Festival Classica recently introduced the program for its 14th edition, which will run from May 23 to June 16 in Montreal and the Montérégie region. There will also be a few performances at Salle Claude-Champagne in Montreal. This year, the Festival introduces its new slogan, “Classical beyond limits,” which captures the innovative spirit of the event, setting an exciting tone for this year’s edition.

With 23 concerts spread out over nearly four weeks, Festival Classica promises an unforgettable musical experience for classical music lovers of all stripes. Concerts in the Festival’s program will be presented in several municipalities, with six taking place in Longueuil, six in Montreal, seven in Boucherville, two in Saint-Lambert, one in Saint-Bruno, and one in Brossard.

Celebrating homegrown lyric and classical talent

With a lineup almost entirely featuring Quebec artists, Festival Classica is proud to offer the public performances of the highest quality, produced right here.

“This year, the Festival celebrates ‘Classical beyond limits,’ an invitation to discover the richness, innovation, and diversity of our classical music scene,” said Marc Boucher, Festival Classica’s general and artistic director. “We have an incredible pool of artists in Quebec, and it is our immense pleasure to showcase them once again this year. We’re thrilled to welcome audiences to our six host cities to share this unique musical experience with us.”

Audiences will have the chance to see three exclusive Nouvel Opéra Métropolitain productions, including the symphonic version of Starmania with the Orchestre classique de Montréal (OCM). In addition, the renowned Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra will present two concerts featuring gems of the French repertoire (Couperin, Mondonville, and Jean-Marie Leclair, among others) in collaboration with Ensemble ArtChoral and Ensemble Caprice. In addition, a concert by the exceptional soprano Karina Gauvin and her ensemble promises a magnificent evening.

Inclusive pricing: broadening access to classical music Festival Classica is unveiling a new initiative this year: 10% of tickets for every concert will be available at an inclusive price. These tickets will have a base price of $5.00 to which may be added a voluntary contribution. In line with the organization’s values of accessibility and openness, the initiative aims to create even more opportunities for us to bring classical music to the public. This means that members of more marginalized communities, including individuals with lower incomes, will also be able to enjoy the festival’s outstanding programming. “Everyone is welcome, states Boucher.

A brand new image

This year, Festival Classica is also proud to unveil its new branding. The Festival has adopted the slogan “Classics beyond limits” for the upcoming years. Its campaign highlights local talent with the tagline “Talent from here, in concert here,” underscoring the Festival’s commitment to promoting homegrown artists.

The Festival’s new brand identity better defines its personality as open, inviting, and confident, guided by such values as freedom, pleasure, strength, innovation, creation, youth, and community. Festival Classica is eager to welcome audiences and to share its great passion for classical music with them.

Further information
The full program and tickets are available on the Festival’s website.

Thursday, May 23   Hommage à Queen (benefit concert evening)
OSGM, Chœur de l’Opéra Bouffe du Québec, Marc Martel, Simon Fournier		 Montreal
Tuesday, May 28   La Grande messe des morts de Gossec
Arion Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Mathieu Lussier, SMAM, and soloists		 Montreal
Wednesday, May 29   Sublimes rêveries
Quatuor Classica and Meagan Milatz		 Boucherville
Thursday, May 30   Amoureuses de Mozart
Nouvel Opéra Métropolitain, Arion Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Mathieu Lussier. Soloists: Sophie Naubert, Michelle Bawden, Amelia Keenan and Elisabeth St-Gelais		 Montreal
Friday, May 31   Hommage à François Dompierre
Louise Bessette (piano solo)		 Saint-Lambert
Saturday, June 1   Les sept paroles du Christ de Théodore Dubois (100th anniversary)
Ensemble vocal Vox Luminosa and its orchestra, under the direction of Claudel Callender, and soloists		 Saint-Lambert
Sunday, June 2   Camille Claudel : dans l’ombre du géant
Stéphanie Pothier and her ensemble		 Longueuil
Sunday, June 2   The Musical World of Jean Baur
Elinor Frey
Accademia de’ Dissonanti		 Saint-Bruno
Monday, June 3   Musique française pour l’éternité
Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, Ensemble ArtChoral, Ensemble Caprice, under the direction of Matthias Maute, and soloist		 Boucherville
Tuesday,‍ June 4   Les goûts réunis
Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra, under the direction of David Shemer		 Boucherville
Wednesday, June 5   Henri Salvador et Cie
Claudel Callender and his ensemble		 Brossard
Thursday, June 6‍   L’heure exquise
Stéphane Tétreault and Olivier Godin		 Boucherville
Thursday, June 6‍   Der Kaiser von Atlantis
Nouvel Opéra Métropolitain, Ensemble Caprice under the direction of Matthias Maute. Soloists: Pierre-Yves Pruvot, Frédéric Caton, Emmanuel Hasler, Sophie Naubert, Florence Bourget, Tomislav Lavoie and Eric Laporte		 Montreal
Friday,‍ June 7   Heartfelt! (Dubois/Fauré)
Trio Hochelaga		 Longueuil
Saturday, June 8 ‍   Starmania
Nouvel Opéra Métropolitain, Orchestre classique de Montréal under the direction of Jacques Lacombe. Soloists: Hugo Laporte, Emmanuel Hasler, Marianne Lambert, Sophie Naubert, Suzanne Taffot, Florence Bourget and Julien Brody		 Longueuil
Saturday, June 8 ‍   Liberté
Tribute concert to Théodore Dubois. Ensemble Sinfonia de Montréal, Juliette Duguay (harp), under the direction of Louis Lavigueur		 Montreal
Sunday, June 9 ‍   Les lettres de Chopin
Denis Plante and his ensemble		 Longueuil
Tuesday, June 11 ‍   Marie Hubert, Fille du Roy
Karina Gauvin and her ensemble, Quatuor Molinari and Ensemble Pentaèdre		 Boucherville
Friday, June 14 ‍   Piazzolla, de New York à Paris
Stick&Bow with John Roney		 Boucherville
Saturday,‍ June 15   Fauré et Dubois au siècle dernier
Orchestre philharmonique du Nouveau Monde (OPNM), Chœur philharmonique du Nouveau Monde (CPNM) under the direction of Michel Brousseau, and soloists		 Montreal
Saturday, June 15 ‍   Queen symphonique (outdoor concert)
Orchestre symphonique du Grand Montréal (OSGM), Chœur de l’Opéra Bouffe du Québec, under the direction of Simon Fournier. Guest soloist: Marc Martel		 Boucherville
Sunday, June 16 ‍   Biscuits, tempêtes et mélodies
Juliette Duguay-Patenaude (harp), performers. Artistic director: Valérie Milot		 Longueuil
Sunday, June 16 ‍   Puisque tout passe, la France en chanson
Ensemble vocal Meslanges		 Longueuil

About Festival Classica

Founded in 2011, Festival Classica is a boundless celebration of classical music that shines a spotlight on Quebec’s top talent. With a focus on offering a distinctive live concert experience, the Festival operates within a vertically integrated framework for classical music that encompasses an urban festival, an operatic division, and the integration of digital arts. The Festival is working towards reducing its carbon footprint through a number of fundamental measures, including the use of digital arts to create virtual stage sets, a predominantly Quebec-based programming, and adherence to the standards for eco-responsible events. Notably, the Festival’s 2023 edition achieved Level 3 of the Bureau de normalisation du Québec’s standard for responsible event management.

To learn more about the people behind this year’s Festival, read: Composer Jaap Nico Hamburger and opera baritone Marc Boucher share a passion for music