FESTIVAL DE LA VOIX: West Island Sings With Live Music & Canadian Composers, 3/16-25

Vox Aeterna is proud to celebrate the fifth annual Festival de la Voix, promoting live music, Canadian composers, and professional and emerging artists in six exciting, varied concerts, as well as offering outstanding workshops. From March 16 to 25 in the West Island (Dorval, Pointe-Claire, Beaconsfield, Lachine), Festival de la Voix Founder and Artistic Director Kerry-Anne Kutz welcomes people from all over the city to come together once again to explore, enjoy and celebrate the beauty, versatility and power of the human voice.

Community and music has great meaning for Kutz, who is also a singer/songwriter and voice teacher. "Music and singing bring people together all over the world. Beautiful music resonates within us and brings us to a still place or 'zone' where we can be completely focused and in the moment," she said. Kutz is driven to organize the Festival out of a commitment to music, to artists of all ages and singers at all musical stages, and to Canadian composers. For her, music also serves to unite people. She adds, "We listen to each other and work collectively when we sing and play instruments."

Kutz sees a lack of community as one of today's pressing issues; only when people come together can solutions be found for many social issues. She emphasises, "We live in a world where people and families have moved away from a sense of community. I would like to help bring us back together and I'm hoping this year's concert choices do just that." Festival de la Voix creates concerts and workshops for everyone, including elementary and high school students, encouraging youth to be part of the excellent music and band programs in their schools. These curricula help children develop a sense of discipline and pride when they learn an instrument or sing together. In that vein of community outreach, Festival de la Voix offers two private concerts only for school children, in Dorval and Pointe-Claire.

Kicking off Festival de la Voix is the Saint-Patrick's Day Concert (Fri. Mar. 16, 10:30am) a school concert open to the public, with Dave Gossage's rousing Irish band Solstice, Irish dance champions, and soprano Colleen Bartley. Golden Voices honours senior citizens, many of whom struggle with feelings of isolation, with a Saturday matinee featuring artists of various ages and genres, from the sublime voices of the McGill Youth Choir to a teen-aged accordion virtuoso and Acapella Sounds-ladies Barbershop at its best; a treat for the whole family.

Broadway in Beaconsfield! highlights the best of Broadway solos and duets as well as some sing-alongs with the audience, including: The Sound of Music, Phantom of the Opera, Cats and Fiddler on the Roof, with a special tribute to the music of Leonard Bernstein's Westside Story and Candide.

The Grand Concert-Music That's Out Of This World in Église de la Présentation presents esteemed out of town guests, world-renowned Ensemble Caprice's recorder and period instrument wizardry offering excerpts from Vivaldi's Gloria; Choeur Vox Aeterna; and Neptune Vocal Ensemble weaving musical magic with renditions from Bach to the Beatles.

La musique de chez nous shares music from different cultures that are part of the fabric of Quebec. Kutz is looking forward to singing the music of songwriters Pauline Julien and Leonard Cohen. Also on the bill are remarkable blues and roots singer/songwriter/guitarist Rob Lutes; Senegalese/Québécois kora virtuoso and singer Zal Sissokho (Festival Les nuits d'Afrique); and Monique Fauteux from Quebec's legendary group Harmonium.

The spirit of Festival de la Voix is embodied in Choralissimo!, a perfect pre-dinner show in collaboration with Alliance chorale du Québec. "Choirs are a wonderful way to explore music, to learn about performance and to build confidence. We have added a very important choral component to the Festival in the past two years with this concert," said Kutz. This year the Festival showcases four diverse, award-winning choirs from the National Competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs: ? Choeur du Plateau, Les Muses Chorale, Adleisia, and The Sainte Anne Singers.

Artistic Director Kerry-Anne Kutz is inspired by the artists who come to sing and present workshops on so many motivating and vital topics. Illuminating workshops this year are: The Singer as Storyteller: Words and Music with actor/singer/director Joan McBride; The ABCs of Choral Singing with conductor Margo Keenan; Advanced Choral Singing: Different Periods, Different Styles with conductor/organist/composer Patrick Wedd; and Coping with Performance Jitters with flutist/professor/coach Carolyn Christie.

Every year audiences are spellbound by the eclectic styles and flair of the musicians and their music. Kutz encourages people to attend Festival de la Voix and to think about joining a choir or learn more about singing or song-writing. "Music brings us to so many wonderful places and it makes life so much better!," she enthuses.

Festival de la Voix 5th edition- Dorval, Pointe-Claire, Beaconsfield, Lachine. March 16-25, 2018

Complete festival program and venues list at www.festivaldelavoix.com/concerts.html

Tickets: Various prices per concert, including matinee and evening, from $10-$30 www.festivaldelavoix.com/box-office.html (Brown Paper Tickets)

Festival passes available - any 4 concerts for $75/$65 for students and seniors

Workshops are half-price ($20) if registered for by March 1

For information: (514) 758-3641 info@festivaldelavoix.com