The Orchestre De L'Agora Presents A Series Of Chamber Music Concerts

For the first time ever, the Orchestre de l'Agora presents a series of chamber music concerts. The OA's Série Amalgames will take place on Fridays: September 17, October 1, October 8 and October 15, 2021, at 7:30 p.m. The venue for the series is Kin Experience.

The initiative originated in a common desire on the part of OA musicians and team to present live chamber music, and the musicians participated directly in the programming of these concerts, proposing themes and works of their choice. A variety of ensemble formations will perform innovative programs for strings, piano, winds and brass. The four concerts presented to the public, live at Kin Experience-an event space located near Place des Arts-will feature world music, music by Quebec, Canadian and Indigenous composers, as well as works from the standard repertoire by composers such as Shostakovich, Piazzolla, Brahms, Milhaud or Prokofiev.

The Orchestre de l'Agora, founded by conductor Nicolas Ellis, aims to reinvent the role of classical musicians in their community and to make music more accessible. The importance of creating a special and intimate contact between public and musicians is what motivates this project. Each post-concert event will be an opportunity for the public to meet our musicians over tea or a drink, in a festive yet intimate setting. A bar will be available on site and tea from Camellia Sinensis will be served. The series also enables the OA to reach out to the community, notably by offering music at the Chez Doris women's shelter and in health care settings through La SAMS.

Unexpected Amalgams

• October 1, 2021, 7:30 p.m.-Oboe, clarinet, horn, violin, viola, double bass, piano.

Chamber music often requires blend-or amalgams, evoking the series' title-which means to create sounds that intertwine, as in a string quartet, creating a harmonious whole. This program explores the ways in which some composers have taken advantage of heterogeneous timbres to create very special works.

Program : Rebecca Clarke-Prelude, Allegro and Pastorale (Duo) ; Poulenc-Sonata for Oboe and Piano ; Brahms-Horn Trio, First and Second Movements ; Prokofiev-Quintet in G minor, Op. 39

Musicians : Oboe: Elise Poulin / Clarinet: Pedro Molina / Horn: Guillaume Roy / Violin: Lise-Marie Riberdy / Viola: Marilou Lepage / Double bass: Samuel-San Vachon / Piano: Gaspard Tanguay-Labrosse

Folk and Classical Interwoven

• October 8, 2021, 7:30 p.m. - String Quartet, Duo La Traverse (Nyckelharpa and Hardanger violin)

From Brahms' Hungarian Dances to Bartók's Rhapsodies, folk music has often been a source of inspiration and fascination for classical composers. Each work in this program reflects this fascination in its own way. Some are transcriptions of folk tunes, others are original works that recall traditional music practices and techniques, such as Inuit throat singing. The public will also have the opportunity to discover the Nyckelharpa and Hardanger fiddle, folk instruments respectively of Swedish and Norwegian origin, with the Duo La Traverse.

Program: Sekstur from Vendsyssel / The Peat Dance (trans.) ; Wu Man-Two Chinese Paintings ; Rhiannon Giddens-At the purchaser's option with variations ; Marcus Goddard-Allaqi ; Darius Milhaud, String Quintet No. 1, Op. 5, Fourth Movement ; Folk songs with Duo la Traverse.

Musicians: Violin: Chloé Chabanole / Violin: Julien Patrice / Viola: Justin Almazan / Cello: Thomas Beard / Duo La Traverse : Simon Alexandre, Nyckelharpa and Lise-Marie Ribery, Hardanger violin.

Phantoms

• October 15, 2021, 7:30 p.m. -String quartet, flute, harp and double bass.

In this program, the classic string quartet expands to include one new instrument for each piece. Works that feature in turn the flute, the harp and the double bass bring out the unique colours and textures of the instruments and showcase the flexibility and diversity that this new quintet formation has to offer.

Program: Hétu-Serenade, Op. 45 ; Caplet-Conte fantastique ; Dvořák-String Quintet in G major, Op.77

Musicians: Violin: Chloé Chabanole / Violin: Julien Patrice / Viola: Cynthia Blanchon / Cello: Thomas Beard / Double bass: Samuel-San Vachon / Flute: Noémie Caron-Marcotte / Harp: Alexandra Tibbitts.

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