FIRST NATIONS: CAROLINE MONNET’S SELECTIONS
Composition by Raven Chacon,
Navajo composer and winner of a Pulitzer in 2022
Presented by the TD Bank Group, I Musici of Montreal Chamber Orchestra welcomes Caroline Monnet into its ranks for an evening and to offer her carte blanche! The renowned visual artist and filmmaker has built a program that reflects her European and Aboriginal heritage. The concert will take place on Thursday, October 20, at 7 p.m., at the Pierre-Mercure Hall of the Centre Pierre-Péladeau and will be followed by a cocktail reception for VIP ticket holders with first nations inspired flavours, served by Montreal Aboriginal youth on the stage of the Pierre-Mercure Hall with the musicians and conductor Jean-François Rivest.
Agenda for the evening
6 p.m. | Opening of doors and reception of guests
7 p.m. | Concert starts
8:30 p.m. | Cocktail on the stage with appetizers and drinks (VIP tickets)
Regular ticket: $80
VIP ticket with a cocktail: $200
The funds raised during this prestigious event will support the I Musici de Montréal chamber orchestra in its musical activities and cultural mediation in the community. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Kiuna Institution, a college studies centre dedicated to the education of Quebec Aboriginal people.
«Caroline Monnet is an extremely sought-after visual artist and a renowned filmmaker with a sensitive and warm personality as well as a vibrant imagination. Influenced by a convergence of French and Anishinaabe backgrounds, Caroline truly embodies the humanity of modern culture. We have given her the opportunity to select works for this concert; through her musical selections and excerpts from her own movies, she will paint a captivating sonic and poetic landscape highly steeped in nature and seasons, two aspects that are part of Indigenous traditions. Throughout the evening, guided by Caroline Monnet, you will hear works by Britten, Brahms, Shostakovich, Walker, and Pärt. You will also delight in a premiere by Navajo composer Raven Chacon. Raven won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize, making him the first Indigenous winner of this prestigious award.» – says Jean-François Rivest, conductor and artistic advisor.
Born to an Anishinaabe mother and a French father, Caroline Monnet is a multidisciplinary artist from Outaouais based in Montreal. After studying at the University of Ottawa and the University of Granada in Spain, she pursued a career in visual arts and film. Her work is regularly presented internationally and can also be found in prestigious museums, private and corporate collections. Her practice is often minimalist yet emotionally charged. Monnet has become known for her work with industrial materials, combining the vocabulary of popular and traditional visual cultures with the tropes of modernist abstraction to create unique hybrid forms. She is represented by Blouin Division Gallery. Two artworks by the artist will be available on the I Musici de Montréal’s website as part of the virtual auction.
Young soprano Élizabeth St-Gelais will be Caroline Monnet’s special guest. Elisabeth is currently studying for a Master of Music – Voice and Opera at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University in Montreal. Innue of the Pessamit band, she has been studying classical singing and the art of opera since 2014 and has been studying with her teacher Aline Kutan since 2017. In 2022, she won the prestigious McGill University Wirth Vocal Prize, won the 19-30 year Grand Prize of the CANIMEX Canada Competition, and was nominated in the TOP30UNDER30 by CBC as a young classical musician to watch.
Program
G. Walker Lyric pour orchestre à cordes
R. Wagner Wesendonck Lieder, (soliste: Elisabeth St-Gelais, soprano)
No 1: Der Engel
No 2: Stehe Still
No 5: Träume
J. Brahms Quatuor no 1
1er mouvement (Allegro) (arr… J.F. Rivest)
B. Britten Variations sur un thème de Frank Bridge,
Var. 7, moto perpetuo
Var. 8, marche funèbre
D. Chostakovitch Symphonie de chambre op. 110 a,
1er mouvement (Largo)
2e mouvement (Allegro molto)
R. Chacon Ashdla’ création (commande d’I Musici de Montréal)
A. Pärt Fratres pour violon, (soliste: Julie Triquet, violon)
Tickets
Thursday, October 20 at 7 p.m.: Pierre-Mercure Hall
More information
https://imusici.com/en/first-nations-caroline-monnets-selections/
