Le Messie de Handel avec Bernard Labadie

Bernard Labadie, an internationally recognized specialist in the baroque and classical repertoires, is the founding conductor of Les Violons du Roy. He was the ensemble’s music director from 1984 to 2014 and remains the music director of La Chapelle de Québec, which he founded in 1985.

As head of both ensembles, he has toured Europe and North America performing at some of the most illustrious concert halls and festivals: Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center (New York), Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles), Kennedy Center (Washington), the Barbican (London), Berlin Philharmonie, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris), Brussels’ Centre for Fine Arts, and the Salzburg, Bergen, Rheingau, and Schleswig-Holstein festivals.

In 2017, Bernard Labadie was named principal conductor of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York. He conducts the orchestra’s annual concert series at Carnegie Hall, often with La Chapelle de Québec.

A much sought-after guest conductor in North America, he makes frequent appearances with major American and Canadian orchestras: Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Houston, New World Symphony, Montréal, Toronto and Ottawa. In Europe, he has conducted the Mozarteum of Salzburg and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the orchestras of Lyon, Bordeaux-Aquitaine, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. He has also headed several radio orchestras, including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Munich, the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the radio orchestras in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Hanover, and Helsinki.

Bernard Labadie regularly collaborates with some of the most prestigious period-instrument early music ensembles: Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, The English Concert, Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Handel and Haydn Society (Boston).

At the opera, he served as artistic director of Opéra de Québec from 1994 to 2003 and as artistic director of Opéra de Montréal from 2002 to 2006. He has also appeared as guest conductor with the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Canadian Opera Company in Toronto, and the Santa Fe, Cincinnati, and Glimmerglass operas. In 2021, he made his debut appearance at the Glyndebourne Festival.

Both as a guest conductor and with Les Violons du Roy, Bernard Labadie has recorded some twenty albums for Virgin Classics (now Erato), EMI, Pentatone, Dorian, ATMA, Hyperion, and Naïve.

A tireless ambassador for music in his hometown of Québec City, Bernard Labadie was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, a Knight of the Ordre national du Québec, and Compagnon des arts et des lettres du Québec. He is also a recipient of the Medal of Honour of the National Assembly of Québec, the Banff Centre’s National Arts Award, the Samuel de Champlain Award, and honorary doctorates from Université Laval (Alma Mater) and the Manhattan School of Music.

Hailed as possessing “such a radiant voice, effortless even in the highest register with breathtaking coloratura, the likes of which have not been heard for a long time” (Berliner Umschau), Liv Redpath is a leading soprano leggero who is quickly establishing herself in diverse operatic and symphonic repertoire around the world. The 2023-24 season is filled with company debuts including the Royal Opera House in the title role of Katie Mitchell's revelatory production of Lucia di Lammermoor conducted by Giacomo Sagripanti; Metropolitan Opera as Oscar in the celebrated David Alden production of Un Ballo in Maschera led by Carlo Rizzi; Berliner Philharmoniker as Die Seele in Schoenberg's Die Jakobsleiter with chief conductor Kirill Petrenko; Staatsoper Hamburg for the Amélie Niermeyer production of Lucia di Lammermoor led by Lorenzo Passerini; The English Concert singing Drusilla in Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea at the Auditorio Nacional De Musica (Madrid) and Palau de la Música (Barcelona) led by Harry Bicket; and the Atlanta Opera where Ms. Redpath reprises Tytania in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream under the direction of Louis Lohraseb. She also returns to the Metropolitan Opera to sing Pamina in the celebrated Julie Taymor production of The Magic Flute and the Santa Fe Opera for performances of Zerlina in Don Giovanni where she is reunited with Harry Bicket and Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier conducted by Karina Canellakis. Other concert engagements include Mahler’s Symphony No.4 and a world-premiere piece by Betsy Jolas with The Cleveland Orchestra and Daniel Harding; Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Carnegie Hall with Bernard Labadie; the Brentano Lieder of Richard Strauss with Federico Cortese and the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra, an appearance with the Sag Harbor Song Festival in New York, and her Wigmore Hall debut with pianist Harry Rylance.

Last season, Ms. Redpath sang the title role in the new Simon Stone production of Lucia di Lammermoor at Los Angeles Opera with Lina González-Granados on the podium. She made debuts at Komische Oper Berlin as Ophélie in a new production of Hamlet by Nadja Loschky with Marie Jacquot and Erina Yashima sharing conducting duties; the Glyndebourne Festival where she essayed the role of Tytania in Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream in director Peter Hall’s historic production with Dalia Staseveska conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra; and La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels where she returned to the role of Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier working with director Damiano Michieletto and conductor Alain Altinoglu. Concert appearances included Handel's Messiah with National Symphony Orchestra and Fabio Biondi; Nielsen's Symphony No.3 with The Cleveland Orchestra and Alan Gilbert; Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 with the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra; Nielsen's Hymnus Amoris and Symphony No.3 with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra and Fabio Luisi; and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis at Aix en Provence with Balthazar Neumann Ensemble and Choir led by Thomas Hengelbrock. Ms. Redpath joined the Chamber Ensemble for the Orchestra of St. Luke's to sing music of Fanny & Felix Mendelssohn with guest pianist David Fung and gave a recital at Oscarshall Palace in Oslo for Queen Sonja and invited guests.

After reading Archaeology at St John’s College, Cambridge, Iestyn Davies studied at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

An esteemed Handelian, he has delighted audiences globally with his vocal agility in roles such as Bertarido, Orlando, Rinaldo, Ottone Agrippina and David Saul. Committed also to contemporary music, his intelligent and considered interpretations have led to fruitful collaborations with Thomas Adés, George Benjamin and Nico Muhly.

On the opera stage, he has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, New York; the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Teatro alla Scala Milan; the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; English National Opera; Glyndebourne Festival Opera; Welsh National Opera; Teatro Real Madrid; Salzburg Festival and in Munich, Vienna and Zurich. Highlights in the 2021/22 season included Arsace Partenope in Madrid, Ottone Agrippina in Hamburg and Munich and Bertarido Rodelinda for the Metropolitan Opera, New York.

Concert engagements have included performances at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan with Dudamel, the Concertgebouw and Tonhalle with Koopman and at the Barbican, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Lincoln Centre, Carnegie Hall and at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall with orchestras that include the New York Philharmonic, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, English Concert, Britten Sinfonia, Concerto Köln, Concerto Copenhagen, Ensemble Matheus, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Academy of Ancient Music and Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Recent highlights include a French tour of Handel Duets with Ensemble Jupiter; and Bach’s Mass in B minor and Handel’s Radamisto with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in California.

In the 2022/23 season, highlights include a world premiere production of music by Dowland at the Barbican with lutenist Thomas Dunford, featuring visuals by Netia Jones, concerts at Carnegie Hall, New York and the Berliner Philharmonie, and Ottone L’incoronazione di Poppea in Versailles.

An outstanding recitalist, he has performed in Vienna, Tokyo, Paris and New York in repertoire ranging from Dowland to Clapton. He is a regular favourite at London’s Wigmore Hall and Kings Place where he has curated residencies.

His recital discs have won three Gramophone Awards, and he performed on the Grammy-winning recording of Thomas Adès’s The Tempest. He is the recipient of a Royal Philharmonic Society Award and was nominated for an Olivier Award for his singing role in Farinelli and the King opposite Mark Rylance (premiered at London’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, transferring to Broadway). Iestyn is also featured on soundtracks for the Ridley Scott films Kingdom of Heaven and The Last Duel singing the music of Harry Gregson-Williams. In 2017 he was awarded an MBE by the Queen for his services to music.

Canadian tenor Andrew Haji is one of the most sought-after voices on both the operatic and concert stages across North America and Europe. Andrew’s upcoming season includes engagements with Orchestra of St. Luke’s (Bach’s Christmas Oratorio), Seattle Symphony Orchestra (Evangelist, St. John Passion), Calgary Symphony (Bruckner’s Te Deum) and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (Verdi’s Requiem).  

Other recent engagements include his debut at the Edinburgh International Festival as Jonathan in Handel’s Saul, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Milwaukee Symphony, and a program of Bach Cantatas with l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Boston’s prestigious Handel and Haydn Society. 

Andrew’s 22/23 season saw engagements with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (Alfredo, La traviata), Les Violons du Roy (Bach Cantatas), Chorus Niagara (Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis), Orchestre Philharmonique et Cœur des Mélomanes (Rodolfo, La bohème), Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (Haydn’s Creation), the Victoria Symphony (Mozart’s Requiem), and returns to Calgary Opera (MacDuff, Macbeth) and the National Arts Centre (Don Ottavio, Don Giovanni).

Further appearances include Mozart’s Requiem for Orchestra St. Luke’s, Les Violons du Roy, and National Arts Centre; Handel’s Messiah with the Houston Symphony and the National Arts Centre; La bohème with Edmonton Opera, La traviata with Calgary Opera; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Victoria Symphony and Bach’s B Minor Mass with the Elora Festival.

A graduate of the Opera Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and recipient of a number of major awards, British bass William Thomas is fast making a name for himself as one of today’s most promising young singers.

The 2023/24 season sees William sing Hobson in a new production of Peter Grimes in his debut at Teatro alla Scala, Milan and make his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Colline La bohème. Highlights on the concert platform include Rossini’s Stabat Mater with the Hallé Orchestra/Sir Mark Elder and Verdi’s Requiem with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Ryan Wigglesworth.

He has also sung at the Wiener Staatsoper, the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, English National Opera, Garsington Opera, the Grange Festival and for the Opéra de Rouen Normandie. Future seasons see him return to the Royal Opera and the Glyndebourne Festival and make debuts at Oper Köln and the Bayerische Staatsoper.

On the concert platform he has appeared at the Salzburg Festival with Camerata Salzburg/Manfred Honeck and with the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra/Dinis Sousa, at the BBC Proms with the Britten Sinfonia/David Bates, the Edinburgh Festival with The English Concert/John Butt and with the London Symphony Orchestra/François-Xavier Roth and the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra/Phillip von Steinacker.

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.