This text is part of the special section Culture Montérégie
There is no shortage of music lovers on the South Shore of Montreal. While many of them never hesitate to cross bridges to applaud the Orchester symphonique de Montréal or the Orchester Métropolitain, many others encourage local talent as well as ensembles firmly rooted in their community.
This fervor is of course maintained by artists who have known and loved the region for a long time and who spare no effort to ensure that classical music resounds from Saint-Hyacinthe to Valleyfield.
This was precisely the ambition of Daniel Constantineau, founder in 2010 of the Orchester symphonique de la Vallée-du-Haut-Saint-Laurent, which has since become Galileo. According to the man who was a music teacher for a long time at Cégep de Valleyfield, “the presence of a professional ensemble was really lacking in western Montérégie”.
For the artistic and musical director of Galileo, each concert must be an opportunity for discovery and wonder, thus trying to fill in certain gaps. “The region does not have a conservatory or a large specialized school, and several educational establishments have closed their music departments,” laments Daniel Constantineau. This makes the musical traditions less strong. »
From one program to another, combing through the vast symphonic repertoire, Galileo can invite the group Les Charbonniers de l’enfer as well as revisit the works of Antonio Vivaldi, Richard Wagner or André Gagnon. Anxious to present “accessible” works, the conductor also bets that in well-structured programs, the spectator can easily move from Beethoven to Anton Webern (1883-1945), Austrian composer and pupil of Arnold Schönberg.
When will a Maison symphonique?
Marc Boucher is feverishly preparing for the 13e Festival Classica, and the general and artistic director of this event is not superstitious. “It’s even a lucky number, marking an edition of the end of the pandemic and the resumption of the deployment of our development plan”, proudly underlines this baritone from Longueuil.
An annual event that celebrates “music from all eras, from baroque to modern, as well as opera”, the festival will be held from May 25 to June 17 in Montérégie, of course, but also in Montreal. Because opera programming required a place with impeccable acoustics. Marc Boucher thus turned to his alma mater, the University of Montreal and its Claude-Champagne hall, where three operas and operettas will be presented, including a creation, The man who Laughsinspired by the novel by Victor Hugo.
The 2023 program will also be held in Saint-Bruno, Boucherville, Brossard and Longueuil, with French music as the common thread. The magnificent churches of the region will be put to use, including the Saint-Antoine-de-Padoue Co-Cathedral.
For someone who has spent a long time in Europe, the lyrical part of Classica is as much a matter of passion as of necessity. “The supply has dropped a lot over the past 20 years,” laments Marc Boucher, thinking of all these great talented local performers who deserve to be known and heard in the best possible conditions.
For Marc Boucher, the Montérégie public is “curious”, ready to follow him in his choices from one edition to another. He also dreams aloud of a South Shore version of the Maison symphonique, “a place dedicated to classical music and for the entire musical community of the region”.
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