Marie Christine Tremblay & Jacques Marchand present

Grandes Québécoises

A part of the Orchestre classique de Montréal’s 82nd Season devoted to Women of Distinction

Quebec’s top classical talent will brilliantly shine in this grand concert conducted by Geneviève Leclair that welcomes some of the greatest musicians of our province.

Harpist Valérie Milot and flautist Nadia Labrie showcase their nuanced understanding of Mozart in the Concerto for Flute and Harp. Young pianist Élisabeth Pion commands the stage with Haydn’s Piano Concerto. Twin sisters Nadia Labrie, flautist, and Annie Labrie, guitarist, evoke Latin flair in the French-Québécois composer Patrick Roux’s Concerto Tradicionuevo. A world premiere by Yellowknife-based composer Carmen Braden, She Rides Her Bike with a Cello on Her Back and a Baby in the Basket, will honour the life and legacy of Lotte Brott in commemoration of her centennial anniversary.

Enjoy this star-studded celebration of Quebec talent!

At the start of the concert, the will OCM pay tribute to the first woman elected as Premier of Quebec, Pauline Marois.

Artists
Orchestre classique de Montréal
Valérie Milot, harp

Valérie Milot is a musician and entrepreneur who walks an unconventional career path. Championing her instrument into the spotlight, she reinvents the harp and its clichés, putting forth its powerful sound and astonishing colours.

A sought-after soloist, Valérie regularly performs a rich solo repertoire with prestigious orchestras (Les Violons du Roy, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal) and with reputed conductors (Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bernard Labadie, Nicolas Ellis, Mathieu Lussier, Jean-François Rivest, amongst others). An active musician online, her YouTube channel boasts over three million views.

Élisabeth Pion, piano

A curious and innovative artist, pianist Élisabeth Pion, born in 1996 in Quebec, Canada, is internationally active as a soloist, chamber musician, and artistic collaborator.

Based in London, UK, Élisabeth is currently finishing the Artist Diploma program with Ronan O’Hora at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, where she is a full scholarship holder since 2018. She has previously worked in Canada with Francine Lacroix, Suzanne Goyette and André Laplante.

In July 2021, she made her Wigmore Hall solo recital debut. Her upcoming performances include her debut with the the Orchestre symphonique de Laval, the Orchestre classique de Montréal and the Orchestre de l’Agora. She has previously been invited as a soloist with the Ensemble Sinfonia de Montréal, the Orchestre symphonique du Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, the Ensemble Volte, the Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil, the Victoria Symphony and Arion Orchestre Baroque.

Annie Labrie, guitar

“Annie belongs to the rare group of performers for whom every note counts in a phrase. She has a way of turning every single note to catch the light, nurturing it, bringing each to life no matter how long it lasts. “ – The Halifax Herald Limited

Nadia Labrie, flute

Before completing her master’s degree at Université de Montréal, Nadia graduated from the Québec conservatory of music with first-class honours and great distinction, and was awarded the Governor General’s Medal for outstanding academic performance. Nadia has received grants from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and the FCAR fund. As a soloist, her repertoire includes the Concerto No. 2 by Mozart, the Concerto No. 7 by Devienne, the Concerto Tradicionuevo for flute, guitar and orchestra by Patrick Roux (commissioned Canadian Composition), the Fantaisie brillante sur Carmen by Borne, and her transcription of Zigeunerweisen by Sarasate, works that she has performed with ensembles such as the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de l’Estuaire, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra and the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra. She toured North America, Europe, and Asia as principal flute of the Jeunesses Musicales World Orchestra. In that capacity, she worked with world-famous soloists including Anne-Sophie Mutter and James Ehnes, and with conductors such as Kurt Masur, Yoav Talmi, and Franz-Paul Decker.

Flautist Nadia Labrie is a member of Similia with her twin sister Annie Labrie, named “the world’s best flute and guitar duo” by Classical Guitar Magazine UK.

Geneviève Leclair, conductor

Geneviève Leclair is an active guest conductor with organizations across Canada, the United States and the U.K. and Associate Professor at Berklee College of Music, where she has been teaching since 2016. Highlights of her 2021-22 season include debuts with Orchestre Métropolitain, Saskatoon Symphony, Spartanburg Philharmonic and Ballet, Wellesley Symphony, Oakville Symphony and Concord Orchestra, as well as return performances with The National Ballet of Canada and Orchestre Classique de Montréal.

Equally at home in symphony, ballet and opera, she was Music Director of Parkway Concert Orchestra from 2013 to 2019, as well as Assistant Conductor and Guest Conductor of the Boston Ballet Orchestra from 2010 to 2017, and a member of the Board of Directors of the International Conductors Guild from 2017 to 2020.

Geneviève holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting from Boston University under the tutelage of Maestro David Hoose. She had previously obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in flute performance at Université de Montréal, the latter under the supervision of Mr. Denis Bluteau, former associate principal flutist of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. She also studied choral conducting with Dr. Ann Howard Jones and perfected her art through public and private master classes led by Boris Brott, Kenneth Kiesler, Carl Topilow, Susan Hoeppner, Camille Churchfield, André Papillon, Lise Daoust and Jeanne Baxtresser. In November 2010, she was invited by the National Arts Center Orchestra (Ottawa) to attend the first edition of their Canadian Conductors Workshop.

Program
Carmen Braden, She Rides Her Bike with a Cello on Her Back and a Baby in the Basket (PREMIERE)
W. A. Mozart, Flute & Harp Concerto in C major, K.299/297c
J. Haydn, Piano Concerto No. 11 in D major
Patrick Roux, Concerto Tradicionuevo for Flute & Guitar

Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at 7:30pm

To purchase your tickets visit: www.orchestre.ca

Pierre-Mercure Hall of the Pierre-Péladeau Center
300 Boulevard de Maisonneuve E, Montréal H2X 3X6