Canada’s Orchestre De La Francophonie Returns to In-person Programming

After two years of online events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the orchestral training program is being held live from July 4–29, 2022

Based in Montréal, Canada, the Orchestre De La Francophonie (OF) is an orchestral training program preparing musicians aged between 18 and 30 to pursue leading music careers in orchestras.

Founded in 2001, OF is one of the leading orchestral academies worldwide — so far contributing to the training of 1,500 professional musicians. The OF academy comprises 28 young musicians hailing from countries including Canada, USA, France, Italy, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, Spain, Colombia, and Albania. 

After two years of online events and workshops, OF has begun its in-person educational programs this summer until July 29, 2022. A new chamber music academy is also proposed, while OF gradually returns to full-capacity live events, leading to a large-scale orchestral academy in 2023.

The OF musicians will be performing four live concerts at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul and at the Salle Joseph-Rouleau of Jeunesses Musicales Canada (JMC). The concerts’ guest musicians include pianists Serhiy Salov, Jimmy Brière, and Mathieu Gaudet. 

The first concert on July 13, 2022, featured pieces by Beach, Beethoven, Torelli, Scalia, and Mozart. The upcoming three concerts will take place on July 21, 25, and 29, with programs including Cris Dirksen, Ian Cusson, Louis Spohr, Paul Hindemith, Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn, Wagner, and Schumann. Tickets to each of the concerts are available here.

In addition, OF’s season includes a partnership with Garage à musique (GAM), an organization covering topics such as social pediatrics and the use of music as a therapeutic tool and aid to pedagogical cohesion. As part of this, OF musicians will also lead music activities with children aged five to 18.

The summer masterclasses will be hosted by OF’s founding artistic director, Jean-Philippe Tremblay, violinist Robert Uchida, and pedagogue Douglas Payson Sturdevant, while special presentations will be given by Jeff Nelsen and Dr. John Chong about performance anxiety and injury prevention. 

“While participating in the OF, students are helped to prepare themselves for the competitive world that awaits them by developing the best technical and musical tools,” explained Tremblay in the press release.

“This year, we want to show them the particular aspects of chamber music,” Tremblay added. “They’ll develop group listening skills as they work with their colleagues and benefit from the guidance of coaches and mentors.”