The Montreal Chamber Music Festival introduces Rendez-vous au Ritz with the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal

Three Sunday Mornings; April 15, April 29 & May 20 will include a complimentary continental breakfast at 10am followed by a 1-hour concert at 11am

Denis Brott and The Montreal Chamber Music Festival are introducing a new Sunday morning concert series at the Ritz-Carlton’s elegant Oval Room. The Festival is partnering with the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal for a special pre-Festival spring series. The theme is “Mentor and Apprentice” for these three mornings of chamber music, mixing established artists with some of Montreal’s most gifted up-and-coming musicians. Each Sunday morning event includes a delicious continental breakfast followed by a 1-hour concert, all taking place in the gorgeous Oval Room at The Ritz-Carlton Montreal. The special price, offered to Montreal Chamber Music Festival audiences, is just $25 or $10 for those under 20, plus service charges.

Sunday, April 15, 10am-12pm Christopher Hall, Clarinetist & Comedian and the Andara Quartet

Clarinetist and comedian Christopher Hall and the Andara Quartet bring out the fun in chamber music in a delightful programme including music by Mozart, Vivaldi, Brahms, Weber, and The Girl from Ipanema! Formed at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, the Andara Quartet is already attracting international attention, winning awards and being invited to attend prestigious programs with the St. Lawrence Quartet in Stanford, CA, at the Banff Centre, and at the Pablo Casals Festival Academy, France. Recently they were invited to perform at the first edition of the String Quartet Biennale in Amsterdam.

Sunday, April 29, 10am-12pm, Denis Brott & Bruno Tobon, cellos, and Isabella Perron & Abby Walsh, violins

Acclaimed cellist Denis Brott joins three brilliant young musicians from the Conservatoire, his cello protégé Bruno Tobon, and violinists Isabella Perron and Abby Walsh for a beautiful program of music by Bach, Ysaÿe, Handel, and Kummer. Tobon is already the recipient of several prizes, including 3rd prize at the OSM Competition, and has been featured on Gregory Charles’ Virtuose. Perron has been in the spotlight since the age of 12 when she released her first album on which she performed on violin and piano as well as vocals. Equally adept on viola, Perron was named the “Most Outstanding Performer” of the 2017 Calgary Performing Arts Festival where she performed a viola concerto with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Abby Walsh has also claimed a number of prizes and honours in her young career. This is a wonderful opportunity to see these rising stars in an intimate setting.

Sunday, May 20, 10am-12pm, Richard Raymond & Xiaoyu Liu, pianos

Celebrated pianist Richard Raymond, also a professor at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, joins his protégé Xiaoyu Liu for sumptuous piano duos by Schubert, Ravel, and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. A remarkable talent from a very young age, Xiaoyu Liu won the Grand Prize at the OSM Standard Life at age 15, and the Prix d’Europe at age 18. Now just 20, he has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Israel Philharmonic, and toured with China’s NCPA Orchestra. Hear why The Telegram said: “Liu can do the impeccable glitter, but his playing is more than pyrotechnics. It is powerful and polished and emanates from a disciplined mind.”

Rendez-vous au Ritz! takes place on Sundays April 15, April 29, and May 20, 10 am – 12pm at The Ritz-Carlton Montreal, 1228 Sherbrooke St. West. Tickets: $25 (20 and under $10), plus service charge, for breakfast & concert are available online at www.festivalmontreal.org or by calling 514-489-7444.