Barocco Barock

The word “versatile” is often applied to musicians; in the case of the British conductor Matthew Halls, it is particularly well deserved. With his probing and vibrant interpretations of music of all periods, he is known for his dynamic and intelligent work with major symphony orchestras, choirs and opera companies.

Increasingly in demand by North American orchestras, he recently made his debut with the Chicago Symphony and has made several appearances with the Cleveland, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Toronto Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Halls is welcomed to orchestras across Europe; last season he made his debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, with whom he conducted the world premiere of Stuart Macrae’s Prometheus Symphony and the Finnish Radio Symphony where he returns this season. He regularly works with the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, with whom he made his Salzburg Festival debut as well as taking them on tours to North and South America, and this season he returns to conduct Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. He also returns to Wiener Festowochen for performances of La Clemenza di Tito. Other recent highlights have included performances with Berlin Konzerthausorchester, NDR Radiophilharmonie, Residentie Orkest, Stavanger Symphony, Vienna Symphony and Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestras, and he was honoured to be invited to conduct Concentus Musicus Wien.

In the opera house, Halls has worked with companies including the Bayerische Staatsoper, Central City Opera Colorado, Handelfestspiele Halle, Salzburg Landestheater and the Netherlands Opera in repertoire such as Britten’s Peter Grimes and Bellini’s Norma. At the Aalto-Musiktheater Essen, Halls has led performances of Handel’s Ariodante and Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.

Halls is represented on disc with Handel’s Parnasso in Festa, winner of the Stanley Sadie Handel Recording Prize, released on the Hyperion label. His recordings on Linn Records are highlighted by a set of four Bach Harpsichord Concertos directed from the keyboard, and award-winning discs of Purcell's Sonatas in Three and Four Parts.

Mélisande McNabney performs keyboard music of all periods, on harpsichord, piano and fortepiano. In August 2015, she received the third prize at the International Competition Musica Antiqua in Bruges. She is a graduate of the Amsterdam Conservatory where she studied harpsichord, continuo and fortepiano in the classes of Bob van Asperen and Richard Egarr. She was granted her Doctorate degree at McGill University in May 2017, under the guidance of Hank Knox and Tom Beghin, thanks to the support of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program.

Mélisande McNabney is regularly invited to play with ensembles such as Les Violons du Roy, Arion Orchestre Baroque, Les Idées heureuses, Theater of Early Music and Ensemble Caprice. She is a member of Pallade Musica and Les Songes, with whom she took part in numerous tours of Canada and the USA. Mélisande McNabney has received scholarships from Canada Council for the Arts, Banff Centre, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and Fonds de recherche société et culture du Québec.

Marjorie Tremblay is a graduate of the Montreal Conservatory of Music, where she studied with Bernard Jean and Lise Beauchamp. She also completed a chamber music program, finishing with a Prize with High Distinction before going on to graduate study at DePaul University under Chicago Symphony principal oboe Eugene Izotov. She has received a number of scholarships from the Canada Council and had the opportunity take part in the Blossom Festival at Kent State University where she played with the Cleveland Orchestra. She also took part in the Lucerne Festival Academy under the artistic direction of Pierre Boulez.

Marjorie Tremblay is active on the Quebec music scene and has been second oboe of Orchestre Métropolitain since 2008. She performs regularly with various ensembles, including Les Violons du Roy, with which she has appeared in some of the great European and American concert halls.

Mélanie Harel has been the Principal English Horn in the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal since 2008. She graduated from the Conservatoire de Musique du Québec, which unanimously awarded her the Oboe Prize, summa cum laude, in 2000. That same year, thanks to a scholarship from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, she entered the 6th Tokyo International Oboe Competition, reaching the semi-finals. As Principal English Horn in the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra from 2002 to 2007, she toured internationally (in Australia, China and Singapore), recorded for the BIS label, and performed under conductors Kees Bakels, Lorin Maazel, Claus Peter Flor, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and Sir Neville Marriner.