NEWS

Launch of the 2016 Season


Launch of the 2016 Season

A Festival "Larger than life" presented in Lamèque this summer

Lamèque, N. B., Tuesday, April 12, 2016: With three concerts, three special events and nearly 40 invited artists, the 41st season of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival presented this summer promises to be "Larger than life". Vincent Lauzer, artistic director of the Festival, unveiled the details of the 2016 program this morning.

An edition "Larger than life"

According to the artistic director, the Festival this year will be "larger than life", with grand concerts inspired by nature and mythology, in addition to the presentation of a great work by more than fifty artists on stage. "I am also pleased to announce that the Festival has invited many artists from here and abroad, including some from the United States, China, Russia, Germany, France and the United-Kingdom" said Lauzer.

Three concerts, three events and more!

First concert - Thursday, July 28: "Stormy Winds". This concert, dedicated to baroque woodwinds, will be a treat since we rarely have the opportunity to present a concert featuring wind instruments. The works on the program put forward various combinations of instruments, thus allowing varied sounds and expression. This concert will feature, among others, the winner of the 2nd prize of the 2015 Mathieu Duguay Early Music competition, flutist Alexa Raine-Wright.

Second concert - Friday, July 29: "French Feast". This concert will feature the winner of last year's Mathieu Duguay Early Music Competition, soprano Odéi Bilodeau, and four talented musicians. The program, comprised of late French Baroque music, will feature instrumental works by Rameau and Duphly, and cantatas in which one witnesses love stories between mythological characters.

Third concert - Saturday, July 30: "Bach's Mass in B minor". This mass is often seen as the ultimate masterpiece of the one called the greatest composer of the Baroque era. For this concert, nearly 50 artists will be on stage, with an orchestra of thirty musicians, eight soloists singers and the Mission Saint-Charles Choir. A production worthy of the largest international concert halls! This concert is presented in cooperation with Arion Baroque Orchestra, Vancouver Early Music and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival. "This major project will be created for us in Lamèque and then will take the road for presentations in Ottawa, Vancouver and Victoria. We will be the first to hear them!" said Lauzer.

Event No. 1 - Friday, July 29: "Dress Rehearsal for Bach's Mass in B minor". According to the artistic director, it is a pleasure to repeat the experience after the success of the public rehearsal presented last year. "This is a great way for people to see what happens behind the scene, to discover how musicians get ready for a concert" he said.

Event No. 2 - Saturday, July 30: "Concert/chat with Vincent Lauzer: the surprising recorder! " According to the artistic director, this is a great opportunity for him to talk about his instrument and the repertoire for the recorder. "I invite the public to discover the different types of recorder, major works for the instrument as well as more surprising and entertaining pieces. I will also present my favorite baroque and contemporary pieces, "he explained.

Event No. 3 - Saturday, July 30: Informal pre-concert lecture: "The Mass in B minor Demystified" This will be a unique chance to hear guest conductor Alexander Weimann talk about the Mass in B minor by Bach and explain how musicians prepare for a concert of this magnitude. This event will also be an occasion to meet three musicians who will talk about (and play) the trumpet, the horn and baroque timpani.

"In addition to these events, we are also planning to present mini-concerts and performances in order to bring baroque music throughout the Lamèque area during the week of the Festival" said the artistic director.

Visual signature created by artist Pauline Dugas

The President of the Festival Board of Directors, Jean-René Noël, was happy to present the visual signature of the 2016 season, a creation of Acadian artist Pauline Dugas. A native of Caraquet, Dugas has been active on the artistic scene for over 20 years. The work used as a visual signature for this year's edition is part of a series of 18 paintings produced especially for the Festival. Called "Souffle pour souffle", the starting point of the series was inspired to the artist after listening to the Mass in B minor by Bach. The paintings were created in accordance with the impressions felt by the artist when she was listening to this piece. Her works describe, in a visual language, a meeting between visual art and music. The paintings will be on sale and details will be published on the Festival website shortly. "We are very pleased with this partnership that unites music and visual arts in a big summer celebration" concluded Noël.

The 41st Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival will be presented from July 28 – 30, 2016. Details of the program are available on the Website and tickets will be on sale starting April 22, 2016.