Magic Sword est un trio de fantasy synthwave dont les membres, aux identités inconnues, portent des capes noires et des masques néon. Produisant une musique électronique rétro-futuriste avec des rythmes dansants aux arpèges intenses et des solos envoûtants de guitare et de clavier, le groupe raconte à travers ses enregistrements, comme Endless (2020), la saga du Gardien de l’Épée Magique dans sa quête contre les forces maléfiques du Sombre.
Magic Sword is a fantasy synthwave trio whose members, true identities unknown, don black cloaks and neon masks. Producing retro-futuristic electronic music with arpeggio-heavy dance beats and wailing guitar and keyboard solos, the band’s recordings, such as 2020’s Endless, detail the saga of the Keeper of the Magic Sword on his quest against the evil forces of the Dark One.
Le chanteur et auteur-compositeur basé à Chicago, Dreamer Isioma, mélange le R&B alternatif et le funk avec des éléments de hip-hop et de dream pop psychédélique. Cette fusion audacieuse de styles lui a permis de connaître un succès viral avec son single de 2020, Sensitive, et a également marqué ses sorties suivantes, comme son premier album Goodnight Dreamer en 2022 et sa suite Princess Forever en 2023. Après avoir collaboré avec SOLIS4EVR et The Celestials!, il est revenu à la musique solo avec Did You Ever Care en 2025.
Chicago-based singer/songwriter Dreamer Isioma blends alternative R&B and funk with elements of hip-hop and loosely psychedelic dream pop. This bold mishmash of styles earned viral success with their 2020 single “Sensitive” and also defined further releases, like their 2022 debut album, Goodnight Dreamer, and its 2023 follow-up, Princess Forever. After collaborating with SOLIS4EVR and the Celestials!, they returned to solo music with 2025’s “Did You Ever Care.”
La formation montréalaise Choses Sauvages reviendra au printemps 2025 avec une troisième offrande, toute aussi dansante et soigneusement construite que ses précédentes. S’avançant toujours un peu plus loin dans les expérimentations, cet album affiche davantage des couleurs post-punks, et ne laissera certainement personne indifférent. Leur dernière tournée les aura amenés à présenter leur matériel sur les plus grandes scènes du Québec, ainsi qu’à l’international, notamment en France, en Espagne, en Belgique, au Royaume-Uni, en Allemagne et au Mexique. Ils sont donc plus prêts que jamais à revenir en force à la maison, avec ce tout nouveau spectacle!
Montreal-based band Choses Sauvages will return in spring 2025 with their third release, just as danceable and meticulously crafted as their previous ones. Always pushing their sonic explorations further, this album leans more into post-punk influences and is sure to leave no one indifferent. Their last tour took them to some of the biggest stages in Quebec and around the world, including France, Spain, Belgium, the UK, Germany, and Mexico. Now, they’re more ready than ever to come back home in full force with this brand-new show!
Calientisimo au Club Soda : L’événement de reggaeton au Canada !
by Rédaction PAN M 360
La scène latine de Montréal est en feu ! Ce 26 avril, le Club Soda devient l’épicentre du reggaetón avec les meilleurs artistes latinos urbains LOCAUX. Montréal regorge de talent et c’est LE moment de le prouver !
Montreal’s Latin scene is on fire! On April 26, Club Soda becomes the epicenter of reggaeton with the best LOCAL urban Latin artists. Montreal is full of talent, and this is THE moment to prove it!
L’alter ego du producteur électronique anglais Alexander Kotz, Elderbrook propose une musique dance entraînante portée par des synthés avant-gardistes. Il connaît un grand succès en 2017 avec sa collaboration sur le titre Cola de CamelPhat, qui le propulse sur la scène internationale. Par la suite, il collabore avec Gorgon City, Clean Bandit, Kx5 et bien d’autres. En plus de plusieurs EPs, Kotz sort son premier album officiel, Why Do We Shake in the Cold?, en 2020, suivi de Little Love en 2023.
The alter ego of English electronic producer Alexander Kotz, Elderbrook delivers upbeat, synth-forward dance music. Making his big breakthrough with the 2017 hit collaboration with CamelPhat, “Cola,” he went on to collaborate with the likes of Gorgon City, Clean Bandit, Kx5, and many more. In addition to a handful of EPs, Kotz released his official full-length debut, Why Do We Shake in the Cold?, in 2020, following it with Little Love in 2023.
OSM : La majestueuse symphonie «Jupiter» de Mozart
by Rédaction PAN M 360
Le Concerto pour piano no 27 est l’aboutissement d’une forme développée par Mozart tout au long de sa carrière de pianiste et de compositeur, à travers laquelle il a exprimé ses sentiments et ses aspirations les plus intimes. Quant à la symphonie « Jupiter », elle brille par son caractère majestueux et ses proportions harmonieuses. Dans les deux œuvres, le rôle accordé aux instruments à vent enrichit les couleurs de l’orchestre en y apportant une teinte satinée.
Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 27 marks the apex of a form the composer cultivated throughout his entire career and through which he expressed his innermost feelings and aspirations, while the Jupiter Symphony radiates majesty and great harmonic breadth. In both works, the prominence of wind instruments enhances the orchestral colours, lending them a characteristic shine.
Originaire de Shigawake en Gaspésie, Shaina Hayes a grandi en écoutant des autrices-compositrices-interprètes comme Feist, Joni Mitchell et Regina Spektor, des artistes de country traditionnel tels que Hank Williams et Dolly Parton, ou plus modernes, comme Shania Twain et The Chicks. Après ses études en sciences agricoles à l’Université McGill, elle retourne dans son village natal et enregistre et co-réalise son premier opus, to coax a waltz, qui paraît en avril 2022. Peu de temps après, elle commence à enregistrer de nouvelles chansons. Au même moment, les concerts occupent une place de plus en plus grande dans son quotidien, alors qu’elle tourne à travers la province et assure la première partie de groupes tels que The War on Drugs et The Barr Brothers. Bien qu’elle continue son implication à des activités agricoles, Shaina Hayes décide de se consacrer entièrement à la musique, en amont de la sortie de son deuxième album, Kindergarten Heart, lancé sous Bonsound en février 2024.
Originally from Shigawake in Gaspésie, Shaina Hayes grew up listening to singer-songwriters like Feist, Joni Mitchell, and Regina Spektor, as well as traditional country artists such as Hank Williams and Dolly Parton, and more modern acts like Shania Twain and The Chicks. After studying agricultural sciences at McGill University, she returned to her hometown, where she recorded and co-produced her debut album, to coax a waltz, released in April 2022. Shortly after, she began recording new songs. At the same time, live performances started taking up more space in her life as she toured across the province and opened for bands like The War on Drugs and The Barr Brothers. While she remains involved in agricultural activities, Shaina Hayes decided to fully dedicate herself to music ahead of the release of her second album, Kindergarten Heart, launched under Bonsound in February 2024.
OSM : Così fan tutte de Mozart: le dangereux jeu de l’amour
by Rédaction PAN M 360
Fruit d’une étroite collaboration entre un compositeur de génie, Mozart, et un librettiste perspicace, da Ponte, Così fan tutte est une étude sur la nature humaine et les conventions sociales menée avec un humour souvent acéré. L’intrigue, riche en rebondissements, est soutenue par une musique radieuse et raffinée. Spécialiste de Mozart, le célèbre baryton Thomas Hampson prêtera sa voix somptueuse à Don Alfonso et assurera la mise en espace de ce magnifique opéra.
Così fan tutte results from the close collaboration between Mozart the compositional mastermind, and da Ponte the shrewd librettist. The opera is a study of human nature and social conventions that often embraces caustic humour. Its somewhat manic plot is heightened by the composer’s captivating and sophisticated score. Mozart specialist and renowned baritone Thomas Hampson will lend his sumptuous voice to the role of Don Alfonso, as well as direct the staging for this magnificent opera.
Stéphanie Boulay au Centre culturel et communautaire Henri Lemieux
by Rédaction PAN M 360
C’est avec le cœur léger et plus de confiance en ses propres moyens que jamais que Stéphanie Boulay remontera sur scène, en solo oui, mais entourée de ses ami.es précieux (Charles Blondeau à la batterie, Camille Gélinas aux claviers et Alexandre Martel à la guitare et à la basse) pour défendre son deuxième album solo, Est-ce que quelqu’un me voit?. Elle a une envie insatiable d’agentivité, de liberté et de tracer son chemin à elle toute seule – quitte à repartir à zéro s’il le faut – pour aller à la rencontre de ce public qui ne la connaît probablement pas encore, ou, du moins, pas comme ça. Habile à créer chaque soir des moments qui n’existaient pas encore et qui n’existeront plus jamais dans la même forme, à faire rire et à se livrer avec autodérision et impudeur, Stéphanie présentera ses chansons toutes neuves, qu’elle a travaillé deux ans durant à extirper d’elle-même, avec l’aide du réalisateur Alexandre Martel. Elles sont crues, ces chansons, elles sont intimes et franches, mais elles sont aussi libres, baveuses, éclatantes et dansantes.
It’s with a lighter heart and more confidence in her own abilities than ever that Stéphanie Boulay will be back on stage, solo yes, but surrounded by her precious friends (Charles Blondeau on drums, Camille Gélinas on keyboards and Alexandre Martel on guitar and bass) to defend her second solo album, Est-ce que quelqu’un me voit? She’s got an insatiable appetite for agentivity, for freedom, and for blazing her own trail – even if it means starting from scratch if need be – to meet audiences who probably don’t know her yet, or at least not like this. Skilled at creating moments each evening that never existed before and will never exist again in the same form, at making people laugh and at revealing herself with self-deprecation and shamelessness, Stéphanie will present her brand-new songs, which she worked for two years to extract from herself, with the help of producer Alexandre Martel. These songs are raw, intimate and frank, but they’re also free, slobbery, bright and danceable.
Des chansons délicatement déshabillées, détricotées, qui se déploient dans leurs apparats originels. Vives, chargées d’histoires, et toutes pleines d’immenses. Dans ce spectacle solo, Ingrid St-Pierre est portée par l’envie d’exister sur scène librement, en laissant toute la place au cinéma des mots, aux silences, aux détails, aux histoires, aux paysages.
Songs delicately undressed, unravelled, unfurled in their original finery. Lively, full of stories, and all full of immensity. In this solo show, Ingrid St-Pierre is driven by the desire to exist freely on stage, leaving plenty of room for the cinema of words, silences, details, stories and landscapes.
L’intensité dramatique et la sincérité des sentiments exprimés par Mozart dans son Requiem contribuent à la fascination que cette œuvre continue d’exercer plus de 200 ans après sa composition. La thématique de la mort est également abordée par Bach avec humanité, et le climat contemplatif du motet Jesu, meine Freude offre une vision sereine de l’au-delà. Le génie de Bach et de Mozart sera magnifié par l’Orchestre et le Chœur de l’OSM.
The dramatic intensity and emotional candour expressed in Mozart’s Requiem contribute to the fascination this work continues to arouse more than 200 years after it was written. Bach similarly approaches the theme of death through an aura of contemplative humanism in the motet Jesu, meine Freude, in which a serene vision of the afterlife is offered. The genius of both Bach and Mozart will be celebrated by the Orchestra and the OSM Chorus.
Université de Montréal: Stars shine on music’s next gen
by Frédéric Cardin
Saturday evening, April 12, saw the Université de Montréal’s Rising Stars concert. Graduates in conducting, composition and flute performance presented the results of years of learning. It was inspiring.
Conductor Marie-France Mathieu began by presenting the first three pieces on the programme, creations by three composition students, Gabriel José Melim Schwarz, Amichai Ben Shalev and Charles-Vincent Lemelin. Schwarz offered a tonal and rather sunny neo-romantic piece, ironically entitled Folle (Crazy). Vibrant with energy and inspired by Schwarz’s native Brazil, it is a work that is pleasant to listen to and not very demanding for the listener.
This was followed by A Groyse Metzieh by Ben Shalev, a musician also known as a member of the ensemble Les Arrivants. The title means ‘a beautiful find’, which is in fact a sarcastic formula typical of Jewish humour, meaning ‘not much of anything’. I really enjoyed this post-modern piece, which mixes tonality with noisy avant-gardism, thanks to a wide range of instrumental techniques linked to experimentation. It begins in a sombre atmosphere with a warm string theme, quickly interspersed with bursts of colour that would not have displeased Messiaen. The rest moves slowly but surely towards saturation, punctuated by thunderous stridencies, before ending with a return to consonance, but with the brass choir. Superb.
Finally, Lemelin’s Passacaille had the greatest effect on me. In this piece, which treats the orchestra as a living mass, dark but nonetheless criss-crossed by many luminous streaks, and which gradually swells to its maximum sonic and harmonic density, I perceived echoes of Saariaho and Rautavaaraa, but also of a certain Straussian monumentalism and the muscular expressionism of ex-Hollywood composer Goldenthal. Passacaille is a demonstration of quiet power, perfectly calibrated and constructed. Your humble reviewer thoroughly enjoyed it.
The rest of the programme featured Romantic repertoire, starting with a charming Concerto for two flutes by Franz Doppler, the king of the flute (along with his brother) in the 19th century. It was an opportunity to see and hear at work two young performers who won 3rd prize in the OUM 2024 Concerto Competition, Gabriel Lapointe Guay and Sarah Billet. The two artists injected all the right sparkle into this smiling, feel-good music.
The second part was devoted to Schumann’s Manfred Overture and Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1919). Above all, it was an opportunity to judge the conducting work of Marie-France Mathieu and Paul Karekezi. It was the latter who gave us a Manfred full of drama, inhabited by a necessary discharge of conflicting emotions. Perhaps a little tempered, but beautifully embodied.
The Firebird was brought to life with beautiful colours and crystalline details, powerfully underlined by conductor Mathieu.
Since the two young conducting artists also led the OUM (Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal) in the creations mentioned above, I noticed two different but complementary personalities of baton and control.
Paul Karekazi, who conducted Lemelin’s Passacaille (and, as I just said, Manfred), gave a clear performance, but above all one imbued with emotional intensity and inner strength. This favoured strong nuances and a legato imbued with heartfelt lyricism.
Marie-France Mathieu, on the other hand, is more sober in her outpourings, but nevertheless skilfully brings out the detailed colours and textural contrasts in a limpid manner, thanks to a surgical baton that leaves no room for doubt. She conducted the pieces by Schwarz and Ben Shalev, the Doppler (and of course the Stravinsky) very well.
Karekazi and Mathieu are students of Paolo Bellomia, the two flautists come from Denis Bluteau’s class, and the three composers benefit from the knowledge of Jimmie Leblanc, Ana Sokolovic, François-Hugues Leclair and Olivier Alary.
It was a wonderful evening for the future of music in Montreal, Quebec and Canada.
Photos: Tiago Curado
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