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Source : Nicole Bouchard
 

 For immediate release

2008 Orford Arts Centre Summer Festival – Celebrate with us!

Orford, Monday April 21, 2008 –The official programming for the Orford Festival 2008 was announced this afternoon at a press conference held in the Orchestra Room of the Orford Arts Centre. This year’s series of summer concerts is an open invitation to come and celebrate great artists, great musical cities, and pay tribute to those who have recently left us. 

Kicking off these celebrations on Friday, June 20, will be Vic Vogel and Le Jazz Big Band. They will be paying homage to one of the world’s greatest jazz musicians, Oscar Peterson, in a moving concert entitled Thank You, Mr. Peterson. Nine weeks later, on Saturday, August 16, the series will come to a close with Viva España! The fire and spirit of flamenco mixed with the vocal splendour of soprano Marianne Fiset will unite with the Orchestre Mondial des Jeunesses Musicales for this colourful closing night celebration. 

Big names from all over Quebec will participate throughout the 2008 season. On Saturday, June 21, pianist André Laplante and cellist Brian Manker will sparkle during their concert In the company of Greatness. On Friday, June 27, Angèle Dubeau and La Pietà will celebrate their 10th Anniversary with us. On Friday, July 4, Les Violons du Roy, under the direction of Bernard Labadie, will offer us The Goldberg Variations. And on Saturday, July 5, will be the remarkable return of pianist Anton Kuerti who has been given complete control over the evening’s programme. For this occasion he will acquaint us with something he knows very well, Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations, in a concert entitled Kuerti’s Choice.  

The festivities continue on Saturday, July 12, with pianists Jacques Rouvier and Anny Hwang who will pay tribute to their master, Vlado Perlemuter. And on Friday, July 18, we will be told the story of The Chronicles of Anna Magdalena Bach, second wife of Johann Sebastian Bach, by way of the captivatingly beautiful voice of Kimy McLaren accompanied by Martin Robidoux on the harpsichord and Elin Söderström on gamba. 

It’s time for jazz on Saturday, July 19, with Big O, little o and the Oliver Jones Trio who will also be paying tribute to their long-time friend, Oscar Peterson. On Friday, July 25, Peter Stumpf along with the students from André Roy’s string quartet class will present Quartet’s in Concert. And on Saturday, July 26, Albert Millaire, accompanied by Trio Hochelaga, will offer us a reading of the correspondence between Madame von Meck and two great musical masters: Debussy and Tchaikovsky. 

On Friday, August 1st, due to public demand, we will present an encore performance of the spectacular six-piano concert entitled From Europe to America with Olivier Godin, Claire Ouellet, Mariane Patenaude, Lorraine Prieur, Sandra Murray and Francis Perron. 

Several premieres are also on the programme. On Saturday, June 28, France’s Michel Strauss and Maria Belooussova will present the Canadian premiere of Les ombres de Giverny, especially composed for our two soloists and the Festival de Giverny.  On Friday, July 11, for the first time in Quebec and at the Orford Arts Centre , the New Zealand String Quartet, accompanied by pianist Wonny Song, will present a programme featuring Brahms and Mendelssohn. 

A special place at this year’s Festival is reserved for the Orchestre Mondial des Jeunesses Musicales, who will present three different concerts. On Saturday, August 9, they will present the Brahms Double Concerto under the direction of Franz-Paul Decker with guests musicians Laurence Lesser on cello and Masuko Ushioda on violin. On Friday, August 15, they will present the Ravel ‘s Concerto in G under the direction of maestro Josep Vicent with guest pianist Ivàn Martin.  And finally, they will be part of the spectacular closing night festivities along with Viva España! and soprano Marianne Fiset. 

The celebrations will also take place in several other enchanting parts of the Eastern Townships with the concert series Orford on the Road and Orford on the Road – Off Season, as well as the series Les Mardis Bleu Classique, presented every Tuesday afternoon in the beautiful country setting of the Bleu Lavende outdoor facilities.  Consult our official concert brochure for the complete schedule, or visit our website. 

LA FÊTES DES VENDANGES AND LA FLAMBÉE DES COULEURS

New this year: The Orford Arts Centre joins the autumnal celebrations in the Eastern Townships by presenting four concerts during La Fête des Vendanges and La Flambée des Couleurs. During Labour Day weekend, on Saturday, August 30, Karina Gauvin will perform in concert accompanied by pianist Michael McMahon and on Sunday, August 31, we will mark the end of summer with a hot show by the Joe Sullivan Big Band. During Thanksgiving weekend, on Saturday, October 11, we invite you to Enter the dance ! with opera star Natalie Choquette, and on Sunday, October 12, soprano Aline Kutan, along with pianist Michael McMahon, will close the 2008 season of the Orford Arts Centre with Marvellous Coloratura, a wonderful and unique mix of coloratura and theatre. 

Take advantage of our special dinner and concert packages, as well as our different subscription offers, and obtain attractive rebates. 

Please consult our brochure and website for more details or visit the Orford Arts Centre box office (3165 chemin du Parc, Orford) or contact us by telephone at 819-843-3981 or 1 800 567-6155. 

www.arts-orford.org 

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