From the Editor

Version française...

Welcome and welcome back. After the holiday break, La Scena is proud to return as the reference for music and the arts, providing insight and information, serving both music lovers and the music and arts industry, telling the stories of music-making and musicians, and helping make music accessible.

Our February/March issue is a prime example with its focused on contemporary music as a nod to the upcoming Montreal New Music Festival. On of the cover is Canadian setar player Kiya Tabassian who also takes a turn in composing. Other composers profiled include Cléo Palacio-Quintin and a look at Alexander Brott, the creator, who would have turned 100 this year, and a tribute to International Women’s Day, with a survey of some great female composers.

Curiosity is our hallmark: we learn more about the Theremin through Lucie Renaud’s interview with Sean Michaels, recent winner of the Giller Prize for his novel Us Conductors, along with a full-page excerpt. The obscure opera L’Aiglon is explained by Richard Turp while the article on BRAMS sheds light on music research, a new recurring series. Our series on the state of the recording industry continues with interviews with ATMA’s Johanne Goyette (winner of the Opus Awards’ Homage Prize) and Analekta’s François Mario Labbé.

La Scena’s 18th annual summer music and arts camp guide includes a complete list of over 100 arts camps; and don’t forget our Jazz column and detailed Regional Calendar.

We are dedicated to providing quality content. It’s a fine juggling of budget: our regular issues favour less translation and more quantity. But not to worry – full translations are available as a printed supplement for our paying subscribers, who also benefit from a whiter paper version and weekly Discovery CD downloads.

Our 2015 Fundraising Campaign begins with our fifth annual Singing Valentines Fundraiser featuring sopranos Mirjana Milovanovic and Janice Goodfellow, mezzos Kathrin Welte and Priscilla-Ann Tremblay, and tenors Wah Keung Chan and Andrew Menzies, and the men of Quartom. For a donation of $30 to $60, offer your loved ones a unique Valentine on February 13 and 14, a song sung by trained opera singers over the telephone. Visit www.lascena.ca to see the song list (including such favourites as “Mon Coeur s’ouvre à ta voix,” “Che gelida manina” and “My Funny Valentine”), see singer availabilities, listen to clips, and read the testimonials before you place your order at 514-948-2520 or don{at}lascena.ca.

We are also pleased to announce that LSM Ambassador Denys Arcand will present a conference on May 3 on his passion for Beauty and the Beast as a benefit for La Scena Musicale. VIP tickets are $130 (with $100 tax receipt) and includes the post-event reception. Call 514-656-3948. All donations will now be matched 25% by Mécenat Placements Culture.

On behalf of our dedicated team of staff and volunteers, I wish you a Happy 2015 and a Happy Year of the Goat.