Editorial

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February was a busy month for Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Sandwiched between performances of Gounod’s Faust at the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto and his concerts with the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal was an impromptu stint at the helm of the Toronto Symphony as a last-minute replacement for Valery Gergiev, who was delayed by snow. What a coincidence, since Nézet-Séguin is to replace Gergiev as music director at the Rotterdam Symphony in 2008. La Scena Musicale readers first met this young wunderkind back in our February 2000 issue, months before the Rescigno affair landed him the OMGM’s top job. Seven years later, LSM sits down with Nézet-Séguin for an update.

March is often the time to start planning for summer activities, so this month, we bring you our 10th Annual Canadian Summer Music Camp Guide. This year’s edition focuses on Canadian camps offering programs and courses as diverse as opera, fiddling and DJ techniques. For international program offerings, check out our website (www.scena.org).

Throughout the centuries many composers have made their mark on the musical world but have you ever wondered which composer is considered the history maker of all time? In this issue, intrepid writer Holly Jonas Higgins puts this question to twelve musical personalities who serve up ten different answers – her feature-length article is a discourse on musical history up to the present day, starting with the birth of opera.

Asking, answering and analyzing key questions have always been an integral part of La Scena Musicale’s editorial philosophy. It has not been easy to convince granting bodies and juries of our vocation given that we started as a two-page concert calendar. This year, only the Montreal Arts Council approved us a grant, a starter amount of $3000. However, in response to other juries’ comments, LSM has progressively added more musicological content since September 2006. And, in this issue, we have distinguished the indispensable calendar section from the main body of the magazine by assigning it its own page numbers, thereby clearly demonstrating that LSM is more than a simple events agenda, that it is a magazine of content. This March, we will again apply for government grants, hoping for more positive results. Your strong voice of support would be invaluable in this endeavour. Please send your letters to info@scena.org.

On February 22, guests of LSM’s Valentine’s Benefit Dinner were treated to a unique evening. The event was a marked success, thanks to Aline Kutan, who graced us with her enchanting voice and Joseph Rouleau, who so eloquently shared with us his inspirational thoughts on love and music. Enthusiastic feedback from attendees encourages us to plan other opportunities for you to meet and mingle with some of your favorite musical personalities up close and personal. Stay tuned to find out what LSM has in store in the months ahead.

Meanwhile, we will continue our subscription drive and our fundraising campaign to raise $50,000 (representing a $1 contribution per reader).

As we begin to look forward to warmer climes, hope springs eternal!