Professional chamber choir Voces Boreales and its artistic director Andrew Gray invite you to an innovative evening of vocal music. You will enjoy an experience that blends musical excellence, the hallmark of our choral concerts, with a more ‘jazz-club’ vibe that will be relaxing and friendly.

50 Shades of Gray—an intriguing title for a choral concert—explores the ‘ecstatic’ and ‘sensual’ in choral music from across the ages. It also falls on the eve of the artistic director’s 50th birthday.

It also includes the world premières of two Canadian works. The first, commissioned by Voces Boreales, is by young composer Rebecca Gray (no relation). The second, Isaac Page’s Closure, came to Andrew Gray’s attention last June, during our annual Emerging Composers Workshop.

The varied repertoire from Monteverdi to Whitacre provides many colours, not just greys! It includes texts from The Song of Songs, St. Teresa d’Avila, E. Pauline Johnson (CA), Octavio Paz, and Christopher Gudgeon (CA). The programme includes works by Cooke, Daniel-Lesur, Grieg, Monteverdi, Sibelius, Willan and Whitacre.

Seated around cocktail and lounge tables, rather than in a traditional concert or church hall format, audience members will benefit from the natural acoustics of this beautiful Salon 1861 venue (once St. Joseph’s Church), bathe in the sensual sounds of the repertoire, and contribute to the developing history of the space itself: “a space in which all are free to be heard, to innovate, to think and to try new things in a supportive and collaborative environment.”

Refreshments will be served during the concert, adding a communal feel to this collective expression and exploration moment.

Voces Boreales
Formed in 2006, the elite choir Voces Boreales has become essential in Canadian music. Through performance, commissioning of new works, education and outreach, the ensemble raises awareness of the culture and rich tradition of choral music. Voces Boreales has built a solid reputation of artistic excellence, virtuosity, and adventurousness, prompting many meaningful collaborations with guests such as Quebec poet Hélène Dorion, Bozzini Quartet, Quasar, Bradyworks, Flûte Alors!, and Architek Percussion. The ensemble has performed at prestigious events such as Festival de Lanaudière, Festival Bach Montréal, and Festival Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques. In 2019 and 2022, Voces Boreales was nominated four times for the Conseil québécois de la musique Opus Awards, acknowledging and encouraging excellence in Québec’s classical music community.

Saturday, October 21, 2023 — 7:30pm

Cost: $37.00 per person (+ taxes)—includes one beverage
Students: $33.00 per person (+ taxes)—includes one beverage

To purchase your tickets visit: www.vocesboreales.org

Espace Quartier Latin (formerly Théâtre Bérri)
1280 Saint Denis St, Montreal, Quebec H2X 3J6