“These tears, which prison chaplain Stéphane Roy observes while following up with the inmates after the concerts, show that culture, far beyond simple “entertainment”, acts as a powerful revealer of our humanity.”
A new article published by journalist Caroline Montpetit in Le Devoir last Friday, reminds us of the importance of art and culture in our society.
On November 30, conductor Nicolas Ellis and the Agora wind quintet accompanied the young participants of the “Espace Transition à l’opéra” project, associated with the CHU Sainte-Justine, for a musical performance in front of an audience entitled “Le monde de la beauté“. This project, initiated by the Opéra de Montréal, aims to inspire young participants (14 to 25 years old) to rewrite the story of an opera.
What a pleasure it was to play Bach’s complete Brandenburg Concertos in front of a full house of 700 people! Thank you to the Montreal Bach Festival for the invitation, and congratulations to the soloists, the musicians of the Orchestre de l’Agora and our conductor Nicolas Ellis.
The Orchestre de l’Agora will present 11 concert-workshops at the Montreal Detention Centre (Bordeaux Prison) over the course of the 2021-2022 season. The Bordeaux prison is the largest of Quebec’s provincial prisons, housing male prisoners sentenced to less than two years’ imprisonment and defendants awaiting trial. The goal of the OA’s concert-workshops (one per month until July 2022) is to use music as a tool for social rehabilitation. Read More
“Gratitude is the memory of the heart. It is the most beautiful flower that springs from the soul” (quotes from Hans Christian Andersen and Seneca)
To not forget – Join the musicians of the Orchestre de l’Agora, accompanied by poems recited by Sophie Faucher, for a concert that aims to show gratitude towards caregivers during the pandemic. This concert is available for free online from the link below.Read More
The Orchestra is heading to Saguenay for a concert as part of the 15th anniversary of the Rendez-vous musical de Laterrière, under the direction of Nicolas Ellis on Sunday, August 22 at 4:00 p.m.! Read More
Read the article about Nicolas Ellis “homme-orchestre” by Christophe Huss, published on July 10th, 2021 in Le Devoir. Learn more about the activities of the founder and conductor of the Orchestre de l’Agora during this last year of the pandemic.
Join Nicolas Ellis and Orchestre de l’Agora for the opening concert of the Lachine Music Festival, 44th edition! The Orchestra will perform Gustav Mahler’s eternal and sublime 4th Symphony in Klaus Simon’s superb chamber orchestra version, this Saturday, July 3rd at 7:30 p.m. with Soprano Vanessa Croome. The concert is free with reservations required (first come, first served). For those unable to attend, the concert will be recorded and available online for 24 hours on the Festival’s Website(on July 31st).
On Thursday, May 27, Nicolas Ellis and the Agora Wind Quintet accompanied the young participants of « Espace Transition à l’opéra », a project initiated by the Opéra de Montréal, for a performance of a musical inspired by Verdi’s famous opera, La Traviata.
This innovative project of rehabilitation through the performing arts gave these young the opportunity to write and produce this show: the result on stage was very impressive!Read More
Canadian conductor Nicolas Ellis, Artistic Director & Founder of Orchestre de l’Agora and Artistic Partner to the Orchestre Métropolitain and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, is the winner of the $125,000 Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer 2021-2022 for Collaborative Emerging Artist. During the pandemic, $50,000 of the prize creates $1,000,000 Mécénat Musica Orchestre de l’Agora endowment fund.
Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer is the biggest prize in Canada and one of the largest in the world for a collaborative emerging artist in classical music.
