Maison symphonique de Montréal presents

Barber and Still: American Sounds

Under the direction of OSM Assistant Conductor Thomas Le Duc-Moreau, William Grant Still’s Symphony no. 2, “Song of a New Race” will fill the Maison symphonique with sounds derived from African-American folklore and symbolic of the American “New Man” of the 1930s. The first part features two exquisitely lyrical works by Samuel Barber, including the latter’s Violin Concerto performed by young virtuoso Kerson Leong.

Artists
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Thomas Le Duc-Moreau, conductor

Thomas Le Duc-Moreau began his term as Assistant Conductor of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal in 2019. His previous experience includes similar functions with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec in 2018–2019 and with the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, from 2016 to 2018. He is also Artistic Director of Ensemble Volte. Thomas Le Duc-Moreau holds a bachelor’s degree in Cello Performance (2016) and a Master’s in Orchestral Conducting (2018) from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, where he studied respectively under Carole Sirois and Jacques Lacombe. Thomas also enjoyed the opportunity to perfect his skills with conductors Alexandre Bloch, Michael Francis, Fabien Gabel and Julian Kuerti.

Kerson Leong, violin

Kerson Leong first took the music world by storm in 2010 by winning the coveted Junior First Prize at the prestigious Menuhin Competition. Ever since, the young Canadian violinist has astonished and won over fellow musicians and audiences throughout the world with his exceptional and innovative mastery of his instrument, his natural ability to convey the subtlest of emotions, and the colossal scope of his live performances. Dubbed “Canada’s next great violinist” in the online music magazine Ludwig van Toronto, he has distinguished himself by his unique approach as one of the most brilliant musicians of his generation.   Kerson has played in some of the most famous concert venues around the world, from Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium and the Auditorium du Louvre to Wigmore Hall and the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. In the 2020-2021 season, Kerson performs with the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Orchestre royal de chambre de Wallonie (Belgium), Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke, the Toledo Symphony, and plays new compositions by Samy Moussa under the latter’s direction with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. In the 2018-2019 season, Kerson was named Artist-in-Residence with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal under Yannick Nézet-Seguin.

Program
Barber, Adagio for Strings, op. 11 (8 min.)
Barber, Violin Concerto, op. 14 (25 min.)
William Grant Still, Symphony no. 2 in G minor, « Song of a New Race » (29 min.)

Webcast Tuesday, April 20, 2021 at 7:00pm (EDT) until May 4, 2021
To reserve your virtual ticket visit: www.osm.ca