Maria Callas at 100! – December 2, 2023

Bourgie Hall presents

Maria Callas at 100!

A tribute to one of the greatest operatic singers of all time, to mark the 100th anniversary of her birth! This lecture discusses certain unexplored facets of the life of Maria Callas and will be interspersed with performances of works that brought her worldwide fame.

Artists
Aline Kutan, soprano

Canadian Armenian soprano Aline Kutan has established herself as a versatile and refined artist in both opera and concert. She is consistently acclaimed for her crystalline voice, amazing vocal virtuosity and powerful scenic presence. Her musical training began with tenor David Meek shortly after immigrating from Istanbul to Vancouver at age 10.

At 18, she sang the role of Flora in Vancouver Opera production The Turn of the Screw by Britten. Later she attended UBC and then worked with Louise André at l’Université Laval in Quebec City.

Ms. Kutan is grateful to the scholarships received early in her career from Jeunesses Musicales, Joseph Rouleau, George London, Licia Albanese, COC, Vancouver Operatic Society, Toulouse Int’l Voice Competition and the Canada Council. In 1995, she won the prestigious Metropolitan Opera Auditions and a year later made an impressive debut as Lakmé in Arizona Opera. With over 30 roles such as the Queen of the Night, Zerbinetta, Olympia, Konstanze, Violetta, she has dazzled her critics and audiences. She has sung at l’Opéra de Paris, Glyndebourne Festival, Chorégies d’Oranges, Geneva, Marseille, Monte Carlo, San Carlo di Napoli, Teatro Colon in Argentina, Teatro de Santiago Chile, Capitole de Toulouse, Canadian Opera Company, Michigan, Arizona, New York City Opera, among others. She’s created the role of Pasiphaé in Philip Fénelon’s world premiere of Les Rois in Bordeaux and sang in Europa Riconosciuta at La Scala di Milano. She performs regularly with the Montreal Opera and sang Nanetta last year in their production of Falstaff.

Since winning the MSO Voice Competition in 1993, she’s performed with them such works as Gliere’s Concerto for a coloratura Soprano, Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and Concert Arias, Ravel’s L’enfant et les Sortilèges, Stravinsky’s Mavra and Rossignol, Mahler’s 8th symphony, the Angel in the Messiaen’s St. Francis of Assisi. Recently, she was heard in Carmina Burana with Kent Nagano conducting at the Olympic Stadium.

Besides collaborating with chamber music ensembles and preparing recitals, Ms, Kutan also teaches at the Conservatory in Montreal and the McGill Schulich School of Music. She has several recordings of chamber music and opera under the Atma, Analekta and Sony BMG labels.

Olivier Godin, piano

Recently appointed Artistic Director of Bougie Hall at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, pianist, conductor and organist, Olivier Godin leads a brilliant career as a concert artist, chamber musician and educator. He has given recitals alongside numerous lyrical artists, performed in festivals in Canada and abroad, and has worked with world-renowned conductors and stage directors.

Among his many recordings are the complete songs of Poulenc, Fauré, Duparc, Dutilleux, an album of melodies and piano works by Jolivet, Rachmaninov’s complete works for two pianos, Brahms’ Liebeslieder Walzer as well as a solo album of the world premiere of Émile Pessard’s works for piano. Along with seventeen renowned singers, he has recently issued the recording of the complete 333 melodies by Jules Massenet, many of which are unpublished, for ATMA Classique. This 13 CD box set is the largest Art Song project ever recorded. He has given master classes for singers and pianists in Canada, the United States, Mexico, France and Sweden.

As conductor and director of the opera studies at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, Godin has been at the head of many productions between 2005 and 2018. Since 2017 he has been guest conductor and French lyric diction instructor at Mälardalen University in Sweden, preparing and conducting the institution’s annual opera gala.

In addition to his concert engagements, Godin held the position of assistant organist at the Mary Queen of the World Cathedral for 25 years, where he assisted principal organist Hélène Dugal. He has given organ recitals as both a soloist and chamber player in Canada, France, and Sweden.

Appointed professor at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal at the age of 25, Olivier Godin taught in this institution as a vocal coach for 20 years. He also worked as Master Coach and instructor of French lyric diction at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University. He participates in several summer academies as a vocal coach and vocal collaborative piano professor. In 2017, along with his colleague Richard Turp, he co-founded the Lachine International Vocal Academy.

Richard Turp, lecturer

Saturday, December 2, 2023 at 5:30pm
To purchase your tickets visit: www.mbam.qc.ca/en/bourgie-hall/