Sarah Albu (soprano)
(Français à venir)
I’m a singer/actor/ performer living, working and studying in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. My main focus is contemporary theatrical vocal music, although I work regularly in a variety of forms and enjoy exploring and experimenting with many ways of using my voice. I gave my first public singing performance at the age of 2 in a resteraunt in my hometown of Windsor, Ontario where, to the shock and embarrassment of my parents, I leapt onto my chair without warning, waving my arms and enthusiastically wishing the other diners a “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!” I went on to play the bafflingly unpopular character of “Spinach” in a school play about vegetables, received with a generous chorus of jeers from my gracious gymnasium floor audience. Eventually, I graduated from Concordia University with two consecutive BFA degrees in Voice Performance and Theatre. While at Concordia, I had the freedom to study and experiment with many genres, from classical vocal music to electroacoustic composition, sound design, acting, contemporary chamber ensembles, performance art and alternative theatre practices. It was in the theatre realm that I really caught the collaboration bug — I found that the sense of ensemble in a group working on theatre projects was so much stronger than anything I had experienced anywhere else. Equipped with some very positive experiences, a bag of devising techniques and a thirst for adventure, I decided to attempt bringing that energy and focus into music. In the past few years, I’ve had the great honour of performing all over Canada– in festivals such as Cluster New Music and Integrated Arts Festival (Winnipeg), the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival, the Montreal Nouvelles Musiques festival, Pop Montreal, Suoni Per il Popolo, Vocalypse productions/Opera from Scratch in Halifax, and studying and singing Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire at the Banff Centre for the Arts. Studying voice privately and performing as much as possible as a soloist and with various ensembles, I am continuing to learn and expand my practice. |
Marc-Olivier Lamontagne (guitare)
Marc-Olivier Lamontagne est passionné par les musiques des XXe et XXIe siècles. Guitariste classique et électrique en demande, il se produit régulièrement comme soliste, chambriste et improvisateur avec des formations telles que le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, l’Orchestre 21, Chants libres, l’Ensemble Punctum, dont il est Directeur artistique et l’Ensemble La Machine, dont il est membre fondateur. Prochainement, on l’entendra avec l’ECM+, Quasar et le Quatuor Bozzini. Il fait également des créations d’oeuvres pour guitare en solo et en ensemble au Canada et en Europe. Depuis l’automne 2012, Marc-Olivier est directeur artistique de la société de concert Ottawa New Music Creators. Il est aussi depuis novembre 2013 président de Codes d’accès. Marc-Olivier a remporté de nombreux prix (dont le prestigieux prix John Newmark au concours du Prix d’Europe en 2009) et s’est vu octroyé plusieurs bourses, dont une bourse du Conseil des arts du Canada qui lui a permis de parfaire son jeu auprès d’Alberto Ponce et de Judicaël Perroy à Paris, ainsi qu’avec Oscar Ghiglia à Sienne. Marc-Olivier vient de terminer son doctorat en interprétation à l’Université de Montréal, sous la codirection de Lorraine Vaillancourt et Bruno Perron.
Marc-Olivier Lamontagne is a Canadian guitarist who specializes in contemporary music performance on classical and electric guitars. He is a sought-after soloist, improviser and chamber musician who regularly performs with new music ensemble such as the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Orchestre 21, Chants libres, Ensemble Punctum (of which he is the Artistic Director) and Ensemble La Machine (of which he is a founding member). During the upcoming season, he will also perform with ECM+, Quasar and Quatuor Bozzini. Marc-Olivier has premiered several solo and ensemble works for guitar both in Canada and Europe. He has served as Artistic Director of Ottawa New Music Creators since 2012, and became President of the Montreal new music concert production association, Codes d’accès, in November, 2013. Marc-Olivier Lamontagne just completed a doctorate in New Music Performance with Lorraine Vaillancourt and Bruno Perron at the University of Montreal. Thanks to grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, he spent time as a resident at the Cité des Arts in Paris, where he studied with Judicaël Perroy and Alberto Ponce.
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