This season, Montreal's Place des Arts is set to be the epicenter of a series of spellbinding performances celebrating the genius of Ludwig van Beethoven. From the graceful ballet renditions by Les Grands Ballets Canadiens in 'MAESTRO' to the orchestral marvels conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Vasily Petrenko, audiences are in for a musical feast. Spanning from September 2024 to March 2025, these events promise to captivate and inspire, bringing Beethoven's timeless compositions to life.

Montreal Celebrates Beethoven: A Symphony of Events at Place des Arts

From the enchanting streets of Montreal to quaint churches in France, experience a symphonic celebration of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's timeless works. Highlights include 'Eternal Orlando', 'The Nutcracker', and 'The Sleeping Beauty', each bringing a unique touch of magic and emotion to audiences. Whether you're attending at Place des Arts or exploring the mystical narratives at Église Notre-Dame de la Recluse, there's something for everyone this season.

Tchaikovsky Takes Over Montreal and Beyond: A Symphony of Events

Montreal is set to be captivated by the timeless genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart with an array of enthralling events. From Les Grands Ballets Canadiens' 'Maestro' at Place des Arts to orchestral renditions of his iconic compositions, Montreal's music and arts scene are celebrating Mozart like never before. Join us as we explore a series of performances that promise to move, inspire, and mesmerize audiences with the brilliance of this legendary composer.

Dive into Mozart's Masterpieces: Unmissable Events in Montreal

Prepare to be enthralled as the Orchestre Métropolitain embarks on a breathtaking musical odyssey. From Virginia Woolf’s timeless Orlando to the enchanting melodies of Paris in 1900, this season promises a rich tapestry of orchestral wonders. Featuring a stellar lineup of conductors, soloists, and innovative adaptations, the series explores the evolution of music across centuries and continents. With performances ranging from Handel's Messiah to the resonant notes of Russian compositions, each concert is a celebration of cultural heritage and artistic excellence.

Orchestral Marvels: A Journey Through Time with Orchestre Métropolitain

Virginia Woolf’s Orlando is a timeless character. Eternally young, he changes lives and genders but remains fascinated by art. While the novel tells the history of English literature, the theatrical adaptation—incorporating symphonic music and directed by the great Lorraine Pintal—delves into the evolution of music.

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Eternal Orlando

Église Notre-Dame de la Recluse

Mercier Public Library

Place des Arts

Église Sainte-Claire

St. Joachim of Pointe-Claire Church

From his planet to ours, the audience will follow the celebrated prince on his adventures as he meets the businessman, the lamplighter, the fox and, of course, the pilot. The musical works that accompany his travels bring the characters to life, adding a new dimension to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s philosophical tale.

The Little Prince (family concert)

The OM’s musicians are coming together with actors to celebrate the year’s holidays through music. For Halloween, young audience members will be treated to a spine-tingling percussion and brass performance. Valentine’s Day will delight families with lovely string melodies. And for Mother’s Day, harp and woodwinds will honour mothers, grandmothers and mothers-in-law.

The Music-Loving Witch (family concert)

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

The uncontested master of the symphony, Beethoven left his mark on music in a way few composers have. With four concerts in three days, Yannick Nézet-Séguin will deliver his vision of these bold classics that continue to dazzle audiences 250 years later. It’s sure to be a marathon to remember!

Fateful Beethoven

Choral Beethoven

Pastoral Beethoven

Heroic Beethoven

In Te Deum, Bruckner is a musical architect building a veritable cathedral—a grand monument chiselled to perfection and brimming with devotion. As he was unable to complete his ninth and final symphony, he suggested that Te Deum replace its last movement. The result, performed by four internationally renowned soloists and the Chœur Métropolitain, is simply majestic.

Legendary Figures

Aida is among Verdi’s most emblematic operas—unquestionably one of the most beloved of the entire repertoire. This monument combines ill-fated love and political intrigue with the allure of ancient Egypt. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts a world-class vocal cast in this opulent conclusion to the Festival’s 47th edition, a few months before opening a new production of Aida at the Metropolitan Opera. 

Aida en clôture de saison

Festival International de Lanaudière

It has developed into a Lanaudière tradition: the summer reunion of two of Quebec’s most acclaimed musicians, to whom we owe some of the finest highlights of our Festival in recent years. This time around, they concentrate on not just one, but two outrageously demanding piano concertos by Franz Liszt, performed back-to-back by Marc-André Hamelin who revels in their challenges with uncanny ease. To complement these two flagships of pianistic virtuosity, the concert also offers the profound introspection and yearning Romanticism of Johannes Brahms. 

Nézet-Séguin and Hamelin: Again Reunited

One of Montréal’s greatest composers left us at the beginning of 2023. José Evangelista left an impression on Quebec culture both through his music and the many composers and musicians he taught. The OM and its conductor will pay him one last tribute with a performance of Alap & Gat to close the season. 

Mahler’s Sixth

Orchestre Métropolitain musicians come together to perform a work written by one of their own, French horn player Simon Bourget. His sextet for piano and wind quintet will be followed by two major pieces for piano and winds from the repertoire: the charming and elegant sextet by Francis Poulenc and a sextet written by his lesser-known predecessor, Austrian Ludwig Thuille.

Winds of the Orchestre Métropolitain

Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal

Three musical tales are told by Barbada over an original musical score, performed for the first time by Orchestre Métropolitain musicians. Follow the adventures of three friends as they travel through the forest and across seasons to find the famous multicolour dewdrops whose music lifts people’s spirits.

Exhilarating Summer

The Chœur Métropolitain will delight audiences with every choral ensemble’s favourite piece: Carmina Burana. At once powerful, dramatic, playful and measured, these secular cantatas were inspired by medieval poems and set to music in 1936 by Carl Orff. A joy to sing and listen to, particularly in their arrangement for piano and percussion!

Chœur Métropolitain: Carmina Burana

Gershwin’s Cuban Overture and melodies from Bernstein’s West Side Story showcase Latin America’s electrifying influence on symphonic music. The fiesta will continue in Havana’s colourful streets with Amadeo Roldán’s Tres pequeños poemas and the Latin Concerto written by our wonderful guest soloist, pianist and composer Gabriela Montero.

Latin Fiesta

This major turning point is illustrated in this two-part program. First, her roots can be found in the works of South American composers and poets. Then, she tackles Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, the piece that helped make her famous when she conducted it at the final round of the 2021 Victoires de la Musique. 

Under Marcano’s Sun

Springtime Music (family concert)

Even the toughest winters end with spring blossoms. Culture persists even when war breaks out, often coming back even stronger. Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv, will introduce audiences to Eastern European masterpieces, including a symphonic poem by the most famous Ukrainian composer, Boris Lyatoshinsky.

Slavic Spring

Centre Leonardo Da Vinci

Known for its rich string section, the Philadelphia sound developed through many collaborations with Rachmaninoff, whose grand and epic Symphony No.  2 will be performed at this evening’s concert.

More recently, Florence Price also earned a special place in the hearts of Philadelphia musicians, who have played many of her works.

The OM Welcomes the Philadelphia Orchestra

The great French baritone François Le Roux, known as the Pelléas of his generation, performs surrealist artist Max Jacob’s poetry set to music by Poulenc and a production by Ramuz and Stravinsky combining speech, mime, dance and music. He will be accompanied by Orchestre Métropolitain musicians and conducted by Nicolas Ellis.

The Masquerade Ball and the Tale of the Soldier

Springtime Radiance

Renowned songwriter Gilles Vigneault’s mass is at once divine and unceremonious. His lyrics and melodies feature his signature simplicity and candour, with passages sung in Innu in a nod to his native Natashquan.

Chœur Métropolitain: Sacred Gilles Vigneault

A churning, beating humanity is evoked in this social symphony in constant evolution, a work that proposes a tempest of bodies, sound compositions, and immersive visual installations inspired by data culled from citizens and scientists. This grand gesture composed of musicians and dancers will attempt to illuminate and transform the stage into a great heart pulsing humanity. Tensions in a dance-music duet, a decagon of violins combining the impressive physicality of plural bodies and songs in invented language. The sum of it all will spring forth like an ode to the polyrhythmic power of the heart.

Symphony of Hearts

Orchestre Métropolitain musicians, friends and collaborators will come together to pay tribute to two major conductors who left a mark on Quebec and Canadian music.

Tribute to Raffi Armenian and Agnès Grossmann

The concert starts off with a bang as Don Juan bursts onto the stage and dives head first into his romantic—and musical—adventures! From one symphonic poem to the next, Strauss takes us through Italy with Aus Italien, visiting four sunny destinations: the Roman countryside, the nostalgic Roman ruins, the beach at Sorrento and a Neapolitan celebration.

Italian Dream

St. Sixtus Catholic Church

Carmen is stabbed to death by a jealous lover, Salome causes the beheading of John the Baptist, Delilah tricks Samson, Ophelia descends into madness and drowns … There are countless love stories that end in tragedy, inspiring some of the most beautiful music. 

Fatal Attraction

Hear Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal under the leadership of Montréal’s own Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the orchestra’s artistic director since 2000 and conductor for life. They perform a New York premiere by award-winning cellist and composer Cris Derksen, who deftly combines traditional classical influences, indigenous music, and modern sonic experimentation. Pianist Tony Siqi Yun, called “a true poet of the keyboard” by Pianist Magazine, joins in Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto. The concert also features Sibelius’s heroic Second Symphony, which the composer describes as “a confession of the soul.”

Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal

Carnegie Hall

Passion, youth, drama… Everything that made Romeo and Juliet the greatest love story of all time comes through in Prokofiev’s exquisite piece. The program will feature other works inspired by famous couples that have captivated our collective imagination, performed by the OM’s brass section.

Romeo and Juliet

Under the baton of American conductor JoAnn Falletta, Zemlinksy’s The Mermaid comes to life through music and sand, thanks to the international icon and sand art pioneer Kseniya Simonova. The Ukranian artist’s creation of a work of sand art will be live streamed during the performance.

A Pact Set in Sand

Église catholique Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs

Two major international opera stars will join Yannick Nézet-Séguin in a sublime search for light. Soprano Janai Brugger delivers a consistently stunning performance of Gloria, the French composer Poulenc’s masterpiece. Mezzo-soprano Karen Cargill will explore profound human suffering to find glimmers of hope in her performance of Psalm 130, “Out of the Depths.” Listen closely to the parallels between these two choral works and discover how Poulenc was inspired by Lili Boulanger’s musical writings.

From the Abyss to the Stars

Prokofiev’s fifth symphony is a mature composition, written 14 years after his previous symphonic work. This ode to freedom and happiness was completed during World War II and features a joy that prevails and explodes like fireworks under the baton of Kensho Watanabe.

Fire and Flame

Théâtre Desjardins

Salle Marguerite-Bourgeoys

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the iconic Messiah by Handel. This essential holiday concert will feature an all-Canadian cast of soloists performing against the backdrop of the gorgeous Basilique Notre-Dame.

Dazzling singing, familiar melodies, incredible drama—this piece has the power to keep audiences on the edge of their seats until the final chord. A holiday classic everyone should experience at least once in their life.

Handel’s Messiah

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal

When jazz chords meet classical harmonies, you know a party awaits! The Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal and the Orchestre Métropolitain are coming together with the Chœur Métropolitain and singers Laura Anglade, Ranee Lee, Kim Richardson and Dawn Tyler Watson for this major concert. Your favourite Christmas, orchestral, jazz and pop classics are on the program, in an updated arrangement by Antoine Gratton.

Holiday Melodies

Adored by children and families alike, Passe-Partout, Passe-Carreau and Passe-Montagne are coming to the orchestra! Sharing the fantastic world of musical instruments, the beloved characters will sing youngsters’ favourite songs and nursery rhymes.

Passe-Partout at the Symphony

Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin takes a passionate and exacting dive into Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 to make the piece shine. Written during World War II, the Leningrad symphony instantly became a symbol of hope and solidarity. Nearly a century later, it’s still disquietingly topical.

The Leningrad Symphony

Autumn Makeup

Inspired by Rimsky-Korsakov’s overseas adventures and his ability to make an orchestra sing just as he envisioned, Scheherazade is just as enchanting as the courtesan tales from One Thousand and One Nights. Under the baton of Elim Chan, a young female conductor with international star power, the tales’ distinct colours intermingle to the pleasure of musicians and audiences alike.

One Thousand and One Drums

Cégep Marie Victorin

Following Brahms’s melancholic Tragic Overture and lyrical Concerto No. 1, the stage is set for hope and sensuality. Augusta Holmès’s symphonic poem La Nuit et l’amour, recalling Wagner, was written in the Romantic style with an emphasis on melody. Finally, Schumann’s first symphony, also known as the Spring Symphony, evokes flowers and colours in bloom. 

From Soloist to Maestro

The first notes of the season will be from composer Cris Derksen. In its world premiere, Derksen’s piece creates a space where classical and electronic music encounter the Cree Nation worldview. Under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the OM will continue its Sibelius symphonic cycle with Symphony No. 2—a masterpiece with tempestuous ambiance, in the spirit of Finnish resistance and dramatic climes. 

Summit

Paroisse Notre Dame de l'Annonciation

At the height of the 20th century’s Great Depression, African-American composer Florence Price transcribed the daily struggles men and women faced through the evocative power of the orchestra. A veritable sound smith, Montréal-based Keiko Devaux works with acoustic and electroacoustic sound to create original compositions. Angel Blue, one of the most in-demand sopranos in the world, lends her stunning voice to Barber’s work.

Symphonic Explorations

In a style reminiscent of Glazunov, Stravinsky’s rhythmic Petrushka is the story of a mischievous puppet who comes to life. With his sidekicks, he transforms the orchestra into a theatrical performance of love and jealousy. The concert opens with Mozart’s tragic Idomeneo, which brings together fate, passion and despair under the baton of guest conductor Nicholas Carter. Violinist Karen Gomyo brings all of Glazunov’s romanticism and brilliance to life.

Bigger than Nature

Holy Spirit of Rosemont Catholic Church

Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier suite evokes classic Vienna, ripe with waltzing, elegance and ingenuity. Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto demands musicality, virtuosity and folk spirit, and Kerson Leong delivers. Under the baton of Alexander Shelley, Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock’s My Name Is Amanda Todd brings a message of hope to the story of a teenage cyberbullying victim.

Elegance with Kerson Leong

Church of Saint-Nom-de-Jésus

The warmth of the human voice joins forces with unexpected colours in this concert. Schubert’s Nachtgesang im Walde, for men’s chorus and four horns, takes us into the forest for a nightly but luminous walk to celebrate nature. Clara Schumann’s Three Mixed Voices Choruses are beyond charming, letting the talent of this extraordinary musician shine through. Brahms’s enchanting Four Songs are written for women’s chorus, two horns and harp, an unusual yet is typically romantic accompaniment. In the pure tradition of ancient church music, Bruckner’s Mass No. 2 is full of references for the masters of the past, while remaining faithful to the composer’s personal style.

Chœur Métropolitain: Voices and Colours

The Orchestre Métropolitain is presenting a symphonic adaptation of the story Le pelleteur de nuages (The Cloud Shoveller) by Simon Boulerice. This poetic and magical tale is about a young, imaginative boy named Elliot with vitiligo. Published by La courte échelle in 2018, the story tackles themes of difference, diversity, stigma, inclusivity and self-esteem.

The Cloud Shoveller

Stories told to music with an orchestra, chorus and soloists, cantatas are intimate moments between humanity and the divine. The program will open with an expansive celebratory cantata (BWV 174) to set the tone, followed by a more intriguing work with a sublime bass aria (BWV 178).

Yannick Nézet-Séguin wraps up Bach’s complete cantatas

The confidence of youth emanates from the first notes of the captivating Ballade for Orchestra written by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, an African-British composer who made a name for himself in 19th-century London. David Jalbert’s brilliant piano playing elevates Prokofiev’s demanding score to the sublime. On the podium, Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the orchestra for Sibelius’s fifth symphony, a unique piece with sweeping imagery and extraordinary drama.

Symphonic Heights

With the fascinating marriage of Valérie Milot’s harp and Stéphane Tétreault’s cello, the orchestra delivers the debut performance of Denis Gougeon’s masterful composition. Composed in a state of anguish, Shostakovich’s fifth symphony is a stunning piece that triumphed despite attempts at repression from the Soviet Union. The concert starts off with the elegant Petite suite from the French impressionist composer Germaine Tailleferre, a deliberately subtle composition featuring Les Six’s sparkling colours.

Milot, Tétreault, Gougeon

Under immense pressure and tormented by aspirations of becoming the greatest Czech composer, Dvorák delivered a jewel of a seventh symphony: complex, cutting and lucid. Opening the program, Wagner revolutionizes the opera overture with the stormy leitmotif of Der Fliegende Holländer. Montréal-based Simon Bertrand’s refined composition for theremin, a fascinating instrument with a sound somewhere between the human voice and synthesizer, will be given its world premiere by Thorwald Jørgensen and conducted by the brilliant Daniela Candillari.

Electric Revolution

While Emmanuel Pahud’s virtuosity shines through in his concerti, a more intimate chamber music setting moves audiences with his expressive playing. Accompanied by a string ensemble made up of OM musicians, the flutist will perform some of the repertoire’s hidden gems. Featuring a young, melodic Mozart, the long-hidden talent of American composer Amy Beach, Hoffman’s charming Serenade and the Slavic style of Schulhoff’s work, the program is full of discoveries and wonder.

Pahud and the OM in an intimate setting

French Colours

Église Saint-Sixte

All the splendour of Bach in one piece. Finely crafted for over 30 years, Mass in B Minor encapsulates the renowned composer’s style. Conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the work features symmetrical movements, complex architecture, fascinating counterpoint passages and powerful voices that showcase Bach’s genius—a simple mortal at the service of humanity.

Bach’s Mass in B Minor

Nearly 200 artists will gather on stage to perform a selection of the best-loved holiday songs from the popular, classical, Québécois and American catalogues, dressed in a jazzy cascade of symphonic colours by arranger Antoine Gratton. Enjoy favourites including “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” “White Christmas,” “Joyeux Noël,” “Sleigh Ride” and Duke Ellington’s The Nutcracker Suite, not to mention Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Christmas Overture. A fabulous concert that will enchant young and old alike!

Holiday Melodies 2022

Guest conductor Lina González-Granados will be bringing the sounds of the Andes, Mexico and Spain to the orchestra. With restrained drama and captivating dances, a colourful portrait of Spain comes to life through MILOŠ’s guitar in his performance of the celebrated Concierto de Aranjuez. Also on the program, Elegía andina dreams of identity, while Danzón No. 2 and The Three-Cornered Hat evoke joy and dance.

Latin Waves

Join the Azrieli Music Prizes on a journey through eras, environments and cultures, exploring enduring yet contemporary concerns via the musical imagination of today’s best composers.

Iman Habibi’s Shāhīn-nāmeh explores 14th Century Judeo-Persian poetry, sung in a traditional Persian style. He exposes the close affinities between Persians and Jews dating back centuries.

2022 Azrieli Music Prizes Gala Concert

At a time when women weren’t typically considered composer material, Louise Farrenc and Cécile Chaminade triumphed against all odds. Farrenc’s Symphony recalls Brahms or Mendelssohn with a French touch, while Chaminade’s Concertino and Poulenc’s Sonata highlight the versatile flute playing of soloist in residence Emmanuel Pahud, one of the greatest virtuosos playing today. A young Debussy pays homage to the great French composers of his time.

Pahud’s French Melodies

Following the resounding success of the first Holiday Melodies concert in 2022, it has become one of the OM’s most anticipated events. More than your typical Christmas concert, it’s an occasion for different genres and cultures to come together. With the Taurey Butler Trio and the voices of Mélissa Bédard, Kim Richardson, and the Chœur Métropolitain, under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the concert will feature the convergence of Québécois, American and European traditions with jazz and classical styles. Antoine Gratton’s arrangements harmonize memories from all these musical worlds that contribute to Quebec’s unique culture.

Some pieces never lose their lustre, and Handel’s Messiah is no exception. After the resounding success of last year’s performance, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the OM are back to perform this musical gem in the majestic Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal.

In Glazunov’s composition, the cello—played by the up-and-coming internationally renowned soloist Bryan Cheng—sings like a melancholic minstrel of courtly romance in the Middle Ages. Then, with Rococo Variations, the instrument becomes a chameleon, changing its voice with utmost virtuosity to develop Tchaikovsky’s theme, inspired by 18th-century music. 

Russian Dolls

After his successful debut with the OM, Austrian Christoph Koncz is back to conduct Stravinsky’s The Firebird. The orchestra will carry this fiery energy into a brilliant performance of Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra. Each stand comes alive with treats for the eyes and ears!

Fiery Flight

Cupid and the Song of the Heart (family concert)

The great pianist Christian Blackshaw, a Bourgie Hall regular, will join OM chamber musicians to perform three of the most beautiful pieces for small ensembles by Mahler, Franck and Dvořák.

Christian Blackshaw in quintet

Yannick Nézet-Séguin interprets Schubert’s Symphony No. 9, “The Great,” an imposing yet deeply personal work. Christian Blackshaw, a contemporary Mozart masters, delivers a crystal clear rendition of the composer’s work. With Piano Concerto No. 24, our artist-in-residence highlights Mozart’s ability to convey the depth of human emotion through music.

Soulful Greats

Baroque specialist Fabio Biondi takes the audience back through the centuries to revisit some of the most influential composers in music history. The journey begins with Corelli, who laid the foundation for modern violin technique and inspired his contemporaries across Europe.

Baroque Journey

Ville de Montréal

At the turn of the 20th century, Paris hosted the Universal Exposition, making it a major cultural capital. Some of the biggest names in music, painting, literature and dance attended. Don’t miss this charming event celebrating the Belle Époque in Paris!

Paris, 1900

Regardless of where you come from, prepare to float down the river with Indigenous composer Barbara Assiginaak’s Eko-Bmijwang (As long in time as the river flows), get carried away with Ravel’s La valse, and be dazzled by Saint-Saëns’s Concerto No. 2. Get ready to shed a few tears listening to the heart-wrenching melodies of Tchaikovsky’s “Pathétique” symphony, which was on the program for Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s debut as the OM’s artistic director 25 years ago. This musical choice is just right for the OM’s second European tour, which will bring music to audiences across the continent.

Orchestre Métropolitain

5 - 6 Dec, 2024

Holiday Melodies

9 - 11 Dec, 2024

Handel’s Messiah

23 - 26 Jan, 2025

Russian Dolls

6 - 9 Feb, 2025

Fiery Flight

Feb 16, 2025

Cupid and the Song of the Heart (family concert)

26 - 30 Nov, 2024

Eternal Orlando

Nov 17, 2024

The Little Prince (family concert)

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