The Mivos Quartet has been described as the successor or heir to the Kronos Quartet. The ensemble, founded in 2008 at the Manhattan School of Music, specialises in new music for string quartet, but it certainly has its own personality. Mivos is a regular on labels that focus on the music of today, such as the excellent Kairos. But in 2023, it was with the highly prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label that it recorded the three quartets by Steve Reich, one of the pioneers of American repetitive minimalism. Despite Reich’s fame and the impact of his works, this was curiously the first time that his three quartets had been newly recorded by the same ensemble on the same album. Not content with achieving this recording premiere, the musicians of the New York-based quartet have made it the subject of concerts that can be seen in several major cities. This will be the case in Montreal on Tuesday 1 April 2025, in Salle Bourgie at the Musée des Beaux-Arts. On the occasion of this visit, the first for the group in the city, which will also offer the first opportunity here to hear this complete Reich corpus live, I conducted an interview with the band’s violist Victor Lowrie Tafoya.

PanM 360 : Some people say that you are taking over Kronos. What do you say about that?

Victor Lowrie Tafoya (Quatuor Mivos) : We owe them a lot, like every quartet playing new music of course. I mean, they’re pioneers. But they are still going on strong and we are just doing our own thing. I don’t think we are taking over anything.

PanM 360 : How do you differentiate your repertoire with theirs?

Victor Lowrie Tafoya (Quatuor Mivos) : I don’t know how they would describe what they do, but I’d say that we tend to have a focus more pronounced on American and European experimental music, with things between.

PanM 360 : How did you form, and have you had this focus from the beginning?

Victor Lowrie Tafoya (Quatuor Mivos) : Yes we did. We formed in 2008. We (all the original members, of which only myself and Olivia, the first violinist, remain) were all members of the new Master’s degree Contemporary Performance Program at the Manhattan School of Music.

PanM 360 : How would you describe this program?

Victor Lowrie Tafoya (Quatuor Mivos) : It was new at the time, but since then, other universities have started some like that. It’s a program where academic learning is integrated in actual playing. Many different people from diverse backgrounds created it. I remember we had trainings in India classical music, improvisation, contemporary music theory, chamber group music. So a lot of angles that merge together at some point.

PanM 360 : You have recorded many times for small but excellent labels like Kairos. How did you happen to get a contract with Deutsche Grammophon?

Victor Lowrie Tafoya (Quatuor Mivos) : That was a long time coming. In fact, when we started talking about recording all three quartets, we didn’t even know it was to happen this way. The truth is, the idea came from Steve himself. We played in New York and we got to know him. At some point he mentioned the possibility of recording them all. So, we said ‘’if you think it’s a good idea, well why not?’’ Then it still took many years of getting support and donors before our part-time agent then got us connected with someone and then someone else, and finally it became a DGG thing that we are proud of.

PanM 360 : Curiously, even being such fundamental masterpieces of the contemporary quartet repertoire, they have never been recorded as a whole group before in a single offering. Why is that, do you think?

Victor Lowrie Tafoya (Quatuor Mivos) :

I don’t know. Kronos had a big imprint on them of course, and the last one was created only in 2010. What I can tell you though is that it’s a lot of work to give life to them! Each has many layers of sound recording to be added up. The playing and then the sounds (trains, voices, World Trade Center tragedy, etc.) You have to combine all of those things carefully. It’s a big time investment. Moreover, for these versions, we had support from Steve who got all the sounds remastered. So the quality here is the best available.

PanM 360 : They are even less often played together in concert….

Victor Lowrie Tafoya (Quatuor Mivos) : Well, this is pretty intense music. What is important to know is that Steve’s style is very transparent and it needs continual rhythmic focus and very precise intonation. It may sound easy compared to works with more complex harmonic constructions, but it requires a lot of attention and a lot of energy to remain expressive in the context of cohabitation with prerecorded electronics. If you don’t give it that energy and extreme accuracy, it just becomes background music to the prerecorded elements. What we want is to give this experience a vibrant quality.

PanM 360 : Have you thought of asking him for a new quartet?

Victor Lowrie Tafoya (Quatuor Mivos) : Well no. Not yet. I’m not sure he has time, but if he has, we would certainly be interested.

PanM 360 : How do you evaluate the importance of Reich’s quartet corpus in the vast repertoire?
Victor Lowrie Tafoya (Quatuor Mivos) : I think it’s at the center of it. What he did was pioneering, all those speech patterns turned into melodies. The quartets are like mini operas, they are telling expansive historical stories with text and harmony. We take it for granted now, but it was groundbreaking back then. His esthetic legacy is all over the place now. It will stand the test of time.

DETAILS AND TICKETS FOR THE MIVOS QUARTET CONCERT ON TUESDAY MARCH 1 2025

In Brûlez-moi vive, Éléonore Lagacé explores themes of self-affirmation, love, freedom and the passage of time, all peppered with a few existential reflections. At times energetic, at other times quiet and introspective, this album takes us to unsuspected shores with its surprising progressions and bursting production.

Produced by Frantz-Lee Leonard on the Ad Litteram label, this 10-song opus blends pop, R&B, ’80s and other melancholy ballad influences, against a backdrop of soaring bass and lyrical flights.

Éléonore Lagacé has been a fixture on Quebec screens since she was a teenager. After appearing on Big Brother and Zénith, she released her debut album on March 21, 2025. Brûlez-moi vive follows the EP Elle s’en fout, released in April 2023.

Marilyn Bouchard took a closer look at Éléonore Lagacé’s work before submitting her questions. For PAN M 360, our interviewer wanted “to find out about her feelings and experience following this first production, and also to find out what she has in store for us next.”

So 10 questions for 10 songs!

PAN M 360: How does it feel to release your first full-length album?

Éléonore Lagacé: Relieved! I can finally move on and start creating again. I’m very proud of this achievement!

PAN M 360: How long did it take you to compose and write the album?

Éléonore Lagacé: Approximately 2 years

PAN M 360: You said in an interview that you felt a great need to make this project your own. How did you appropriate this album?

Éléonore Lagacé: When I talk about taking ownership, I mean taking ownership of myself! Learning a little more every day about who I am, where my limits are, what I want and what I don’t want anymore. The subjects of the songs on the album deal with my big existential questions of the past and present.

PAN M 360: What emotions did you want to share with the public on this album?

Éléonore Lagacé : Freedom, torment, love, the desire to dance, to honor your emotions, even the most intense ones.

PAN M 360- What was it like working with Frantz-Lee Leonard on the album’s production and sound identity? As you’ve worked together before, I imagine your creative relationship is growing?

Éléonore Lagacé: Frantz-Lee est un musicien que j’admire énormément. J’ai adoré travailler avec lui car il n’a pas peur d’aller au bout de ses idées les plus folles et pense sincèrement qu’il n’y a pas de rêve trop grand.

PAN M 360: De quelle manière tes inspirations Lady Gaga et Charli XCX t’ont aidées dans la direction de l’album?

Éléonore Lagacé: Charli XCX was for me the model of jemenfoutism (I don’t care attitude) and freedom that I wanted to portray in my music. Lady Gaga, my idol since I was 11, gave me the strength to write this album.

PAN M 360: One thing you’ll keep from this album and one thing you’ll leave behind?

Éléonore Lagacé: I keep my melodies, I’m really proud of them. And I leave the idea that I would have liked it to be an album of 20 songs.

PAN M 360: What did you find most difficult in creating this first album? What are you most proud of?

Éléonore Lagacé: The hardest part was not giving up. The thing I’m most proud of: the people who worked on it.

PAN M 360- What are your plans for 2025?

Éléonore Lagacé: Touring with my own show Brûlez-moi vive and my band FANTASTIQUE, Zenith show, musical comedy Peter Pan.

10- Finally, the hidden gem of the album?

Éléonore Lagacé: Journée mélancolique.

Last year, Jaeden Izik-Dzurko was the first Canadian winner of an instrumental edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM). Another epic achievement in the same vein in 2024: The Leeds International Piano Competition, no less. In 2021, the CBC had named the pianist one of “30 Canadian classical musicians under 30”. This prestigious status comes on the heels of numerous awards, accolades, appearances with many renowned orchestras and conductors – in short, all the events that define a great artistic rise in the classical world. Four years after the CBC revelation, Jaeden Izik-Dzurko is having an international career, Montreal piano music lovers will attend his Sunday afternoon recital at Pierre-Mercure hall. This is exactly why Alain Brunet had a chat with this more than excellent player.

PAN M 360 : What real impact has this significant recognition had on your career since then?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: I consider myself extremely fortunate to have a very full concert schedule and to be able to share my music with wider audiences around the world.

PAN M 360 : Beyond your remarkable virtuosity, how do you define your pianistic personality?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: It’s quite difficult to characterize one’s own playing, but I consider myself a serious and introverted performer. I love to present large-scale works with ambitious and monumental musical narratives.

PAN M 360 : What do you consider to be the most obvious characteristics of your playing?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko : I believe that one of my pianistic strengths is layering: maintaining clarity and independent shapes in multiple simultaneous melodic lines. It’s a quality possessed by my favourite pianists, and one that I have worked very hard to cultivate in my own playing.

“Born in Salmon Arm, British Columbia, Jaeden earned his Bachelor of Music at The Juilliard School with Yoheved Kaplinsky and his Master of Music at the University of British Columbia with Corey Hamm. He is also a former student of Ian Parker. He currently studies with Jacob Leuschner at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold and Benedetto Lupo at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia.”

Q: Who were the most influential teachers in this selection of authentic masters?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko : I am extremely fortunate to have benefitted from the invaluable guidance and expertise of many exceptional teachers. I am exceedingly grateful to all of them for the imprint they have left on my musicianship. Perhaps the greatest influence has come from my mentor, Dr. Corey Hamm, who mentored me during my formative years while I was a teenager, and guided me through my first international competition experiences during my Master’s degree.

PAN M 360 : Where are you based now?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko : I currently reside in Germany, and frequently travel to Rome for lessons.

PAN M 360: Let’s share your overlook on the Montreal program on Sunday April 30^th.

JEAN-SÉBASTIEN BACH (1685 – 1750) Partita No. 4 in D major, BWV 828

PAN M 360 : What is your own experience with this work? Where do you place it in your repertoire?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: When participating in competitions, I was often advised, like many pianists, to refrain from playing Bach, as it is considered risky and potentially divisive. Although I did not always heed this advice, I did find it difficult to program Bach’s music in competition programs due to time constraints and repertoire guidelines. Now that I have concluded the competition period of my musical journey, I am eagerly programming Bach’s music again!

PAN M 360 : And in Bach’s keyboard repertoire?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: The fourth Partita is truly a remarkable and sophisticated work. The seven dances take the listener through a profound and varied emotional journey. Some movements, like the Overture, Courante and Gigue, possess a lighthearted joyfulness, while others are more introspective, even sorrowful. Particularly ambitious is the Allemande, the longest dance of the Partita, which sustains a beautiful, highly chromatic lyricism throughout the expansive movement.

SERGUEÏ RACHMANINOFF (1873 – 1943) 10 Preludes, Op. 23

PAN M 360 : Great piano music by Rachmaninoff ! Where do you see this work in your repertoire and that of the composer?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: The Preludes are an early work in Rachmaninoff’s oeuvre, yet they are burgeoning with emotional depth, lyricism and originality. I have performed many of the Preludes as encores, but I love the grand musical narrative that is produced by playing all ten in succession.

PAN M 360: How do you personally approach it at the keyboard?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: One of the qualities that I most love in Rachmaninoff’s keyboard music is his wonderful pianistic sensibility. When playing his works, one is struck by his technical mastery and his innovative pianism. As a singular virtuoso himself, Rachmaninoff had any possible technical device at his disposal, and he knew how to utilize the instrument to obtain the greatest possible energy, force and sonority. I am lucky to have large hands. As a result, I find Rachmaninoff’s writing very pianistic and idiomatic, despite being full of innumerable technical challenges.

ALEXANDER SCRIABIN (1872 – 1915) Fantasy in B minor, Op. 28

PAN M 360: You obviously love the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th, including of course its Russian variations. Right ?
Jaeden Izik-Dzurco: That period was marked by a number of composers who, alongside their distinctive and powerful compositional voice, were also exceptional soloists and interpreters (in particular, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff and Medtner). As a result, their music is crafted perfectly for the instrument, and written with an intuitive sense of the concert stage.

PAN M 360 : What do you like best about Scriabin? Why did you choose this work?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: Scriabin’s music is highly evocative and original. The transformative creative evolution he underwent over the course of his life reveals the idiosyncratic artistic spirit that he possessed. If I had to identify a single element in his music that I love most, it would be his remarkable gift for melody (the lyrical, second theme of his Fantasie is among his most exquisite).

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN (1810 – 1849) Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58

PAN M 360 : Chopin is a must for all pianists of good, excellent or exceptional level. What place does he occupy in your own tastes?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: I must confess that interpreting Chopin’s music does not come especially naturally to me. I find his use of the piano quite challenging, and occasionally awkward to execute. Nonetheless, his writing possesses a unique elegance, gracefulness, and poignant lyricism that I truly adore.

PAN M 360 : As one of your great pianistic qualities is the fluidity of your phrasing, which defines its exceptional refinement, we imagine that Chopin was a pianistic model in this sense. What are your thoughts on this?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: Certainly, written testimonies of Chopin’s interpretive style and approach to playing the piano are wonderful sources of inspiration for me.

PAN M 360 : In your recording for the Leeds International Competition, you also play two studies by Ligeti, which brings us closer to the present. What is your relationship with Ligeti?

Jaeden Izik-Dzurko: I do not have extensive experience playing Ligeti’s music, but I am fortunate to have received the guidance of my teacher, Dr. Corey Hamm, who has playing Ligeti complete oeuvre and has remarkable insight into his musical style.

Voilà! Enjoy your stay in Montreal and have a great concert!

INFOS + TICKETS HERE

Publicité panam

Voyager, Boubé’s latest album, will be launched this Saturday, March 29, at Club Balattou. This electric guitar virtuoso mixes rock and desert blues, as only he can. For the occasion, he will be accompanied by his long-time musicians, and is planning a few surprises for the audience. A finalist at the Syli d’or in 2024, this stepping stone enabled him to record this album, which was composed in Niger. In French, English and Tamasheq, sometimes all three in the same song, he takes us on a musical journey to various regions of Africa, notably North Africa. He plans to defend this album in Africa and elsewhere. Our journalist Sandra Gasana spoke to him, just a few days before his eagerly-awaited show.

Publicité panam

Le Couleur has left its mark on the French-speaking world of America, and on French-language pop in general. Founded on groove, synth-pop, euro-disco, house and other flavors ideal for the dance floor, the Montreal-based ensemble spent over fifteen years on stages around the world before announcing an indeterminate hiatus and moving on to other expressions and individual projects. But before closing the lights, several concerts are scheduled between now and the end of the warm season, and the first show on the agenda is the last Montreal concert, scheduled for this Friday, March 28 at the SAT. Laurence Giroux-Do sat with Alain Brunet for PAN M 360.

INFOS + TICKETS HERE

Bella White is a somewhat newer singer-songwriter on the country and bluegrass scene, but her influence is quickly taking hold. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, she released her full-length debut, Just Like Leaving, in 2020 and the follow-up album, Among Other Things, in 2023. Bella grew up around the bluegrass sound, played by her father around the house, who was always in some sort of bluegrass band. She uses her arresting voice to make way for simpler and calming, traditional bluegrass country music that chronicles the times of life.

Bella also loves to put her own twangy spin on country standards with her EP of singles cover Five For Silver, like “Concrete and Barbed Wire,” by Lucinda Williams, or more contemporary songwriters, like Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco). We spoke to Bella ahead of her show at Petit Campus on March 29.

PAN M 360: For readers who have no idea who you are, who is Bella White? How did you get into music?

Bella White: I was born in Calgary Alberta Canada into a very musical family. Both my parents definitely passed their love of music down to me. I feel very lucky that I was encouraged to play and follow that thread my whole life.

PAN M 360: I love your cover of “Unknown Legend,” can you talk about how Neil Young has inspired your songwriting? Or anyone else?

Bella White: I love Neil Young so much. I’ve always been a really big fan of his. I can’t think of any singular way that he’s inspired my songwriting, but I think absorbing that over the years gave me an appreciation for the craft.

PAN M 360: As a fellow Albertan (I’m from Edmonton), do you think that kind of folk-country bluegrass influence came from your upbringing? Maybe because of the Rockies and open skies?

Bella White: The Rockies in the open sky definitely influenced my love for music. I think my main appreciation for country folk Bluegrass came from my dad, though. He grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, and always played that kind of music my whole life.

PAN M 360: Are you planning another release or working on something for 2025?

Bella White: I am! I went into the studio this winter and recorded a third album which I’m very excited to share!

PAN M 360: When you were starting out, did it take you a while to find that country twang in your voice?

Bella White: I think it came pretty naturally to me since country and bluegrass was kind of what taught me to sing.

PAN M 360: Do you feel your records are all connected, coming from the same place, continuing the same story and themes or completely different and why?

Bella White: I think that they’re all different. I wrote them all at different times in my life, and they captured different moments for me. I guess they’re probably also connected in some way, shape, or form, and maybe they are continuing my larger life story, but I like to think of them as being different.

PAN M 360: Do you sit down and carve out time to write songs, or is it a more drawn-out process?

Bella White: It definitely goes both ways! Sometimes, it’s more structured, and sometimes, it’s more free-form.

PAN M 360: Are you bringing a band for your show in Montreal? What can people expect?

Bella White: I’ll have a trio with me! Sam Gelband plays the drums, and Gina Leslie plays the bass. I love playing with them so much, and we can’t wait to be in Montreal!

BELLA WHITE W/ MADDY FRIGO – PETIT CAMPUS TICKETS

The singles “Love Outta Luck,” “The Willow” and “Better This Way” preceded the release of The Damn Truth’s homonymous album on the Spectra Musique label. Produced by legendary producer Bob Rock (Mötley Crue, The Offspring, Bon Jovi, Metallica), this fourth opus sees the Montreal band back on the rock road. On the eve of kick-off at MTelus this Wednesday, March 26, drummer Dave Traina talks to Alain Brunet to explain more about the band’s recent motivations, its allegiance to classic and hard rock, and of course the guidance of mentor Bob Rock, who also worked on The Damn Truth’s previous album, Now or Nowhere. Exclusive content on PAN M 360!

His name is Moulaye Dicko, but we know him as Dicko Fils (Dicko Jr). In a career spanning some 20 years, this musician from Burkina Faso, who plays the kora and the n’goni, has produced twelve albums, including the very recent La route (the road). A star in his homeland and in a large part of West Africa, the artist nevertheless had to take the path of exile and settle in Montreal. Because, you see, this rather shy man has will and courage underneath: since 2016 he has been committed to a humanist cause, that of combating certain ancestral traditions such as forced marriages of young girls, excision, and the refusal to educate girls to confine them to the role of housewife. This courageous commitment in a society that is still very attached to these customs has led to problems with opponents. These problems were serious enough to force him to move to colder climes, which are more forgiving for this kind of activism.

So it was in Montreal that Dicko Fils put the finishing touches to La route, the twelfth album of his career. It’s an album that follows in the same footsteps as his previous ones, adapting the rhythms, instrumental colours and melodic characteristics of traditional Fulani music to modern times. Both through the cohabitation of traditional and modern instruments (guitars, drums, electronic instruments), there is also the contribution of stylistic facets imported from other musical genres that allow Dicko’s music to tie in with that of other stars of West African music. Salif Keita and Oumou Sangaré spring to mind. Here again, according to Dicko, this modernization has not always been easy. Some criticised him for ‘spoiling’ the Fulani tradition. But he continued on his way, earning appreciable dividends such as the appreciation and admiration of a new generation of Fulani musicians who are now following in his footsteps.

READ THE REVIEW OF LA ROUTE

When I ask him to make an assessment of his career, these 20 years of music and the results of which he is proud, he tells me that it is the message of peace between peoples that has been heard by thousands and thousands of his compatriots that makes him think that there is reason to be positive. But all the same, he had to go into exile. The fight can’t stop yet, and he says he’s ready to fight it from here on in.

Many festival representatives attended the launch concert at Balattou on March 8, 2025, resulting in Dicko’s commitments for the next season from Quebec to Hamilton, via Ottawa and Halifax (and Montreal, of course).

I asked him how his relocation went. He doesn’t lie: it’s been difficult. He was on tour when serious threats were made. So the exile was very sudden, without much thought or preparation. But Dicko already had a good network in Quebec. Montreal has long been a city visited by the artist on his many tours. Productions Nuits d’Afrique and other friends helped him land relatively smoothly. There’s no doubt that the positive reception he’s received is helping him to absorb the shock and concentrate on pursuing his mission and his career (the two are now intimately linked).

It’s a well-crafted, beautifully produced Afro pop album with all the qualities needed to stand out on the stages where Dicko Fils will be performing, and in playlists everywhere. Already, he confirms, he has received calls from elsewhere in the world to present it in concert. So, the road is ahead, not behind.

The Montreal International Music Competition (MIMC), a major cultural event in Montreal’s musical springtime, will welcome twenty-four exceptional lyric artists from May 25 to June 6 for its 2025 edition, dedicated to the voice. Through its various editions devoted to violin and piano, the MIMC contributes to Montreal’s cultural dynamism and to the launch of the careers of new-generation international artists, both through its identity and its roots in the Montreal cultural scene and internationally. In addition to the event’s visibility, over $160,000 in prizes and bursaries will be awarded to the various winners of the special Voix 2025 prizes. As preparations get underway for the two weeks of intense competition, PAN M 360 contributor Alexandre Villemaire spoke with MIMC Artistic Director Shira Gilbert about the various aspects of this year’s competition.

This interview was conducted in French and English.

Discover the 24 Voix 2025 competitors HERE

For more information, visit https://concoursmontreal.ca/en/voice-2025/

Photo Credit : Tam Photography

Rose Cousins should be on your radar if her name isn’t already. The talented singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist from P.E.I. (now based in Halifax) has won multiple JUNOS and has had her cinematic songs in many television shows.

She’s also gained some notoriety for her stripped-back rendition of Prince’s “I Would Die 4 U,” but with her latest release, Conditions of Love: Vol. 1, Rose Cousins has completely reinvigorated her sound. Putting the piano, her first instrument, at the forefront as the leading instrument of this new batch of songs, Rose has delivered 10 beautiful songs, her communions and reminiscings on the bold topic of love. Ahead of her cross-Canada Conditions of Love Tour (including a show at Sala Rossa on April 7) Rose had time to discuss relinquishing songs, her love of nature, the piano, and photography

PAN M 360: So I listened to Conditions of Love: Volume One. I really enjoyed it. It was a great walking around Montreal album. And I just wanted to ask you if kind of you find your songwriting to be like a cathartic experience, to release things, or to tell a broader story.

Rose Cousins: I think both. I mean, for sure, writing is always and will always be, cathartic for me, for sure. I think maybe, broad in so far as I’m singing, hopefully, you know, non-specific things, well, specific to me, but not that you would necessarily know. And so, I’m hoping that the broad thing is that someone can listen to it and say, ‘Oh, you know me too,’ and that is that there’s a door in for them too.

PAN M 360: So kind of vague thoughts about the human experience that people can empathize with?

Rose Cousins: I think that’s the role of music. We’re trying to find ways, even outside of music, we’re trying to find ways to relate to each other. And the music is, it’s this instigator of a deeper connection for me and I would assume anyone who comes to see me, but also anyone who listens to music. I mean, you know, you’re going into a room of a band that you love so much, and what is the thing you’re getting from them? It’s not necessarily like the specific things they’re saying in their lyrics, but it could be, it could be a feeling that they’re creating.

It could be a nostalgia that they’re bringing up in your own experience. Maybe people are having, like, a side-by-side experience. Maybe they meet at a show. I think it’s specific and non-specific. If the song can, once it is out, it’s going to do its own job, and it’s not my job to kind of curate an experience.

PAN M 360: Yeah once that song is out, it’s like it’s no longer yours.

Rose Cousins: I think so. There is a relinquish that has to happen because how somebody interprets a song might not necessarily be the same meaning that I wrote it from. And that doesn’t matter. If it’s hitting them and doing something for them, then the job is done.

PAN M 360: Going off that, one of the songs that really touched me the most was, “Forget Me Not.” And I just love all of the poetic references to nature; like dogwoods, lilacs, and dandelions. Do you find that nature is always kind of creeping in your songwriting?

Rose Cousins: Yeah, I think it’s always kind of been in there somewhere. But there is a through line on this record of the natural world: like the moon in “Borrowed Light,” all the flowers and trees and plants in “Forget Me Not,” and the wolf in “Wolf and Man.” I think because I wrote the record during the pandemic times I was having a deeper communion with nature.

I’ve got a dog. I was walking out around all the time and just kind of like being in the same place where the seasons were changing, and I was in the same place where normally I would just be like running around and touring and stuff. And I was having a different, more in depth communion with the seasons–specifically spring and summer. I was seeing it and identifying plants, or you know, being shown plants or trees that I wouldn’t have thought about what the names were of them before, but then being like, ‘whoa.’ Like watching, just watching the whole thing, come to life and then and then die, and then come to life and then die. So, yes, the natural world is very much a part of this record. And I grew up on P.E.I. running around near the ocean and in the woods. And I think this is a kind of a return to that.

PAN M 360: Piano’s always been in your music, but as an accompanying instrument, sometimes in the background. But with this record, it’s right at the forefront right from the beginning. What made you decide to give it more of a leading instrument feel?

Rose Cousins: Well, piano is my first instrument, and the one that I love the most, and the one that, when I started my career, was like the hardest to travel with. So I didn’t. I was just playing guitar, and the friend I co-produced this record with, Joshua Van Tassel, who’s been my drummer for a long time, was living in Toronto. He’s from Nova Scotia. He moved back to Nova Scotia in 2022 and sent me to go and look at a piano for him. At this fancy piano store called Dr. Piano, which I completely avoided the entire time I’ve lived here because they have, like, the $80,000 pianos, right? I can’t go to that store.

I went to try out this piano for him, and then I was in the showroom, and I saw this older, used baby grand. And I just asked them, ‘What’s the deal with this piano? ‘ It was reserved, but I’ve always wanted a full piano, so I just said, “Can you put me on the list for cool, old pianos?” So that was on a Thursday, and then on the Monday, they called me. They’re like, ‘The piano is available.’ So I went and they pulled it into a recital room, and I spent a couple of hours with it and then I went into a complete existential breakdown, ‘Can I can I afford this piano? Like, do I deserve to have this piano? Which is ridiculous, because when I said that to like, my friends who were trying to help make me, help me make the decision, they’re just like, “You play piano for a living.”

PAN M 360: Right, it was your first instrument after all.

Rose Cousins: Yes. It’s just like a very special communion that happens between me and the piano. And I feel like my feelings come out in the purest of forms. And yeah, once I had that in my house, I was just like, ‘This is it. I want to make my record on this piano in this house with Josh. And yeah, that’s kind of, that’s kind of how it’s born.

PAN M 360: What kind of piano? Since it’s used, does it have a story?

Rose Cousins: It’s a 1967 Baldwin and the fellow who dropped it off, who sold it to me, said that it was played by a woman in the Cincinnati Symphony. So it definitely has some miles for sure!

PAN M 360: The album title is Conditions of Love: Vol. 1. Is there going to be volume two? Do you have the plans?

Rose Cousins: It’s more about the infinite volumes that can exist on this topic, right? I mean, it’s not one that you could write all the volumes for. Is it the beginning of an exploration for me? Is it the continued exploration that I’ve been doing since I’ve been writing and playing? I think probably everything that I’ve written so far could be one of the volumes, but I see it really kind of as the endless topic that we’re all writing about. We’re all trying to figure out how to navigate love in all its conditions.

PAN M 360: Do you have any, non-musical passions outside of music that influence your art?

Rose Cousins: Yes, photography. I do analog photography, so film and Polaroid, 35 mils and Polaroid. In the artwork that I’ve done for this album, I worked with a photographer named Lindsay Duncan, who is a wonderful collaborator. She lives in Toronto. We had, well, I had a very specific vision that I wanted to do, and she was amazing. So, each song has in—the deluxe vinyl, you’d see it, its own picture the singles that came out, they each have a picture of basically me. Most of them are me running out of the scene, but me in this pink suit in the scene. The pink suit being or symbolizing love.

Photos by Lindsay Duncan

Since taking the helm of Ensemble ArtChoral (formerly Arts-Québec), conductor and artistic director Matthias Maute has embarked on an ambitious project: to bring together in a recording series the a capella choral repertoire from the Renaissance to the present day. An epic spanning more than six centuries of musical styles. With seven of the planned eleven volumes already released, PAN M 360 collaborator Frédéric Cardin sat down with Matthias Maute to discuss the project’s progress in the wake of the most recent catalog releases, Baroque I and Moderne.

PAN M 360: What motivated you to launch a series on the history of choral singing, from the Renaissance to the present day?

Matthias Maute: It all started during the pandemic: no more concerts, no more audiences… but still music! We said to ourselves: if we can’t sing live, let’s sing for history. The result? A digital library of the a cappella repertoire, from the Renaissance to the present day. A musical journey through time, with no masks and no quarantine!

PAN M 360: On what criteria did you base your choice of repertoire, which is so huge?

Matthias Maute: I followed my ear and my heart: I needed that magical spark, those works that transport us and give us a unique experience. Basically, if it gives me the shivers or makes me want to sing in the shower, it’s a good candidate! But we didn’t want to restrict ourselves to the “coup de coeur”: we also delved into our research to find pieces that truly embodied their era and style. The result? A repertoire that tells a story, not just a series of beautiful melodies!

PAN M 360: You’ve divided the Baroque into two volumes, obviously because of the length of the period. But we can also speak of two different stylistic fields represented by these two volumes. How would you describe the fundamental difference between these two Baroque periods?

Matthias Maute: The 17th century was the Baroque era in full swing: composers explored, experimented, dabbled in new forms and played with musical surprises. A veritable laboratory of ideas! The 18th century marks a more mature, structured Baroque, where balance and mastery take center stage. We move from exploration to accomplishment, with longer works full of tension and controlled contrasts. In short, if the 17th century is the free, adventurous spirit, the 18th century is the genius who refines his art!

PAN M 360: In Moderne, you’ve clearly chosen not to visit the avant-garde/experimental and atonal repertoires. Why is that?

Matthias Maute: This digital library is aimed at millions of choristers worldwide. So we wanted a repertoire that was demanding, but singable! The atonal avant-garde, fascinating as it is, remains the preserve of a few specialized ensembles. And let’s be honest: today, the vast majority of choral compositions remain tonal, because composers are well aware that few choirs are willing – or able – to go purely atonal!

PAN M 360: The series is said to span 11 volumes. Seven have been released so far. Will there be a Contemporary volume? And what will the other themes be?

Matthias Maute: There will be some surprises, but now’s not the time to reveal everything! What I can say is that one of the next volumes will be devoted entirely to the works of two Montreal composers: Jaap Nico Hamburger… and myself! I can’t wait to share it with you!

PAN M 360: Which pieces do you most regret not having been able to include in the published volumes?

Matthias Maute: Everything I would have liked to have recorded, but couldn’t find a place for on record, ended up coming to life in concert! In other words, I’m delighted. With one exception: the music of Ana Sokolović… but it’s only a matter of time, as we’ll soon be singing it in concert at the Maison symphonique!

PAN M 360: What is your assessment of your arrival at the helm of what was (for a long time) the Ensemble vocal Arts-Québec?

Matthias Maute: My encounter with the singers was a real revelation. The multiple, stimulating projects have produced results that I’m still enthusiastic about. Every time I stand in front of the choir, my heart beats faster – I love the way they sing. The voice is a language that touches our innermost being. If I had to sum it up, it would be this: many people have been touched by the magic of the human voice. I’m one of them too. And I don’t think even the backing singers were left out!

Benin’s Angélique Kidjo is undoubtedly one of Africa’s megastars, and probably the one of her generation to have acquired the greatest notoriety in North America, where she has lived for many years. This reputation reached the eyes and ears of composer Philip Glass, pioneer and pillar of American minimalism alongside the likes of Steve Reich and Terry Riley. A decade earlier, Glass had composed a three-movement work, Ifé, trois chants Yorùbá, dedicated to the African singer, with libretto in the Yoruba language. The work has since been performed, and here the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal takes over under the direction of Swiss-Australian conductor Elena Schwarz. Beforehand, the voluble Angélique lends herself to this interview with Alain Brunet, who has been talking to her sporadically since the 90s.

PAN M 360: What motivated you to perform such a work?

Angélique Kidjo: The artistic director of the London Philharmonic, Timothy Walker, had suggested that I sing with a symphony orchestra. What had he been smoking? He met my singing teacher and said he’d think about it. A year later, the London Philharmonic came to play at Lincoln Center and contacted me again, saying that a composer should write for me. He gave me Philip Glass, whom I knew personally, as an example. We make an appointment with Philip, who invites us to his home and accepts. “No problem,” says Philip, looking at me: “Angelique, you choose the subject, write me three texts and I’ll write you a work.” So I wrote three texts about the creation of the universe according to the Yorubas. I write it down and translate it into French and English, telling Phillip that this language is very tonal. He said nothing and came back to me a year later with a piano-vocal score. So I say to myself, “How did he do it?

PAN M 360 : And how did he do it?

Angélique Kidjo: When we met at the first rehearsals, I asked him, and he looked at me with an impish smile and said, “You don’t know everything about me, Angélique … I’ve studied phonetics!” And then he provided me with the manuscript of the work in phonetic script. And that’s when it all really began. The Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra first commissioned the work. Philip was on site. He explained to journalists that he and I had built a bridge over which we had not yet begun to walk.

PAN M 360: And why choose Yoruba rather than Fon, your mother tongue?

Angélique Kidjo: I speak both. We speak four languages in Benin. The mythology of the creation of the world among the Yorubas is the same as that of the Fons. It was also told to me in Yoruba, because people in my family were of Yoruba descent – on my maternal grandfather’s side, whose forebears were Yoruba slaves in Bahia, Brazil, before returning to Africa. Before colonization, the Yoruba and Fon kingdoms were at war with each other, and prisoners lived with us as they did with them. That’s why you have to speak several languages in Africa, otherwise you can’t move! So I’m a product of this crossbreeding, and since I have a certain facility with languages, I chose Yoruba. In fact, I didn’t choose this language rationally. When a language inspires me, I write in that language.

PAN M 360: And how was this opera conceived by Philip Glass for an African artist?

Angélique Kidjo: Philip is still Philip. What’s incredible about him is his flexibility and adaptability. To say that his music is repetitive is reductive. He goes where the music takes him, adapting to the number of bars suggested by a tune or text. The work opens with the supreme god Olodumare sending the artists’ tutelary god Obatala and Oduduwa, the god of logic, to build the world. He gives them a sack, a rooster and some palm wine, telling them not to drink until the job is done. Obatala doesn’t heed this instruction and gets drunk, so Oduduwa has to drag him wherever he goes. Oduduwa finds himself in front of an endless expanse of water. Olodumare then tells him to empty the sack and put the rooster on top of the contents of the sack, black dust, so that the rooster scatters it all and creates dry land. Thus the continents were born, and Yemanja, the goddess of the sea, who had not been warned to cede her territory, became angry and called upon other divinities to create a world around this new land. This is the second movement. The third movement features the god Osumare, two snakes that intertwine to hold the Earth so that it doesn’t fall, and so this male-female god holds the Earth and guarantees its fertility. This story gradually becomes part of Philip’s music.

PAN M 360: From a formal point of view, was Philip Glass inspired by melodies?

Angélique Kidjo: He was inspired phonetically by the music of the language to compose this work, while remaining himself.

PAN M 360: This work was made a decade ago. Have you performed it many times?

Angélique Kidjo: Yes, we did it in Manchester at the beginning of February with conductor Robert Ames. Until now, I’ve only been conducted by men, and now, for the first time, a woman will be conducting in Montreal: Elena Schwarz. It’s a dream come true!

PAN M 360: Coming from a feminist artist who built her career in Africa, then in Europe and North America, it makes perfect sense!

Angélique Kidjo: Yes, absolutely. I’m a pragmatic feminist, I work with men, I grew up with seven brothers and my father also built the woman I am. There are many men who want equals by their side, my father saw my mother as his equal and she had as much power as my father. My daughter was also brought up like that, she’s independent and responsible. And this time I’ll be working with a female boss.

PAN M 360: Did Philip Glass do anything else for you?

Angélique Kidjo: His 12th symphony, Logia, was composed for the 100th anniversary of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and he wanted me to be the soloist in the 3rd movement for voice and organ. He called me up and said he’d pushed me under the bus, laughing. I told him it was okay with me (laughs).

PAN M 360: So you’re all set for Montreal?

Angélique Kidjo: I never take anything for granted. As long as it’s not over, lots of things can happen…

PAN M 360: Projects?

Angélique Kidjo: I hope to be back very soon for the release of my new album in August.

PAN M 360: See you soon then!

Angélique Kidjo: Yes!

Angélique Kidjo and the OSM on Wednesday March 19, 19h30, Maison symphonique. Tickets & infos

Artistes

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

Elena Schwarz, cheffe d’orchestre

Angélique Kidjo, chant

Œuvres

Leoš Janáček, La petite renarde rusée, Suite (arr. C. Mackerras, 22)

Philip Glass, Ifé, trois chants Yorùbá (20 minutes)

Entracte (20 min)

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphonie n^o6 en fa majeur, op. 68, « Pastorale » (39 minutes)

Apéro symphonique avec Angélique Kidjo et animé par Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques ce jeudi 20 mars, 18h30. Billets et infos ici

Artistes

Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

Elena Schwarz, cheffe d’orchestre

Angélique Kidjo, chant

Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques, présentateur

Œuvres

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphonie n^o 6 en fa majeur, op. 68, « Pastorale » (39 min)

Philip Glass, Ifé, trois chants Yorùbá (20 min)

Concert sans entracte