté de musique – Université de Montréal

514-343-7512

sophie.lapierre@umontreal.ca

Upcoming: The Music Scene Ontario (Spring 2008)

Advertise in The Music Scene Ontario, promoting classical music in Canada for 6 years. Reach over 50,000 readers with 25,000 copies distributed in Ottawa and Toronto. The Music Scene Ontario contains award-winning editorial features and product reviews; readers consult each issue 4.5 times a month, generating 225,000 viewings.

Content (Special Opera Issue):

• On the cover: Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and Canadian baritone Russell Braun partner in Debussy's Pelleas et Mélisande at the Canadian Opera Company. Exclusive Interview.
• Interview with Measha Brueggergosman who will be singing in Mozart's Idomeneo with Opera Atelier
• Profile of Vancouver soprano Simone Osborne who was the lone Canadian winner at the 2008 Metropolitan Opera Auditions
• Karlheiz Stockhausen remembered
• The Concertmaster
  
• International Music and Arts Festivals Guide
  
• Summer Music Camps Guide
• 2008-2009 Season Subscription Guide
  

Distribution (25,000 copies):

• Appearance: March 25, 2008.
  
• 15000 copies: controlled circulation at cultural venues, record stores, etc. in Toronto
• 5000 copies: controlled circulation at cultural venues, record stores, etc. in Ottawa
• 4000 copies: Music Schools targeting students and educators in English Canada
  
• 1000 copies: mailing
  

Readership Profile

• Affluent, educated, 35+, music and arts lovers
  
• Music professionals and students

Deadline

• Ad reservation: March 14, 2008
  
• Materials: March 17, 2008
  

For more info or to view the Media Kit, visit http://ads.scena.org
See back issues at http://www.scena.org/tms/tmspdfindex.html

[Montreal] Leonard Cohen returns to a Montreal stage for the first time in 15 years!

News release

For immediate distribution

A Festival prelude with three nights at PdA!
Leonard Cohen
returns to a Montreal stage
for the first time in 15 years!
Tickets go on sale this Thursday at noon!

Montreal, Tuesday, March 11, 2008 — This summer, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal has the immense privilege of welcoming legendary Montreal poet and singer Leonard Cohen. It's a rare and long-awaited visit from the internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter, who will perform three pre-opening concerts for his fellow citizens as part of this 29th edition, on June 23, 24 and 25, in Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts. Tickets go on sale this Thursday, March 13 at noon.

Last night, Cohen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Waldorf Astoria in New York—and it was about time, too! At 73, Montreal poet, novelist, songwriter and singer Leonard Cohen truly merits the label "immortal": an icon of song as well as literature, he is considered one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time! A great humanist, his songs explore the issues of spirituality, religion, sexuality, power, loneliness, interpersonal relationships—simply put, the human condition. His profound exploration of these mysteries probably inspired his retreat to a Buddhist monastery from 1994 to 1999.

Faced with our attempts to categorize his music—is it folk with a touch of country or jazz?—Cohen offers the title "European blues." In fact, Cohen's work is itself a category: through 40 years of song, classics such as So Long, Marianne, Bird on a Wire, Hallelujah and Everybody Knows have forged a resolutely unique, inimitable body of work. We'll be reminded of this soon enough, because four years after his last album (Dear Heather, 2004), the singer with the singularly deep voice is talking about a new release for this year. Back in Montreal, the native city that still holds his friends, his house, and his heart, Cohen will grace the Festival with new songs as part of his tour—the first since The Future brought him to the Forum in June 1993!

A living legend? The facts speak for themselves! Renowned for his poetry and novels since the 1950s, his songs and albums have marked our collective memory forever, making him one of the most famous Montrealers on the planet. Cohen has had an immeasurable influence on succeeding generations of songwriters. Onstage, on record, or in the documentary tribute Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man by Lian Lunson, they line up to sing his praises: from Judy Collins—who scored a hit with Suzanne, inspired by the wife of Cohen's friend, sculptor Armand Vaillancourt !—to artists from every genre, including Françoise Hardy, Johnny Cash, Rufus Wainwright, Joe Cocker, k.d. lang, Our Lady Peace, Tori Amos, Neil Diamond, U2, Peter Gabriel and Nana Mouskouri! All told, there are over 1,200 cover versions of his songs! That, ladies and gentlemen, is a universal and immortal musical signature!

Tickets on sale this Thursday, March 13 at noon

Tickets for these new concerts go on sale this Thursday, March 13 at noon. Tickets will be available at the main box office at Métropolis (59 Ste. Catherine St. E.) and the Place des Arts box office (175 Ste. Catherine St. W.), at 514-842-2112 or at laplacedesarts.com and from Admission, at admission.com or at 514-790‑1245.

To get the jump on the crowd, sign up for the Spectra Newsletter and have the scoop on the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the MMIS and the Montreal Guitar Show emailed to your inbox. For more information, call the Bell Info‑Jazz Line at 514 871‑1881, toll-free at 1 888 515‑0515, or visit montrealjazzfest.com.

— 30 —

Toronto Masque Theatre - Enoch Arden - March 19, 2008

Good Fortune beneath a clouded moon

an intimate evening of music and poetry

featuring a full performance of Enoch Arden

by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, with music by Richard Strauss

with special guests

Colin Fox, narrator; Leslie Kinton, piano

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

7:30 pm

Heliconian Hall

35 Hazelton Avenue

$50 (includes wine and hors d'oeuvres)

Tickets are limited

RSVP 416-410-4561 / admin@torontomasquetheatre.ca

Silent Auction and the Announcement of

Toronto Masque Theatre's Fifth Anniversary 2008-2009 Season

Jazz Returns to Stratford in Summer

In Oscar’s Footsteps - jazz concert series at Pazzo Ristorante, Bar and Pizzeria

Friday and Saturday evenings only

Stratford, ON… A new jazz series, In Oscar’s Footsteps, will be a highlight of Stratford Summer Music 2008. Eight concerts with artists inspired by, or associated with, the late Oscar Peterson will be presented on Friday and Saturday nights at Pazzo Ristorante, 70 Ontario Street, in downtown Stratford from July 21 to August 16, 2008. Dinner with jazz or evening cocktails with jazz are the new options joining the other 80 concerts and events in this year’s music festival.

Jazz at Pazzo will feature, on July 25, 26, pianist Robert Botos (2004 winner of the international Montreux Jazz Festival Young Artist Prize, sponsored by TIME Magazine); on August 1, 2, The Brian Dickinson Trio (two-time Juno Winners); on August 8,9, pianist Lorraine Desmarais (winner of the 2002 Oscar Peterson Award at the Montreal International Jazz Festival); and on August 15, and 16, Dave Young (Oscar’s colleague on bass for 25 years);

“We want to salute Oscar Peterson and to remember how he appeared in this city as early as 1956,” said John Miller, Stratford Summer Music’s Artistic Producer. “I’m only sorry that this remarkable musician, whom many appreciate as the greatest jazz pianist of his generation, won’t be here to accept the invitation we all intended to extend to him to come back and be honored in our city.”

Performances begin at 9:15pm. Cover charge is $20. Reservations are recommended by calling Pazzo Ristorante directly at 519-273-6666. Pianos by Yamaha.

Stratford Summer Music runs from July 21 to August 17. Complete concert information at www.stratfordsummermusic.ca. All other tickets: 519-271-2101.

-30-

WFMT Radio Network to Webcast Massive Mahler Symphony March 15 From Quebec City

WFMT Radio Network

5400 N. St. Louis Ave.

Chicago, IL 60625-4623

Tel: (773) 279-2000

www.wfmt.com

For Immediate Release

LIVE FROM QUEBEC CITY:
WFMT RADIO NETWORK TO WEBCAST MASSIVE
MAHLER SYMPHONY CONCERT MARCH 15

With Exclusive Rights, Leading Classical Broadcaster
To Air and Stream French Canadian Capital's
400th Birthday Kickoff Concert

CHICAGO, March 10, 2008 — The WFMT Radio Network has announced it will produce and distribute the exclusive live radio broadcast and Web simulcast of the historic March 15 concert of Gustav Mahler's massive Symphony No. 8 from Quebec City.

The concert, to be staged with 1,000 performers in the cavernous Colisée Pepsi sports arena, will launch the French Canadian capital's year-long 400th anniversary celebration.

The two-hour concert presentation will be streamed live at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (00:30 Greenwich Mean Time March 16) at www.wfmt.com. Web access is free.

The concert will also air live over 98.7/WFMT, Chicago, the network's flagship station, and is being offered free, for live or later broadcast, to any radio station that's interested, said Steve Robinson, WFMT's general manager and executive producer for the Mahler broadcast.

Mahler's Eighth Symphony, written in 1906, is also known as the "Symphony of a Thousand" because of the enormous number of orchestral musicians and singers it requires. It's rarely performed with the full, large-scale forces that will be assembled on one stage for the Quebec City concert.

Maestro Yoav Talmi will conduct the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, the Trois-Rivières Symphony Orchestra, and other orchestras; a combined chorus from more than a dozen vocal ensembles; and eight vocal soloists.

"It's going to be exciting to hear what this gargantuan Mahler symphony sounds like on the radio and on the Web," Robinson said.

A WFMT team consisting of on-air hosts Lisa Flynn (and a co-host to be named), producer Peter Whorf, and engineer Eric Arunas will be in Quebec City for the special broadcast.

"To remain relevant, broadcasters need to offer unique, high-value programs online and over the air," Robinson said. "At the same time, the WFMT Radio Network's celebratory symphony broadcast from Quebec City recalls the Golden Age of network radio, when live coverage of important cultural events at home and overseas received high priority."

The cost of the broadcast is being underwritten by the Quebec Ministry of Tourism, Canadian Tourism Commission, and Tourism Quebec.
# # # #
Press information contact:

Nat Silverman

Nathan J. Silverman Co. PR
1830 Sherman Ave., Suite 401
Evanston, IL 60201-3774
Tel: (847) 328-4292
Fax: (847) 328-4317
E-mail: natsilv@aol.com

Free lecture- Sunday-@-the-Segal, before I, Claudia, March 16, 11:00am, with Leah Cherniak

CBC Radio One 88.5 FM

Presents

Sunday-@-the-Segal

A series of intimate conversation and riveting lectures at

The Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre

Leah Cherniak

Don't miss Sunday-@-the-Segal for the upcoming production, I, Claudia, as we welcome the show's director, Leah Cherniak.

Ms Cherniak is the co-artistic director of Theatre Columbus in Toronto and will be sharing her thoughts on new play development in Canada, specifically as relates to I, Claudia. For I, Claudia, The Record's Robert Reid said, "Leah Cherniak's direction is flawless."

Theatre Columbus has created over 25 new plays and has an excellent reputation for innovative productions of classics. For Theatre Columbus, Leah has directed most of the company's repertoire, including, Hotel Loopy, Gynty (an adaptation of Ibsen's Peer Gynt), The Barber of Seville, Paranoia, Lonely Nights and Other Stories, The Betrayal, The Cherry Orchard and Twelfth Night, among many others. She co-created and directed the multi-award winning play, The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine. Leah also directs for The Tarragon Theatre, The Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People, Blyth Festival and Thousand Islands Playhouse among others. Leah teaches an intensive clown course for The Ryerson Theatre Program as well as teaching at The National Theatre School in Montreal.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

11 AM

Coffee and refreshments will be served in the lobby

(Tickets on sale now for the first preview of I, Claudia at 1:30 pm)

At the Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre, 5170 Cote Ste. Catherine Rd.

FREE ADMISSION!! No reservations necessary, general admission

The Leanor and Alvin Segal Theatre and Theatre and Company in association with Delav Consulting presents

I, Claudia, March 16-April 13, 2008

For tickets call (514) 739-7944 or log on to www.segalcentre.org

-30-

Media Contact: Janis Kirshner (514) 287-8912 jkirshner@sympatico.ca

Composer Thomas Beveridge on Art & Fine Living with Jona

"Jona is a brilliant and sensitive interviewer. Talking with her about contemporary art and music has been an eye-opening experience.

Her unique radio program is a journalistic jewel that should be supported by anyone who cares about culture and creativity."

Composer Ofer Ben-Amots

For Immediate Release:

March 10, 2008:

An interview with American Composer Thomas Beveridge will be aired on Art & Fine Living with Jona in March 2008. Beveridge is a distinguished musician recognized for his abilities as singer, oboist, composer, arranger and conductor. He currently holds the positions of Artistic Director of the New Dominion chorale; Artistic Director of the National Men's Chorus and Director of Music at Western Presbyterian Church in Washington. Beveridge has received many distinguished commissions and created hundreds of works, among them a unique ecumenical cantata which interweaves elements of the traditional memorial services of Judaism and Christianity titled "Yizkor Requiem – A Quest for Spiritual Roots". The work premiered in 1994.

The interview with the composer focuses on the genesis and inspiration for the cantata, featuring select tracks from the Naxos Milken Archives 2000 release with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy and Chorus of St. Martin in the Fields.

Art & Fine Living with Jona is aired on Radio Shalom 1650 AM in Montreal, and can be accessed live stream on the radio's website at www.radio-shalom.ca. All shows are archived on the Jona's page for downloading.

--30—

Contact:

Jona Rapoport

jonarapoport@gmail.com

John Mac Master to sing Tristan at the Metropolitan Opera

Canadian tenor John Mac Master will replace an indisposed Ben Heppner in the opening night performance of Tristan und Isolde at New York's Metropolitan Opera this Monday evening March 10 at 7:00 PM.

The production is by Dieter Dorn, and will be conducted my Metropolitan Opera Music Director James Levine. The cast includes Deborah Voigt as Isolde, Michelle de Young as Brangaene, and Matti Sallonen as King Marke.

The performance will also be broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio, and is available on-line from Sirius as well.

Mac Master made his Metropolitan Opera debut as Canio in I Pagliacci in 2005; he first sang the role of Tristan last season for Welsh National Opera. This season he was heard as Otello for Opera de Quebec, Canio for Vancouver Opera, in a concert of excerpts of Wagner's Götterdämmerung with Leipzig's Gewandhaus Orchestra, and with the Barcelona Symphony for Schoenberg's Gurrelieder.
- - - - --
For further information please contact: Henry Ingram, Dean Artists Management henry@deanartists.com

Canadian Opera Comapny Completes Capital Campaign to Build the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts

For immediate release: March 6, 2008

CANADIAN OPERA COMPANY COMPLETES CAPITAL CAMPAIGN TO BUILD THE FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Opera Company (COC) is very proud to announce the completion of the Capital Campaign to build the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Canada’s new opera house. The campaign, which began in the early summer of 2002, raised $186 million, which included a final cash goal of $155 million and the gift of the land from the Province of Ontario valued at $31 million.

A recent $5 million personal gift from Toronto philanthropists Isadore and Rosalie Sharp effectively completed the campaign. In recognition of their support, the main lobby of the Four Seasons Centre will now be known as the Isadore & Rosalie Sharp City Room. As Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Mr. Sharp was also instrumental in the campaign securing $20 million in June 2002 to name the opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

The campaign received many other lead gifts in the last few months that pushed it to its conclusion. Significant contributions came from Gerald and Geraldine Heffernan, Arthur and Susan Scace, Peter and Shelagh Godsoe, The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation, Xstrata, Tim and Frances Price, Rudy and Cathy Bratty, Tony and Anne Arrell, and Paul A. Bernards. These gifts, as well as several others, represented an additional $5 million for the campaign.

Twenty-nine individuals, corporations and foundations donated over $1 million each to the campaign, with the COC Board contributing a combined total of over $22 million. (See attached donor list.) In all, over 5,500 individuals, corporations and foundations contributed to the campaign.

“On behalf of the Campaign Cabinet and the Canadian Opera House Corporation, I am extremely proud that our campaign was completed successfully and in a timely fashion,” says Arthur R. A. Scace, Co-chair of the Campaign Cabinet. “Along with my fellow Co-chairs Peter Godsoe and Gerald Heffernan, I would like to thank the members of the cabinet, all of our donors, as well as the campaign staff, who worked diligently to make this dream possible.”

David Ferguson, President of the COC Board adds, “The Canadian Opera Company is enormously grateful for the thousands of donations that contributed to the completion of our campaign. Everyone who participated should be proud of their accomplishment and the knowledge that they helped build the first real opera house in this country, and one of the best in the world.”

Final campaign costs to build the Four Seasons Centre totalled $186 million – less than 3% over the projected budget of $181 million (including a cash goal of $150 million and the value of the land at $31 million) which was created in 2002. The modest overage was due mainly to some changes to the original design materials, the construction of the TTC entrance and increased interest rates.

The Capital Campaign began May 31, 2002 with the announcement of joint Federal / Provincial capital funding under the Canada-Ontario Infrastructure Program, at which the Federal government donated $25 million and the Province donated the land valued at $31 million. Three weeks later Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts donated $20 million as the naming donor of the building.

Groundbreaking took place on April 11, 2003 along with an announcement of a $10 million gift from The Fraser Elliott Foundation to name the auditorium, and $13 million from the COC Board. Twenty leadership gifts totalling $35 million were announced in January of 2005 including $7 million from The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation and E. Louise Morgan. In March 2006 The Honourable Henry N. R. Jackman donated $5 million to name the lounge on Queen Street, and the Province of Ontario contributed a further $10 million in cash towards the campaign.

Inaugural celebrations for the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts took place in June, 2006, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 11, 2006 and a Gala Inaugural Concert on June 14, 2006 which was simulcast into Nathan Philips Square as a free performance. The first opera was performed in September 2006 with the COC’s historic and acclaimed production of Richard Wagner’s monumental Ring Cycle. Designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc., the Four Seasons Centre has been acclaimed by audiences and critics alike for its superb acoustics and sightlines and is already generally acknowledged as one of the best opera houses in the world. The COC performed to 99% capacity in its inaugural 2006/07 season.

About the Canadian Opera Company

Based in Toronto, the Canadian Opera Company is the largest producer of opera in Canada and one of the largest in North America, and has an international reputation for artistic excellence and creative innovation. The COC currently enjoys a remarkable 99% attendance rate for its mainstage season of seven operas. The company’s new home, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, was designed by Diamond and Schmitt Architects Inc. and is Canada’s first purpose-built opera house. The contemporary expression of a traditional five-tiered, European horseshoe-shaped auditorium was specifically designed for opera with the highest level of acoustics in mind and provides unparalleled intimacy between the audience and the stage. Acclaimed as one of the best opera houses in the world, the

Four Seasons Centre is also the performance venue for The National Ballet of Canada.

- 30 -

Media contact:

Claudine Domingue, Dir. of Public Relations, tel: 416-306-2387, fax: 416-363-5584, claudined@coc.ca

Melissa Than, Publicist, tel: 416-306-2369, fax: 416-363-5584, melissat@coc.ca

March 6, 2008

DONOR LIST FOR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE

FOUR SEASONS CENTRE FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the following donors

whose outstanding support has been integral to this campaign to build the Four Seasons Centre

for the Performing Arts.

$20,000,000

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

$10,000,000

The Fraser Elliott Foundation

$5,000,000 - $9,999,999

Hon. Henry N. R. Jackman

The Catherine and Maxwell Meighen Foundation

Isadore & Rosalie Sharp

Anonymous

$1,000,000 - $4,999,999

Tony & Anne Arrell

John & Claudine Bailey

CIBC

Gerard & Earlaine Collins

Leslie & Anna Dan

George & Katherine Dembroski

Peter & Shelagh Godsoe

Milton Harris, Founder of Harris Steel Group

Jackman Foundation

Arthur & Sonia Labatt

Masonite International Corporation

Judy & Wilmot Matthews

Roger D. Moore

E. Louise Morgan

Tim & Frances Price

RBC Foundation

The Rotman Family

Arthur & Susan Scace

Scotiabank Group

Joey & Toby Tanenbaum

Jack Whiteside

Xstrata

Anonymous

$500,000 - $999,999

Paul A. Bernards

The J. P. Bickell Foundation

The Black Family Foundation

BMO Financial Group

Canadian Opera Volunteer Committee

Joe & Laurissa Canavan

Mr. Philip C. Deck & Ms. Kimberley M. Bozak

Kevin & Roger Garland

William A. & Nona Macdonald Heaslip

The Patrick & Barbara Keenan Family

Michael & Sonja Koerner

Margaret & Wallace McCain Family Foundation

In memory of John & Ruth McCarthy

Peter & Dolores Naylor

Colleen Sexsmith

Budd Sugarman Foundation

TD Bank Financial Group

Vale Inco Limited

$250,000 - $499,999

Philip & Linda Armstrong

Barrick Heart of Gold Fund

Rudy & Cathy Bratty

The Brookfield Group

CanWest Global Communications Corp.

J. Rob Collins

The Families of Alfredo, Angelo & Antonio DeGasperis

John A. Cook

Power Corporation of Canada

Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan

George A. Fierheller

Donald K. Johnson & Anna McCowan Johnson

Douglas L. Ludwig & Karen J. Rice

Gordon & Bobby MacNeill

The R. Samuel McLaughlin Foundation

Donald O'Born & Jane Harvey

Sandra & Jim Pitblado

Jean Davidson & Paul Spafford

C. Alexander & Kim Squires

Staff & Artists of the Canadian Opera Company

W. Garfield Weston Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. L.R. Wilson

Anonymous

$100,000 - $249,999

Carole & Kym Anthony

Mark & Gail Appel

Marilyn & Charles Baillie

James C. Baillie

Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Lawrence & Frances Bloomberg

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Walter M. & Lisa Balfour Bowen

David G. Broadhurst

Margaret & Derek Brown

Sharon & Howard Campbell

Walter Carsen, OC

The Chalmers Family

CHC Helicopter Corporation

June & Ian Cockwell

Sydney & Florence Cooper and Family

Irene Pump-Croot & Keith Croot

John & Ruth Crow

Elaine & Michael Davies

Ruth Eileen Day

Deloitte.

Jill Denham & Stephen Marshall

Mr. & Mrs. A. Ephraim Diamond

In memory of Ilona Diener

James Doak & Patricia Best

John & Vera Elder

Glen Erikson

Ernst & Young

John & Gay Evans

Anna-Liisa & Graham Farquharson

Catherine G. Fauquier

Anthony & Shari Fell

David & Kristin Ferguson

Fidelity Investments through the Fidelity Foundation

Margaret & Jim Fleck

Lloyd & Gladys Fogler

Margaret & David Fountain

The George & Helen Gardiner Foundation

Irving & Gail Gerstein

The Honourable Alastair & Diana Gillespie

The Ned Goodman Family

Dr. Noëlle Grace & The Shohet Family

Ronald & Birgitte Granofsky

The Ira Gluskin & Maxine Granovsky Gluskin Charitable Foundation

Douglas & Ruth Grant

John & Judith Grant

James & Joyce Gutmann

George & Irene Hamilton

Hampton Securities Limited

The Hayes Larock Family

The Audrey S. Hellyer Charitable Foundation

Richard & Donna Holbrook

Drs. Walter, Virginia & Walter Joseph Hryshko

Ian O. Ihnatowycz & Marta A. Witer

Imperial Oil

Ronald Kimel & Vanessa LaPerriere

Hermann & Ellen Kircher

J. Hans Kluge

Robin Korthals & Janet Charlton

KPMG Foundation

John B. Lawson

Jack & Catherine Leitch

Wilfred & Anne Lewitt

In honour of Alice Lieberman

Manulife Financial

McCarthy Tétrault LLP

The McLean Foundation

John & Esther McNeil

Trina & Don McQueen

Ted & Julie Medland

The Menkes Family

Melanie Whitehead Mersch

Bruce & Vladka Mitchell

Delia M. Moog

In memory of Clive Bennett Mortimer

National Bank Financial

Christl & Karl Niemuller

Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Panasonic Canada Inc.

Peter M. Partridge

PCL Constructors Canada Inc.

The Peterson Family Charitable Foundation

PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Rosetta Raso

David Roffey & Karen Walsh

Ted & Loretta Rogers

Richard Rooney & Laura Dinner

Esther & Sam Sarick

William & Meredith Saunderson

Gerald Schwartz & Heather Reisman

Mr. & Mrs. Robert Sherrin

Victor & Rhoda Shields

Ada Slaight

Sobeys

David E. Spiro

Steve & Sally Stavro Family Foundation

Sun Life Financial

John & Liz Tory

TSX Group Inc.

Peter & Teresa van Schaik

Kris Vikmanis & Denny Creighton

Joseph Vitale Family

Judith R. Wilder & William P. Wilder

Alfred G. Wirth

In memory of C. Robin Younger

Sharon Zuckerman

The Helen & Walter Zwig Family Foundation

Anonymous (3)

$50,000 - $99,999

Clive & Barbara Allen

In memory of E. G. (Gib) Bauman

Ralph M. Barford Foundation

Jalynn H. Bennett

E.W. Bickle Foundation

The Black Brigade

Rob & Teresa Brouwer

Stewart & Gina Burton

George & Martha Butterfield

Dr. John H.C. Chiu & Mrs. Yvonne Chiu, C.M.

CIBC Mellon

John & Anne Clark

Max & Madeleine Clarkson

Camilla & Peter Dalglish

Jonathan & Katharine Davidson

Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP

Michael & Honor de Pencier

Alexandra & Camillo di Prata

The W. Robert Farquharson Family

Fraser & Margot Fell

Hugh Furneaux & Penny Fine

Blake C. Goldring

Goodmans LLP

Michael & Anne Gough

Dan Hagler & Family

Thomas & Jacqueline Haig

William & Patricia Harris

Local 58 International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees

In appreciation of Inta Kierans

Diane M. & James F. King

Dr. Elizabeth Kocmur

Kolter Property Company Inc.

Gurney Kranz

David Leith & Jacqueline Spayne

Marjorie & Roy Linden

Angelo & Grace Locilento

Sheila & Syd Loftus Family

Jerry & Joan Lozinski

Mr. James S.A. MacDonald & Mrs. Danielle L. MacDonald

The McColl-Early Foundation

John A. McVicker & Bruce W. Thomas

The Mendelson Family Foundation

FRANCO MIRABELLI DESIGN INC.

John & Penny Pepperell

Georgia Prassas

Karen & James Prieur

Samuel A. Rea & Wendy J. Thompson

Rob & Penny Richards

Dr. Ralph Shaw & June Shaw

Philip & Maria Smith

Matthew Swarney & Laura Shuttleworth

Richard & Heather Thomson

Marc Ton-That & Denise Dubeau

William & Phyllis Waters

The Waugh Family

Tom & Ruth Woods

Richard & Suzan Wookey

John & Mary A. Yaremko

George M. Youssef & Susan E. Warren

Anonymous (3)

$25,000 - $49,999

Gary J. Adamson

Dr. Larry M. Agranove

Lillias Cringan Allward

Jamie & Patsy Anderson

Bram & Bluma Appel

Anne-Marie H. Applin & Michael R. Applin and Family

Richard J. Balfour

Robert Bandeen O.C. & Mona Bandeen C.M.

Schuyler F.E. Bankes & Family

Torunn & David Banks

Lorne & Rosemary Barclay

Karen & Bill Barnett

Dr. Frank E. Bartoszek & Daniel P. O'Brien

Alice & Tom Bastedo

Roland & Marie Bertin

Nani and Austin Beutel

Margo H. Bindhardt & Klaus D. Bindhardt

Black & McDonald

Elizabeth Stewart Black & James A. Black

Mr. Robert Blake & Mrs. Susanne White-Blake

Dr. Michael Braudo

Angelo & Elizabeth Breda

David & Constance Briant

Janet M. Roscoe

Donna Brock

Roel C. Buck & Family

Alice & Grant Burton

Thomas J. Burton

H. C. Carmichael

D. S. Celotti & Family

Chair-man Mills. Inc.

Frank & Irene Chau

Dean C. Noack & Paul G. Cherry

Frank & Jennie Ciccolini

Dorota & Greg Cidylo

Linda Haynes & Martin Connell

Murray & Katherine Corlett

Bea & Purdy Crawford

Brian J. Dawson

Louise & Bill Dimma

Steven D. Donohoe

Francine & Bernard Dorval

In memory of Arthur Wesley Downe

The Duboc Family

Vreni & Marc Ducommun

Stanley & Genia Elkind

Joseph Fantl & Moira Bartram

William Fearn & Claudia Rogers

Rupert & Lindsay Field-Marsham

M. Patricia Fischer

David & Elizabeth Forster

Robert & Julia Foster

Dr. Manfred Frenkel

Andy & Wanda Giancamilli

Mary & Lionel Goffart

The Hon. William C. Graham & Mrs. Catherine Graham

Henry & Manuela Hackenspiel

S.R. Harcourt Vernon

Dr. W. P. Hayman & Dr. M. L. Myers

Mrs. Mary Campbell Hecht

Mr. & Mrs. W. Lawrence Heisey

Jacques & Elizabeth Helbronner

Tom Higgins

In memory of Eva M. Haddad

The Patrick Hodgson Family Foundation

Richard & Martha Hogarth

Roy Hogg & Ann Jervis

Michiel Horn & Cornelia Schuh

John & Daisy Hort

Susan Crocker & John Hunkin

Hurley Corporation

Michael & Linda Hutcheon

Imperial Tobacco Canada Foundation

The Charles H. Ivey Foundation

Dr. Peter Janetos

The Jarislowsky Foundation

Dr. Laurence D. Jewell

Dr. Josh Josephson & Family

Bernhard & Hannelore Kaeser

May & Fred Karp

Elaine & Jimmy Kay

Sheryl & David Kerr

Joseph Kerzner & Lisa Koeper

Richard J. Kostoff

The S. E. Lam Family Foundation

Elizabeth & Goulding Lambert

Marion Lambert

Hon. Justice Dennis Lane & Sandra Lane

Harold & Larraine Langer

Guild Electric Limited

Joy Levine

Michelle & Michael Levy Family Foundation

Colleen and Bill Lindley & Elizabeth Lindley

Robert & Jean Liss

London Opera Guild

Amy & John Macfarlane

Mr. Jed MacKay

Peter F. MacKenzie

The Honourable Barbara J. McDougall

Nancy & John McFadyen

Paul & Jean McGrath

Joyce & Darcy McKeough

McMillan Binch Mendelsohn LLP

Mark & Andrea McQueen and Family

Mary Mogford & Tom Campbell

Alice J. Morgan

Rosalind Morrow

Nancy & Larry Murray

Dr. John & Pamela Newall

Janet & Gordon Nixon

Dorothy Novotny-Brandenburg

Lilly Offenbach Strauss & Nathan Strauss Q.C.

Joyce & Benson Orenstein

Steven Page

Ralph Palmisano & Family

Dr. & Mrs. William M. Park

Douglas L. Parker

Roger & Maureen Parkinson

Riki Turofsky & Charles Petersen

In memory of Edwin J. & Charlotte Pivnick

Polaris Realty

Mary Jean & Frank Potter

Margrit & Tony Rahilly

Carol & Morton Rapp

Kenneth F. Read & Gilles Longchamps

In memory of Robert Leonard Richard

Carolyn Ricketts

In memory of Barbara Anne Robertson

Sidney Robinson & Linda Currie

Dr. Michael & Mary Romeo

Barrie Rose & Family

Gretchen & Donald Ross

Helen & Kenneth Rotenberg

Maxwell L. Rotstein & Nancy-Gay Rotstein

Mrs. Monina & Miss Christine Rudin

Cookie & Stephen Sandler

Judy & Hy Sarick

In honour of Bernice & Percy Saxe

Katalin Schäfer

Jean Nathanson Shawn

Sandra Simpson

Andrew Smith & Dr. Ruth Bothern

Judy & Hume Smith

Stephen & Jane Smith

Dr. Joseph K. So

Ellen & John Spears

Colin McGregor Mailer & David Stanley-Porter

Stantec Consulting Ltd.

The Stratton Trust

Françoise Sutton

Carol Swallow

Kathryn J. Thornton

Marvin & Esther Tile

The Tinnerman Family

David & Diana Trent

Mr. & Mrs. Henry & Ann Louise Vehovec

Carol Mitchell & Richard Venn

Gary Smith Klein & Joan Wakely

Diane Walker & Robert Bell

Margaret J. Walter & Donald P. Walter

Philip & Diana Weinstein

George Whalen

Florence & Mickey Winberg

The Rose & Ray Wolfe Family Foundation

Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Yontef

Wilf & Helen Ziegler

Adam Zimmerman

Susan Zorzi

Anonymous (3)

Government Support:

The Canadian Opera Company gratefully acknowledges the Government of Canada and the government of Ontario for their support of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

La Compagnie d’opéra canadienne remercie le gouvernement du Canada et le gouvernement de l’Ontario de leur appui accordé au Centre des arts du spectacle Four Seasons.

A complete list of all donors will be available at a later date.

[Montreal] Jona Rapoport to Represent Celebrated American Composer Lori Laitman

"It is difficult to think of anyone before the public today who equals her exceptional gifts for embracing a poetic text and giving it new and deeper life through music." (Journal of Singing, 2007)

Canadian artist manager and publicist Jona Rapoport will be representing American composer Lori Laitman worldwide. Ms Rapoport has managed the career of several classical vocalists in the past, and is currently the producer and host of the radio program "Art & Fine Living with Jona" on CJRS 1650 in Montreal. She is listed in the international directory of Musical America.

Lori Laitman is one of America's most prolific and widely performed composers of art song. She has composed nearly 200 songs, setting the words of classical and contemporary poets to music, among them the lost voices of poets who perished in the Holocaust. The composer's first opera, "Come to Me in Dreams" premiered by Cleveland Opera in 2005, and her upcoming opera, based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter", to libretto by poet David Mason, will premiere at The University of Central Arkansas in the fall of 2008.

Laitman's songs have been released on Albany Records, Naxos, Channel Classics and others, showcasing the talents of some of today's top musicians. Among the many artists are: vocalists Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Jennifer Check, Patricia Green, Sari Gruber, William Sharp and Randall Scarlata; pianist Warren Jones; bassist Gary Karr; cellists Thomas Kraines and Marcy Rosen; saxophonist Gary Louie and violinist Juliette Kang.

In a review of her latest compilation, "Becoming a Redwood", the prestigious Gramophone Magazine remarked: "An extraordinarily impressive achievement… [which indicates] increasing evidence of a major talent. Lori Laitman's beautiful, sensitively crafted songs deserve to be performed widely". A review of her 2000 release, "Mystery – The Songs of Lori Laitman" by Opera News says: "Composer Lori Laitman knows how to let the voice soar and explore…spinning lyrical neo-romantic vocal lines over shifting post-modern sonorities". A Journal of Singing review of her 2003 album, "Dreaming", posits her firmly alongside another legendary composer: "This is a stunning collection of widely varied songs by one of the finest art song composers on the scene today...Lori Laitman deservedly stands shoulder to shoulder with Ned Rorem for her uncommon sensitivity to text, her loving attention to the human voice and its capabilities, and her extraordinary palette of musical colors and gestures".

Lori Laitman graduated magna cum laude from Yale College and received her Master of Music degree in flute performance from The Yale School of Music. Her recordings are available on her website, www.artsongs.com, as well as Amazon and ITunes. Sheet music can be ordered from Classical Vocal Reprints (1-800-298-7474), www.classicalvocalrep.com.

-30-

For inquiries and interviews contact:

Jona Rapoport Artist Management

Montreal, Canada

jonarapoport@radio-shalom.ca

jonarapoport@gmail.com

Tel: 514 488 0246