Orchestre symphonique de Montréal presents

Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess

Kent Nagano, conductor
Will Liverman, bass
Marie-Josée Lord, soprano
Janai Brugger, soprano
Justin Welsh, baritone
Gardy Fury, tenor
Andrew Megill, chorus master
André Robitaille, presenter
Oriol Tomas, stage director

Porgy and Bess (excerpts) (approx. 90 min.)

Most of us are familiar with the famous song, “Summertime” from Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess. The OSM launches the 6th edition of the Classical Spree with the best-known melodies of a great classic of American opera.

This grand celebration of music, one Montreal’s simply inescapable cultural events, revisits the moving love story between a disabled street-beggar (Porgy) and a young woman (Bess) trapped in the clutches of a thug. Set in the black slums of South Carolina in the 1930S, its subject matter and its innovative synthesis of classical, pop, and jazz idioms make Porgy and Bess a truly visionary work.

Flanked by a chorus and several soloists including Gardy Fury, Will Liverman and Justin Welsh, the charismatic Marie-Josée Lord appears in the role of Bess. The event is directed by Oriol Tomas and presented by actor André Robitaille. Summertime, and the livin’ is easy…

Thursday, August 10, 2017 at 8:00pm

L’Esplanade Financière Sun Life at the Olympic Park
4141 Avenue Pierre-De Coubertin

For more information visit: vireeclassique.osm.ca

Classical Spree

Classical Spree

The OSM’s Classical Spree is a major celebration of classical music presented by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal in partnership with Place des Arts. In August of each summer, internationally established masters team up with next-generation artists to interpret the works of composers from yesterday and today.

The festival’s formula aims to be family-friendly and accessible: some thirty concerts and shows, each lasting 45 minutes, are presented at reasonable prices in various halls at Place des Arts, including the Maison symphonique. Plenty of free events are also offered in the public spaces of Place des Arts. Classical Spree was first held in 2012, and more than 200 musicians take part in the event every year. vireeclassique.osm.ca