Karina Gauvin and Marie-Nicole Lemieux perform a divine concert devoted to Handel LiveEvents March 13, 2025 65 Les Violons du Roy presents Gauvin, Lemieux: divin Handel Karina Gauvin and Marie-Nicole Lemieux hold a special place in the music community, and even more so at Les Violons du Roy! Since the very beginning of their respective careers, they have both ranked among the favourite guest artists of the public and the orchestra. It’s a real privilege to bring them together with Jonathan Cohen and the chamber orchestra musicians to celebrate Les Violons du Roy’s 40th anniversary with a truly exceptional concert! Karina Gauvin, soprano Recognized for her work in the baroque repertoire, Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin sings Bach, Mahler, Britten and the music of the 20th and 21st centuries with equal success. The prestigious distinctions she has received include the title of “Soloist of the Year” awarded by the Communauté internationale des radios publiques de langue française, first prize in the CBC Radio competition for young performers, and the Virginia Parker Prize and Maggie Teyte Memorial Prize in London. “Karina Gauvin is surely one of the world’s leading Baroque sopranos…… a fine imposing actress, with a glowing flexible tone with a gift for staccati, coloratura, meaningful coloration and stylish decoration.” – Opera News She has sung with the greatest symphony orchestras, including the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the San Francisco Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic and the Rotterdam Philharmonic, as well as baroque orchestras such as Les Talens Lyriques, the Venice Baroque Orchestra, Accademia Bizantina, Il Complesso Barocco, the Akademie Für Alte Musik Berlin, the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and Les Violons du Roy. Marie-Nicole Lemieux, contralto Photo: Denis Rouvre It is no wonder that Marie-Nicole Lemieux shines today in the world of singing: the singer like the woman radiates an aura that belongs only to the greatest. Her vocal talents were revealed to the public in 2000 when she won the Queen Fabiola and Lied Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium. She then began an international career that has led her to the world’s most famous stages: La Scala, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, l’Opéra National de Paris, the Champs Elysées, the Capitole de Toulouse, la Monnaie in Brussels, the Staatsoper in Berlin, Munich and Vienna, Zurich Opera, the Theater an der Wien, the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Liceu of Barcelona, the Salzburg Festival, the Glyndebourne Festival, the Chorégies d’Orange, the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, the Montreal Opera… Her powerful voice, her superb sense of line and a faultless virtuosity as well as her sense of nuance and drama allows her to triumph in various repertories. She is acclaimed as a peerless recital artist with an exceptional vocal palette having a special talent for French and Russian songs, as well as German lieder. Marie-Nicole Lemieux is a Knight of the National Order of Quebec and a member of the Order of Canada and the Order of the Pleiade. She also has a Doctor Honoris Causa from the Université du Québec at Chicoutimi Jonathan Cohen, conductor Cellist and harpsichordist Jonathan Cohen is one of the most accomplished and sought-after British musicians of his generation. A fervent promoter of chamber music, he has mastered and explored repertoires ranging from baroque opera to the classical symphony. Cohen gained widespread recognition as associate conductor of Les Arts Florissants and, from 2010, as founder and artistic director of the Arcangelo ensemble. He has worked with Les Violons du Roy since 2014 and became their musical director in 2018. He also serves as artistic director of the Tetbury Music Festival and Boston’s prestigious Handel and Haydn Society. A much-in-demand guest conductor, Cohen has appeared on both sides of the Atlantic with numerous ensembles, including the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the Liège Royal Philharmonic, the Orchestre philharmonique de Radio France, the New York Philharmonic and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. G.F. HANDEL, Arias, duets and overtures • Overture (Judas Maccabaeus, HWV 63) • From this dread scene (Judas Maccabaeus, HWV 63) • Sinfonia (Alexander Balus, HWV 65) • Fury, with red sparkling eyes (Alexander Balus, HWV 65) • Our limpid streams (Joshua, HWV 64) • Overture (Solomon, HWV 67) • Will the sun forget to streak (Solomon, HWV 67) • Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Solomon, HWV 67) • Thou fair inhabitant – Welcome as the Dawn of Day (Solomon, HWV 67) • Overture (Belshazzar, HWV 61) • Great victor, at your feet I bow (Belshazzar, HWV 61) • Overture (Theodora, HWV 68) • Fly, fly, my brethren – As with rosy steps the morn (Theodora, HWV 68) • But why art thou disquieted, my soul – Oh! that I on wings could rise (Theodora, HWV 68) • To thee, thou glorious son of worth (Theodora, HWV 68) • Streams of pleasure ever flowing (Theodora, HWV 68) Pre-concert conversation 6:45pm Kelly Rice shares thoughts and listening tips for the evening’s program. Friday, March 21, 2025 at 7:30pm Maison symphonique To purchase your tickets, visit: www.placedesarts.com
