A Capital Event
Travellers around Quebec know that Montreal is not the only spot for festivals - in fact the granddaddy of them all, both in scope and longevity, is the annual Festival d'été in Quebec City. Now in its amazing 36th year, the fest has representatives from over 22 countries and throughout Canada. For a different view of the festival scene, a trip up the road to the Capital is worth the effort - both for jaded Montrealers and tourists looking for an alternative to the crowded schedule here (it will be crowded there too, but it looks nicer).
From July 3 to 13, the old city part of Quebec is home to hundreds of events. It's a wildly eclectic lineup of pop, jazz, "world", and classical music. And unlike, say, the Montreal Jazz Festival, many of the premiere acts are playing low ticket gigs outdoors. For the price of a festival button ($12) that lasts the whole fest there is a great array of shows and events, with ticketed indoor events generally having a lower price than comparable shows in Montreal.
At venues on historic Plains of Abraham, Place d'Youville, and throughout the old city, one can see acts like Les Ritas Mitsoukos, Rosanne Cash, Bob Geldof, the Senegalese Orchestre Baobab, the Susie Arioli swing band, or hip-hop poet Michael Franti and Spearhead (pictured) - a lineup that, for once, conveys the saying of "something for everyone" accurately.
[See the schedule here]
The Street Arts component of the festival has traveling theater troupes, wandering stilt-walkers among the motley pack of entertainers who fill the streets between the venues, as well a group named the Alligator Trio who will roam from bar to bar throughout the city for their Tavern Tour 2003.
While the programming is international (and bilingual on the web site), the Festival d'été, has as its mission a special emphasis on artists from Québec and other French-speaking areas. Marc Déry, Plume Latraverse, Louise Forestier, Natasha St-Pier, and Kevin Parent are a few of the featured acts.
Two tribute shows will be hosted by Diane Dufresne: the show Salut Brel! will give Luce Dufault, Bruno Pelletier, Claude Léveillée, Pierre Lebeau, and Benoît Brière the chance to perform their renditions of classic Jacques Brel songs, while the tribute L'âme à la tendresse showcases Linda Racine, Luce Dufault, Richard Séguin, Claude Gauthier, Boom Desjardins and Jean-François Dubé, as they breathe new life into the songs of Pauline Julien.
Classical Music section
(text from Festival d'été programmers)Classical music enthusiasts are in for a real treat in 2003. Playing in the Seminary courtyard, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec will accompany noted pianist Alain Lefèvre as he interprets no fewer than three concertos in a single performance, as well as cellist Jorane a few days later. Internationally known André Gagnon will also be on hand to perform some of the most striking works of his prodigious career. Appearing together, Gianna Corbisiero, Mark Hervieux, and chamber orchestra I Musici de Montréal will share a compelling rendition of Verdi, while Robert Marien, Hélène Guilmette, and Geneviève Charest interpret a parade of Broadway's greatest hits.
Historic Bon-Pasteur chapel will welcome harpsichordist Catherine Perrin and the much-praised duo John Holloway (violin) and Lars Ulrick Mortensen (harpsichord). Also on the program are reputed gambist quatuor Phantasm (pictured), cellist phenomenon Bruno Cocset, and a Jacques Offenbach operetta, the irresistible Pomme d'Api, produced by Claude Soucy, directed by Jacques Leblanc, and starring Albert Millaire, Sabrina Ferland, and Marc Duguay.
To crown it all, OSQ and director Yoav Talmi will be transforming the Plains of Abraham into an open-air concert hall with their performance of two major works from the symphonic repertoire-Beethoven's Sixth, or the "pastoral symphony," and Ravel's Bolero. Admission free to all festival button wearers.
[Classical music schedule]
The Festival d'été in Quebec City runs from July 3 to 13. See their web site, or call the Info-Festival line at (418) 529-5200.
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