Musical Wednesdays - Urban Forest of the McCord Stewart Museum
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Muscial Performances

Every Wednesday at 12:15 p.m.

Musical Wednesdays

Free activity | In the Urban Forest

The Urban Forest is coming alive every Wednesday this summer! Discover artists from different backgrounds who epitomize Montreal’s cultural diversity, including special programming for the exhibition Swallowing Mountains by artist Karen Tam, and groove to the sound of artists like Shauit, Maritza and the Peking Opera.

Information

Free concerts every Wednesday from July 5 to August 23, 2023, from 12:15 to 1 p.m.
Location: McCord Stewart Museum’s Urban Forest
In the event of rain, the concerts will be cancelled.

2023 Programming

July 5 | Maritza

For Maritza, music is a means of expression and personal development to heal one’s wounds, a source of strength and a driving force of creation. She wants to touch the hearts and souls of people, to do good, quite simply. Born in the Dominican Republic and adopted at the age of two and a half by a Quebec couple, she has long sought her place. Today, there is no doubt that it is in the music.

It has now been 10 years since Maritza carved out a place for herself in the music world as a singer-songwriter. She has performed at Vue sur la Relève, Francouvertes (semi-finalist in 2014), the Festival en chanson de Petite-Vallée and the Francofolies.

July 12 | Shauit

Nominated twice as Indigenous artist of the year for the prestigious ADISQ awards gala, Shauit sings about the complexity and beauty of the Innu nation.

After a multiple award-winning album that has taken him to more than 7 countries and to perform some 400 shows locally, nationally and internationally, Shauit continues his artistic journey and sails towards new artistic oceans with his latest album, NATUKUN! Natukun means remedy or healing in Innu.

July 19 | Jjanice+

With the enveloping voice of a crooner and the penchant for reverie of a free-spirited artist, Jjanice+ has created a universe of his own mixing poetry and song, modern alt-soul music and Afro-Caribbean grooves reminiscent of his native Haiti.

In recent years, Jjanice+ has been able to perform at the Montreal Jazz Festival, Francos de Montréal, Pop Montreal Festival, M pour Montréal, La Place des Arts and others. He participated in a creative residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts, benefiting from the coaching of Saul Williams, a world-class spoken word artist.

July 26 | Opéra de Pékin – Aurore Liang 梁天治 and Michelle Jiang 姜适迦

As part of Karen Tam’s exhibition Swallowing Mountains, discover the magic of Peking Opera, a traditional Chinese performance art recognized by UNESCO as an intangible heritage of humanity. With its mix of singing, dancing, mime and acrobatics, this art form will transport you to a legendary world. The choreographers, dressed in costumes and masks, will amaze you with their stylized and codified movements.

The Urban Forest will host an unforgettable program of three choreographies, each with a unique style. Be charmed by Nuit, a dance featuring captivating swords; Vie champêtre, an effervescent dance, will transport you into the daily life of a girl in the countryside; and bask in the beauty of spring with Joie, a long-sleeved dance that celebrates a young woman’s joy.

A rare chance to learn about Peking Opera by imitating the gestures and exploring the subtleties of this traditional art form, presented by artists Aurore Liang 梁天治 and Michelle Jiang 姜适迦.

August 2 | An Laurence 安媛

An Laurence 安媛 is a Tiohtià:ke/Mooniyang/Montreal-based musician and composer (guitar/vocals) active in the contemporary experimental music scene, a curator of music and visual arts, and performance/multimedia artist whose work focuses on memory and transnational identity.

In 2022, she released her eclectic debut album Almost Touching, distributed by people | places | records. A daring performer, An Laurence collaborates with artists from a variety of disciplines and thrives in contexts that reimagine traditional musical performance. Her work has been presented by the Quartier des spectacles, Accès Asie, the Music Gallery, Phenomena, No Hay Banda, Oh! My ears, Lucky Penny Opera/re:Naissance opera, Chinatown Biennial, Athens Digital Arts, Tranås at the Fringe, Codes d’accès, among others.

Concert presented as part of the exhibition Swallowing the Mountains by Karen Tam.

August 9 | McGill Students Chinese Music Society

McGill Students Chinese Music Society is a club that promotes various styles of traditional Chinese music and facilitates the exchange of occidental and oriental music. The aim of the society includes the promotion of traditional ensemble-playing and the development of students’ interest in Chinese music. It strives to build an atmosphere for music appreciation within the university and throughout the community at large.

The ensemble is offering performances at events organized by many other McGill student organizations and local Chinese Associations and senior homes, in hopes of spreading awareness of the beauty of Chinese music. It usually plays either traditional Chinese music or a blend of traditional Chinese melodies and modern pop music. The traditional pieces evoke the rich cultural heritage of China. The more modern pieces have unique arrangements of instruments to make the music more expressive.

Concert presented as part of the exhibition Swallowing the Mountains by Karen Tam.

August 16 | Lasso

Multi-instrumentalist musician Lasso will have the Urban Forest swaying to his signature style called FRAMM (Fusion Reggae Afro Mandingue Métissé). Music that heals and unites the disunited!

Salif Sanou, known as Lasso, was born in Konkuy-Boho, a Boaba village in Burkina Faso. Coming from a long line of griots on his father’s side, he grew up in a universe where music and speech are at the heart of life.

This is how Lasso discovered his talents for several traditional instruments and for singing at a very young age. First introduced to percussion, he then learned the kambélé n’goni, a stringed instrument and he discovered an incredible passion and skill for the tambin.

August 23 | Monsieur Raph

Inspired by his personal experience and his travels, the multi-instrumentalist Monsieur Raph works to develop an original and organic sound that combines French chanson and world music.

Monsieur Raph is the solo musical project of Raphaël Delahaye, a French and Canadian singer-songwriter who has been living in Montreal since 2008.

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