Editorial

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The LIVE music experience is something special to be shared, whether in the opera house, concert hall or one-on-one over the phone. Last Valentine’s Day, La Scena Musicale helped spread romantic cheer over the telephone through our third annual Singing Valentines fundraiser. Our celebrity singer this year was LSM February-March cover artist Étienne Dupuis, who thrilled many valentines with selections from Joe Cocker to Puccini, days before rehearsals began in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking; his portrayal of the leading role won rave reviews. Our roster also included mezzo Priscilla-Ann Tremblay, sopranos Janice Goodfellow and Olga Zelman, and yours truly. Thanks again to our volunteer singers.

Thanks also to the donors. Every dollar donated to LSM will be tripled, as it will be matched by two dollars from the Quebec government’s Placement Culture program, adding to our existing Endowment Fund. Our goal is $80,000 and the campaign runs until November or until we hit our objective, whichever comes first.

This year, each singer chose his or her own songs, and we even delivered a duet over the phone by request. I can tell from the calls I made that this was a special experience for the valentines. So, why not offer a LIVE song or aria for birthdays and Mother’s Day? To place an order or to be volunteer singer, please email donation@scena.org.

The recent Montreal Arts Council’s Grand Prix selected the Festival TransAmérique as the Grand Prize winner. The music category was represented by the Bozzini Quartet, and this innovative group is featured on the cover of this string instrument-themed April-May issue. We talk to violinist Maxim Vengerov who will headline and conduct the finals of the Montreal International Music Competition. We celebrate the late Yuli Turovsky with memories from some of his students. We highlight violin making with a profile of luthier Tom Wilder.

As the leader in Canadian festival information (look out for our June national summer festival issue which is the most complete in the world), we are proud to present our first annual Canadian Spring Festival Guide in this issue. We talk to Tim Brady who will be headlining both FIMAV and Scotia Festival.

This issue also includes an hommage to the late composer Hans Werner Henze, a look at Massenet’s Manon, plus our regular news, Jazz, calendar, and record reviews, as well as concert picks to help you experience the best in LIVE music.

Have a great musical spring!