Montreal, Sunday, February 4, 2024 –
This afternoon, the Opus Awards Gala presented by the Conseil québécois de la musique (CQM) brought together Québec’s music community at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ Bourgie Hall to celebrate the outstanding achievements of the 2022-2023 artistic season. Executive producer and artistic director Sylvie Raymond, lighting designer and stage director Cédric Delorme-Bouchard, and illustrious master of ceremonies and host Jocelyn Lebeau comprised the seasoned team that once again helped showcase the accomplishments of the gala’s 30 winners.
A heartfelt tribute was paid to Isolde Lagacé, general and artistic director emeritus of Bourgie Hall, for her devotion to the promotion and dissemination of concert music in Québec. Touching testimonials honoured the legacy of this great lady, among them those of Alexandre Tharaud, a French pianist of international renown; Olivier Godin, pianist, duetting with Caroline Louis, respectively Bourgie Hall’s current artistic director and general director; and Geneviève Soly, musician and the honouree’s sister. To everyone’s delight, Télé-Québec’s La Fabrique culturelle produced and screened a video offering a more intimate glimpse of the recipient of the Hommage award. This interview can be viewed at lafabriqueculturelle.tv.
Musically, the audience was seduced by pianist Serhiy Salov and his interpretation of Frédéric Chopin’s Fantaisie-Impromptu op. 66, while the Masmoudi Quartette enchanted it with the fusion of tango, jazz and even klezmer in its composition Labyrinthe. For its part, string ensemble collectif9 provided musical accompaniment and mood throughout the gala. It opened things off with an excerpt from contemporary work Another Living Soul by Nicole Lizée, and brought the proceedings to a thundering close with its arrangement for strings of Tot Taraful by Romanian composer Sapo Perapaskero.
“Established artists, new faces, organizations and producers from all across Québec—this 27th edition of the Opus Awards Gala features a remarkable diversity. Allow me to congratulate all the finalists and winners who, in these particularly difficult times, persevere, no matter the cost, in contributing to the visibility, both here and abroad, of the excellence of Québec’s musical practice,” remarked CQM president Françoise Henri.
Loyal, generous partners
Thanks to its invaluable partners, nine Opus Awards handed out by the Conseil québécois de la musique are accompanied by a cash prize or by an in-kind prize consisting of services. Thus, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec awarded $10,000 to Composer of the Year Katia Makdissi-Warren and the Conseil des arts de Montréal awarded an equal amount to the Ensemble Caprice, recipient of the Inclusion and Diversity – Montréal award, for the project ClassifInclusif directed by Karin Cuellar Rendon. For its part, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications gave $5,000 to the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, winner of the Production of the Year – Young Audiences award for Concert Osmose and the Canada Council for the Arts awarded $5,000 to Stick & Bow, chosen Performer of the Year. The latter also received the International Achievement award accompanied by $2,000 from CINARS. The Conseil québécois du patrimoine vivant, meanwhile, gave $1,000 to the musicians of Bon Débarras, recipient of the award for Concert of the Year – Traditional Québec music. New this year, Mundial Montréal awarded a Mentorship & Seminar package to the band Les Arrivants, who took home top honours for Album of the Year – World Music for its album Home. Finally, Télé-Québec’s La Fabrique culturelle will produce a video capsule for pianist Meagan Milatz, recipient of the Discovery of the Year award, in addition to carrying out the interview honouring the recipient of the Hommage award.
The 27th edition of the Opus Awards was made possible thanks to the Government of Canada, Musicaction and the Canada Council for the Arts, the Government of Québec, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, to the Conseil des arts de Montréal, to CINARS, to the Conseil québécois du patrimoine vivant, to Mundial Montréal, to Télé-Québec’s La Fabrique culturelle, to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ Bourgie Hall, as well as to our media partners: Le Devoir, La Scena Musicale, Ludwig Van Montréal, L’Opéra and sortiesJAZZnights.
Contact
Ève-Marie Cimon, Coordinator, Prix Opus
514 524-1310 ext. 1 / opus@cqm.qc.ca
