NEWS

The celebration of baroque music begins in less than a week on the Acadian coast


The celebration of baroque music begins in less than a week on the Acadian coast

 A very “royal” program for the 43rd season of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival  

Lamèque, N. B., Thursday, July 19, 2018:  The 43rd season of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival will begin in just under a week, on July 26, 2018.  According to Vincent Lauzer, artistic director of the Festival, this year's program stands out with the presentation of seven concerts and events. “Among the fifty or so artists who will perform during the Festival, we note the presence of renowned international artists as well as several emerging musicians” he said.  “We invite everyone to join us for this grand celebration of baroque music on the Acadian coast.”

  

Musical Happy Hour

To launch the festivities, the public is invited to attend a musical happy hour with soprano Myriam Leblanc and lutenist Sylvain Bergeron. This concert, presented on Wednesday, July 25 at 5 p.m., will be an opportunity to hear the Montreal-based soprano who won first prize in the Mathieu Duguay Early Music Competition in 2017.

A First Day for the Whole Family

On Thursday afternoon, July 26, at 2 p.m., the concert "Lute, Friends of Kings" will be presented in partnership with Jeunesses Musicales Canada. This free concert for young people of all ages will be an opportunity to discover the lute and theorbo, to sing in canon as at the court of France, to decode ancient scores found in the castle of Elizabeth I of England and to discover the favourite pieces of King Christian IV of Denmark.

 

 

The evening concert, presented at 7:30 p.m., is entitled "Royal Concerts" and will feature chamber music by François Couperin, a famous French composer, performed on the flute, oboe, violin, viola da gamba and harpsichord. This concert will be dedicated to the Congregation of the Sisters of Jésus-Marie on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of their arrival in Lamèque.

Four more concerts

These events will allow the general public to discover and appreciate the music of the greatest composers of the Baroque period.

 "Bach’s Intimate Masterpieces" - Friday, July 27 at 3 p.m.: Johann Sebastian Bach's chamber music works are presented by a quintet of young instrumentalists at the height of their art.

 "The Organ According to the Great Händel" – Friday, July 27 at 7:30 p.m.: Luc Beauséjour will make the organ of the Shippagan church resound to the sound of Georg Friedrich Händel's organ concertos.

 "Up in The Morning Early" – Saturday, July 28 at 11 am: The ensemble La Cigale offers a joyful fusion of popular and classical, ancient and modern styles in this program of baroque music from the Celtic countries.

 "Ode to Purcell" - Saturday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m.: The Mission Saint-Charles Choir and Orchestra, under the direction of conductor Ivars Taurins, perform music by Henry Purcell. About fifty artists will be on stage to conclude the Festival with panache.

The Festival is presented from July 26 to 28, 2018.  For complete programming details and reserve tickets, visit www.festivalbaroque.com.