What’s on in Montréal – Here are some choice arts and entertainment events for August

What’s on in Montréal courtesy of Tourisme Montréal

CLASSICAL

The acclaimed 14-piece professional chamber pop ensemble Queer Songbook Orchestra welcomes special guests Safia Nolin and Martha Wainwright for their August 9 concert on the Olympic Park Esplanade during Montréal Pride which runs from August 3 to 13. Showtime is 9 pm. Free admission.

For the 10^th edition of La Virée classique classical music festival, the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal presents 26 indoor concerts and 100 free activities from August 16 to 20. To launch the festival, Grammy-winning Maestro Rafael Payare conducts the OSM in From The Opera to the Museum With Rafael Payare live before 45,000 classical music fans on the Olympic Park’s Esplanade on August 16 at 7:30 pm.

What's on in August - Maestro Rafael Payare

Maestro Rafael Payare will lead the Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal on its annual La Virée classique starting on August 16 at the Olympic park Esplanade

DANCE

The contemporary dance Compagnie Marie Chouinard presents a free outdoor performance of Le Sacre du printemps at the Théâtre de Verdure in La Fontaine Park on August 26 at 8:30 pm. Free admission, but reservations are required.

MUSEUMS AND EXHIBITIONS

Via cutting-edge technology, the immersive exhibition Inside Dalí at the Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal Centre in Griffintown explores the world of Catalan artist Salvador Dalí, an icon of Surrealism. Inside Dalí is presented in three sections: an Immersive Room that provides visitors with a “Daliesque” immersion; an Educational Space where visitors learn more about the work and life of Dali; and a Mirror Room where visitors are exposed to Dalí’s surrealist work in a 360-degree setting. Runs until September 4.

The action-packed all-ages exhibition Hockey: Faster Than Ever at the Montréal Science Centre in the Old Port of Montréal will dazzle hockey and science fans with all the amazing science at play on and off the ice! Spread out over eight zones, there are more than 30 interactive activities, such as getting behind the wheel of a real Zamboni, testing your slap shot skills and taking photos on authentic seats from the old Montreal Forum’s white section and watching yourself on the Jumbotron. Runs to September 10.

CIRCUS ARTS

The blockbuster Cirque du Soleil ECHO runs Under the Big Top in the Old Port of Montreal until August 20.

COMEDY

British comic Ricky Gervais headlines Place Bell on August 12.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rod Stewart will perform at the Bell Centre on August 24
Wantagh Nyjul (shutterstock)

CINEMA

The Horror Stories cinema series continues at the Cinémathèque québécoise to August 31. Screenings include such classics as the silent film Phantom of the Opera (1925) accompanied by Guillaume Martineau on piano, the original Frankenstein directed by James Whale (1931), An American Werewolf in London, The Shining, and The Mummy starring Boris Karloff (1932).

The Society for Arts and Technology presents the 42-minute cinematic surround-sound show Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon in their Satosphere to celebrate the album’s 50^th anniversary. Runs from August 8 to October 27. Shows are at 5:30 pm, 6:45 pm and 9:15 pm.

POP MUSIC

Over at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Ile Sainte-Hélene, for its 8^th edition, îLESONIQ (August 12 to 13) presents more than 50 electronic music artists on three outdoor stages, including electro stars The Chainsmokers; and the LASSO Montréal country music festival (August 18 and 19) features headliners Kane Brown and Chris Stapleton.

Other shows of note: Lionel Richie with Earth Wind & Fire (August 9 at Bell Centre), Metallica (August 11 and 13 at Olympic Stadium), British pop superstar Sam Smith (August 12 at Bell Centre), Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Rod Stewart (August 24 at Bell Centre), disco queen Gloria Gaynor and Kool & The Gang (August 26) at the Strangers in the Night Gourmet Gala.

In a recent interview, Ms. Gaynor told me, “I always say disco is alive and well and living in the hearts of music lovers around the world. I’m pretty sure the reason for disco’s sustained popularity is that it’s the only music in history to bring together people from every race, creed, colour, nationality and age group.”

Dubbed “Mr. Montreal” by the CBC, arts and culture journalist and columnist Richard “Bugs” Burnett knows Montreal like a drag queen knows a cosmetics counter.