NEWS

The Festival is announcing the finalists of the Mathieu Duguay Early Music Competition


Lamèque, Wednesday, March 29, 2017 - The Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival is announcing today the finalists of the 2017 Mathieu Duguay Early Music Competition.

Three young emerging musicians were selected by a preselection jury comprised of Luc Beauséjour (harpsichordist, organist and artistic director of Clavecin en concert), Matthew Jennejohn (oboist and cornetist, teacher at McGill University) and Margaret Little (violist, gambist, and founder of Les Voix humaines).

The three finalists selected by the jury are:

Myriam Leblanc, soprano, Montreal

Catherine St-Arnaud, soprano, Montreal

Antoine Malette-Chénier, harpist, Montreal

According to the Festival artistic director, Vincent Lauzer, the Mathieu Duguay Early Music Competition is gaining international recognition. "Nearly thirty musicians from eight different countries have applied for this edition of the Competition. The jury noted the exceptional quality of the applications received," said Lauzer.

For its third edition, the Competition will be presented in two rounds, both open to the public. The finalists will first perform in recital on Thursday, July 27, 2017, at 2 p.m., at the Notre-Dame-des-Flots Church in Lamèque. They will be accompanied by Hank Knox on the harpsichord and Amanda Keesmaat on the cello. For the final round of the competition, the three competitors will perform concertos and vocal works with the Mission Saint-Charles Orchestra under the direction of Hank Knox. This second concert will be presented at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 28, 2017, at the Sainte-Cécile Church in Petite-Rivière-de-l'Île.

The three finalists will share $6,000 in prizes. The Competition jury will award three prizes and the Festival audience will also have the chance to make their voices heard by voting for the award of the Audience Prize.

The winner of the first prize will be offered an invitation to perform in a concert during the 2018 season of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival. The Barachois Summer Music Festival and the Festival Montréal Baroque will also offer the finalist of their choice an invitation to perform in a concert in the summer of 2018.

The third edition of the Mathieu Duguay Early Music Competition will be presented as part of the 42nd season of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival, which will be held from July 27 – 29, 2017. The full program will be launched on Thursday, April 6, 2017. For more details, visit www.festivalbaroque.com