Bourgie Hall: A New Season Rooted in Audaciousness and Continuity
Olivier Godin and Caroline Louis. Photo Tam Photography
Inaugurated in September 2011, Bourgie Hall year after year presents music that strikes an evocative chord with the visual arts. As the launch of its 13th season approaches, on May 9, 2023, the duo now in charge of the concert hall’s artistic and executive direction, Olivier Godin and Caroline Louis, give us a taste of the programme they have devised to delight music lovers of all kinds.
When we were appointed Artistic Director and Executive Director of Bourgie Hall last June, we quickly realized both the immensity and the honour and creative beauty inherent in the task before us. It was important for us that the programming of this first season under our joint leadership reflect everything that Bourgie Hall represents to us and to audiences. The 2023-2024 season will thus offer a rich variety of concerts and performances covering nearly a thousand years of repertoire and musical traditions, from recitals and chamber music to early and contemporary music to jazz and world music. You will of course have the opportunity to attend exceptional concerts featuring both locally and internationally recognized performers of diverse horizons, along with the most promising up-and-coming musicians.
The programme will offer high-calibre recitals, with an emphasis on the piano, and since our venue is particularly well suited to vocal music, special prominence will also be given to vocal recitals. You will be invited to discover the fabulous pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, making her Montreal debut at Bourgie Hall on October 10. You can also hear Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations on January 24.
On March 20, we will have the pleasure of welcoming the extraordinary mezzo-soprano Ema Nikolovska, a rising star on the operatic stage, accompanied by pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin; and, on April 19, you will have the opportunity to see Karina Gauvin and Marie-Nicole Lemieux in a duo performance. What’s more, in what has come to be a highlight of every season at Bourgie Hall, our renowned concert series are back. You’ll see a return to the stage of musicians from the OSM and the Violons du Roy, as well as from the Orchestre métropolitain.
Isata Kanneh-Mason. Photo © Robin Clewley
Víkingur Ólafsson. Photo © Ari Magg
Charles Richard-Hamelin. Photo Julien Faugère
Karina Gauvin. Photo Julien Faugère
Marie-Nicole Lemieux. Photo Geneviève Lesieur
Creation, contemporary music and cross-disciplinary arts will also play an important role in the coming year’s programme. Bourgie Hall has commissioned works by five women composers from Canada, First Nations and Venezuela. Their works will be performed as world premieres in various concerts throughout the year. We will also launch an annual residency for a composer whose works will be presented during the season. And, knowing that it’s not always easy for newly created contemporary pieces to find an audience, we wanted to shine a light on the works of Rachel Laurin, a highly reputed Canadian composer and organist.
Rachel Laurin
One of the distinctive features of Bourgie Hall is its unique positioning within the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. A concert hall within a museum is an opportunity to put together concerts in connection with the exhibitions, as well as devise special projects each year in collaboration with the institution. Hence, this year we will offer various events that tie in with the exhibitions Marisol: A Retrospective and Françoise Sullivan. Another project that we are particularly enthused about is the collaboration between Bourgie Hall, the Festival international de la littérature and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. As part of this project, a poetic work inspired by the Museum’s permanent collection has been commissioned from Innu poet Maya Cousineau Mollen. Her text will be set to music by Anishinaabe composer Barbara Assiginaak and performed by Innu soprano Elisabeth St-Gelais in a world premiere performance at the Museum on September 30, coinciding with the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Finally, we are pleased to launch a programme of activities championing the next generation of musicians, in collaboration with our partners in higher education. As you will see, a series of master classes and a mentoring project for young musicians have been set up to support the most promising representatives of Quebec’s emerging musical talent.
Bourgie Hall. Photo Julia Marois
We have a clear vision for the future of Bourgie Hall that is rooted in audaciousness and continuity. Knowing the cherished place this venue holds in the hearts of music and culture lovers alike, our aim is to position it as a renowned recital hall on the world stage. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you to one of our concerts. The complete programme will be announced and tickets for all concerts will go on sale on May 9.
We look forward to seeing you at Bourgie Hall!
