Les Idées heureuses

Chaconnes et chocolat: délectations anglaises

Following the delightful success of the first three editions of the Chaconne et chocolat series, this concert immerses you into the magnetic repertoire of 17th and 18th century England. For centuries, this enchanting dance has captivated Baroque music lovers and neophytes alike. Nowadays, it continues to fascinate with its simple, yet highly effective composition: a hypnotically repeated motif in the bass, on which one or more voices are added, which can blossom, discourse or be skillfully improvised.

The ensemble Les Idées heureuses, along with four up and-coming singers, will perform seductive works by Henry Purcell, John Blow, Georg Friedrich Handel, William Croft, John Eccles, as well as contemporary Montreal composer Jean-François Daignault.

The delight continues beyond the music: at the end of the concert, chocolates will be graciously served. These treats will add the finishing touch to an evening that will for sure delight your ears… and your taste buds!

Artists
Janelle Lucyk, soprano

Janelle Lucyk is a leader among an emerging generation of Canadian artists specializing in old music and historically informed performance, taking ideas from conception to the stage.

In fall 2022, she was invited by legendary organist Xaver Varnus to perform at his two sold out performances in Hungary, including at the spectacular Bartók National Concert Hall in Budapest. She has had the good fortune of working as a soloist with the Kings College Chapel Choir under five-time Grammy winner Paul Halley on many unforgettable concerts including Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and Selva Morale e Spirituale and multiple Bach Passions.  Janelle is the artistic director of Ménestrel, her ensemble with Kerry Bursey which produces alternative early music mixing ancient repertoire with oral folk traditons. In 2022 and 2023, Ménestrel produced their “Messiah-on-the-go!” congregating twenty emerging performers from across Canada to perform Handel’s masterpiece in historic Nova Scotian venues.

2024 includes touring in most of the provinces and territories of Canada as a soloist representing Ensemble ArtChoral’s multiyear project Coast-to-Coast-Coast. The summer Ménestrel will have performances in Europe.

Ian Sabourin, countertenor

Canadian countertenor Ian Sabourin is known for his unique sound, powerful high notes, and diverse repertoire. He recently appeared as Ottone in Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea with the Opėra de Montrėal (ODM), as soloist in Handel’s Solomon and Saul with the Ottawa Baroque Consort and Caelis Academy Ensemble, as alto soloist in Messiah with Musique Royale, and in the title role of Orlando (Handel) with Opera McGill. He has also performed with Ensemble Caprice, Harmonie des saisons, the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, and the Ottawa Bach Choir.

Ian has a Masters degree in Early Music from McGill University, and was a top 20 competitor in the 2021 Corneille Competition in Rouen, France. He is a member of the ODM’s 2023-2024 Atelier lyrique program, as its first-ever countertenor.

Kerry Bursey, tenor

Kerry Bursey is a Canadian tenor and plucked string instrumentalist from Montreal. An early music specialist and a versatile singer, he is acclaimed for his “clear voice, made of dreamy troubadouresque sweetness” (Ôlyrix) and “beneficent tenderness” (Le Temps). He is a sought-after lutenist and guitarist, notably invested in self-accompaniment, from lute songs to folk music.  Recently, he made his European debut as a soloist at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Manchester International Festival, Bregenzerfestspieler and the Southbank Centre.

William Kraushaar, bass

Born in Montreal, William Kraushaar is a classically-trained film score composer with a strong fondness for vocal music. Self-taught bass singer, he has earned himself a privileged position in a number of prestigious canadian vocal ensembles, namely the Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal (SMAM), l’Ensemble Caprice, l’Harmonie des Saisons, the Theater of Early Music (Dan Taylor) and many more, as well as being part of Québec’s top professional choirs. As a composer, he was awarded twice by the SOCAN Foundation and his music has been played, among others, by the Quebec Symphony Orchestra, Voces Boreales, L’Ensemble vocal Art-Québec, The Choir of St-Andrew/St-Paul and the National Youth Choir of Canada.

Tanya LaPerrière and Julie Rivest, violins
Sari Tsuji, viola
Andrea Stewart, cello
Dominic Girard, double bass
Dorothéa Ventura, harpsichord, musical direction

Bourgie Hall
Sunday, October 6, 2024 at 2:30pm
To purchase your tickets visit: www.mbam.qc.ca/en/bourgie-hall/