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Welcome to Cityscapes
From coast to coast, Canada offers magnificent natural landscapes and culturally diverse cities. In this issue, we highlight Montreal’s inspiring locations, music and arts scene, and unique neighbourhoods. We invited four local artists to tell us what they love most about this creative hotspot.
Sharon Azrieli
Soprano Sharon Azrieli was awarded the National Order of Quebec (Chevalière du Québec) in 2019 for her achievements as a performer. She is devoted to arts education and philanthropy, creating the Azrieli Music Prizes and sitting on several arts foundations’ boards.
Tim Brady
Tim Brady is a composer, electric guitarist, conductor and producer whose works have been performed throughout North America and Europe. In 2025, he presented two 100-electric-guitar shows at the Montréal/New Musics Festival and at the Brisbane Festival (Australia).
Alain Gauthier
For the past 15 years, Montreal-native Alain Gauthier has worked as a freelance director. He has staged many widely acclaimed productions at Opéra de Montréal, such as The Barber Of Seville, Pagliacci/Gianni Schicchi, and Dead Man Walking.
Marie Nadeau-Tremblay
Specializing in early and contemporary music, violinist Marie Nadeau-Tremblay is a rising star on the scene, winning numerous awards and accolades. Her latest album, Obsession, was nominated for a Juno Award and has won the Opus Award for Album of the Year.
Montreal Connections
“Born and bred” in Montreal, Sharon Azrieli did a brief stint in New York—and travelled worldwide—before returning to her hometown to raise her children and pursue a master’s degree and doctorate at Université de Montréal. In addition to valuing its impressive vocal program, Azrieli thought the university would help her better connect with—and participate in—Montreal’s artistic French-speaking community. “Being at a French institution improved … my already-fluent French, my visibility, and the acceptance of me as a performer by the French community.”
Composer Tim Brady, too, felt drawn to return to Montreal. “I was born in Montreal, grew up on the West Island, and I went to Concordia University … for my undergraduate studies. I’ve lived in Boston, Toronto, and London (U.K.), but came back to Montreal in 1987 as I thought it was the best environment for me to pursue my specific and somewhat idiosyncratic musical vision. … Montreal has a complex balance of cultural issues to deal with, which require an openness and understanding of others in order to work, and this leads to a very dynamic arts scene, which is exactly what you want if you are a creator.”
Once exposed to the cultural effervescence of Montreal, it was hard to stay away. Even from a young age, Alain Gauthier recalls his greatest dream was to return to Montreal after his family moved to the North Shore when he was five or six years old. He continued to see shows and attended a CEGEP in the city. “While studying at Université du Québec à Montréal, I lived in the Centre-Sud, on Atateken Street (formerly Amherst), and then in a tiny flat on Wolfe Street, on the corner of Robin, opposite an ice rink. It was barely a one-and-a-half. The shower was in my kitchen. But I was in the city centre, close to the university and the shows.” Now the director has lived in Montreal for 43 years.
Marie Nadeau-Tremblay grew up in the Eastern Townships (Cantons de l’Est), in the only hamlet in Quebec, called Mystic. The violinist lived in the countryside, moving with her family to Saint-Lambert, on the outskirts of Montreal, halfway through secondary school. “It was quite a shock for me, arriving in the city. I come from a place where there are no pavements. … There was no public transport, and suddenly I had to take the city bus to get to my secondary school. I remember the first time I didn’t know how to get off, and that you had to pull the cord for the bus to stop. I’d never seen that before. … I didn’t know the rules. I had to adjust to city life.” Nadeau-Tremblay later moved to Montreal for university.
Neighbourhoods
Little Italy
Situated north of the railway tracks that connect Hochelaga to Mile-End, Little Italy is a historic neighbourhood with authentic Italian shops, restaurants and cafés. After a rise in Italian immigration during the late 1800s and early- to mid-1900s, Little Italy began to form in stages as immigrants were drawn to the area for work.
Known for its architecture, the neighbourhood has many long-standing buildings such as the Notre-Dame-de-la-Défense Church, which was built in 1919 and is infamous for including a depiction of Mussolini on a horse in one of its decorative frescoes. Another popular draw to Little Italy is the Jean-Talon Market, one of North America’s largest open-air markets.
“I love shopping [in Little Italy],” says Azrieli. “It is small, but cute!”
The Southwest
The Southwest borough sits on the banks of the Lachine Canal, bordering Verdun and Ville-Marie. Historically, each area within the borough had distinct identities. For example, Little Burgundy was known as the home of Montreal’s working-class English-speaking Black community, which produced renowned jazz musicians such as Oscar Peterson and Oliver Jones. In recent years, this neighbourhood’s identity has undergone changes due to gentrification. The borough also boasts popular restaurants, cultural attractions and the Atwater Market.
“I really like walking along the Lachine Canal near the Atwater Market; having this open water in the heart of the city is a real treat,” says Brady. “I can sit and compose all day, but then I can go watch the water and listen to some ducks to completely change my perspective and to get away from the computer!”
Le Plateau
The densely populated Plateau neighbourhood, north of downtown Montreal, has an undeniably artsy European flair. “There are even pianos lying about, so you can hear music being played outdoors,” says Gauthier, who has lived in the area for more than 40 years. The Plateau is home to many arts organizations and venues, including the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, Maison de la culture du Plateau-Mont-Royal, and various theatres.
Another appealing feature, according to Gauthier, is its outdoor space. “There are some beautiful parks, like [Sir-Wilfrid-Laurier] Park, Baldwin Park, and Parc des Compagnons. … They’re very lively places—especially in the summer, of course.”
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve
Located along the St. Lawrence River, Hochelaga-Maisonneuve was a former industrial area that has gone through social and economic changes in recent years. One of its defining features is Olympic Park, which contains the Montreal Olympic Stadium, built for the 1976 Summer Olympics. Standing over the stadium—nicknamed “The Big O” for its shape—is the Montreal Tower, the world’s tallest inclined tower.
Nadeau-Tremblay, who has lived in this neighbourhood over the last 10 years, has a particular soft spot for the nearby Botanical Gardens. “During the pandemic, I went there almost every day. I made sure to go very early in the morning, on rainy weekday mornings. That way, I had the garden all to myself. It was truly magical.”
Urban Oases
“I love Westmount Park,” says Azrieli, “It is huge and has everything.” Located along Sherbrooke Street West, the green space has playgrounds for young kids, soccer fields, a pool and the Westmount Public Library. Azrieli’s favourite spot is the Westmount Conservatory and Greenhouses, attached to the library. Visiting the location gives the soprano “some peace, respite and green” in the city.
Gauthier, too, enjoys a local park: “In La Fontaine Park, you can go listen to music at the Théâtre de Verdure. Now that it’s been completely renovated, it’s even more enjoyable to go there for concerts and dance performances.” With 40 hectares of greenery, this urban oasis gives inhabitants a space to hike, bike, skate and sled, depending on the season.
Other than Montreal’s beautiful Botanical Gardens, Nadeau-Tremblay enjoys a trip out to the cinema or nearby café for a little piece of calmness. “I love arthouse cinema. I’ve often gone on my own to Cinéma du Parc; it’s one of my favourite spots. …[Also] opposite my home, there’s a café with a turntable inside. They play classical music there sometimes. It’s rare these days to find a public place in North America, or even in Europe, where you’re exposed to classical music.”
For most artists, their home is often a carefully designed space to both work and relax. Brady suggests that his little spot for inspiration is his home music studio. “I know where everything is, how it all works, so I can just concentrate on making music.” However, when he does need a moment away from home, he enjoys walks around his neighbourhood, past the canal, markets, and cultural attractions like the Beanfield Theatre and Arsenal Contemporary Art.
Where to Listen
Azrieli recommends:
- Orchestre classique de Montréal
- Ensemble Caprice Segal Centre
- Place des Arts
- Le National
- Le 9e
“I would love to see more music theatre, especially if we could integrate the French and English communities.”
Brady recommends:
- Codes d’accès
- Le Vivier
- Festival MNM
- La Société de musique contemporaine du Québec
“Montreal has so many amazing arts companies; I find the whole scene very inspiring. But I guess I have a soft spot for emerging artists. Organizations [like]Codes d’accès are very important. That’s where I got my first real experience as a Montreal artist 35 years ago—when I was just a little bit younger and wetter behind the ears—and I hope young artists [too]can find their own voice.”
Gauthier recommends:
- Opéra de Montréal
- Maison symphonique
- Théâtre de Verdure in La Fontaine Park
- Théâtre Maisonneuve
- Théâtre de la Licorne
- Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui
- Théâtre du Nouveau Monde
“When I was 20, back in the 1980s, the theatre scene was already thriving. There were plenty of shows and a very vibrant cultural life. As someone who was already passionate about the arts, moving to Montreal meant being right in the thick of it. That’s exactly what I wanted. There was a sense of excitement that surely inspired me. I kept the programs from all the shows I attended. I consumed a lot of theatre, in addition to concerts.”
Nadeau-Tremblay recommends:
- The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
- Bourgie Hall
“Aside from Japan, there’s no other place I’d rather live than Montreal, and I say that having visited many other places around the world. Montreal has something unique about it—it’s culturally vibrant despite its run-down, urban appearance, which is honestly a bit embarrassing. But at the same time, there’s a certain charm to it; I don’t know how to explain it. You can never replace your home, and I can say that Montreal is truly my home. As a teenager, I fantasized a lot about Europe; I was very fond of French literature, I devoured all the romantic authors, and I had built up a romanticized vision of France, in particular. But after going there and visiting France, Italy, England, Spain … It feels like something is missing. I wouldn’t prefer to live there, compared to Montreal. There’s something going on every night, for everyone: alternative scenes, classical music, rock, exhibitions … It’s a city that’s alive.”
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