On Sunday, January 19ᵗʰ at 4:30 PM, at St. Thomas' Anglican Church in Belleville, oboist Mélissa Tremblay will join organists Matthieu Latreille and Francine Nguyen-Savaria to present a chamber music concert. Hailing from Métis-sur-Mer, Quebec, Mélissa Tremblay first studied the oboe at the Rimouski Conservatoire of Music under Philippe Magnan. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree from the Quebec Conservatoire of Music in 2016 and completed her graduate studies with Vincent Boilard at the University of Montreal, where she was awarded twice the Pierre Roland grant. Mélissa is principal oboist of “L'Orchestre Symphonique de l'Estuaire” since 2018 and was recently awarded the second prize and the John Newmark prize at the “Prix d'Europe” Competition. 

Since 2015, Mélissa has taken part in several summer music academies at Domaine Forget, Orford Musique and the National Academy Orchestra where she took courses with oboe masters Ramon Ortega, Valery Gergiev, Maurice Bourgue, Esa Pekka-Salonen, Olivier Doise, and Eugene Isotov. She is currently completing an artist diploma degree at the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles. 

Matthieu Latreille and Francine Nguyen-Savaria are taking advantage of her presence in Montreal in January to work together and present this concert. “It is a very expressive combination,” says Francine. “The oboe or a similar timber is often present as a reed stop on the organ, so the actual oboe can seamlessly blend into the organ sound as well. However, the nature of the oboe makes it a more expressive instrument than what we could ever achieve with the organ stop.” The programme will feature works by Hændel, the baroque era being particularly suited for St. Thomas' Church's pipe organ and for this particular instrumental combination. 

Admission is by donation.

On Sunday, December 15ᵗʰ at 4:30 PM, “Music at Saint Thomas’” will present “Carols by Candlelight,” the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in the style of King's College, Cambridge, with Christmas choral works and traditional carols. “Carols by Candlelight” will take place at at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church in Belleville, ON.

This event is a special collaboration that will bring together a professional ensemble of eight singers and St. Thomas' choir. Artistic directors Matthieu Latreille and Francine Nguyen-Savaria have returned to the greater Montreal area, but they travel once a month to Belleville to produce the well-loved series. 

The Lessons and Carols are very dear to the artistic directors' hearts. While they also produce other concerts in several cities, they only prepare one “Carols by Candlelight,” and it is Belleville's one. 

The professional four-part mixed ensemble, formed in Montreal, comprises eight singers. Some are veterans of “Music at Saint Thomas’” and some are taking part in this production for the first time. "Carols by Candlelight will be slightly different this year,” explains Francine. “Because we can no longer rehearse on a long-term basis with the choral academy at St. Thomas', we have expanded the number of musical offerings so that the professional ensemble will sing intricate choral pieces and join the choral academy for more traditional carols. This will give the audience more opportunities to participate as well.  We are excited, as it will actually match the format of King's College even more closely!”

Works by Tchaikovsky and Tavener will mingle with “Silent Night,” “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen.” A special element of Carols by Candlelight is the inclusion of a carol sung in French every year, following the reading in the same language. This year, the French carol that has been chosen is “Minuit, Chrétiens!” by Adolphe Adam—the famous “O Holy Night,” sung in its original language—thus paying hommage to the roots of one of the most popular carols of all times. 

Admission is by donation.

On Sunday, November 17ᵗʰ at 4:30 PM, at St. Thomas' Anglican Church in Belleville, Matthieu Latreille and Francine Nguyen-Savaria will launch the 6th edition of “Music at Saint Thomas’” with an organ concert featuring the famous “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach and other masterpieces. 

When we think of the pipe organ, the first piece of music that comes to our minds is often the “Toccata and Fugue.” Used in several movies, this work alone made the pipe organ famous for its solemn tones. Alongside from this famous toccata and fugue are several masterworks for the King of Instruments. The name of Johann Sebastian Bach cannot be dissociated from greatness when it comes to organ works, or anything classical music for that matter. Bach stands so high that his name was associated to an entire era: the baroque era. Baroque music is especially suited for St. Thomas' pipe organ, which has a neo-baroque aesthetic. Matthieu will open the concert with the famous “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” by Johann Sebastian Bach, along with other masterpieces from the great Kappelmeister.

France's age of gold for the pipe organ was at the turn of the 20ᵗʰ century, with symphonic and post-romantic music. Francine has a particular affection for the impressionist tones of this particular era and will present music from another giant of the organ world: French composer Louis Vierne, who was organist at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris from 1900 to 1937. 

The husband and wife team is active on the Canadian concert scene, both as soloists and a duet. They will take turns on the bench to present these well-known and lesser known solo organ works. 

The pipe organ of St. Thomas' Anglican Church is one of the finest in the area. The instrument was built by Gabriel Kney in 1977, to replace the large Casavant organ that had been destroyed with the church by fire in 1975. The instrument of 19 ranks (about 1,000 pipes) has 14 stops and its action is entirely mechanical. A live projection on a screen will allow the audience to see the organists performing.

Admission is by donation.

Sat. Oct. 26, 3 p.m., Kathryn Johnston returns to Kingston and is featured as Josephine in Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic operetta H.M.S. Pinafore. The concert will also feature the Kingston Youth Orchestra directed by Hugh Johnston. Dr. Colleen Reinehan, Professor of Music at the Dan School of Drama and Music, will do a pre-concert talk. Dr. Darryl Edwards, Voice Professor at The University of Toronto, conducts members of the COSI Connection* in this rollicking tail. Tickets available at Novel Idea, Eventbrite or at the door.

* COSI Connection - your main stage artists of tomorrow; COSI-Centre for Opera Studies in Italy

Snow Road Snowmobile Club Breakfast, Saturday, October 26, 2019 8am-11am at Clubhouse

1106 Gemmills Road, Snow Road Station

Everyone Welcome

Crafts, Knit & Sew, Bake Table, Hand Crafted Jewellery, Granny's Attic & Nearly New Treasures

O.F.S.C. Snowmobile Driver Training Course, Sunday November 17, 2019 at Snow Road Snowmobile Club

1106 Gemmills Road, Snow Road Station

Registration 8:30a.m.

Course 9am-4pm

Last day of registration November 6.  MTO Certified Driver Trainer