Haitian-born Soprano to open Concert Series

OTTAWA, Oct 4 /CNW/ - Cathedral Arts, the arts programme at Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa, has announced that the award-winning Haitian-born Soprano, Marie-Josée Lord, will be the star performer for the opening of its 2010-2011 Concert Series. The much acclaimed singer from Montreal, who has been thrilling audiences in Quebec and Europe with "the depth of her gifts and her charming personality", will bring her celebrated BOUILLON programme to the cathedral, 420 Sparks Street (at Bronson) on Sunday, October 24^th at 7:30PM.

Bouillon has been described as "a gourmet recital where classical and beautiful popular melodies are gently entwined. Plamondon, Verdi, Bizet, Dvořák, Bernstein, Ferland, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot and other composers make up this rich program, with a result so delicious that you will be asking for seconds!"

Marie-Josée Lord studied in Italy and took master classes with Edouardo Müller.  She made her professional debut in 2003, singing Liù in Puccini's Turandot at Opéra de Québec. In 2004, she sang Mimi in Puccini's La Bohème at Opéra de Montréal, where she also sang Laoula in l'Étoile by Chabrier in 2005. Marie-Josée sang the title role in Suor Angelica (Puccini) in Opéra de Montréal's season opening production in 2006. Recently she has been heard as Marie-Jeanne in the world premiere of the operatic version of the celebrated musical Starmania (Plamondon/ Berger) at Opéra de Québec in 2008 and Opéra de Montréal in 2009. That same year, Ms. Lord brilliantly held the role of Nedda (I Paggliacci) at Opéra de Montréal. She has also been featured on several shows broadcast by CBC Radio.

In 2005, Marie-Josée Lord was the recipient of the Prix d'Excellence de la Culture, awarded by the Fondation de l'Opéra de Québec, and was selected to represent Canada at the Cardiff Singer of the World competition. She won the Public Prize at the Canadian Lyric Fund Competition; came in sixth at the Verviers International Singing Competition in 2001; and received the Raoul Jobin prize in 1998.

She was last seen in Ottawa on Canada Day singing the anthem, God Save the Queen, on Parliament Hill in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and Prince Philip.

Jean-Philippe Côté-Angers of Le Soleil wrote: "Marie-Josée has the finesse to present her songs simply, elegantly and, above all, intelligently... Her approach of infusing everything she sings with the operatic spirit turns out to be very effective, and what at first seemed to be just a simple, light recital turned out, in the end, to be a solidly constructed work of art."

Tickets, from $15 to $40, are available online at www.cathedralarts.com, or, by contacting Cathedral Arts at 613-567-1787; [email protected]. 

View some photographs of Marie-Josée Lord and hear her sing at www.cathedralarts.com.

Two more great concerts in the Autumn Series are:

• Saturday, November 6^th - 1:30PM: Remembrance and Commemoration featuring the National Capital Concert Band, members of the Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa Girls' Choir, and Songmen Six, an ensemble from the Men's Choir;
• Saturday, December 18^th - 7:30PM: Annual Christmas Concert, featuring Soprano Yannick-Muriel Noah and the Christ Church Cathedral Ottawa Boys' Choir, in collaboration with the Bytown Rotary Club, to assist Ottawa's Homeless.

Discounts ranging from 12 to 25% are available on the purchase of the three-concert Autumn Series.

For further information:

John Dennison - 613-567-1787