Interviews

To coincide with the production of Orpheus in the Underworld, the opera workshop at the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal invites us to delve into the satirical world of Jacques Offenbach. Robin Wheeler, co-director of the opera workshop, explores with us the reasons that led him to choose operetta, its pedagogical role, and the artistic decisions that resulted in the final product. Robin discusses the groundwork and challenges encountered during the season. This interview sheds light on the faculty’s mission with its students, highlighting the importance of the process and the crucial balance between voice and orchestra.

PAN M 360: Can you explain your role within the opera workshop?

Robin Wheeler: I am an associate professor at the Faculty of Music and co-director of the opera workshop, which I run with Richard Margeson, an internationally renowned tenor with a long career in opera. Each year, our role is to choose a work, assemble the artistic team—including the stage director—and provide musical guidance for the singers. My main focus is on musical preparation, this year in collaboration with accompanist Esther Gonthier, with whom I also share instrumental work.

PAN M 360: Why did you choose Orpheus in the Underworld this year?

Robin Wheeler: After a darker production last year with Hänsel and Gretel, we wanted to bring something lighter. In the current climate, it seemed important to offer the public a comedy. Offenbach was the obvious choice: there is no better composer when it comes to French operetta. Moreover, choosing a work with dialogue presents a valuable training challenge for the singers, who must learn to transition from speaking to singing, an essential aspect of their training.

PAN M 360: Did the choice of French also play a role?

Robin Wheeler: Absolutely. For most of our singers, French is their native language. Singing in their own language allows for immediate comprehension of the lyrics and more natural expression. It’s a real luxury for the performers, but also an asset for the audience.

PAN M 360: Do you think the work remains relevant today?

Robin Wheeler: Yes, without a doubt. Offenbach playfully subverts the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice: the characters don’t conform to traditional expectations, and the moral is embodied by the figure of Public Opinion. This satirical reinterpretation remains extremely relevant. The music, for its part, engages with tradition, notably through references to Gluck, while maintaining a great freshness.

PAN M 360: How was the artistic vision developed with the director?

Robin Wheeler: François Racine is a highly experienced opera director. He knows singers very well and treats them like true professionals. The staging remains relatively traditional in its aesthetic, but with subtle adjustments to the text to enhance its contemporary relevance and humor. His sense of comedy and his respect for the music make him an ideal collaborator for this project.

PAN M 360: What are the main musical challenges of this production?

Robin Wheeler: One of the major challenges is balancing the orchestra and the voices, especially since our hall doesn’t have a pit: the orchestra plays in front of the stage. Finding the right balance requires constant work. Furthermore, even though the music seems light, it demands great rhythmic precision. Offenbach gives the illusion of simplicity, but everything rests on extreme rigor.

PAN M 360: What learning opportunities does this production offer students?

Robin Wheeler: Beyond the performance itself, the entire process is what matters: the work since October, the very intensive technical week, the management of vocal stamina and energy. The students, from undergraduate to doctoral level, share the stage and form a true company. All the soloists also sing in the choirs, which strengthens the collective spirit and professional experience.

PAN M 360: What message do you wish to convey to the public?

Robin Wheeler: I would like the audience to remember above all the lightness of the work and the pleasure it provides. For two hours, opera allows us to forget the worries of everyday life. Seeing the youth, energy, and commitment of these young artists is something truly precious, both for the audience and for us, the teachers.

PAN M 360: More broadly, what do you think are the current challenges facing opera?

Robin Wheeler: Opera is a demanding and expensive art form, and funding issues are very real. Yet, I deeply believe in its importance, especially in difficult times. Art offers a space for escape, reflection, and beauty. If opera continues to exist, it is because there are still passionate artists and an audience ready to be moved.

Four string quartets by Philip Glass will be performed by the Molinari Quartet on Friday, February 13, at the Montreal Conservatory of Music. This program concludes the Montreal ensemble’s complete cycle of the composer’s nine quartets, a process begun six years ago.

The program begins with the Bent Suite, the score for which, created in 1997, is taken from the music Glass wrote for the film Bent, a cinematic adaptation of Martin Sherman’s moving play about the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany.

In 2015, the Kronos Quartet launched the Fifty for the Future project, consisting of 50 short works commissioned from renowned composers as well as young composers at the beginning of their careers in order to promote the contemporary corpus, hence Quartet Satz which is intended as an adaptation of Evening songno 2 for piano.

Glass’s 8th quartet takes us back to forms typical of the composer, to a “Glassian classicism” with its repeated arpeggios and its tonal harmony of total sobriety.

As for the 9th quartet, it comes from a piece of theatre music written in 2022 for the play King Lear by William Shakespeare, which was then being presented on Broadway.

Thus, this program promises to be diverse, certainly less linear and repetitive than some might initially believe.

Olga Ranzenhofer, artistic director and first violin of Molinari, tells us more about this program by courteously answering questions from PAN M 360.

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PAN M 360: Why choose Philip Glass? For the intrinsic qualities of his work in string quartets? For his undeniable influence on our time? For other reasons?

Olga Ranzenhofer: There are works that are very formative for a string quartet, and Glass’s quartets, which appear rather simple, are among them. These works present great challenges to performers: the tonal harmony must be perfect, and the ensemble impeccable. There are very few nuances in the scores, so one must understand the harmony and play accordingly. One mustn’t over-exaggerate the phrasing, because Glass didn’t include it, although it is often implied. Our task, therefore, is to carefully balance the nuances and the hierarchy of the voices.

Of course, the works of this American composer appeal to all audiences. In our concerts, we often perform highly complex works that are very demanding for our audience. With this concert of Glass quartets, we offer our audience a concert that may be less demanding in terms of listening skill but is nonetheless very diverse and of high musical quality.

Glass enjoys widespread acclaim: fans of popular music and jazz, as well as opera and concert music enthusiasts, appreciate his work. There will always be those who say his music is too simple, too repetitive, but it’s undeniable that concert halls are packed when Glass is playing and the audience leaves very happy.

Indeed, Glass is the first composer to have simultaneously conquered a large multigenerational audience in opera, in the concert hall, in the world of dance, in cinema and in popular music.

PAN M 360: What is your history with these works?

Olga Ranzenhofer: From our very first season in 1997-98, we performed a Glass quartet. It’s always a pleasure to revisit his works, and it delights the audience. With this concert, we complete our full cycle of Glass’s quartets in concert. We’ve already recorded two volumes of quartets with ATMA Classique, and this August, we’ll finish the complete cycle on CD. Currently, volumes 1 and 2 are available digitally on streaming platforms or as downloads, but when volume three is completed, ATMA will release a three-CD set.

PAN M 360: What technical challenges arise in these works in general?

Olga Ranzenhofer:  Through simple and repetitive music, one must find the common thread and see the overall form, the grand structure. Sometimes the simplest things are the most difficult to execute well because everything must be perfect: the intonation, the ensemble playing, the balance of voices, the timbre, etc. 

PAN M 360: Let’s talk about the specific forms that each of these quartets in the program takes.

Olga Ranzenhofer: The four quartets we will be playing in this concert are indeed very different from one another, both in form and in terms of their genesis. Bent’s Suite is a succession of eight highly contrasting movements, sometimes featuring rhythmic interplay and sometimes accompanied melodies. Quite unusually, the last movement is a violin solo! The score for quartet is taken from the music Glass wrote for the film Bent. This film is a cinematic adaptation of Martin Sherman’s moving 1979 play, which deals with the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany.

Glass wrote a short piece for piano entitled Evening Song No. 2, and Quartet Satz is its adaptation for quartet. It is a delicate, arch-shaped work lasting 8 minutes.

The 8th quartet is a classically formed and aesthetically pleasing quartet in three movements. Typically “Glassian” arpeggios abound in this quartet. Even the slow movement contains arpeggios that, this time, become melodic.

Finally, the 9th quartet, “King Lear,” is taken from the incidental music Glass composed for the Shakespeare play that was presented on Broadway in 2019. The quartet is in five movements, but each contains numerous highly defined and contrasting subsections. Glass also significantly alters the order of the sections compared to the Broadway production of the play.

This quartet features sounds not found in the composer’s earlier quartets, such as ponticello and col legno battuto. Furthermore, Glass makes extensive use of accompanied melody, another unusual characteristic.

PAN M 360: How do you perceive the formal evolution of these quartets, from 1997 to 2022?

Olga Ranzenhofer: The last four quartets are very different and do not follow any particular development. Each one is the product of a different source of inspiration or a specific need, leading the composer to create within these constraints. The value of playing several quartets by the same composer, or even his complete works, lies in the fact that one can follow the evolution and, in Glass’s particular case, identify the characteristics and particularities of his writing. In light of our work on the complete Glass quartets, we can easily identify the features of his writing, and these are present in all his quartets: the superimposition of duple and triple meter, the grouping of eighth notes (e.g., 3 + 3 + 2 + 2), arpeggios, irregular time signatures, simple rhythms, and, of course, tonal harmony.

PAN M 360: Philip Glass made headlines a few days ago when he canceled the performance of his 15th Symphony, inspired by Abraham Lincoln, at the Kennedy Center in protest against the Trump administration. What do you think of this action by the composer?

Olga Ranzenhofer: Philip Glass’s withdrawal of his work reveals him as a man of principle. It was a highly anticipated event as part of the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations, and he decided to cancel the premiere at the Kennedy Center. The subject of his 15th Symphony is Abraham Lincoln, one of the most important presidents of the United States, who, among other things, abolished slavery. Given the current situation within the American administration, presenting this work there would have been antithetical and contrary to the values ​​conveyed by the piece.

PAN M 360: Since the Glass effect is also discussed with large audiences, can we also observe that the Molinari concerts attract different audiences from one program to another, given the wide range of your offerings, from Glass to Schnittke? Or is your audience willing to attend almost all of your offerings?

Olga Ranzenhofer: Indeed, our programming is very diverse. Over our 29 seasons, we have succeeded in building a loyal audience. I believe it’s fair to say that they have complete confidence in us and our artistic offerings. If we decide to perform a work, it’s because we are convinced of its quality, and we perform it with great conviction; that’s why our audience is ready to follow us on our adventures.

Quatuor Molinari

Olga Ranzenhofer, violIn 

Antoine Bareil, violIn

Cynthia Blanchon, viola

Pierre-Alain Bouvrette, cello

The Quartet according to Glass

Philip Glass (1937) 

Suite de Bent (1996) 

Bent #1 – 

Bent #2 –

Bent #3 – 

Bent #4 

Bent #5 

Bent #6 

Bent #7 

Bent #8

Quartet Satz (2017) 

Pause  

Quatuor no 8 (2018)

Mouvement I

Mouvement II

Mouvement III 

Quatuor no 9 King Lear (2022) 

Mouvement I –

Mouvement II

Mouvement III 

Mouvement IV 

Mouvement V

Nuha Ruby Ra is hard to pin down, and that’s exactly the point.

The London-based artist doesn’t make music that fits neatly into genres or moods—instead, she creates visceral sonic worlds that live somewhere between industrial grit and raw no-wave vulnerability. Her sound is physical, confrontational, and deeply human, drawing from tension rather than harmony, from honesty rather than polish.

After releasing a series of EPs that established her as one of the most compelling voices in the UK’s alternative underground, Nuha Ruby Ra is now preparing to release her debut full-length album—a conceptual work she describes as her most immersive and outward-facing yet, centred around a mysterious mythology called NOWSYN. With recent single “Fetish 2 Forget” offering a taste of what’s to come, she’s pushing her sound to new extremes while exploring themes of transformation, survival, and the sacred within struggle.

Before her appearances at Taverne Tour, we caught up with Nuha Ruby Ra to talk about art school origins, the messy in-between states that fuel her work, and what it means to create music that’s both a confession and a ritual.

PAN M 360: We don’t know too much about you! How did you get into making music, and what inspires you?

Nuha Ruby Ra: I didn’t intentionally get into music, I went to art school and studied Fine Art. Along the way, I realized that music is the most potent form of art, so I chose to focus on it then. I care the most about communication of feelings and worlds, as a way of survival for me. I started out by making things out of whatever I had. Noise, tape recorders, cheap gear, home-made instruments, my voice. It was never about learning the right way; it was about getting something out of my body. Music felt like the only place I could be completely honest and truly strange at the same time. I’m inspired by tension more than harmony, late nights, concrete warehouses, loneliness, cinema, performance art, confessions, and people on the edge. Anything that feels raw and human.

PAN M 360: Your music is dark, experimental, gritty, and carnal. Is this purposeful?

Nuha Ruby Ra: Yeah, absolutely, but not intentionally. I’m not interested in polishing things unless it’s so you can feel it. Life isn’t clean or symmetrical—it’s messy and physical and emotional. I want my music to feel like that, too. I want you to hear my breath, broken distortions, and mistakes. Dark isn’t an aesthetic choice, it’s honesty. I just follow the truth of a feeling.

PAN M 360: You have a few EPs out already, but we hear you’re working on a full-length LP. What can you tell us about it?

Nuha Ruby Ra: It feels like growth. The EPs were very internal, very much me processing things on my own. Now the album feels outward-facing. Made for connection.  There’s still a lot of personal intensity, but I’m thinking a lot about connection now. What happens when people are in a room together, when sound is communal, not just private. I used to think the way I wanted people to listen to my music the most was in headphones, like I am their thoughts and secrets. Now I want to be in the room with them and we all feel it together.  It feels less like this is mine and more like this is ours. There’s also a bigger world around this record. A kind of mythology running through it. NOWSYN. I’m not giving too much away yet, but it’s definitely the most conceptual and immersive thing I’ve made.

PAN M 360: Is “Fetish 2 Forget” a taste of some of the sounds on it?

Nuha Ruby Ra: Yeah, I’d say it’s a doorway. It’s taken that physicality of sound and turned it up to 11! But the album moves through a lot of different moods. Some tracks are utterly visceral, confrontational and industrial, others are incredibly vulnerable, low fi, almost hymnal. So it’s a taste, but not the whole picture.

PAN M 360: What other forms of art inspire your writing?

Nuha Ruby Ra: Film, performance art, poetry, fashion.  I think in visions and feelings first, like scenes. Directors like David Lynch, early Cronenberg, Richard Linklater, Jim Jarmusch, and a lot of messy or conversational underground cinema. I love focused human conversation and surrealism, and work that leaves space for interpretation. Worlds you’re happy just to be in. 

PAN M 360: If your upcoming album were an animal, what would it be and what would it sound like?

Nuha Ruby Ra: Probably something half-feral that roams the streets. I’d have a mix of the same really adorable, gentle soft meow of my cat Cilla and a sky-shaking roar of Thor. 

PAN M 360: Are there any specific themes you gravitate towards in your music and lyrics?

Nuha Ruby Ra: Transformation. Survival. Rebirth. How do you rebuild yourself after things fall apart? Finding something sacred inside the struggle. It’s not hopeless music, it’s actually very defiant.

PAN M 360: What stories or emotions are you trying to capture that aren’t being told elsewhere?

Nuha Ruby Ra: The messy, in between states. Not pure heartbreak songs or party songs, but the complicated feelings underneath everything while you’re heartbroken and partying. Shame, lust, desire, rage, devotion, obsession.

PAN M 360: What’s it like being part of the current UK alternative music scene?

Nuha Ruby Ra: It feels exciting and scrappy! There’s less gatekeeping now, people are building their own worlds and communities instead of waiting for permission. It’s very exciting when you don’t feel like you’re drowning, because surviving as a musician in the U.K. right now is damn hard.  I feel truly supported by my music community in London, there’s a lot of us in it and it gets bigger and bigger, we’re helping each other all the time. In the right places it feels more like a movement of outsiders than a scene, which I like a lot. 

PAN M 360: What’s the most misunderstood thing about you or your music?

Nuha Ruby Ra: People sometimes think dark means negative or cold. But it’s actually very emotional and very human. There’s a lot of heart in it. People also think i’m scary and intimidating, i can be, but mostly i’m actually incredibly sweet. 

PAN M 360: How do you translate your recorded work into live performance? Band or backing track? What can we expect at Taverne Tour?

Nuha Ruby Ra: It’s physical and intense. I use a hybrid setup, live elements, electronics, playback, sometimes musicians, but it’s very performance-led. It feels closer to theatre or ritual than a traditional gig. Expect something immersive and a bit unpredictable.

TICKETS: https://tickets.venuepilot.com/e/taverne-tour-the-night-this-place-freezes-over-present-victime-with-nuha-ruby-ra-durex-korea-town-aci-c05196?lang=en

For her 15th album, singer, producer, and arranger Emilie-Claire Barlow movingly and skillfully summarizes the most recent chapter of her life. From Toronto, she settled in Montreal, then married (actually, she’s a boyfriend) and moved to Limoilou, where she still lives. Hence this collection of French-language songs from Quebec and Canada, where she interprets Gilles Vigneault, Damien Robitaille, Diane Tell, Daniel Bélanger, Serge Fiori, Jim Corcoran, Michel Rivard, Anne-Sophie Doré Coulombe, and Édith Butler. Only Charles Trenet is an exception to this repertoire of North American French songs. Released on her independent label, Empress Music Group, the album was recorded in Montreal at Hublot and PM studios. The project was co-produced with pianist and arranger François Richard, and features 11 interpretations infused with jazz, folk, bossa nova, bluegrass, and more. That is why PAN M 360 offers you this interview of Alain Brunet with Emilie-Claire, so appreciated by the Quebec public for having understood, respected and sincerely loved him.

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For Igloofest 2026, Mathieu Constance is once again at the helm of programming for the four consecutive weekends taking place at Quai Jacques-Cartier until February 7. As a media partner of Igloofest, PAN M 360 presents the artistic recommendations of its lead architect each week of the event, highlighting a top pick for each program.

PAN M 360: Here we are at the last weekend!

Mathieu Constance : On Thursday, February 5th, it’s Elderbrook, Weval, and Lance. And for me, Weval is definitely the set I’d most like to see. Weval is a Dutch duo who released Chorophobia in 2025, a really special album. Sounds a bit breakbeat, organic house, minimalist flavors… I think it’s going to be really interesting to see; these artists have a lot of experience, and it’ll be cool to see their work in the context of Igloofest. They’re then playing an after-party at Newspeak. A festival mainstage followed by a small club show—it’s going to be very interesting. I’ve been listening to these artists for a long time; I know about their affiliation with the Kompakt label in Germany, a label that was really important for my learning about electronic music. They’re a personal favorite.

PAN M 360: It’s now Friday, February 6th: Trym, Azir, Hannah Laing, Zorza

Mathieu Constance: And on February 6th, we’re inviting the Teletech collective to Canada for the first time. They’re a hard techno collective from Manchester, so it’s definitely one of the most popular sounds in Europe. It’s been explosive these last few months, taking over festival stages.

PAN M 360: What is special about this technology?

Mathieu Constance: It’s very, very fast. It can go up to 180 BPM! Teletech is truly one of the strongest emerging acts internationally. It’s really cool to present them at Igloofest! All four artists on the main stage are in this collective. We’ll also be able to identify some trance sounds. I think it’s going to be excellent.

PAN M 360: Before Igloofest moves elsewhere in the coming weeks, the Montreal edition ends on Saturday the 7th.

Mathieu Constance:  For me, the must-see event that night was definitely the second stage, featuring Ferias, one of the most important house collectives in Montreal right now. Highly respected and well-known artists. We were lucky enough to have two of the founders, Alina and Guthrie, performing back-to-back for the entire evening!

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Pianist Louise Bessette is featured on the most recent ATMA Classique release: Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time. In this all-Canadian version, she is joined by cellist Cameron Crozman, violinist Mark Lee (of the Nova Scotia Symphony) and clarinettist Dominic Desautels (of the Hamilton Philharmonic). This resplendent recording (READ MY REVIEW HERE) is a testament to the wonderful communication between the four performers. We can say that “something happened” on the day they first played the piece together in concert. Louise Bessette tells us about this experience and the unusual circumstances that led to the formation of their ensemble.

READ THE REVIEW OF QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME UNDER THE ATMA CLASSIQUE LABEL, WITH LOUISE BESSETTE, CAMERON CROZMAN, MARK LEE, AND DOMINIC DESAUTELS

PanM360: Hello Louise! Can you explain to us what led to the formation of your quartet for this recording? You, Cameron Crozman, Mark Lee, and Dominic Desautels?

Louise Bessette: It’s a beautiful story. In June 2024, I was invited by Simon Docking, the artistic director of the Scotia Festival of Music in Halifax. His thing is that he doesn’t invite already formed ensembles. When he conceives his programming, he invites solo artists, and he assembles the musicians according to what he thinks will form a beautiful connection. We had talked a few times and he suggested some names. Dominic, I knew him a little, I had already played with him in Toronto. I had done a concerto by Gilles Tremblay and he was in the ensemble.

Cameron, of course, I knew his name, his playing, all that, but we had never met. And then Mark Lee, he lives in Halifax, he’s Associate Concertmaster with the Halifax Orchestra. I didn’t know him at all.

Simon would say to me, “Ah Louise, I can imagine the four of you together, I’m sure you’ll get along well.” The festival took place, we played the Quartet, and it was a very powerful musical moment.

Simon calculated on his watch: it took a full minute of silence before people started applauding at the end.

PanM360: That’s rare…

Louise Bessette: No one wanted to break the spell. We came off stage, we were crying! It was really, really incredible. So, I came back to Montreal and immediately called Michel Ferland, who was still at ATMA Classique at that time. I said, “Michel, I have a project for you.” I told him about it. He said yes. So, there you go.

PanM360: He had a good intuition, this gentleman…

Louise Bessette: Ah yes. We never stop thanking him.

PanM360: We hear this strength, this transcendence, on the album. It was recorded at Domaine Forget in March 2025, some months after Halifax. What was the atmosphere like there?

Louise Bessette: It was about seven, eight months after the Halifax festival. Right away, we felt the same thing. All four of us. We were really, really immersed in the work. At Domaine Forget, we had wonderful conditions with Karl Talbot, the recording director. We worked in exceptional conditions.

PanM360: Remind us of the genesis of this work.

Louise Bessette: It was written during the Second World War, in the Stalag (a prisoner of war camp, different from the extermination camps for Jews – Editor’s note). Then, Olivier Messiaen was there, with other musicians. He used what he had: a clarinettist, a cellist, a violinist, that’s all. He said, well, okay, I’ll do something with that. And that resulted in this Quartet, in 1941.

PanM360: What is the Quartet for the End of Time about? Is it the end of times as in “apocalyptic” or is it something else?

Louise Bessette: Well, yes, of course, it’s the end of time. We know that Messiaen was very, very, very devout and religious. That’s the whole atmosphere. It takes us to the afterlife. When we listen to the last movement, for violin and piano alone, Praise to the immortality of Jesus… I mean, the music is on the verge of being impalpable.

PanM360: These are very original harmonies. Messiaen innovated both rhythmically, harmonically and melodically. He used formulas and techniques that were not common in Western music. From Indian music, among others.

Louise Bessette: Absolutely! In the sixth movement, the Dance of Fury for the Seven Trumpets, we are in unison from beginning to end, with very complex rhythms. But we have a blast playing it!

PanM360: Fool’s Dance, as my grandmother would say. But there are also lots of bird songs in there. How do you feel about these bird songs?

Louise Bessette: Ah, it’s… the whole universe of Messiaen is in this work. His complex rhythm, his chords, his bird songs, the emotion, the very, very fast movements, the extremely slow movements.

PanM360: It’s also a tremendous amount of colour work. You must master your instrument in an exceptional way.

Louise Bessette: Yes, absolutely. And also being attentive. A lot.

PanM360: It’s a bit of the pinnacle of chamber music. Musicians are in absolute listening mode. Listening to themselves and others.

Louise Bessette: Yes, and that’s the pleasure we had working together. Each one adjusted to the other.

PanM360: There is a second layer of meaning in this “end of time.” The end of time, yes, but not just a reference to Religion. A more subtle reference to rhythmic time, very Western, very square. In the Quartet, there is never any “square” time. There is never a true 4-4. There is never a 1-2-3-4, then we start again with a beat. All the phrases are extraordinarily free. There is an impression of wild freedom. But perfectly written.

Louise Bessette: Yes indeed. But I’ve played it often, so I’m starting to “get it in my fingers.”

PanM360: There is one last piece on the program, as a supplement. A Fantasy for violin and piano, from 1933. What can you tell us about it?

Louise Bessette: We were looking for a piece to complement the Quartet. There are very few works of chamber music by Messiaen. I suggested to Marc Lee one of the two pieces for violin and piano by the composer. There is the Theme and Variations from 1932 and there is the Fantasy. Marc preferred the Fantasy. I was very happy because I had never played it. It’s an early work that was published after Messiaen’s death. It’s like a score that was found. We can hear that it’s a youthful work, but at the same time, his entire universe is already there.

PanM360: It’s perhaps a bit, how to say, less assertive.

Louise Bessette: Juvenile.

PanM360: Yes, but a beautiful piece. Honestly, it’s a nice discovery.

Louise Bessette: Allow me, before finishing, to add how proud and very, very moved I am by all the work that has been done, not only with the sound team (thank you Karl Talbot), and then the video team as well, because we have beautiful videos, but also with the entire Atma Classique team.

PanM360: Yes, and the visual is very beautiful too, the one on the cover.

Louise Bessette: Ah yes, that’s fantastic. The photo was sent to us by the Messiaen Memorial in Görlitz, where Stalag VIII-A was located, in which Messiaen was held prisoner. I found this photo by chance on their website. With Atma, we wrote to them and they sent us the photo. They allowed us to use it for the album cover. So, it’s very touching. And in the booklet there is one of Messiaen young, in the 40s, precisely. It was sent to me by the Olivier Messiaen Foundation of the National Library of France. They told me “Go ahead, use it.” 

The entire album, the whole product, is a beautiful tribute.

On February 8, 2026, at Bourgie Hall in Montreal, the 29th Opus Awards Gala will take place and will honour artists competing in 33 categories, covering classical music, jazz, world music, and traditional Quebecois music. For the past few years, the Gala has been innovating with a formula praised by artists and the public, in addition to offering former winners and nominees the opportunity to perform in front of an in-person audience and online (the ceremony is broadcast live). I spoke with the artists who will be performing, Gentiane MG, Marie Nadeau-Tremblay, Elisabeth St-Gelais and Jean-Félix Mailloux with the Cordâme ensemble. I asked them what it feels like to receive an Opus Award or to be nominated, and if it has an impact on an artist’s career. Here is Jean-Félix Mailloux (for the other artists, follow the links below).

DETAILS AND TICKETS

LINK FOR WEBCAST (FEBRUARY 8, 3 PM)

INTERVIEW WITH SOPRANO ELISABETH ST-GELAIS

INTERVIEW WITH THE VIOLINIST MARIE NADEAU-TREMBLAY

INTERVIEW WITH THE PIANIST GENTIANE MG

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE OPUS AWARDS

https://youtu.be/c_rxJAfQW5A

On February 8, 2026, at Bourgie Hall in Montreal, the 29th Opus Awards Gala will take place and will honour artists competing in 33 categories, covering classical music, jazz, world music, and traditional Quebecois music. For the past few years, the Gala has been innovating with a formula praised by artists and the public, in addition to offering former winners and nominees the opportunity to perform in front of an in-person audience and online (the ceremony is broadcast live). I spoke with the artists who will be performing, Gentiane MG, Marie Nadeau-Tremblay, Elisabeth St-Gelais and Jean-Félix Mailloux with the Cordâme ensemble. I asked them what it feels like to receive an Opus Award or to be nominated, and if it has an impact on an artist’s career. Here is Gentiane MG (for the other artists, follow the links below).

DETAILS AND TICKETS

LINK FOR WEBCAST (FEBRUARY 8, 3 PM)

INTERVIEW WITH SOPRANO ELISABETH ST-GELAIS

INTERVIEW WITH VIOLONIST MARIE NADEAU-TREMBLAY

INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-FÉLIX MAILLOUX, OF CORDÂME

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE OPUS AWARDS

https://youtu.be/XZYUZlXBCMU

On February 8, 2026, at Bourgie Hall in Montreal, the 29th Opus Awards Gala will take place and will honour artists competing in 33 categories, covering classical music, jazz, world music, and traditional Quebecois music. For the past few years, the Gala has been innovating with a formula praised by artists and the public, in addition to offering former winners and nominees the opportunity to perform in front of an in-person audience and online (the ceremony is broadcast live). I spoke with the artists who will be performing, Gentiane MG, Marie Nadeau-Tremblay, Elisabeth St-Gelais and Jean-Félix Mailloux with the Cordâme ensemble. I asked them what it feels like to receive an Opus Award or to be nominated, and if it has an impact on an artist’s career. Here is Elisabeth St-Gelais (for the other artists, follow the links below).

DETAILS AND TICKETS

LINK FOR WEBCAST (FEBRUARY 8, 3 PM)

INTERVIEW WITH PIANIST GENTIANE MG

INTERVIEW WITH VIOLONIST MARIE NADEAU-TREMBLAY

INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-FÉLIX MAILLOUX, OF CORDÂME

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE OPUS AWARDS

https://youtu.be/HK-ygpUz4-g

On February 8, 2026, at Bourgie Hall in Montreal, the 29th Opus Awards Gala will take place and will honour artists competing in 33 categories, covering classical music, jazz, world music, and traditional Quebecois music. For the past few years, the Gala has been innovating with a formula praised by artists and the public, in addition to offering former winners and nominees the opportunity to perform in front of an in-person audience and online (the ceremony is broadcast live). I spoke with the artists who will be performing, Gentiane MG, Marie Nadeau-Tremblay, Elisabeth St-Gelais and Jean-Félix Mailloux with the Cordâme ensemble. I asked them what it feels like to receive an Opus Award or to be nominated, and if it has an impact on an artist’s career. Here is Marie Nadeau-Tremblay (for the other artists, follow the links below).

DETAILS AND TICKETS

LINK FOR WEBCAST (FEBRUARY 8, 3 PM)

INTERVIEW WITH SOPRANO ELISABETH ST-GELAIS

INTERVIEW WITH PIANIST GENTIANE MG

INTERVIEW WITH JEAN-FÉLIX MAILLOUX, OF CORDÂME

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT THE OPUS AWARDS

https://youtu.be/kwJ0bF5JIa4

Under the direction of Matthias Maute, the ArtChoral Ensemble delves into the Jewish choral tradition in relation to Western cultures. Their album, Hallelujah, has just been released on the Atma Classique label and will be performed this Tuesday, February 3rd, at noon in Le 9edu concert hall at the Eaton Centre.

ArtChoral will welcome for this occasion the cantor Gideon Zelermyer, who distinguished himself ten years ago in some songs of You Want It Darker, the last offering of the late Leonard Cohen which earned the cantor international renown.

The experience of the album Hallelujah and this intercultural relationship between Jewish and Western cultures produced polyphonic songs that are both close to the sacred music of the Christian world and also to Jewish vocal traditions, formerly monophonic and then converted to polyphony from the 18th century.

Thus, this opus reveals sacred and secular songs, works composed in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries by well-known Jewish artists such as Leonard Cohen, Leonard Bernstein or Kurt Weill, to which are added those of renowned composers in the more specialized world of Jewish choral singing – Salomone Rossi (Italy), Fromental Halévy (France), Giacomo Meyerbeer (Germany, France) or Rona Nadler (Canada).

Reached on the eve of the concert, Matthias Maute explains this material from the recording programme of the 9th as well as the works also on the programme (and not recorded) by Jaap Nico Hamburger (Montreal composer), Ernest Bloch, Naftali Herstik (mentor of Gideon Zelemyer) and Raymond Goldstein.

TICKETS AND INFO HERE

Publicité panam

PAN M 360: What are the characteristics of these composers? How do they differ from Western sacred chant, for example? Where do the differences lie? It’s not so obvious, is it?

Matthias Maute : No, because generally, it’s part of Western music. Whether it’s Lutheran, Catholic, or European Hebrew, we immediately recognize ourselves in it. For example, Salomone Rossi writes motets with Hebrew texts. Discovering his work, you realize that it was once very difficult, even dangerous, to be Jewish in Italy, to live or work there. So, it was revolutionary in itself that Salomone Rossi’s music could express Hebrew texts. That’s where the Hebrew influences really emerge. That’s where this album truly finds its meaning, with the difficulty of living in the background.

This music is very expressive, and in a very different way from what Leonard Bernstein offers, who stands out for his choice of themes, the depth of his symphonies, or in this Mass: Almighty Father. For Bernstein, Jewish identity is a quest for self. And composers like Giacomo Meyerbeer are known and appreciated by music lovers of all Judeo-Christian faiths.

PAN M 360: But if we isolate the music from the text, it’s not so different from the rest of European music, is it?

Matthias Maute : There are differences, but we can still find our way around because we’re more familiar with this music than we realize. There are many familiar elements, just as we know Italian, French, or Indian cuisine well. The pieces by composer and singer Rona Nadler are expressed in Yiddish, others in Hebrew or Old German. Fromental Halévy expresses a Hebrew language reflecting sacred Jewish music in 19th-century France.

We did more of this kind of piece where a cantor is accompanied by us; it was new for us, for me as conductor, as well as for the choir members.

PAN M 360: Let’s move on to more modern pieces. Take Lost in the Stars by Kurt Weill, a German Jew who composed music influenced by modern European music and American jazz of the time. You also have Leonard Bernstein’s Mass and Leonard Cohen’s well-known anthem, Hallelujah, arranged by the South African choirmaster André van der Merwe. So this repertoire is very diverse! You’ve also chosen modern pieces from the, in quotes, popular repertoire, but not as popular as one might think, because Bernstein was a great conductor and a great classical composer. The same goes for Kurt Weill, who wrote a lot of music for the theatre, but also for a repertoire that could be described as sophisticated. Or Leonard Cohen, an eminent Jewish artist of Montreal origin.

Matthias Maute : We wanted to reflect the vast scope of the Jewish universe; it’s not just one thing or one element. So I really appreciate this variety, but beyond that, the incredible quality across all the genres highlighted in this album. Whether it’s secular or sacred music, Jewish composers and musicians have been able to showcase incredible talent. In this album, we see the range of musical colors that the composers have found, inspired in part by their own culture.

PAN M 360: Why did you choose to do this, Matthias? You are of German origin, you are not Jewish, and we know the atrocious history of the Jews in Germany. So?

Matthias Maute : We know that Germany was terrible for the Jews, and this humbly led me to find ways to rebuild a bridge between our cultures, at least musically. So we began a collaboration with Montreal cantor Gideon Zelermyer, with a spirit of respect and a hope that all cultures can remain true to themselves without being overshadowed by those of their neighbors.

PAN M 360: In your case, it’s a way of Truth and reconciliation with Jewish culture.

Matthias Maute : For me, absolutely. When you see what’s happening in the world, it’s terrifying, but you have to start somewhere. So, with the Caprice ensemble, we work a lot with musicians from different cultures, musicians from Palestine or Lebanon, for example. We establish contacts on all sides. I think that’s important because music can truly reach everyone, and it’s very important in our world today to find ways, to find harmony among all these cultures that are at war.

PAN M 360: And we mustn’t forget that, in each of these cultures, there are many human beings who are completely opposed to the conflicts that afflict them. Who instead want peace and reconciliation.

Matthias Maute :  It’s really not easy to convince people with this peaceful approach. But we’re actively working with Caprice and ArtChoral, reaching out in every direction to create lasting connections, a platform for understanding that could ultimately work for everyone. Because we have no other choice but to live in peace.

PAN M 360: Indeed, war is no longer conceivable as it has been since the dawn of human civilization. With the power of today’s weapons, war becomes an existential threat to humanity rather than a means of domination.

Matthias Maute : And that’s why we’ve invited Gideon Zelermyer to sing with us for this concert on the 9th floor. The cantor sang with the Shaar Hashomayim choir on the album You Want It Darker, Leonard Cohen’s last album, which earned him international acclaim and a Grammy Award by association. We just rehearsed Hallelujah the day before our concert on Tuesday, February 3rd, at noon.

Cantor Gideon Zelermyer

Sons of Arrakis, a Montreal-based stoner rock band whose songs are inspired by the universe of Dune, will perform this February 14 at Les Enfants du Rock for their only Montreal date of 2026. Frédéric Couture, the band’s founder, sits down with us for an interview where past, present, and future collide.

PANM 360: Hi Fred. Bless the maker.

Frédéric Couture : Bless the maker and his water. I always say it after our first song when we play live.

PANM 360: Being a Dunehead myself, I am very happy and proud to know that a Quebec band is making excellent music inspired by this universe that is so dear to my heart.

Frédéric Couture : Thanks Simon, we’re really glad you’re coming along for the ride.

A soundtrack for a world in decline.

PANM 360: The universe of Dune, rich in ecological reflections and analyses of authoritarian mechanisms, resonates strongly with contemporary issues. At what point in your journey did you discover Frank Herbert’s work, and why has it become central to your musical project?

Frédéric Couture: I discovered Dune around the age of 25, at a time when I was searching for a real direction for a new musical project. It was my father who introduced me to it. It was a shock. I quickly felt that this universe was a broken mirror of our society—a subtle yet powerful way of exploring power, geopolitics, authoritarianism, social dynamics, and ecology. Dune became a lens through which I could reflect on our times without naming them directly. From there, everything fell into place: the concept and identity of Sons of Arrakis. As for the sound, I continued in the vein of the band The Hazytones, with which I was heavily involved on their first album, before deciding to leave and start the Sons of Arrakis project.

PANM 360: The titles of your songs include references that seem to draw from the six volumes of the saga. What is your favorite book in the saga and why?

Frédéric Couture: The very first Dune. It is a seminal work, incredibly rich, and each reading reveals new layers of meaning to me.

It is also in this first volume that we truly grasp the vastness of the universe, particularly through the appendices, which, in my opinion, are essential for understanding the issues and interrelationships in such a complex world.

In terms of adaptation, Denis Villeneuve’s work is exceptional in my opinion. He has managed to capture the grandeur, slowness, and mystical weight of the universe without betraying it. But it leaves me with a bitter aftertaste that Villeneuve had to make a blockbuster to appeal to the general public. It’s still clearly the best adaptation to date… even though, deep down, I would have loved to see what Jodorowsky could have done with his project. I think I would have been sold.

Existing in the midst of the crowd

PANM 360: You describe your sound as Melange Rock or Cinematic Sci-Fi Rock, a fusion of heavy riffs and sci-fi atmospheres. How did this identity assert itself or transform between Volume I and Volume II, particularly after your tours in Canada, Mexico, and the United States?

Frédéric Couture : Initially, the idea of Melange Rock or Cinematic Sci-Fi Rock came mainly from a need to differentiate ourselves from the stoner/doom/desert rock niche. We didn’t want to be just another heavy riff band: we wanted to tell stories, create images, build a universe. In fact, it was critics who started calling us Melange Rock, and we thought it summed up what we were trying to do. On Volume I, it was still very instinctive and raw.

The tours in Canada, Mexico, and the United States really shaped us: we understood how these songs come alive on stage and what moves the audience.

With Volume II, we pushed the cinematic aspect even further: transitions between songs, a more conceptual approach to the album, live passages with excerpts from the novel, blue lighting, a more immersive atmosphere.

We wanted the show to be a real journey, not just a series of songs. During our tour of Europe in September and October 2025, we really managed to strike a balance between pure, hard rock and the immersive aspect we want to infuse into our shows.

PANM 360: When listening, you can hear a mix of influences ranging from the hypnotic side of Tool, epic solos and riffs reminiscent of Iron Maiden, Pink Floyd-style psychedelia, Black Sabbath-style bass, to more direct accents evoking Metallica. What musical influences shape the soundscape and identity of Sons of Arrakis?

Frédéric Couture: Our influences are many, but at the core of everything is the quest for the riff. We’re just as into the hypnotic side of Tool as we are the epicness of Iron Maiden, the psychedelic atmosphere of Pink Floyd, the heaviness of Black Sabbath, and the more straightforward impact of Metallica.

There’s also all the proto-metal heritage from the late ’60s and early ’70s, bands like Mountain. The ’70s prog scene, like Yes, also influenced us, especially in terms of slightly more complex, prog-inspired song structures.

We’re also heavily inspired by The Sword (Age of Winters, Apocryphon), Sleep, High On Fire, Mastodon, and that whole heavy, massive, organic vibe. Personally, Priestess and Mickey Hepner were huge influences for me—I even had the chance to meet them.

In the end, what unites us is this obsession with the riff and the desire to make music that tells a story, that hits you, that transports you.

Jim Laflamme de GOREPUNK CO.

PANM 360: I have to take this opportunity to compliment you on the visual identity of the project. The visuals are really well done.

Frédéric Couture: Thank you. We always surround ourselves with people who really understand that dimension. For the albums, it’s Alex Goulet who handles all the visuals, and for show posters, it’s Jim Laflamme from GOREPUNK CO. We stay loyal to our collaborators because they understand where we want to go. They get the idea, the concept, the aesthetic, and above all, the spirit of Dune. Everything has to tell the same story, both in the music and the visuals.

[Poster from Jim Laflamme – GOREPUNK CO.]

PANM 360: Finally, what foresight or visions do you have regarding your February 14 show at Les Enfants du Rock, as part of the Taverne Tour?

Frédéric Couture: We’re expecting an intense, almost ritualistic evening. It’s our only Montreal show of the year, so we really want to make it count with a true, heavy, and sincere desert ceremony. After that, we’ll be heading to Europe at the end of July and early August, playing festivals in Germany like Krach am Bach, Rock im Wald, Blue Moon, Trafostation 61, and also in Austria at Sauzipf Rocks. At the same time, we’re working hard on Volume III, which will strike a balance between Volume I and Volume II: rawer, more intense, still cinematic, and better structured.

Little scoop: we’ll be seeing you in Montreal on January 22, 2027, for the album release. Stay tuned!

Sons of Arrakis hit the stage on February 14, 2026, at Les Enfants du Rock as part of the Taverne Tour, and return to Montreal on January 22, 2027, for the release of Volume III.

[Tickets are here]

👉 15 things you definitely can’t miss at the Taverne Tour

Photo : Rémi Deschênes

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