2018-2019 Season is Announced
We are very excited to launch our 2018-2019听season, with several听brand听new additions to the program as well as the usual favourites. Over 600 performances by members of Schulich鈥檚 vibrant musical community are on offer, presentations by our world-class researchers as well as visiting guests, masterclasses by international guest artists, a new concert series, and a new composition competition to add to our long-established list of student competitions.听
In with the New:
One of the new series for 2018-2019 is听Intermezzo, a collection of free concerts听designed to be enjoyed during a lunch break. These feature our students and faculty performing interesting repertoire in a range of instrumentations. The first听concert听is on October 30th, with violinist Amy Hillis and pianist Katherine Dowling.听
Another exciting special event听for this season is听Piano Homecoming, which will celebrate听alumni of Schulich's Piano Area as part of McGill Homecoming weekend this October. During the three days, a variety of concerts, panel discussions, and masterclasses will feature a line-up of visiting artists as well as current students.听
New to the list of annual competitions on offer at Schulich is the听Graham Sommer Competition for Young Composers. In September, five finalists will premiere their new works for piano quintet live in concert with the Molinari Quartet and pianist Sara Laimon, with prizes for the competition totalling $45,000. This concert and prize gala is free admission, and presented as part of Les Journ茅es de la culture.
Season Highlights in All Areas:
As well as these exciting new additions to Schulich, we of course also have the regular offerings of high-quality concerts and events.
罢丑别听McGill Symphony Orchestra听returns with an varied program, including a centennial tribute to Leonard Bernstein who would have turned 100 this year, and Debussy who died 100 years ago this year. They also perform in Kingston for the first time, and feature both faculty and student concerto soloists. The fifth symphonies of both Beethoven and Mahler are both presented during the Winter semester.听
翱辫别谤补听惭肠骋颈濒濒 offers an array of comedy this season, with Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring presented as part of the Lisl Wirth Black Box Festival, and Mozart's ever-popular听The Magic Flute听staged at Monument-National.听Francesca Caccini's听La liberazione di Ruggiero dall'isola d'Alcina听- the earliest surviving opera written by a woman - will be staged听with the McGill Baroque Orchestra accompanying.
The jazz area is thrilled to welcome Juno听Award-winning saxophonist and composer Christine Jensen as the new Artistic Director of McGill Jazz Orchestra I 鈥� their first concert of the season will feature her compositions. Later in the year many esteemed faculty members will join with the ensemble in performance, including听Joe Sullivan, Kevin Dean, R茅mi Bolduc, Jean-Michel Pilc, John Hollenbeck and Andr茅 White.听
Choral music is alive and well at Schulich, with the McGill Concert Choir joining forces with the Vanier College Choir for an homage to Rossini on the 150th anniversary of his death; and the Schulich Singers performing with I Musici de Montr茅al for听The Spirit of a Woman听at Maison Symphonique.听Schulich Singers and the McGill Concert Choir will听perform Arthur Honegger's听Le Roi David听in the final concert of the year.听
Audiences can expand their horizons with the dynamic performances on offer from McGill鈥檚 Contemporary Music Ensemble. Works by faculty, resident student composers, and music from both the 20th and 21st centuries are explored in rare live performances. Schulich鈥檚 Digital Composition Studio also collaborate in concert, and this ensemble is also involved in the International Conference on Mixed Music Pedagogy in November, which will bring many international guests to our campus.听
Research Alive听is a series that continues to highlight for our audiences the many wonderful connections between performance and research. This year Prof.听Martha de Francisco, renowned music producer, will give a presentation about听the intricacies of recording for piano, complete with piano soloist.听Lena Heng, winner of last year's Research Alive听student prize, will perform and discuss听how to find meaning in the听gestures and timbres in Chinese music;听and Prof. John Rea will present听Secrets, lies, and memory sticks in the art of composition.听
We are thrilled to be continuing our many fantastic partnerships at both the听Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur听and the听McCord Museum听here in Montreal, and听the COC's听Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre听in Toronto. These venues will all be听showcasing听the next generation of both classical and jazz musicians; as well as a selection of concerts being part of听Les Journ茅es de la culture.听
More to Explore:
These season highlights are only a fraction of what is on offer during 2018-2019. Be sure to visit听our听online听events calendar听for a complete list. If you can't attend an event in person, we have a long list of webcast concerts happening throughout听the year, so that you can enjoy what the Schulich School of Music has to offer regardless of where you may live in the world. If you're on social media, please join us on , , , and our 听to听enjoy behind-the-scenes content and never miss any of our听news.听
