Presenter
Concerts aux Îles du Bic
88, place de l'église (Suite A), Rimouski, QC, Canada, Quebec
Website
Informations
Concerts aux Îles du Bic is the largest chamber music presenter in Eastern Quebec.
The festival brings together, under the sign of friendship, professional and emerging artists for unique concerts. The musicians, gathered in ephemeral chamber music ensembles, perform famous or unpublished works in the enchanting setting of the Bic islands.
The meeting of talented performers, combined with the splendor of the site and the proximity of nature, make Concerts aux Îles du Bic stand out among the chamber music festivals in Quebec.
For the 22nd season in 2023, the festival has been expanded to eight major concerts from August 5 to 12. The “Resonances” mini-tour will offer two superb indoor concerts. Public performances are in Grand-Métis and Saint-Alexandre. Other activities on the fringe of the festival will be carried out by our musical squad.
You will have the opportunity to attend about fifteen musical events this summer. Welcome to all!
photo : Jean-Pierre Rousseau
PROGRAMMING
Vivaldi: Luce e ombra
Sainte-Cécile du Bic Church
A colorful opening concert featuring soprano Myriam Leblanc and the Ensemble Mirabilia (Grégoire Jeay on flutes, Antoine Malette-Chénier on baroque harp and Mélisande Corriveau on baroque cello). They will perform vocal and instrumental works by Antonio Vivaldi.
General admission: $42 | Children and students 25 years old and under: $15
Buy your ticketsChez les Mendelssohn – les trios avec piano de Fanny et Félix
Sainte-Cécile du Bic Church
The co-founders of the festival, Élise Lavoie on violin and James Darling on cello, join pianist Maurice Laforest for this concert about the famous Viennese brother and sister. The audience will be welcomed on stage and around the piano to experience and discuss with the musicians as if we were in the Mendelssohn family. Buns and coffee are included in the musical menu for the first to arrive… as long as there are some.
General admission: $25 | Children and students 25 years old and under : $15
Buy your ticketsCarte blanche à iTromboni
Saint-Fabien Church
The amazing trombone quintet iTromboni performs original and arranged works by great classical and modern composers with panache, sensitivity and complicity. Their members, from all over Canada, are five virtuoso musicians who travel to share their music. They break down stereotypes about trombones and their place in harmony with a vibrant enthusiasm.
General admission: $38 | Children and students 25 years old and under: $15
Buy your ticketsLe violoncelle éclaté
Sainte-Cécile du Bic Church
We are delighted to welcome Cameron Crozman, young cellist prodigy, with Meagan Milatz, piano. We will hear them in a most flamboyant duo recital of Brahms’ masterpiece (his Second Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 99) and Fazil Say’s highly virtuosic “Four Cities” sonata.
General admission: $38 | Children and students 25 years old and under: $15
Buy your ticketsL’art de la musique pour voix et guitare avec Kerry Bursey – Classe de maître
Conservatoire de Rimouski (salle Bouchard-Morissette)
Discover the secrets of mastering singing and accompanying with Kerry Bursey. This tenor, guitarist, and lutenist is known for his versatility and knowledge of early music and folk repertoire. In this master class, open to the general public, he will coach vocal and guitar students, engage the audience and pass on an exciting background.
Voluntary contribution
Les trombones en liberté à la Distillerie
Distillerie du St. Laurent (135 Av. du Père Nouvel)
The iTromboni trombone quintet is taking to the city for a concert in an iconic venue. On the banks of the river, the unique atmosphere of the Distillery will give you a taste of original and arranged works by great classical and modern composers. Their members, from across Canada, are five virtuoso musicians who travel to share their music.
If the Distillery is closed, we will move the concert to the place du 6 mai 1950.
Voluntary contribution
Entre Vienne et Moscou : Mathieu Gaudet et ses amis
Église Sainte-Cécile du Bic
The artist residencies end with a fireworks display featuring several ephemeral ensembles with Mathieu Gaudet, Myriam Leblanc, Cameron Crozman, Mégan Milatz, Étienne Chénard, Élise Lavoie and James Darling performing works by Rachmaninoff, Medtner, Arensky, Brahms and Schubert. Recorded by Radio-Canada.
General admission: $42 | Children and students 25 years old and under: $15
Buy your ticketsEnvol musical à Rimouski
Sentier du littoral (à la pointe de la rivière Rimouski près de La Macrée)
Let yourself be transported into the world of birds! You know the birds here, but do you know their habits? their lifestyles? our impact on their environments and their daily lives? With great classical music by the young pianist Jules-Alex Banville and the words of an experienced ornithologist, this concert will satisfy your curiosity and that of all your brood.
Free admission
Envol musical au 5 à l’Angélus
Place du 6 mai 1950
With Concerts aux Îles du Bic, let yourself be transported into the world of birds! You know the birds here, but do you know their habits? their lifestyles? our impact on their environments and their daily lives? With great classical music by the young pianist Jules-Alex Banville and the words of an experienced ornithologist, this concert will satisfy your curiosity and that of all your brood.
Free admission
Un fleuve sans fin
Église Sainte-Cécile du Bic, 88 avenue de l’Église
The Concerts aux Îles du Bic marks the beginning of its 23rd season with the return of the extraordinary David Jalbert for an opening concert in the late afternoon. Sergei Prokofiev’s sumptuous Sonata for cello and piano and the rarely heard Suite for piano left hand and strings by Erich Korngold surrounding a solo piano creation by Ontario composer Frank Horvat. During his trip along the river and at the festival last summer, the composer was inspired by our iconic Saint-Laurent River to write this work, which will be performed in its premiere. A flagship concert of the festival!
An elegant and warm virtuoso with an eclectic repertoire, David Jalbert has carved out a place for himself among the pianists of his generation. Named by the CBC as one of the 15 best Canadian pianists of all time, he regularly performs with orchestra or recital around the world.
General admission 45$ | Children 12 years and less 15$
Vagues et ombres
Spect’Art Rimouski (Salle Desjardins-Telus), 25, rue Saint-Germain ouest
A poetic and committed show, Vagues et ombres presents original arrangements of pieces by Claude Debussy (including the iconic La Mer), the play Contact by Luna Pearl Woolf, a sound evocation of the underwater world of belugas in the estuary of the Saint-Lawrence RiverLaurent, and Sea Change by Tom Morrison who expresses anxiety about the climate crisis. All wrapped in a delicate shadow decor designed by Mere Phantoms. The program’s album was a Juno Award finalist in 2023.
The nine musicians of collectif9 perform, with the power of an orchestra and the agility of a chamber music ensemble, classical music through an innovative approach offering great evocative power to the audience. This multidisciplinary project with Chinese shadows will once again celebrate our special relationship with the St. Lawrence River.
General admission 40$ | Children 12 years and less 15$
Envol musical à Saint-Simon
Rest Area of Saint-Simon-sur-Mer
Let yourself be transported into the world of birds! You know the birds here, but do you know their habits? their lifestyles? our impact on their environments and their daily lives? With great classical music by the young pianist Jules-Alex Banville and the words of an experienced ornithologist, this concert will satisfy your curiosity and that of all your brood.
Free admission
Master Class with David Jalbert
Conservatoire de musique de Rimouski, 22, Ste-Marie Street
With this master class open to the public, up-and-coming young pianists from the region are invited to perfect themselves with an elegant and warm virtuoso named by CBC as one of the 15 best Canadian pianists of all time. A unique opportunity! Attend this event and discover the secrets of mastering the instrument.
Free admission
Envol musical à Saint-Fabien
Chapelle de Saint-Fabien-sur-Mer, 50 Chemin de la Mer ouest
Let yourself be transported into the world of birds! You know the birds here, but do you know their habits? their lifestyles? our impact on their environments and their daily lives? With great classical music by the young pianist Jules-Alex Banville and the words of an experienced ornithologist, this concert will satisfy your curiosity and that of all your brood.
Free admission
Mains fines, coeurs forts; music for piano and strings
Église Sainte-Cécile du Bic, 88 avenue de l’Église
Mains fines, cœurs forts is a splendid trio concert bringing together artists in residence around romantic composers Clara Schumann and sisters Boulanger, with Ravel and Debussy not too far! Violinist Daphné Bourbonnais, newly appointed concertmaster of the Orchestre symphonique de l’Estuaire, joins pianist Michel-Alexandre Broekaert and cellist Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy for this virtuoso celebration.
General admission 40$ | Children 12 years and less 15$
Les perles du baroque
Église Sainte-Cécile du Bic, 88 avenue de l’Église
Come and discover remarkable composers and women in the company of a quartet of dazzling young women: the pure soprano Ariadne Lih, Anne Thivierge on the baroque flute, Mylène Bélanger on the harpsichord and Andrea Stewart on the cello. They will transmit to us the great richness and expressiveness of another era through the compositions of Elisabeth Jacquet of La Guerre, Barbara Strozzi, and others. Not to be missed!
General admission 40$ | Children 12 years and less 15$
Esquisses nocturnes
Conservatoire de musique de Rimouski (Salle Jack-Herbert), 22, Ste-Marie Street
An ephemeral ensemble of seven musicians in residence will perform the striking work of Claude Vivier. Then, the percussion duo T.J.J.H. takes us on the Rebord Project where their compositions using prepared vibraphones explore minimalist terrains, between precision and shift.
Tom Jacques and Jonathan Huard, percussion • Philippe Gagné, piano • David Thies-Thompson, viola • Julie Trudeau, cello • Thibault Berthin-Maghit, double bass • Dan Tremblay, trumpet
General admission 30$ | Enfants 12 years and less 15$
Envol musical à Rimouski
Sentier du littoral (à la pointe de la rivière Rimouski près de La Macrée)
Let yourself be transported into the world of birds! You know the birds here, but do you know their habits? their lifestyles? our impact on their environments and their daily lives? With great classical music by the young pianist Jules-Alex Banville and the words of an experienced ornithologist, this concert will satisfy your curiosity and that of all your brood.
Free admission
Hommage à Gabriel Fauré
Église Sainte-Cécile du Bic, 88 avenue de l’Église
Hommage à Gabriel Fauré will end the festival with a lyrical and musical tribute marking the centenary of the death of Gabriel Fauré. With the sublime voice of soprano Sophie Naubert and four exceptional musicians: pianist Michel-Alexandre Broekaert, violinist Julie Triquet, violist David Thies-Thompson and cellist Julie Trudeau.
Sophie Naubert is a young coloratura lyrical soprano with great agility and flexibility in her voice. She made her debut in 2021 as a soloist with the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Cottbus Philharmonic Orchestra in Berlin and Arion Baroque Orchestra in Montreal. She participated in the recording of Massenet’s complete melodies for classical ATMA. For the 2022-23 season, she was artist in residence at the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal.
General admission 45$ | Children 12 years and less 15$
Les Amis, la musique, la mer
Chapelle Notre-Dame-des-Murailles, 38 Chemin de la Mer ouest
Concerts aux Îles du Bic is pleased to welcome an «all-star» string trio: Julie Triquet on violin, David Thies-Thompson on viola and Julie Trudeau on cello. They will amaze you with their brilliance, their passion and their complicity. Through works by Mozart, Francaix and Enesco, they will also present the famous duo of Maurice Ravel and the magnificent Serenade of Ernst von Dohnányi. An intimate concert to enjoy, then to improve with a walk on the river in Saint-Fabien-sur-Mer.
General admission 45$ | Children 12 years and less 15$
PROGRAMMING ALSO AVAILABLE IN ITINERARY
Countryside Baroque
From the lush green hills of the Townships to the majestic shores of the St. Lawrence River in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, by way of the glittering Lake MacDonald in the Laurentides, let yourself be swept from one landscape to the next, all the way back to the Baroque Period!
Heading East
Embark on a road trip to Eastern Quebec! This itinerary offers three musical stops along the St Lawrence River, beginning on Île d’Orléans, then on to Les Bergeronnes and Rimouski as your final destination.
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