BMW Montreal Centre Monthly Newsletter

Kooza -- Cirque du Soleil

May 12 to June 19, 2022 -- Under The Big Top, Old Port of Montreal

Cirque du Soleil presents KOOZA, the story of an innocent and charming clown who strives to find his own place in the world. The Innocent's journey introduces him to a panoply of comic characters. Between strength and fragility, laughter and chills, and turmoil and harmony, KOOZA, the 20th creation from Cirque du Soleil, explores themes of fear, identity, recognition and power. The show is set in an electrifying and exotic visual world full of surprises, thrills, audacity and total involvement. KOOZA, created and directed by David Shiner and filmed by Mario Janelle, combines two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning. The show highlights the physical demands of human performance in all its splendor and fragility, presented in a colorful "mélange" that emphasizes bold slapstick humor. https://www.cirquedusoleil.com/kooza#about-the-show

Bourgie Hall -- Music at the Museum

May 01, 04, 05, 06, 07, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 26 & 27, 2022 -- Bourgie Hall

Recitals, chamber music, vocal art, Baroque music, jazz, world music, family shows, and more: each year, Bourgie Hall produces over a hundred concerts at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in its exceptional venue.

Inaugurated in September 2011, Bourgie Hall offers top-rate artistic programming and welcomes on its stage Canadian and international artists in equal numbers. Whether they are just starting out or already critically acclaimed, these musicians are chosen to perform in Bourgie Hall on the basis of their immense talent. The public can't go wrong: audiences know that they can count on the quality of concerts "approved by Bourgie Hall!" In addition to offering remarkable concerts at affordable prices, Bourgie Hall organizes music workshops for families and amateur musicians. These friendly encounters enable participants to develop their musical gifts in a convivial environment.
Bourgie Hall's programming also brings out astonishing connections between music and art collections. To be discovered at the concerts or during events in the Museum's exhibition rooms! https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/bourgie-hall/

Candlelight Concerts

May 04 & 27, 2022 -- l'Église St-Jean-Baptiste, à la Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-bon-Secours et à l'Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs !

These magnificent candle-lit classical music concerts are in Montreal!

Montreal now hosts the famous classical music concerts that have caused a stir around the world! Candlelight shows adopt a new concept that engages all of your senses for a magical musical experience….DO NOT MISS ! This series of candlelit concerts, simply named "Candlelight", invites you to relive the greatest moments of classical music in the most magical places of Montreal. In an intimate and warm atmosphere, rediscover the works of Vivaldi, Mozart, Chopin or even Beethoven. After having been a huge success around the world - in cities like New York, Barcelona or London - this unique experience is finally coming to Montreal. www.feverup.com/montreal/candlelight

The Magic Flute Opera (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)

May 07 to 17, 2022 -- Place Des Arts/ Salle Wilfrid Pelletier

Having charmed audiences around the world, this Barrie Kosky's thrilling production is reminiscent of the silent film era thanks to an unexpected set made of screens and projections. The Flute like you've never seen it before! Armed with a magic flute and enchanted bells, Prince Tamino and bird-catcher Papageno run to the rescue of Princess Pamina. On the way they encounter dangerous dragons, dancing animals and… love! https://www.operademontreal.com/en/shows/magic-flute

Nicolas Party -- L'heure Mauve

February 12 to October 16, 2022 -- Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

A rising star on the international scene, Nicolas Party is known for his meticulously composed paintings, his painted sculptures and his installations drenched in saturated colours. Through over 100 works and a series of monumental frescos realized in situ, the Swiss-born artist unveils a dreamlike exhibition themed on nature at the MMFA. https://www.mbam.qc.ca/en/exhibitions/nicolas-party-lheure-mauve/

Luna - Contemporary Ballet

April 28 to May 01, 2022 -- Place Des Arts/Théâtre Maisonneuve

Three choreographers from Les Grands Ballets draw inspiration from the effect of the moon on the Earth to illustrate our world: power play, the coexistence of peoples, our differences and at the same time our synchronized evolution.

Luna provides a vision of the human and at what inevitably bonds us, of the energy and power that derive from this. The work presents a triptych of visions with common ground in hope and beauty, a clear-eyed yet optimistic gaze directed at our humanity. https://grandsballets.com/en/performances/detail/luna/

I Musici Montreal

May 26,2022 -- At Salle Pierre-Mercure of Centre Pierre-Péladeau (Les Violons du Roi)

Founded in 1984 by Yuli Turovsky, the I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra has been sharing its passion for classical music for over 35 years. The 15 exceptional musicians who make up the orchestra bring to life a varied repertoire ranging from the 17th century to the present day, accompanied by their principal guest conductor and artistic advisor Jean-François Rivest. With a program based on tradition, originality and innovation, the Orchestra stands out for the place it gives to numerous emerging and renowned artists with whom it partners to offer you a colorful and meaningful musical experience. I Musici de Montréal has built a solid reputation thanks to its numerous international tours and 40 recordings that meet the highest standards. The Orchestra also acts as a creative catalyst within the city of Montreal and continues to strengthen its roots in the community by collaborating with various organizations and schools on its territory. https://imusici.com/en/i-musici-and-les-violons-du-roy/

Concours Musical International de Montréal (Voice 2022)

May 31 to June 09, 2019 -- Museum of Fine Arts/Salle Bourgie & Maison Symphonique

Founded in 2002 by internationally renowned bass Joseph Rouleau and current Chairman of the Board of the Competition and its Foundation André Bourbeau, the CMIM is an annual event that draws over 6,000 spectators to concert halls, as well as thousands of listeners on the radio and the web.

The CMIM seeks to discover and support young singers, violinists, and pianists who demonstrate exceptional mastery of their art. It's the only international competition in North America to be held annually and to present three disciplines in a three-year rotation. Since its first edition dedicated to voice in 2002, more than 2,400 hopefuls have entered the Competition and nearly 400 have performed in Montreal, much to the delight of music lovers. www.concoursmontreal.com

The St-Ambroise Fringe Festival Montreal

May 30 to June 19, 2019 -- Various Location

The Fringe Festival is Montréal's summer block party of theatre, dance, music, comedy, and more. With over 700 shows, local and international performing artists take over the Plateau Mont-Royal to celebrate years of boundless creativity. Artists are selected by lottery, no Censorship. Artists have complete freedom to present ANYTHING, accessibility to artists. Anyone can apply to the lottery and afford its application fees, accessibility to audience. Ticket prices are kept low and 100% of the ticket price is returned to the artists you see on stage. https://fringefestivals.com/festival/festival-st-ambroise-fringe-de-montreal/

Festival TransAmériques

May 25 to June 09, 2022 -- Various Location

Montreal's international festival combining both contemporary dance and contemporary theater, the Festival TransAmériques is three weeks of world and North American premiere performances by top choreographers, artistic directors, playwrights, actors and dancers. A relative newbie on the festival scene in Montreal, the Festival TransAmériques premiered in 2007, combining two festivals. Previously known as the Festival de Théâtre des Amériques, an all-theater festival going strong since 1985, the Festival TransAmériques added contemporary dance to the performance roster, picking up the slack where Montreal's contemporary dance event, the Festival International de Nouvelle Danse (defunct since 2003) left a void, to the dismay of Montreal's prominent dance community. And so a new festival was born with a particular focus on promoting contemporary dance and theater on the edge. https://fta.ca/en/

April Fools -- An Adult Rock Cabaret

May 01 to 22, 2022 -- Centre Segal

In the middle of living the seemingly perfect life -- complete with career, family, and home of her dreams -- a woman begins a torrid love affair with an attractive and soon-to-be-married man. In this adult rock cabaret from Israeli superstar and two-time "Israeli Singer of the Year" Keren Peles, a forbidden love affair leads to a deep dive into a woman's mind, where a battle plays out among her conflicting urges, embodied onstage by multi-talented performers, and desire to break free of societal expectations. Using their mobile devices, the audience becomes an active part of the story and influences the course of the cabaret. April Fools is a sensual and stripped-down musical rendezvous that you'll definitely want to give into. https://www.segalcentre.org/en/shows/2021-2022/april-fools

Colours of The World (Exhibition)

Until June 2022 -- Biosphere

The Biosphère presents 50 photographs from the National Geographic collection. Each image highlights the unique role of colour in photography, and celebrates the natural and cultural diversity of our extraordinary planet. This selection of photographs pays homage to the art of photojournalism and takes a different look at the world around us. Being intimately linked with how we perceive the world, colours are a major factor in how we relate to nature.

Like a giant kaleidoscope, the Colours of the World exhibition lets us see our planet from a different perspective--one that suggests green is not the only colour that embodies the environment!Each section of the exhibition is devoted to a colour, thus forming a rainbow between the museum and the Jean-Drapeau metro station. https://calendrier.espacepourlavie.ca/colours-of-the-world-928046

Gateway to Montréal's Museum Culture (Museum Day)

Date TBD -- Throughout Montreal

Founded in 1987, the Board of Montréal Museum Directors (BMMD) brings together the chief administrators of numerous museums across the Montréal region. Its mission is to support the visibility and awareness of Montréal museums by promoting their activities and defending their interests, and by encouraging the development of communication, mutual assistance and cooperation between these institutions with a view to making culture more accessible and helping citizens to take ownership of their museum heritage.

Mondial de la Bière

May 19 to 22, 2022 -- Gare Windsor Station

Montreal's first great festival of the summer, the Mondial de la bière is a unique tasting event dedicated to the reinstatement of beer's noble status. Founded in 1994, the Mondial de la bière is considered to be a gateway to the Québec and foreign beer industry. The professional MBeer segment, which began in 2005 with the MBeerconference, is enriched by the visit of international beer celebrities who contribute to its reputation. The MBeer Contest and the MBeer school of beerology, created in 1996, have also helped develop Quebec's expertise in this domain. An unavoidable event for beer amateurs, the Mondial de la bière attracts over 80,000 people who attend the event in search of high quality products, which many are exclusive to the Festival. To please festival goers, the Mondial de la bière's program also includes a very elaborate educational segment. Whether it's meeting with the brewers, through the Public Beer Contest or the Cheese and Beer workshops, amateurs are well equipped to cultivate their minds, educate their palate and quench their thirst with delectable discoveries. Through the years, the event has become the most important festival of international beers in America and its reputation now travels over to many countries. The European version of the Montreal event, the Mondial de la bière of Strasbourg, inaugurated its first edition between October 16th and 18th of 2009 and intends to be Europe's leading brewing event. To get the latest news on the Mondial, visit our Facebook page and follow us at Twitter/Mondialbiere. https://festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca/

Art Souterrain

April 02 to June 30, 2022 -- Various locations throughout the city

The Festival Art Souterrain is back for its 14th edition in the heart of the city. From April 2 to June 30, 2022, contemporary art will take over 6 km of Montréal's underground pedestrian network to present, for 18 weeks, contemporary artworks by some fifty local and international artists around the theme "Voies-Voix Résilientes." The works have been selected by artist and curator Eddy Firmin and the collective of artists and curators Intervals consisting of Caroline Douville, Maria Ezcurra, Miwa Kojima, Romeo Gongora and Dominique Fontaine. In addition, the Festival will offer more than forty free mediation activities and artistic discoveries. https://www.artsouterrain.com/en/home/

Blue Metropolis -- International Literary Festival

April 28 to May 04, 2022 (On Line) & May 05 to may 08, 2022 (In Person) -- Various Locations

BLUE METROPOLIS FOUNDATION IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION FOUNDED IN 1997 THAT BRINGS TOGETHER PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES TO SHARE THE PLEASURE OF READING AND WRITING, AND ENCOURAGES CREATIVITY AND INTERCULTURAL UNDERSTANDING. https://bluemetropolis.org/2022festival/

Aura

Starting August 13, 2021- Notre-Dames Basilica *See schedule for dates**

Notre-Dame Basilica proudly welcomes the reopening of Aura, a luminous experience in the heart of the Basilica. To usher in this bright new era, starting August 13, 2021, the universally-acclaimed experience returns in a renewed form, featuring extended visual and musical moments. https://www.aurabasiliquemontreal.com/en

Voiles en Voiles -- Old Port of Montréal

April 09 to May 19, 2022: open on weekends from Noon to 18h00.

April 15 to 18: Noon to 18h00

As of May 20, 2022: Open all week

Voiles en Voiles is a family adventure park in the Old Port of Montreal that will make you experience memorable emotions! In summer and winter, take part in the outdoor action in the unique world of royal ships and pirate ships. One of the things to do in Montreal that families love most!

In summer, climb aboard our spectacular life-size ships. Experience our aerial courses that will please both the agile little adventurers and big buccaneers thirsting for thrills. The site also has the Pirates Movie Theatre, climbing walls, inflatable games and a totally safe archery tag arena that will give you adrenaline rushes! https://www.voilesenvoiles.com/en/about-voiles-en-voiles/

Esplanade Tranquille

Open as of February 21, 2022 -- Quartier des Spectacles

Esplanade Tranquille is the newest public space in the Quartier des Spectacles. Montrealers are welcome to visit this fun and inviting all-seasons spot, inspired by urban backyards. Families and other visitors will discover a diverse and entertaining cultural program -- a true reflection of the city.

Esplanade Tranquille is named in honour of the Tranquille bookstore, once located on the site, and its owner, Henri Tranquille (1916-2005). It is an important site in contemporary Quebec history, having hosted the launch of the Refus global manifesto in 1948.

Piknic ElectroniK

May 19 to September 29 2022 -- Parc Jean Drapeau (Mainly on Weekends)

Piknic Électronik Montreal is an outdoor electronic music event aiming to offer immersive, social experiences in a friendly environment. Located in an urban park just 10 minutes from downtown Montréal, he brings together thousands of electronic music enthusiasts every Sunday from May to September. Piknic Électronik Montreal diverse programing has made it a highlight of the Montreal summer cultural circuit for over 15 years. https://piknicelectronik.com/montreal/en/events/#

Festival Accès Asie

May 5 to 29, 2022 -- Various Locations

Established in 1995, Festival Accès Asie is Canada's longest continuously running Asian heritage arts festival. Festival Accès Asie is a Montréal-based arts festival that promotes Asian arts, cultures and histories through a diversity of artistic disciplines including the visual arts, dance, theatre, video, film, music, comedy, poetry, literature, performance, new media and culinary arts. https://accesasie.com/en/

Montreal hip hop festival Metro Metro

May 20 to 22, 2022 -- Olympic Park Esplanade

Urban music artists will take to the stage at what is billed as "Canada's biggest hip-hop/urban festival", https://metrometro.ca/

The Montreal Tamtams

Every Sunday beginning on May 01 ending on September 30 2022 -- Mont Royal Park

The Montreal Tamtams are a drum circle based in Montreal, Canada. One of the most original musical events in Montréal, this free festival takes place on Sundays, near the monument to Sir George-Étienne Cartier and in Mount Royal Park's surrounding green spaces. The Tamtam festivities start at 1 pm and continue until sunset. A colourful gathering of drummers, dancers, vendors and their admiring audiences. For twenty years, Montrealers and visitors have come to play music and dance, or just watch and listen. Tamtams, or simply "tams" as they are sometimes called by locals, began in 1978 and over the years have become one of the main tourist attractions of the city.

Tonga Lumina

Since July 20, 2017 -- Mont Tremblant

Montreal multimedia phenom Moment Factory has just launched a new nature walk. A night walk in search of the giant! Deep in the heart of Mont Tremblant, the last of the giants has awoken. Follow your sense of adventure to discover the secret he wants to share. The Tonga Lumina illuminated trail is a sensory experience in the forest. This 1.5-km nocturnal walk takes place on a stone dust pathway at the heart of nature. To start off, visitors show up at the bottom of the Flying Mile chairlift that will take them up to the midway station where they will be led to the entrance of the trail. After taking visitors on a brief ascension, the trail slowly weaves its way down the hill through the woods, crosses streams and clearings. Participants can anticipate being on the pathway an average of one hour. Departures are continuous from sunset to closing, with a maximum of 300 people admitted per half-hour on the course. www.tonglumina.ca

Cité Mémoire

Throughout Old Montréal

Loosely inspired by the history of Montreal, Cité Mémoire invites you to meet a host of characters who've witnessed the city's evolution first-hand. Poetic, dreamlike and occasionally playful, the tableaux come alive with images, words and music. Projected throughout Old Montreal, the work appears on the very walls that surround us, the ground on which we walk, the trees that frame our present. A creation by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, in collaboration with Michel Marc Bouchard. http://www.montrealenhistoires.com

Montréal Canadiens Hockey

May 2022 -- Centre Bell ** Season Over **

Watching a hockey game in Montreal is the ultimate hockey experience. www.centrebell.ca