The Conseil québécois de la musique is announcing its finalists on Wednesday for the Opus Awards Gala, which will take place on March 6 in a virtual fashion for a second consecutive year.
Since performing arts have been hit hard by the pandemic for most of the year, all categories affecting indoor concerts have been suspended. Ten mentions of excellence for concerts and webcast creations will however be awarded during the gala.
Therefore, only the albums released during the 2020-2021 season will be rewarded during the evening. The categories range from “Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music” to “Traditional Quebec music”, including “Jazz” and “Contemporary and electroacoustic music”. In all, 19 prizes will be awarded, including the special Opus Québec, Inclusion and Diversity Montréal and Opus Régions prizes, as well as a prize for Book of the Year.
Among the finalists in the different categories are Luc Beauséjour, Charles-Richard Hamelin (twice), the Molinari Quartet and the OSM under the direction of Kent Nagano.
Hosted by Marc Hervieux, the gala will be broadcast on the Facebook page of La fabrique culturelle de Télé-Québec and the Conseil québécois de la musique.