Fauré et Duruflé, deux Requiem

Following a distinguished international singing career, during which she was acclaimed for her radiant, crystalline voice and superb musicianship across a broad repertoire, Christine Brandes brings her passionate and insightful energies to the podium, garnering praise for performances in the opera house and on the symphonic stage.

In the autumn of 2023, Ms. Brandes made her conducting debut at Seattle Opera leading a critically acclaimed production of Handel’s Alcina directed by Tim Albery. This was followed by her debut with Choir of Trinity Wall Street and the Trinity Baroque Orchestra in a program of Bach Cantatas. Her 2023–2024 season also includes conducting Wolf Trap Opera helming a new production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and with Carnegie Mellon University Opera on the podium for a new production of Vivaldi’s Ottone in villa.

In the summer of 2023, Ms. Brandes, stepping in as the last-minute replacement for Richard Egarr, conducted the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra at the Newport Classical Music Festival in a program that included Handel Concerti Grossi and the East Coast premiere of Mason Bates’ Appalachian Ayre. She conducted the world premiere of Loud by Jimmy López Bellido during the debut performance of the International Pride Orchestra in San Francisco.

In 2022, Ms. Brandes made her debut with the Virginia Symphony leading performances of Handel’s Messiah and also conducted the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and helmed performances of Handel’s Giulio Cesare for West Edge Opera.

In previous seasons, she has led two productions of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice, one for West Edge Opera and an innovative adaption by Victory Hall Opera, which interwove a new play that was performed by deaf actors. Additionally, she has led productions of Haydn’s Armide and Rameau’s La Sympathie for Victory Hall Opera. She was a 2021–22 fellow of the Dallas Opera Hart Institute for Women Conductors.

As a singer, she has performed principal roles for the following opera companies: San Francisco, Seattle, Washington National, Houston Grand, Minnesota, New York City Opera, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Glimmerglass among others. She has sung with the following orchestras: Cleveland, Chicago, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle, Minnesota, the National Symphony, and with such distinguished conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Pierre Boulez, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Bernard Labadie, and Nicholas McGegan, among many others.

Magali Simard-Galdès is a young Canadian soprano renowned for her shimmering tone, her refined musicality and her magnetic stage presence. In past seasons, she has sung with Montreal Opera in Written on Skin (Agnès), Opera Carolina in Rigoletto (Gilda) and DiChiera's Cyrano (Roxane), Vancouver Opera in the world premiere of The Overcoat (Mad Chorus), Opéra de Montréal in Dialogue des carmélites (Constance) and Carmen (Frasquita), with Opéra de Québec in Werther (Sophie), with Wexford Festival Opera in Le pré aux clercs (Nicette) and with Opera Lafayette in Bonsoir voisin (Louisette).

In recital, she has worked with many renowned pianists including Marie-Ève Scarfone, Olivier Godin and Bretton Brown. She has appeared at the Festival Classica, Société d'art vocal de Montréal, Festival d’Opéra de Québec, Mexico LiederFest in Monterrey, Ravinia Steans Music Institute, Wexford Festival Opera, Concerts aux Îles du Bic and Jeunesses Musicales Canada.

She has performed with the Houston Symphony, the National Arts Center Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Arion Orchestre Baroque, L’Harmonie des saisons, I Musici de Montréal, l’Atelier lyrique de Tourcoing, l’Opéra Grand Avignon, le Festival Classica et le Festival de Lanaudière.

In the summer of 2019, with the Tionscadal na nAmhrán Ealaíne Gaeilge/Irish Language Art Song Project, she has recorded three new songs cycles by Deirdre Gribbin, Ailis Ni Riain and Fuhong Shi. On the ATMA Classique label, she can be heard in Berlioz's 25 romances for voice and guitar and Ana Sokolovic's Sirens. She also self-produced her first recital album Muses, which made Radio-Canada’s 2017 “50 albums of the year” list.

Magali Simard-Galdès has graduated from Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal and Montreal Conservatory of Music. She has received First-prize at both the Récital-concours international de mélodie française du Festival Classica and Canadian Music Competition.

French-Canadian mezzo-soprano Julie Boulianne is acclaimed for the vocal agility and expressive power of her dark-hued tone, focusing on the works of Berlioz, Mozart, and Rossini. The Independent recently said, “Julie Boulianne’s Marguerite is gloriously sung, her sound replete with grace and power.”

In past seasons, Julie Boulianne has appeared as Marguerite in Berlioz’ La Damnation de Faust (Glyndebourne Festival, San Sebastián Music Festival, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Festival Opéra de Québec) Charlotte in Werther (Oper Frankfurt, Opéra de Québec, Ópera de Colombia), Juliette in Berlioz’ Roméo et Juliette (Opéra national de Paris, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin with Robin Ticciati, l’Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, BBC Proms with Sir John Eliot Gardiner), the title role in Béatrice et Bénédict (Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse), Aloès in Chabrier’s L’Étoile (Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, Dutch National Opera), Annio in La Clemenza di Tito (Opernhaus Zürich with Ottavio Dantone, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse), Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro (Vancouver Opera, Opéra de Montréal), the title role in La Cenerentola (Opéra-Théâtre de Limoges, Opéra de Montréal), the title role in Cendrillon (Opéra de Montréal, l’Opéra de Marseille), Sesto in Giulio Cesare (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Theater an der Wien, Aalto-Musiktheater, San Sebastián Music Festival), Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées), Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Opéra de Québec), The Cabaret Singer and Bad Pupil in Philippe Boesmans Pinocchio (Festival Aix-en-Provence, La Monnaie de Munt, Opéra de Dijon), Giunone in Legrenzi’s La divisione del mondo (Opéra National du Rhin, Opéra National de Lorraine, Opéra Royal de Versailles), and Concepción in L’Heure espagnole (Angers Nantes Opéra, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire).

At the Metropolitan Opera, Ms. Boulianne has appeared as Siébel in Faust, Stéphano in Roméo et Juliette conducted by Plácido Domingo, Diane in Stephen Wadsworth’s production of Iphigénie en Tauride, the Kitchen-Boy in Rusalka with Renée Fleming, and Ascanio in Francesca Zambello’s production of Les Troyens conducted by Fabio Luisi.

Born in Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec (Canada), Jean-François Lapointe is considered one of the best baritones of his generation. Since his debut on stage in 1983, he has sung on the major European stages (Paris, Strasbourg, Bordeaux, Vienna, Zurich, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Glasgow, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Berlin, Liège, Toulouse…) as well as in America and Japan. Critics have been unanimous in their praise of his rich voice, his fine interpretation, and his acting skills.

Among his favorite parts, the title role in Pelléas et Mélisande, which he has notably performed in Peter Brook’s famous production, appears as a landmark in his career. He has also been heard in this work in Toronto, Bonn under Marc Soustrot’s baton, in Cincinnati, at Grand Théâtre in Bordeaux, in Marseille, at Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, in Toulon, and more recently at la Scala conducted by Georges Prêtre. He has also sung the same part at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie, at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam with Bernard Haitink conducting. The evolution of his voice has recently led him to make his debut as Golaud in Nantes, Helsinki and Strasbourg to great public acclaim.

Besides his opera career, Jean-François Lapointe regularly appears in concerts, singing melodies as well as oratorios. A renowned interpret of Duparc, Fauré, and Poulenc, he can also be heard in symphonic pieces with the most prestigious orchestras. He has sung Benvenuto Cellini (Fieramosca) conducted by John Nelson and La Chute de la maison Usher by Debussy conducted by Juraj Valcuha with the Orchestre National de France, Béatrice et Bénédict under the baton of Sir Colin Davis, L’Enfance du Christ with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Les Pêcheurs de perles (Zurga) at the Concertgebouw with the Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Michel Plasson, Les Mamelles de Tirésias (Le Mari) and Fauré’s Requiem with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He recently sang L’Enfant et les Sortilèges by Ravel, L’Enfant prodigue by Debussy, Monsieur Beaucaire by Messager and Fauré’s Requiem with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio-France, L’Enfant prodigue with the Orchestre national de Lorraine, Fauré’s Requiem at the Nice Opera, in Lille, with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo and with the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, I Puritani (Riccardo) at the Opéra de Marseille.

Jean-François Lapointe has been artistic director of the Opéra de Québec since 2020 and Knight of the National Order of Quebec.

Thomas Annand has been delighting audiences and critics alike with his multi-faceted talents as organist, harpsichordist, and conductor for over 20 years. After completing studies with John Grew and Hank Knox at McGill University, he spent a year in Paris studying with Marie-Claire Alain and researching the works of Widor and Dupré at the Bibliothèque nationale. He was the First Prize Winner in the 1987 RCCO National Organ Competition. In 1992 he was appointed Director of Music at St. Andrew’s Church, Ottawa and became the organist and harpsichordist for the National Arts Centre Orchestra under Trevor Pinnock and Pinchas Zukerman. In addition to the regular Sunday services at St. Andrew’s, Thomas Annand presents a popular noon-hour recital every Tuesday throughout the year and has recently overseen a complete restoration and re-voicing of the organ.

He was the conductor of the Capital BrassWorks for six seasons, recording two critically acclaimed recordings and performing at the RCCO National Convention. He has appeared regularly as a guest conductor of the Thirteen Strings chamber orchestra and is a frequent collaborator with Les Violons du Roy. A noted recitalist, he has been invited to perform as a soloist at the Carmel Bach Festival, the Boston Early Music Festival, the International Congress of Organists, and the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival.

Annand’s repertoire covers a wide spectrum of 500 years of keyboard music, but his emphasis has been on the works of J.S. Bach. In 2004 he presented all the harpsichord music of Bach in a series of seven marathon recitals and is currently preparing for a complete performance of the Bach organ works. In 2010-2011 he presented the 10 Widor symphonies in their little-known original versions.

Created in 1985 by founding conductor and music director Bernard Labadie, La Chapelle de Québec is one of North America’s premiere voice ensembles. The group is made up exclusively of professional singers who are hand picked from all over Canada. This unique chamber choir specializes in the choral/orchestral repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries. The choir performs regularly with its other half, chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy, and as a guest choir with some of the finest orchestras in North America. Its  interpretations of the oratorios, requiems, masses, and cantatas of Bach, Handel, Mozart, and Haydn, as well as Fauré and Duruflé, are frequently hailed in the Canadian and international press.

La Chapelle de Québec is heard regularly at Palais Montcalm in Quebec City and Maison symphonique in Montreal, as well as at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, at Carnegie Hall with Les Violons du Roy and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and in Ottawa with the National Arts Centre Orchestra. The choir’s concerts are often broadcast by the CBC and Radio-Canada in Canada and by National Public Radio in the United States.

La Chapelle de Québec is also known for its role in Chemin de Noël, an annual event that brings music lovers from throughout the Québec City region together every December.