In collaboration with the Orchestre Métropolitain, Bourgie Hall presents

The Winds of the Orchestre Métropolitain

Two staples of the repertoire for winds will captivate you with their stately elegance, flowing melodies, and radiant energy: sextets by Francis Poulenc and his lesser-known Austrian predecessor Ludwig Thuille. This concert is also an occasion to enjoy the premiere of a work by Simon Bourget commissioned by the Orchestre Métropolitain.

Artists
Jennifer Bourdages, piano
Jocelyne Roy, flute
Mélanie Harel, oboe

Mélanie Harel has been the Principal English Horn in the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal since 2008. She graduated from the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec, which unanimously awarded her the Oboe Prize, summa cum laude, in 2000. That same year, thanks to a scholarship from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, she entered the 6th Tokyo International Oboe Competition, reaching the semi-finals. Another scholarship, from the Fonds pour la Formation de Chercheurs et l’Aide à la Recherche (FCAR) and the Association des femmes d’affaires du Québec, allowed her to pursue her studies in Europe, with Jacques Tys, Louise Pellerin and François Leleux.

As Principal English Horn in the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra from 2002 to 2007, she toured internationally (in Australia, China and Singapore), recorded for the BIS label, and performed under conductors Kees Bakels, Lorin Maazel, Claus Peter Flor, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and Sir Neville Marriner.

Simon Aldrich, clarinet

Nominated for the Prix Opus for discovery of the year, this “spectacular player” (Los Angeles Times) served as principal clarinet of the Chicago Classical Symphony and the Colorado Philharmonic before joining the Orchestre Métropolitain.

As a soloist, Simon Aldrich has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Métropolitain, Victoria Symphony, Orchestra London Canada, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Chicago Classical Symphony, Wall Street Chamber Orchestra and Chicago North Shore Chamber Symphony.

Holding a doctorate and two masters from Yale University, he studied with David Shifrin, Robert Marcellus, Joaquin Valdepeñas and Emilio Iacurto. He is heard on Radio-Canada and CBC Radio and has made recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, ATMA, Analekta and other labels.

Simon Aldrich teaches at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, where he is the Winds Coordinator and Coordinator of the Doctoral Performance Program.

Gabrièle Dostie-Poirier, bassoon

Born in Outaouais in 1991, Gabrièle Dostie-Poirier became a member of the Orchestre Métropolitain in November 2014 as a second bassoon player. She is regularly asked to play with Quebec musical formations. Violons du Roy, I Musici, symphonic orchestras like Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivieres, Drummondville, Sherbrooke, Longueuil, Gatineau regularly ask for her services. This young bassoonist takes part in international tours with Orchestre Métropolitain and Violons du Roy. We can also hear her in recordings with ATMA, SONY Classical, Deutsch Grammophon, National Film Board of Canada and Tele-Quebec (for Genial!’s tv show). She played with the Orchestre symphonique de l’Agora since the first concert in 2013 and is now officially occupying the first bassoon chair.

Simon Bourget, horn

Holder of a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Moncton, where he studied with David Parker, Simon Bourget completed in 2012 a master’s degree at McGill University with Jean Gaudreault and a specialized graduate degree (DESS) at the University of Montreal with Louis-Philippe Marsolais in 2013. Simon Bourget has been second horn with the Orchestre Métropolitain since September 2017 and principal horn with the Orchestre Symphonique de l’Estuaire (Rimouski) since April 2016. His career has led him to perform with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, the Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, the Opéra de Montréal, Les Violons du Roy, the Orchestre du Festival International de Lanaudière, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra I Musici, Sinfonia Nova Scotia, the New Brunswick Symphony Orchestra, the Katcor horn quartet and the baroque orchestra Ensemble Caprice. He thus appeared as a soloist with L’Été Musical de Barachois in 2018 and Les Petits Violons in 2019.

Program
Simon BOURGET world premiere (Orchestre Métropolitain commission)
THUILLE Sextet for Piano and Woodwind Quintet, Op. 6
POULENC Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet

Bourgie Hall
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 at 6:00pm
To purchase your tickets visit: www.mbam.qc.ca/en/bourgie-hall/