Voice in all its glory at West Island festival

The human voice – for many, the ultimate instrument in music – is once again the focus for this year’s fifth edition of the Festival de la Voix at several locations in the West Island.

At its heart, the festival presents six concerts by major local talent from March 16 – 25 and five workshops for budding singers or those who seek to polish their art.

It is presented by Vox Aeterna, the organization that promotes music in the community by providing performance and workshop opportunities so artists, young and less young, can get experience and exposure.

The vocal thrills are there for audiences close to home, in Lachine, Beaconsfield, Dorval, and Pointe Claire.

• Friday, March 16, the festival kicks off with a Saint-Patrick’s Day Concert, 10:30am, L’Entrepôt Concert Hall, 2901 St. Joseph Blvd., Lachine. It features flautist, Dave Gossage; fiddler Kate Bevan-Baker; guitarist Patrick Lesyk; soprano Colleen Bartley; and Irish dancers. $20

• Sunday, March 18, Broadway in Beaconsfield, Christ Church Beaurepaire, 455 Church, 3pm, features Laura Coulter-Low, Suzanne Rigden, and Brandon Howard Roy with pianist Michael Woytiuk, and tunes from The Sound of Music, Fiddler on the Roof, and West Side Story. $20

• Friday March 23, Music That’s Out of This World, Église de la Présentation, 655 de l’Église, Dorval, 8pm, presents Ensemble Caprice and Vox Aeterna with excerpts from Vivaldi’s Gloria, featuring Matthias Maute (recorder) and soprano Samantha-Louis Jean, and Neptune Ensemble with the Swingle Singers songbook. $30 and $25

• Saturday, March 24, Golden VoicesDorval Strathmore United Church, 310 Brookhaven, 2pm, McGill Conservatory Youth Choir, soprano Chantal Parent, accordionist Daniel Benedetti and Acapella Sounds Chorus. $15

• Saturday, March 24, La musique de chez nous, co-sponsored by the Norwegian Cultural Association at the Lakeshore Unitarian Universalist Congregation, 5065 Sherbrooke, Lachine, 8pm, presents blues and roots singer/guitarist Rob Lutes, Kora
virtuoso Zal Sissokho, and vocalists Monique Fauteux and Kerry Ann Kutz. $20

• Sunday, March 25, Choralissimo! featuring four finalists in the National competition for Canadian Amateur Choirs, at Église St.-Joachim, 2 Sainte-Anne, Pointe Claire, 5pm $25 and $20

Workshops on Saturday, March 24

The Singer as Storyteller with Joan McBride, 9am-noon, Surrey Aquatic and Community Center, 1945 Parkfield, Dorval. $20

The ABCs of Choral Singing with Margo Keenan, and vocal technique with Chantal Parent, 9am-noon, St. Columba-by-the-Lake Church, 11 Rodney, Pointe Claire. $20 From 2-5 pm, same day, same church,
advanced choral singing with Patrick Wedd. $20

• Sunday, March 25, The Singer as Storyteller with Joan McBride, 9am-noon, Surrey Aquatic Center, Dorval. Source material from Shakespeare to Gilbert
and Sullivan will be provided. $20 Same day and venue, noon-3pm, Coping with Performance Jitters with flautist and teacher Carolyn Christie. $20

Ticket info & passports: 514-758-3641 or info@festivaldelavoix.com

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