Société de Musique Contemporaine du Québec Presents Montreal/New Musics Festival

A small glimmer of hope in a period that as not been conducive to creation: the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) presents the program for its Montreal/New Musics (MNM) festival. This 10th edition will be held from February 18 to 28 with the theme Au-delà des frontières (Beyond Borders), accessible through free webcast on festivalmnm.ca.

This unprecedented and original sound odyssey, tinged with openness and discovery, invites audiences to travel (legally) from one sound continent to another through ten events punctuating the festival.

The opening concert, Music Without Borders, sets the tone with ground-breaking fusion music on a global scale performed by the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra (VICO). In addition to geographic borders, the theme will also take on a broader perspective," notes Walter Boudreau, the festival's Artistic Director. "For example, we play with temporal boundaries in a re-reading of Infonie by the youthful ensemble 333 ToutArtBel. Or we explore the porosity between artistic forms in Chaleurs, choreographed by Paul-André Fortier.'

MNM 2021 also showcases the immeasurable talent of Montreal's performing arts scene. Most of Montreal's contemporary ensembles (Molinari, Bozzini and Quasar quartets, ECM+, SuperMusique, Paramirabo) and many more will be featured!

This edition will thus go beyond the constraints imposed by COVID-19, bringing the pleasures of musical creation to all. Taking advantage of the infinite possibilities available through worldwide webcast, the festival will highlight the works of composers from here and abroad for as large an audience as possible.

And to provide the keys to listening to the repertoire, many cultural mediation activities will be offered: video capsules with the artists, presentation of works by George Nicholson... also available on festivalmnm.ca.

Programming

Musique sans frontières (February 18, 7:30 pm): An opening night that plunges audiences into the new colours of contemporary music with the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, nicknamed the 'United Nations of Music'!

Molinari à la carte (February 19, 7:30 p.m.): A journey through all the tonalities of the string quartet's repertoire with featured guests pianist Louise Bessette and clarinetist André Moisan, showcased by world-renowned and award-winning musicians.

Ode à L'Infonie (February 20, 7:30 p.m.): A re-reading by Philippe Hode-Keyser of the incredible artistic experience of this multidisciplinary group founded by Walter Boudreau and Raôul Duguay in the 1970s. Jumping without a net into the frontiers of time, style and ... reason!

Lachrimæ (February 21, 7:30 p.m.): A program at the antipodes of time, from baroque to contemporary, with creations revolving around Dowland's seven Lachrymæ pavanes performed by Quatuor Bozzini and Les Boréades de Montréal.

Le cabaret qui ruisselle (February 24, 7:30 p.m.): a cascade of unusual performances, at the confluence of contemporary music, improvisation and sound experimentation, underscoring Productions SuperMusique's 40 years of musical creation.

Poesiole : Hommage à Silvio Palmieri (25 February, 7:30 pm): The first monographic concert dedicated to Silvio Palmieri, an outstanding Quebec composer who recently passed away. Presented by the musicians of the Ensemble contemporain de Montréal (ECM+) and Paramirabo and conducted by Véronique Lacroix, with Louise Bessette on solo piano.

Chaleurs (February 26, 7:30 p.m.): An event that pushes the limits of the body and the scores, bringing together choreographer Paul-André Fortier and composer Walter Boudreau in an artistic adventure of unparalleled proportions, carried on the breath of the Quasar saxophone quartet.

Volumina (February 27, 7:30 p.m.): At the Maison symphonique to celebrate the scope of the MNM festival after 10 editions. On the programme: Ligeti's Volumina, a flirtation with the infinite sound possibilities played by the organ in an unusual manner, and three pieces by local composers (Garant, Sokolovic and Tremblay) testifyng to the diversity of the musical colours of our creators.

La Grande Nuit 2021 (February 27, 7 pm): An immersion in a spatialized sound universe, from the retro of turntables to the most innovative "techno", experienced in the comfort of your living room.

Le piano muet (February 28, 3:00 pm): A musical tale at the crossroads of Quebec creation, bringing together renowned artists around a moving work by Gilles Vigneault and Denis Gougeon to be savoured by audiences of all ages!

Couleur et lumière (February 28, 7:30 pm): Dazzling works let the audience see the light at the end of the tunnel, in a programme tinged with the nuances and textures of internationally renowned composers, performed by Paramirabo's brilliant performers.

Complete programme: festivalmnm.ca

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