Interviews

From the Minho to the Euphrates, two rivers separated by thousands of kilometres, one in Portugal and the other in present-day Iraq, more than a millennium of intercultural, religious, and artistic weaving contemplates us. This is somewhat the premise of the album From Minho to Euphrates by the Lebanese-Canadian singer and oud player Lamia Yared, her third after the two previous, very successful ones: Chants des Trois Cours (2019), and Ottoman Lights, praised right here. With her Spanish colleague Efrén López and several excellent artists from around the world, she explores a very rich repertoire made up of 4th-century Syriac chants, 12th-century Cantigas de Santa Maria from the court of Alfonso X, the Muwashahāt of Aleppo, as well as a rare 13th-century composition by Safi al-Din al-Urmawi, one of the great theorists of Middle Eastern music. Christianity coexists with Islam with serenity, maqams dialogue with hymns to the Virgin Mary. I met Lamia Yared to talk about it.

READ THE ALBUM REVIEW

PANM360: Hello Lamia. Tell us about the repertoire of this album. What is it about?

Lamia Yared: It is a repertoire that covers approximately 1500 years of the region’s history, ranging from the Iberian Peninsula to Mesopotamia (Iraq). I wanted to create a dialogue between 4th-century Syriac chants, those sung by the first Christians of the East, with mediaeval Christian chants such as the Cantigas de Santa Maria and from the Muslim repertoire such as the Muwashahat of Aleppo. These traditions have never met, so we were keen to offer choices and bring them all together on the same album. We even go as far as Persian influence because it was strong in Syriac music (the Syrians were invaded by the Persians in the 4th century). We can hear the influence of the maqams. We have gathered a great team, me and the Spanish multi-instrumentalist Efrén López, namely Omran Adrah (qanun), Miriam Encinas Laffitte (viola da gamba), Behnam Masoumi (tombak), and Tammam Ramadan (nay).

PANM360: What are maqams and Muwashahāt?

Lamia Yared: Yes, it’s true that I use a lot of words that are not well-known. The Muwashahāt is a complex vocal form that was developed in Syria in the 18th century, both in the rituals of Sufi brotherhoods and in secular singing. The whole region was influenced by the Hellenistic and Syriac heritage. Both in churches and in Sufi brotherhoods, one could hear the same musical spirit. So it’s part of the sound of the region. And this sound from the region, it’s the maqam school. And what is the maqam school? So it’s this music that has a certain microtonality. It’s not something you play on a piano, obviously. We sing these modes so we can perform something for the deceased or something to celebrate life. These are quarter tones.

PANM360: Was it difficult to bring these traditions together, to ensure the overall coherence?

Lamia Yared: We used microtonality in the Cantigas songs to get closer to the rest and to show their proximity on several levels, including the religious level of course. All these traditions, from the 4th century to the 12th century, then up to the Muwashahāt later, passing through the music of Safi al-Din al-Urmawi, they were all united in these texts, in these approaches, by microtonality. That’s the link.

PANM360: The Cantigas de Santa Maria have been played by Jordi Savall, among others. It is an absolute reference from which you had to stand out…

Lamia Yared: Yes, and it is through the use of microtonality, at least brought to the forefront more evidently, that we did it. Moreover, I use the voice I use when I sing Arabic music and Syriac chants, not the classical mediaeval technique. So it’s a bit more my personal version.

PANM360: What does this music represent for you, personally?

Lamia Yared: You know, I grew up in Quebec, I was six years old when I arrived here. I was born in Lebanon, and I went back there later, between 2009-2013. I then immersed myself in the music I wish I had known much earlier in my life. In truth, I knew them, unconsciously, because before the age of six, I went to mass with my family there. I heard those songs, those melodies. They were ingrained in me. But I had to relearn their language when I returned to Lebanon. It came to touch me deeply. These are the expressions of the early Christians of the East. I really like the archaeology behind all of this, the fact of drawing from something so ancient, and from an oral tradition that has been passed down for a very long time. I find it to be of great sincerity, it’s something, how can I say, very pure. I like to draw from music that doesn’t have a “flashy” aesthetic, and delve into the soul of the piece to find something that resonates with me, that I want to experience and transmit. Each piece of music I play, whether I sing it, be it a Muwashahāt, a cantiga, or a Syriac chant, it lives within me. I feel that I belong to these lands, even though I am here and I live in Montreal. I am conveying something very personal.

PANM360: Will we be able to hear the result in concert?

Lamia Yared: We will launch on April 24, 2026, in the very beautiful Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours Chapel, in Old Montreal. It’s a very appropriate place, steeped in history and spirituality, with magnificent acoustics. I invited Efrén López, and wonderful musicians from here like Marie-Laurence Primeau on the viola da gamba, Didem Bachar on the kanun, and Hamin Honari on percussion. We’ll also do a launch in Australia, because the World Within Worlds label is Australian. We also have a tour planned in November 2026.

PANM360: What impression do you want to leave on listeners and viewers?

Lamia Yared: Bringing together two traditions that flourished at the same time, but never met. We sang in a similar way in both the Christian and Muslim communities. We sang for the Virgin Mary in the Syriac language, in Aramaic, and in the now-extinct Galician language. It is a call for dialogue that is at the base of this approach. There is a way to talk to each other through art. It is also a dialogue with today’s audience, so that they feel something beyond religious history because this type of sacredness is no longer updated, but we can find reasons for ecumenical and secular rapprochement.

Les Leçons de Bach may be a reminder of a fundamental inspiration for Les Violons du Roy, which Bernard Labadie founded in Quebec City in the mid-1980s. Originally planned by pianist and conductor Robert Levin, who had to withdraw due to health problems, the programs presented on Thursday at Palais Montcalm and Friday at Salle Bourgie are exceptionally conducted by Bernard Labadie and feature pianist Inon Barnatan. The performance of these programs is nonetheless thrilling. Let Bernard Labadie whet our appetite!

PAN M 360: Is it unusual for Les Violons du Roy to present a program devoted exclusively to Bach?

Bernard Labadie: If you look at all the programs, there aren’t tons of them, but it’s pretty rare that there isn’t at least one a year, I’d say. If only because I myself am a huge fan of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

PAN M 360: Impossible not to be! He’s the absolute master!

Bernard Labadie: Yes. In my case, I would even say that it was because of his music that I became a musician.

PAN M 360: How did this choice come about this year?

Bernard Labadie: One thing to keep in mind about this week’s program is that it is not my program. It is Robert Levin’s, the pianist who was supposed to be our guest this week. He was to be both soloist and conductor for this program. I am very saddened by his absence—he has had some health issues.

So, he had to be replaced. And replacing Robert with just one person is very difficult. Not only was he the pianist and conductor, but he was also a leading authority on the 18th-century repertoire. He is something of a legend, in fact. So, I was delighted. I am also a personal friend of this artist, whom I have known for a long time. But now I find myself taking on some of his responsibilities. Obviously, I am not a pianist. We invited a pianist to replace him.

PAN M 360: Tell us about Inon Barnatan. 

Bernard Labadie: He is an Israeli pianist who has been living in the United States for a long time. To be honest, he is not a musician I know well, but I have been hearing about him for a long time. I had a seven-year tenure in New York with the St. Luke’s Orchestra. During that tenure, which ended last April, I had a lot of contact with the music scene there. His name kept coming up. My colleagues told me that I really had to work with him. In the end, it didn’t work out, but as luck would have it, it’s happening not in New York but in Quebec City, and with only a few weeks’ notice.

PAN M 360 : Et quelle est la réputation d’Inon Barnatan concernant le répertoire de JSB?

He is not yet in the same league as Robert Levin, who had to cancel, or Andras Schiff or Sergei Babayan, who are great interpreters of Bach. 

Bernard Labadie: I would say that… That is to say, I don’t think Inon is recognized as a Bach specialist. He is a pianist with a very broad repertoire, including Bach, whom he loves very much. He told me that he had just come back from a Brahms recital in Germany and that he had been playing vocal music with musicians in Boston a few weeks ago. He is someone who really embraces the entire repertoire, unlike Robert Levin, who is a leading authority on the repertoire of the 18th and early 19th centuries —although he is also one of the greatest living specialists in the music of Henri Dutilleux, a great French composer (1916-2013)—but this is quite common among people who make a lot of music inspired by ancient practices.Bernard Labadie: I would say that… That is to say, I don’t think Inon is recognized as a Bach specialist. He is a pianist with a very broad repertoire, including Bach, whom he loves very much. He told me that he had just come back from a Brahms recital in Germany and that he had been playing vocal music with musicians in Boston a few weeks ago. He is someone who really embraces the entire repertoire, unlike Robert Levin, who is a leading authority on the repertoire of the 18th and early 19th centuries —although he is also one of the greatest living specialists in the music of Henri Dutilleux, a great French composer (1916-2013)—but this is quite common among people who make a lot of music inspired by ancient practices.

PAN M 360: Let’s review the repertoire on the program for the Bach Lessons: first, the five contrapunctus from Die Kunst der Fuge / The Art of Fugue:

Bernard Labadie: Actually, it’s music that I’ve performed a lot with the orchestra. We even recorded the entire Art of Fugue in the early 2000s. And then we performed the entire Art of Fugue in concert. I think it was three years ago, in Quebec City. Performing the entire Art of Fugue in concert is rare. It’s a big undertaking. It’s quite complicated. Performing excerpts from it has happened quite often, including on tour.

But what may distinguish our approach this time is that we will perform excerpts from The Art of Fugue as Robert had intended them to be performed.

The Art of Fugue is a work that is sometimes described as theoretical, in that there is no instrumentation provided. It is written on separate staves, with four voices throughout. So it could be thought of as a string quartet, and has often been performed as such. Even though the work was written on four staves and Bach intended it to be a keyboard piece, it is perfectly playable on the keyboard. Yes, it was originally written for solo keyboard, but there have been additions since then. Yes, there have been several.

So when we perform The Art of Fugue, and when I say “we,” I mean myself and Les Violons du Roy, we always take a fairly orchestral approach, which means we use our 14 strings, including the double bass, which doubles the cello line, thus adding a fleeting octave to the structure. We also always add a harmonic instrument, the basso continuo. We simply take Bach’s four original lines and assign them to the different sections of the orchestra. In our case, this is the basic formation of Les Violons du Roy: four first violins, four second violins, three violas, two cellos, and a double bass. By using the double bass, we add an upper octave to the bass line, giving it a broader, more orchestral dimension than adding a keyboard instrument such as a harpsichord or organ. This is a hallmark of late Baroque orchestral music.

Robert Levin, on the other hand, chose a purer approach, without double bass or harmonic instruments. So most of the counterpoints, except for one that will be played by solid instruments, will be performed without double bass, harpsichord, or organ, which gives a much purer vision of the music. It’s like a kind of reading where the clarity of the polyphony is extremely evident. Here, the music is absolutely transparent because we have the four voices at roughly equal power, as written by the composer. So there is no keyboard and, above all, no double bass in the version played here. As this was Robert’s choice, we decided to stick with this approach. And then, as we have often performed this music for our audience, I felt it was less interesting to come back and do it again as we usually do, but rather to present it in a slightly different light.

PAN M 360: Yes, it’s always a good idea to bring variations to what we’ve already accomplished. 

Bernard Labadie: It’s always better to do so.

PAN M 360: Let’s move on to the main course, the Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052:

Bernard Labadie: It is Bach’s greatest keyboard concerto. It is the longest, the most elaborate, and also the most famous. It is even a concerto that some Romantic pianists had in their repertoire, which was very rare at the time, because Bach’s music was not widely played by pianists in the 19th century. But it is so expansive that there is an immense breath running through this work. And it is a work for which we can suspect that Bach had a particular affection, because he subsequently reprised the first and last movements in three different cantatas.

PAN M 360: Why the Italian Concerto BWV 971?

Bernard Labadie: Originally, Robert had planned another work, which didn’t suit me because I had never performed it before. And since I agreed to replace him at the last minute, we decided to make a slight change to the original program. The Italian Concerto is inspired by the Vivaldi concerto model. The style of writing is decidedly Italian in its influence. Other works by Bach are much more influenced by the French style, while some lean more towards the North German style.

PAN M 360: How could he draw on all his influences?

Bernard Labadie: At the beginning of his career, Bach had a patron in Weimar who was a good musician and had money. When he traveled to Amsterdam, he would bring back the latest scores available so that Bach could familiarize himself with them. And since Bach and Vivaldi were contemporaries, the young Bach studied Vivaldi’s works and even transcribed them for solo keyboard. It was a way for him to immerse himself in the style.

PAN M 360: Let’s move on to the excerpt from The Musical Offering,BWV 1079.

Bernard Labadie: It is the famous “Ricercare”, an old term that refers to a primitive form of fugue that was practiced by harpsichordists in the 17th century. In Bach’s work, it is the equivalent of a fugue. His choice of the word Ricercare is a tribute to the past, but I also think it may be a reference to the origin of the piece.

The Musical Offering was actually the result of a visit by Bach to the court of Frederick II. Johann Sebastian Bach’s son, Carl Philipp Emanuel, was a harpsichordist at Frederick II’s court, which partly explains why his father was invited. The latter’s reputation as a keyboard improviser was well established, particularly within Frederick II’s orchestra, which had gathered around him a group of musicians who were among the most famous and skilled of the time.

So these people had heard of Bach, did not necessarily know his music very well, but knew that he was a formidable improviser on the keyboard, and that he was also a master of the fugue. When Johann Sebastian arrived, he was asked to improvise. The king gave him a very beautiful, long, and complex theme, and asked him to improvise a six-voice fugue on this theme—fugues are usually composed for four voices. Bach replied that it was impossible to improvise a six-voice fugue on this theme, but that he would improvise a six-voice fugue on one of his own themes. And that is apparently what he did.

When he returned to Leipzig, he composed this six-voice fugue, Ricercare, one of the most famous fugues in the history of music, analyzed in every detail by almost every musician in the world who has studied counterpoint.

PAN M 360: We are left with the Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1056

Bernard Labadie: Yes, there are seven concertos for harpsichord by Bach. Three are for two harpsichords. Two are for three harpsichords. And then there is one for four harpsichords. The Concerto in F minor is a shorter concerto, much less elaborate than the first one on the program. No. 5 is best known for its beautiful slow movement—the second. You can hear it in every elevator in the world. Yes, it’s true, this slow movement is a rather extraordinary melodic creation.

PAN M 360: Finally, Mr. Labadie, let’s briefly return to your return to the helm of Les Violons du Roy when Jonathan Cohen’s term ends.

Bernard Labadie: Quite simply, I am returning to the position of music director, but I am not returning with the idea that I will do another 15 years. I am not returning to my position, I am not returning to my job as I did it in the first 30 years before I left.

My goal is to help the organization get through the next few years until we find a successor, and above all to create the right conditions for that successor to have the means to achieve their ambitions. For Les Violons du Roy, as for so many other cultural organizations, the financial situation has been difficult since the pandemic.

Things are not going well: declining attendance at theaters, much greater difficulty in finding private funding, and changing priorities for foundations and companies that distribute funds and supplement public funding. Private funding is more interested in community causes than purely artistic causes.

PAN M 360: Hence your return home for next season.

Barnard Labadie: The question, in fact, is this: if Les Violons du Roy were to seek a successor other than myself today, there is reason to fear that it would be difficult to attract a candidate of the highest caliber. It’s all well and good to offer them an orchestra in such great shape as Les Violons du Roy, but you still need the money to attract internationally renowned soloists and guest conductors, to carry out high-profile projects with or without a choir, to go on tour with the orchestra, and so on. But that takes money, and money is much harder to come by right now. So we are going through a period where the organization needs to regroup and work on all fronts.

Program Bach’s Lessons

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) 

Extraits de L’Art de la fugue, BWV 1080  

• Contrapunctus I

• Contrapunctus II

• Contrapunctus VIII

• Contrapunctus XI

• Contrapunctus IX  

Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052 • Allegro • Adagio • Allegro Soloist: Inon Barnatan, piano

• PAUSE 

Italian Concerto, BWV 971 • [No indication] • Andante • Presto• Italian Concerto, BWV 971 • [No indication] • Andante • Presto

Inon Barnatan, piano

 “Ricercare à 6” from The Musical Offering, BWV 1079 

Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1056 • Allegro • Adagio • Presto Soloist: Inon Barnatan, piano

On Tuesday, November 11, the Arab World Festival presents Convergence, a duo performance created by two seasoned instrumentalists: Chaima Gaddour on qanun and Samih Souissi on cello. Both originally from Tunisia, one lives in Montreal and the other in France. They will present a unique and exciting fusion of musical cultures at the Salle Claude Léveillée in Place des Arts. Michel Labrecque interviewed them to learn more.

PANM360: Before we talk about this concert, which will premiere in Montreal, tell me about your personal and musical background, so that we can get to know you better.

Chaima: I’m a newcomer to Quebec, having arrived two and a half years ago. Before that, I lived in Tunisia, my country of origin, and then in Dubai. I started playing music at the age of five, with the qanun, and I graduated in Arabic music. I also studied classical dance at the conservatory for many years and earned a master’s degree in administration and cultural policy. I also taught music at the conservatory and university in Tunisia. I’m very happy to be living in Montreal now.

Samih: I was also born in Tunisia, and I started learning music at the age of eight. Now, I’ve lived in France for half my life. I began with the violin, but fairly quickly switched to the cello. I graduated from the conservatory. Professionally, I started a career as a computer engineer, but for the last ten years, music has been the heart of my life. I conduct choirs and also musicals, while continuing to play the cello. And I try to give the cello a sound that incorporates my Arab and Middle Eastern roots. This requires a completely different technique.

PANM360: Before going any further, let’s talk about the qanun, an instrument less well-known in our region. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a stringed instrument created by the Ottomans.

Chaima: The qanun is nicknamed “the king of instruments” in the Eastern world. It is a horizontal harp, so to speak, an instrument with an enormous capacity for harmonic and musical richness.

PANM360: How did this project, Convergence, come about, the first version of which we will see at FMA?

Chaima: We met while touring with a large orchestra, the Boudchart Orchestra, and we tried duets during breaks or after concerts. Or on days without concerts. And we clicked.

Samih: It’s not every day you see a duo like ours: a traditional Arabic plucked string instrument and a cello. I’ve already done concerts with qanun players, but Chaima has a really special musical openness that leads me to explore new worlds.

Chaima: Actually, we’re both very musically curious. We’re interested in music of all genres. We also explore Latin and Asian music.

Samih: Beyond simply juxtaposing repertoires, we try to create stylistic fusions. For example, combining Latin American music with North African and Andalusian music. Or combining Schubert with Mohammad Abdel Wahad, an Egyptian singer and composer. And it all has to flow naturally.

PANM360: Do you also compose?

Chaima: No, not exactly. But to blend these musical styles, you have to rearrange them, sometimes add lines or counterpoint, so in a sense, there’s a compositional process involved. Not to mention the improvisation that’s present in our pieces. There’s also a whole musicological research process to connect all these musical sources.

PANM360: How would you describe the spirit of Convergence, which already intrigues me greatly?

Chaima: It’s a kind of journey in which the Orient travels: it goes to Ireland, to Europe, to Latin America and to Asia. It mixes with all these musical styles.

Samih: This is an opportunity for us to express our multiple identities. We both reject any single identity label. This show is a first, but we hope to repeat it many times around the world. We want to spark a dialogue between different cultures that will make others’ cultures less intimidating. Canada is an excellent place to begin this process.

PANM360: Thank you for this interview! I’d like to add that we’ll also be able to hear you accompanying Fairouz Oudjida for the Legendary Andalusia concert at the Fifth Hall of Place des Arts on November 7th. You also conduct the RCM Orchestra, which stands for Cultural Richness of Montreal.

Chaima: Thank you to the Arab World Festival for giving us these opportunities.

Publicité panam

Rosie Valland, Alex Burger, Marie-Pierre Arthur, Bibi Club, Bon Enfant, Rau_ze, Stephen Faulkner, Dumas, and Flèche Love are among the approximately 80 acts featured in the 39th Coup de cœur francophone, taking over Montreal from November 6 to 16. Undoubtedly a must-see, the CCF remains the quintessential fall event for the Francophone music scene, bringing together creative forces from America and beyond in chanson, rock, country/Americana, soul/R&B, and hip-hop. It goes without saying that PAN M 360 is interviewing Noémie Laniel, the programming director of the 39th Coup de cœur francophone (CCF) since last year, who is here to discuss the lineup she and her team have created.

This content is produced in partnership with La Vitrine, which includes Coup de coeur francophone in its SEO.

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PAN M 360: This doesn’t make me feel any younger, I was there at the first edition, I’ve been crossing paths with Alain Chartrand (founder and artistic director of the CCF) since the 80s at CIBL, even before the event was created.

Noémie Laniel: I wasn’t there 39 years ago (laughs), but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it!

PAN M 360: Is there an angle where it is more a representation of the emerging and established news of the French fact in North America and Europe, or does the programming reflect a particular inclination?

Noémie Laniel: I think we’re still focused on that angle, representing the new wave, as my director Alain so aptly puts it. In any case, it’s an expression we like to use when talking about emerging artists, the next generation, or artists who are on the rise. So yes, Coup de cœur francophone still has this mission of showcasing the artists of the new wave. We’re bold, we’re representing a wide range of genres and styles. We’re embracing the diversity and dynamism of what’s happening right now in French-language music in all its forms.

PAN M 360: What are the main features of this 2025 program?

Noémie Laniel: The unique thing about this year is that we have many events within the event. We have a very rich program of special evenings, launches, and evenings in collaboration with several artists who will share the stage.

PAN M 360: Give us some examples!

Noémie Laniel: I’m thinking of Marie-Pierre Arthur who presents us with a stripped-down show with François Lafontaine accompanying her, with director Sébastien Blais Montpetit and a choir.

I am thinking of Dumas, at the Gesù on November 14 and 16, who will present us with a formula with projections which will be the narrative thread of his show – in the first part, the Abenaki artist Mimi O’Bonsawin.

I’m thinking of Rosie Valland, who is presenting the anniversary show for her album Partir avant on November 15th at the Ministère.

We have Alex Burger at Club Soda on November 13th with the show Un coin du ciel, an evening with a country/americana flavour, an intergenerational mix with a lineup of veteran artists, confirmed artists and emerging artists.

So, in short, that’s it, we’re really into that this year. And generally speaking, we’re exploring all sorts of musical styles.

At the Plaza Theatre, on Friday, November 14th, we have Xela Edna, Flèche Love (from Switzerland), and Virginie B, who are performing a triple bill together. It’s going to be super pop, it’s going to be great! Then across the street from the Plaza Theatre, at Ausgang Plaza, we have a more experimental evening with Cédric Dind-Lavoie, Mykalle, and Bilou from Belgium, who is also a visual artist, so a mix of projections and sound explorations.

PAN M 360: Also worth keeping an eye on?

Noémie Laniel: I’d like to start by talking about the opening night, which for me is a very representative evening of the current buzz, the buzz among young people. This artistic buzz will be represented that evening by Bibi Club, Bon Enfant, and Rau_ze—three very different musical spheres, but which come together tonight. These three projects, for me, are representative of what’s happening right now in our scene. These artists are finding their place, they’re bringing people together, they’re doing things differently, they’re daring. In short, these projects are opening at Quai des Brumes, Rockette, L’Esco, not to mention the Fanfare de l’Île at Quai des Brumes. We’re bringing together the Mont-Royal/Saint-Denis corner! It’s a festive evening that, for me, represents the very best of what’s happening right now.

We also have several concerts/album launches, and we’re discovering a lot of new artists releasing their first albums. I’m thinking of the hip-hop/R&B artist Irdens Exantus, who also has an acting career—notably in Antigang. I’m also thinking of Kat Pereira, who made a name for herself at the Francouvertes and will also be launching her album with a live show. We have Embo/Phlébite, who will be launching their album in a double bill with Bandit Voyage, a Swiss duo we discovered last year. We absolutely loved them! This duo is launching an EP produced in Montreal last fall.

As the opening act for established artists or in the context of special evenings where they are invited, there will be the singer and songwriter Naïma Frank, there will be Noëm, Arielle Soucy, Veranda, Tom Chicoine, Cindy Bédard, Patrick Bourdon.

There’s the hip-hop artist Sensei H, who’s currently featured on Radio-Canada’s Révélation program, and who’s also one of my favorite projects. At Quai des Brumes and Verre-Bouteille, we have several discovery nights with artists like Charly Darling, Couleur Dauphin, Margaret Tracteur, Clara Dahli, and many more. In short, these evenings are full of artists worth discovering.

PAN M 360: So, roughly how many artists and how many concerts is that in total?

Noémie Laniel: Well, statistically speaking, we have roughly 80 artists in Montreal. I say that because, as you mentioned earlier, there’s also everything that’s happening across Canada leading up to the Festival in Montreal. It’s really a snapshot of what’s happening right now. It illustrates how musical and stylistic boundaries have exploded and how the very notion of a song is transforming and evolving over time. I think we’re capturing the essence of all that.

PAN M 360: Several festivals have had to reduce their artistic proposals. What about yours?

Noémie Laniel: Coup de Coeur francophone casts a wide net in terms of styles, but we’ve scaled back compared to previous years. It might not be immediately apparent, but yes, we’ve reduced the scope. Why? Yes, public funding is harder to secure, but it’s also a matter of programming vision. Current economic conditions are impacting us and forcing us to rethink how we work, how we present our event, being more concise, avoiding cannibalization, and thus making Coup de Coeur even better despite everything.

Publicité panam

In November, festivals in Quebec’s regions are few and far between, but the Val d’Or Traditional Music Festival is a standout destination. From November 5th to 9th, the Abitibi city pulsates with traditional music, with programs presented from morning till night, right up until Sunday morning. The festival invites us to “come to the living room,” a theme reminiscent of traditional gatherings in the living rooms of good people across the country. The Beaudry brothers, Éric and Simon, Leahy, La Famille LeBlanc, Skye Consort, and many others perform in the heart of the Abitibi autumn. This is an excellent opportunity to highlight this traditional music event, which has been successfully established in the region since November 2018. To summarize the Val d’Or Traditional Music Festival’s history, its organizing committee was contacted on the eve of the event.

This PAN M 360 content was produced in partnership with La Vitrine, which includes the Val d’Or Trad Music Festival in its directory.

PAN M 360: Karine Roberge, you are the president of the Val-d’Or Traditional Music Festival.

Karine Roberge : Exactly!

PAN M 360 : Please tell us how this festival emerged in Val d’Or.

Karine Roberge: This is our eighth edition; the first was in 2018. But it started before that, with a group of local musicians organizing dance evenings. We invited caller Jean-François Berthiaume to participate in our evenings. When he saw what we had, he said, “You have a festival on your hands!” It was gaining popularity; the community was truly delighted with what we were doing. We also had the support of the city; we even won an award for our work with the dance evenings.

PAN M 360: Indeed, a Val d’Or cultural prize was won by the Racine Carrée group, which preceded the first presentation of your Val d’Or Trad Music Festival.

Karine Roberge: We did this for three years, from 2015 to 2018. We did it on weekends, we organized workshops, we could bring in a musician who would bring us repertoire that he would teach us. Little by little, we launched the first edition in 2018, and the audience continues to grow with each festival.

PAN M 360: You are a musician yourself, aren’t you?

Karine Roberge : Yes, I play the violin.

PAN M 360 : The Val d’Or Traditional Music Festival was born in 2018, tell us about its progress!

Karine Roberge : Initially, it was Friday and Saturday; I even wonder if we didn’t include Sunday the first year. Then we added Thursday, then Wednesday.

PAN M 360 : An increasingly large task to accomplish!

Karine Roberge : It starts on Wednesday (November 5th). We usually have a show followed by a call-and-response singing activity. On Thursdays and Fridays, we always have happy hours (5 to 7 pm), and on Thursdays and Fridays, we have bands performing. After that, we have two bands performing each Thursday and Friday evening. We even have a late-night show, which is new this year. After that, on Saturday night, it’s our big dance party. For us, it’s Saturday night. People look forward to the famous dance party with the caller.

PAN M 360 : Is it the original local band playing?

Karine Roberge : The first few years, yes, but as we are quite busy with the festival, we have been inviting groups to play for the last 2 or 3 years.

PAN M 360 : It’s pretty intense for 5 days!

Karine Roberge : We also always have a group at the reception desk from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. So we present four groups a day, or almost. On Saturdays, we also run lots of workshops. In the mornings, we also present shows. Before, we organized informal gatherings with musicians, but now we have shows at three different venues in Val-d’Or.

On Friday at lunchtime, we also have five groups playing in five different restaurants around town. We’re really spreading out everywhere, we’re infiltrating the city!

PAN M 360 :  You present music in all sorts of places that aren’t necessarily concert halls, which is really cool!

Karine Roberge : Yes! Furthermore, we are currently presenting four shows in seniors’ residences the week before the festival with a local band. We also always present a group in collaboration with the school board (Centre de Service scolaire de l’Or-et-des-Bois). We reach many young people, up to 400 from the school board.

PAN M 360 : And this is not the end yet!

Karine Roberge : Yes, we always finish on Sunday mornings. It’s our classical-traditional show, where we want to demonstrate that traditional music appeals to a wide range of audiences, not just those who enjoy traditional folk dances. We can also engage fans of other genres, like classical music. Sometimes people have preconceived notions about it. That’s why we present a show on Sunday mornings at the Val-d’Or Conservatory of Music. We’ve previously had Nicholas Williams, Philippe Prud’homme, and Élisabeth Giroux, who perform traditional music with a classical touch. This year, Skye Consort will be performing. 

PAN M 360 : And your programming? Tell us about your selection this year.

Karine Roberge : These are groups from Quebec, Acadia, or Ontario. But starting next year, we might look a little further afield. We’ll see.

PAN M 360 : Clearly, you’re still improving! In any case, you’re still improving!

Karine Roberge : Yes! And we often work with themes. We create lots of slogans.

Equipped to keep the tradition alive… Better traditional than never… From the heart to traditional… This year, it’s all about coming to the living room. Because in traditional music, the living room was where the old-time gatherings took place, where families came together. It’s a way of saying to people: “Come celebrate with your family!” That’s kind of the theme this year.

Family is also a theme. Extended family, family in the literal sense, family in the figurative sense. We have the Leahy family, the LeBlanc family, the Beaudry brothers who are our spokespeople. Real families! Our local group, Les Fous, is an Abitibi family, so to speak. Then we have Excavation & Poésie, a chosen family, friends who have come together. The Vaudevillian, who come for the Friday happy hour, are a couple.

Traditional music is like a large, close-knit family where we come to celebrate together during a festival. We reconnect with our roots and experience our traditions together.

PAN M 360 : How do you manage to finance your event?

Karine Roberge : We have many local sponsors. Businesses here are truly very generous. We also seek grants – from CALQ, Canadian Heritage, the City of Val-d’Or, etc. Our budget is still around $200,000.

PAN M 360 : You are presenting your festival in November, which is a time of year when there are not many musical events.

Karine Roberge : Yes, we did question ourselves at one point, we wondered if we should change. From a tourism perspective, for example, we have to convince people to come to Val d’Or in November. It’s a month that’s supposedly dull and boring. Then we realized that November is also a great time for music, for celebrating.

PAN M 360 : In Abitibi, autumn arrives early, on November 5th. There’s something special, even exotic, about experiencing a taste of the cold in a musical context! Are you all from Val-d’Or, you who are organizing this Val-d’Or Trad?

Karine Roberge : Yes, that’s right. As for the organization, we’re all from Val-d’Or. We’re not that far away, we’re only 5.5 hours from Montreal! We hope people will be willing to make the trip, because we’re always well received in Abitibi, people have a great time. So yes, it’s an invitation, a great excuse to come!

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Vanille is the project of singer-songwriter Rachel Leblanc, who will be taking advantage of Coup de coeur francophone to release her third album, Un chant d’amour (A Song of Love). She’s preparing a romantic atmosphere within a cinematic universe, a complete departure from her first two albums, Soleil’96 and La clairière (The Clearing), which leaned towards alternative rock and folk. This time, we’re more in the realm of 70s pop with influences from French music. She’ll be performing on November 8th at the Lion d’or, and Keithy Antoine had the opportunity to interview her for PAN M 360.

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Qualité Motel is a group of friends who had the brilliant idea of ​​mixing DJ sets, remixes, mash-ups, and original compositions to offer a mega-party to the audience. The audience is also involved in the show, making each performance unique. For their performance at Coup de coeur francophone, several guest artists will be featured, including Aiza, a Toronto-based artist who will be traveling for the occasion, and many others. The event will take place at Belmont on November 7th with a “turnkey” concept. Keithy Antoine spoke with Luis Clavis, a member of Valaire, for PAN M 360 to learn more about this original concept.

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You may have discovered her in our special feature on Folk Alliance International, as she was part of the line-up for the most recent edition. This time, Mimi O’Bonsawin will be opening for Dumas at Coup de coeur francophone, an artist she didn’t know before this pairing but is delighted to discover in a context like this. This Franco-Ontarian and Abenaki artist is a member of the Odanak First Nation. Her music praises the earth and the land, and her songs are rhythmic, magical and narrative, as she loves to tell stories through her music. She will share her new single P8gwas, a love song to the moon, and she talks about it in more detail with Keithy Antoine in this interview for PAN M 360.

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You may have seen him as a presenter on the Radio-Canada series Pa t’mentir, or as an actor. But this time, Irdens Exantus will be wearing his singer-songwriter hat during his show on 7 November at Le Ministère. This will be his first performance at Coup de coeur francophone, and for the occasion, he will unveil the songs from his micro-album entitled Les journées longues (The Long Days), in which he talks about loneliness, joy, love and many other emotions he experienced during and after the pandemic. He discusses this with Keithy Antoine, one of his co-hosts on the series Pa t’mentir, for PAN M 360.

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Rosie Valland, a well-established figure on the Quebec music scene, will celebrate the tenth anniversary of her debut album Partir avant with a show presented by Coup de Cœur Francophone (CCF) on 15 November. PANM360 caught up with her to see how she’s doing.

PAN M 360: Hello Rose, how’s your autumn going? Everything okay?

Rosie Valland: Yes! Except that I’ve lost my voice… It’s pretty much the worst nightmare for a singer with a slight tendency towards hypochondria. Luckily, my boyfriend reassures me every day that my voice will come back. It’s just a cold, after all! Otherwise, I have a busy autumn ahead of me with lots of exciting projects. I’ve been assisting set designer Geneviève Lizotte for almost a year now, which keeps me pretty busy and creative… In addition to putting together a beautiful show that’s fast approaching.

PAN M 360: On November 15, you will be performing at CCF to celebrate the 10th anniversary of your first album, Partir Avant. An anniversary like this inevitably prompts reflection. When you think back to the time of Partir Avant, what memories do you have? What did you want to say at that time?

Rosie Valland: It’s really nice to take a moment to reflect on what we’ve been through over the past 10 years. Ten years ago, I was literally just starting out in the music world, but more importantly, I was building a whole social circle that still follows me today. The connection I have with Jesse Mac Cormack and Jean-Philippe Levac, the memories, the artistic complicity… it’s precious. For the past two weeks, we’ve been saying to each other how lucky we are to have experienced all this. And honestly, it’s fun to dive back into that album, because it’s from another era. It’s a way of making music that contrasts sharply with the current era. It’s an album recorded without a click track, where nothing is tuned, and where, in fact, nothing is perfect. And that’s what feels good. It will certainly inspire me to make a sequel.

PAN M 360: When you look back on the journey you’ve been on over the past 10 years, how do you feel?

Rosie Valland: Hmm… that’s a big question. It’s a constant effort, given my personality, to cultivate pride. I think that over the past 10 years, I’ve often been hurt by a difficult, mercenary and somewhat misogynistic industry (oops, I said it!). But it’s my love for creation and art that has always driven me, and honestly, that’s perhaps what I’m most proud of: always having brought an approach, a point of view, and sincerity to what I did – whether it was rock or more pop.

PAN M 360: What do you have in store for us on November 15 ? What will the format be?

I’ll be with the original band! Jesse and Jean-Philippe. We’re going to play the album Partir avant in its entirety and in order, with guest artists Safia Nolin and Antoine Corriveau, who will both come and sing a song. I can also tell you that we’ll be in the centre of the room – so we can all experience it together. Ah! And… I can’t wait!

Rosie Valland will be performing on 15 November at Le Ministère as part of Coup de cœur francophone.

Photo : Lawrence Fafard | Graphisme : Antoine Corriveau

This is the 26th edition of the Montreal Arab World Festival, and the FMA is unfolding in a more difficult context than ever before. Toxic debates on immigration can spill over into the peaceful territory of culture, as Joseph Nakhlé, artistic director and founder of the FMA, can attest. The increasingly toxic climate surrounding immigration has led his team to suspend the thematic editions, which aimed to build bridges between Arab culture and the other cultures with which it interacts today.

All the more reason to seek refuge in mythical Andalusia, the land of convivencia, which refers to the peaceful and harmonious coexistence of different (often religious) communities within the same society, as was the case in Andalusia during the Moorish rule and its tolerant regimes towards the Jews and Christians who lived there for nearly eight centuries on the Iberian Peninsula. This Andalusian culture still exists today, and its manifestations are scattered throughout the 26th FMA. In complete harmony.

This content is produced in partnership with La Vitrine culturelle, with the aim of promoting the culture of all regions of Quebec through PAN M 360 content.

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PAN M 360: In an increasingly difficult intercultural context, the FMA continues its mission nonetheless. How so, Joseph?

Joseph Nakhlé: The global context is extremely turbulent at the moment, but we are persisting and signing, that is to say, we are continuing to spread Arab culture internationally and locally.

PAN M 360: That’s what you’ve been doing since the late 1990s, and it continues, for better or worse.

Joseph Nakhlé: Yes, as you know, since you’ve been with us since the first edition. It’s not a space that seeks to promote Arab culture; it’s a festival that celebrates the Arab world in its connections with the rest of the world.

PAN M 360: That’s a very important distinction, indeed.

Joseph Nakhlé: The FMA is not an identity-based festival. We are not here to celebrate Arab nationalism or the political Arab world. On the contrary, our Arab world is a world of connections with the Persians, the Spanish, the Indians, the Asians, the Quebecois, the French… It is the Arab world in its connections with the world. That is to say, everywhere the Arab world has been, where it is today, and where it will be tomorrow.

You and I live in the West, and there have always been Arab influences throughout the West for a very long time. So it is an Arab world that is culturally connected to the world. And it is also an Arab culture that suffers, that suffers from a failed modernity, but a modernity that is still desired. The Arab world was in contact with this ideal of the Enlightenment, it saw a certain renaissance begin to emerge.

But this renaissance was stifled by the West. In any case, the West contributed enormously to this stifling. Since the Second World War, the West has been very negative towards Arab democratic and civilizational development.

PAN M 360: Today, many people still have the impression that the Arab world is synonymous with strict Islam, which is completely false.

Joseph Nakhlé: Thirty years ago, we rejected the PLO, then we financed Hamas… and now we find ourselves with a Hamas that we cannot accept. And there was a secular Palestinian resistance movement which, at one point, accepted Israel’s existence. There was hope for peace. All of that fell apart because the politics and geopolitics of the Western world were built on objectives other than peace and fairness.

PAN M 360: In short, the FMA is not a festival celebrating the political Arab world.

Joseph Nakhlé: The FMA is there to show that the Arab world, and Arab culture in particular, is a diverse culture. There are many artistic scenes, groups of artists who are trying, creating, producing, etc. But there, we are still stuck in archaic structures, still far from achieving a modernity that we can enjoy. So, it is an Arab world that is out of step with the Western world, but it is also stifled by that Western world.

PAN M 360: But things are different here with the FMA.

Joseph Nakhlé: From the outset, we promoted the idea of a space dedicated to cultural encounters, a space dedicated to exchange, and therefore to the possibility of proposing, being heard and listening. The very existence of the FMA came from this need to reconcile two identities: the culture from which we originate and the culture to which we belong, which is Western Quebec culture. So the FMA wanted to be a place for dialogue, a place for exchange.

PAN M 360: You always had themed editions to highlight this dual identity.

Joseph Nakhlé: Yes, but this year we announced the suspension of themes. Since Gaza, there’s no need to beat around the bush; the ideal of the Enlightenment to which the FMA has aspired since its inception has collapsed before our eyes. And how has the Western world dealt with this tragedy in Gaza? This lack of willingness to face up to something that we see unfolding before our eyes and that is absolutely incompatible with our values. We see these values collapsing before our eyes! So we said to ourselves, what’s the point, if there is no longer any exchange, if there is no longer any listening, what’s the point of holding thematic editions that propose dialogue?

PAN M 360: What do you mean by ‘there is no longer any exchange’?

Joseph Nakhlé: I don’t know if you’ve had time to browse the FMA’s social media pages: they are full of hatred, racism and threats. This is the first time we have seen such a large number of hateful messages. We’re talking about hundreds, if not thousands, of aggressive and threatening messages. So we said to ourselves, we did the right thing in not proposing a theme, because it’s clear that dialogue has broken down, that there’s no room for it anymore.

PAN M 360: But these are far-right, ultra-conservative people who intervene wherever they can be seen and who have probably targeted you. You are among the victims of this phenomenon.

Joseph Nakhlé: Possibly, but before..

PAN M 360: What has changed?

Joseph Nakhlé: When comments like that were made, native Quebecers would respond on our social media to defend us. Now, we see that those voices are no longer there. The reality is that this dialogue has become very, very difficult and painful. And we are unable to handle it. That’s why we decided to stop discussing these issues and do what we know how to do, which is to present the performing arts. Once again, we can hope for something because I think that art, culture and music are not just slogans. I think culture is the last refuge against intolerance, against these stupid and unfounded notions.

So for us, that’s it, we’re taking a break, we’re no longer in reflection mode, we’re in support mode for a scene we love because what we offer and everything that comes from this Arab culture can be, as we’ve seen over the course of these 26 editions, a subject for reflection, a subject for creation, a subject for producing something new. I think that Arab culture is still a very rich culture, capable of inspiring us who live here in Montreal.

PAN M 360: Historically, you have always attracted a mix of diverse Eastern communities, not only Lebanese, but also Egyptians, North Africans, Kurds, Iranians, Turks, etc. And you also had a large proportion of native Quebecers who were curious to immerse themselves in other cultures. With the rise of intolerance towards immigration, are you forced to serve an even more community-based market?

Joseph Nakhlé: Yes, and that’s unfortunate. In 2006, we had our peak year in terms of ticket sales, with $425,000 in ticket revenue, which was huge for a festival like ours. At the time, our audience was mainly native Quebecers. In 2007, things changed with the reasonable accommodation crisis, and we saw that proportion drop to 10%. The FMA took a hit. Today, we are very vulnerable.

PAN M 360: So you are victims of this change in perception.

Joseph Nakhlé: Indeed. After 2007, we managed to recover, but not to the same extent as before. Today, we see that last year’s audience was made up of about 40% native Quebecers.

PAN M 360: That’s still 40%!

Joseph Nakhlé: Our concern is to see what will happen next. We didn’t conduct our own survey this year, but we hope we won’t see the same phenomenon as in 2007, i.e. another dramatic drop in the participation of native Quebecers. In any case, we are sensing a rise in Islamophobia, Arabophobia, call it what you will. And so, Arabness is becoming a bit like other forms of racial or cultural intolerance.

PAN M 360: You have decided to continue, to persevere. And PAN M 360 will continue to support you! So where are we going this year?

Joseph Nakhlé: We’re heading for mythical Andalusia. For Arabs, it’s a refuge. Andalusia, for us, is convivencia. It’s the place where Arab culture succeeded in offering a viable model of living together. Of course, the Andalusia we have in our dreams is not what Andalusia really was. But even so, the power of the myth here is significant. If Andalusia was a land of convivencia, if this Arab culture succeeded in offering the world a model of coexistence between Jews, Christians and Muslims, in a common desire, then for us today, this is perhaps the symbolic place that will save us from ourselves.

PAN M 360: How does this manifest itself?

Joseph Nakhlé: You can see it in the programme. For example, Olé Persia, the opening concert, is flamenco that goes back to its gypsy roots, but with a little bit of Iranian and Arabic influence. Olé Persia celebrates this connection. Then we have other shows that explore Andalusia through a female lens, where women celebrate and perpetuate this musical tradition that was traditionally reserved for men, but in which women have played a significant role throughout history.

So here we have five women, five projects celebrating Andalusia through a female lens. La Mia Aït Amara, Lila Borsali. In the same spirit of mythical Andalusia, we have the themed evenings Y Una Noche and Songe d’une nuit andalouse.

PAN M 360: Which is a progressive choice in itself. And, as in previous years, you are seeking to showcase emerging talent.

Joseph Nakhlé: Exactly. We have some new names in the line-up, such as the Lebanese singer Moeen Shreif, who will be performing at the closing ceremony. He is a great artist, somewhat in the vein of quality Lebanese pop, and somewhat the heir to a great name in Lebanon, Wadih El Safi.

PAN M 360: So we’ll see each other several times between now and November 16!

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His face may look familiar to you: we interviewed Grooz a few weeks ago as part of MUZ, and now he’s back with a whole new project for the 26th edition of the Festival du monde arabe. This isn’t his first time participating, and he even considers the festival to be like family. When he arrived in Quebec nearly 10 years ago, the festival included him in its programme, which opened many doors for him afterwards. This year, the show Diwane will feature not only new compositions by the artist, which he will share in a future album of the same name, but also revisited covers of old songs. He talks about it with Keithy Antoine in this interview for PAN M 360.

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