To conclude its 75th season in grand style, the McGill Chamber Orchestra (MCO), under the leadership of maestro Boris Brott, will Ode to Joy, on June 9 at 7:30pm at the Maison symphonique de Montréal. This gala concert, on the theme of joy, will honor the great philanthropist David J. Azrieli, who passed away last year at the age of 92. He is behind one of the most important Canadian foundations (The Azrieli Foundation); the concert is meant as a tribute to his memory.

The program includes two monumental works: Cantate pour une joie, by Canadian composer Pierre Mercure, for soprano, chorus and orchestra, on poems by Gabriel Charpentier, as well as the grandiose 9th Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, culminating with the world famous Ode to Joy.

“A great finale to our 75th season. We will sing in harmony this immortal theme in the magnificent Maison symphonique de Montréal.” …Boris Brott

It will be an occasion to hear four renowned Canadian soloists: soprano Sharon Azrieli Perez, who recently appeared with the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and the Verismo Opera in New Jersey; mezzo-soprano Stéphanie Pothier, who sang at the Opéra de Québec Gala and was a soloist in Verdi’s Requiem with the Orchestre symphonique de l’Isle; tenor Antoine Bélanger, well known for his numerous performances with the Opéra de Montréal; as well as bass-baritone Gordon Bintner, Grand Prize winner of the OSM Standard Life Competition (2011) and currently a member of the Ensemble Studio of the Canadian Opera Company.

This concert will unite on stage 50 musicians and 75 choristers from the St. Lawrence Choir and the ensemble Musica Orbium, under the musical preparation of Philippe Bourque. For the Cantate pour une joie, some twenty instrumentalists from FACE School’s strings department, under the leadership of Theodora Stathopoulos, will join the musicians of the MCO, as part of a mentorship program.

The concert, presented by Power Corporation of Canada, will be preceded by a 30 minute Pre-Concert Talk at 6:30PM in the Parterre Lobby of the Maison symphonique de Montréal (1600, St-Urbain). Tickets ($23 – $65 plus taxes) are on sale at the Place des Arts box office at 514 842-2112 or placedesarts.com. For more information about the McGill Chamber Orchestra’s 2015-2016 season, please visit: www.ocm-mco.org