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Dinuk Wijeratne: Identity in Motion

By Kaitlyn Chan on 3 April 2026 Classical Music, Contemporary, Interviews, Orchestral, Piano

Canadian composer, conductor and pianist Dinuk Wijeratne is well known for his cross-cultural works, which he describes as “East-West.” “On any given day, I don’t feel either fully Eastern or Western,” says Wijeratne. “Call it a conflict or an identity crisis—but I always think, aren’t I so blessed that I get to try and create a balance for even a few moments in a piece of music?” Born in Sri Lanka, Wijeratne spent his childhood and adolescent years in Dubai. He studied composition at the Royal Northern College of Music, The Juilliard School, Mannes College and the University of Toronto.…

Étienne Tremblay

Canadian Music Competition: A Rite of Passage and a Model for Learning

By Benjamin Goron on 3 April 2026 Arts Industry, Classical Music, Interviews, Music Competition, Piano

Pianist Étienne Tremblay is currently studying for his bachelor’s degree at the Université de Montréal under Henry Kramer and André Laplante. While devouring the repertoire, he is preparing for nearly a dozen competitions this year, as well as appearances at festivals and other engagements. His life is governed by the black and white keys. Yet, without the Canadian Music Competition (CMC), he might not have chosen this path. What follows is a portrait of a young artist deeply rooted in his art and a competition unlike any other. “It was thanks to CMC that I flew on a plane for…

Russell Thomas: Taking the Werther Challenge

By Catherine Kustanczy on 3 April 2026 Interviews, Opera, Toronto, Vocal

Russell Thomas is many singers at once—and he aims to excel at them all. The Miami-born tenor, celebrated for his interpretations of Italian repertoire and, more recently, German works, is preparing to make his role debut in Toronto this spring as Werther in Jules Massenet’s popular opera of the same name, with the Canadian Opera Company (COC). Hailing the French opera’s “immense emotional impact,” Thomas says the work is a supreme marriage of music and text. “From the very beginning, when Werther walks in and sees the house and looks at the children playing, a whole world is being painted,…

Photo: Bo Huang

Alice Ping Yee Ho: The Real and the Imagined

By Kaitlyn Chan on 3 April 2026 Classical Music, Contemporary, Interviews, Piano

“I live in two worlds,” says pianist and composer Alice Ping Yee Ho. Born in Hong Kong, Ho studied music in the U.K. and Germany before settling in Toronto. She was deeply impacted both by hearing traditional Chinese music in her youth, as well as her education in the Western classical music canon: “It shaped how I listen and how I create.” Ho says that her Western training helps her compose logically and, almost, mathematically. However, her influences from Chinese music culture encourage her to consider the emotional impact of the piece and sometimes move away from what is the…

Photo: Lena Kern

Arturo Chacón-Cruz: From “Cielito Lindo” To “Nessun Dorma”

By Adrian Rodriguez on 3 April 2026 Interviews, Montreal, Opera, Vocal

Francisco Araiza, Ramón Vargas, Rolando Villazón, Javier Camarena. For decades Mexico has produced an extraordinary lineage of lyric tenors who have conquered the world’s opera stages. And now, Arturo Chacón-Cruz. He has sung leading roles in more than 30 countries, appearing at major opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala and Vienna State Opera. Lately, he has been expanding into more dramatic repertoire with upcoming role debuts in Manon Lescaut and La fanciulla del West, two pinnacles of the verismo repertoire. His path to the international opera stage did not begin in a conservatory. It started with mariachi.…

Minna Re Shin. Photo: Loïc Bruderlein, extracted from the Sonate des Saisons performance video project (dir. Carlos Ferrand).

Minna Re Shin’s Sonate des Saisons: Crossing Disciplinary Divides

By Viktor Lazarov on 3 April 2026 Classical Music, Interviews, Piano

A lone figure stationed at a grand piano in a dark hall is nothing new to modern concertgoers. This scene suddenly changes with the arrival of three dancers taking centre stage. Combing through the air, their gestures echo the suspenseful minor chords played by the pianist. This mise en scène is amplified by dramatic projections and a video of Chinese calligraphy being drawn by the hand of an invisible master. “The Sonate des saisons project takes inspiration from Rachel Laurin’s Sonate Op. 2 en mi mineur as well as my own cultural background and heritage,” explains pianist Minna Re Shin. Based on the…

La Scena a tavola | Ravioli alla Toscana with Davide Bazzali

By Adrian Rodriguez on 3 April 2026 Art of Living, Interviews, Montreal, Opera, Recipes, Vocal

In this latest instalment of La Scena a tavola, we invite you to meet Montreal chef and opera enthusiast Davide Bazzali. As the owner of Restaurant Il Bazzali, in the heart of Little Italy, Bazzali embodies the Italian way of life, blending fine dining with a love of song. Born in northern Tuscany, he moved to Parma, the city of Giuseppe Verdi, at a very young age. Ironically, he didn’t discover opera in Italy, the home of opera, but in Montreal. For a while, Bazzali dreamed of joining Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique. Reality had other plans: having arrived in…

Beyond Vocal Folds: Treating the Voice with Dr. Françoise Chagnon

By Viktor Lazarov on 3 April 2026 Interviews, Vocal

As a professional singer, it takes a good deal of courage—and a smidge of soul-searching—to acknowledge that a vocal issue might require medical examination. After all, what is a spinto tenor without a high C? A coloratura soprano without fluency in the stratospheric passages of her fach? More than a means of expression, these artists’ voices are their identity. An otolaryngologist and professor at McGill University Health Centre, Dr. Françoise Chagnon treats singers who work in both the classical and popular realms. In her teaching and clinical work, she aims to demystify beliefs about the vocal apparatus and encourage lifestyle…

Photo: Freepik

La Scena a tavola | Kaiserschmarrn with Étienne Lemieux-Després

By Adrian Rodriguez on 2 February 2026 Art of Living, Interviews, Recipes

Originally from Otterburn Park in south Montreal and living in Germany for about 10 years now, the young Québécois conductor Étienne Lemieux-Després is a rising star on the international scene. He has collaborated with major companies and ensembles in Canada and in Europe, working alongside leading figures like Kent Nagano as a conductor, assistant conductor, coach and pianist. Between two rehearsals and travel, Lemieux-Després lured us into a world of imperial sweet treats with the emblematic alpine dessert: Kaiserschmarrn (Kaiser for “emperor” and schmarrn for “mess”). This classic is one of the most popular delicacies in south Bavaria and the…

Jan Lisiecki. Photo: Christoph Köstlin

Pro Musica: Jan Lisiecki Traverses a World (of) Dance

By Kaitlyn Chan on 2 February 2026 Classical Music, Interviews, Montreal, Piano

For its 77th season, Pro Musica presents Les Grands Romantiques, a tribute to romantic masterpieces and the modern-day artists who bring them to life. Its three series—Cartes blanches, Mélodînes, and Sur la route—welcome seasoned and young performers, with concerts in Montreal and Bromont. The Cartes blanches series begins with Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki’s World (of) Dance (Feb. 22). This new program is inspired by dances from across Europe and Latin America. Lisiecki recently premiered the program in Steinfurt, Germany, in January. “The first time is always the one that gives you the most trepidation,” says the pianist. “It was a…