The 11th edition of the Sun Life Financial Performing Arts welcomes:

Dominic Champagne, Mísia, Ana Moura, Kent Nagano and the OSM, Calexico, Maria de Medeiros, Agnès Jaoui, Virginia Rodrigues and the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club, Grand Corps Malade, Steve Smith’s Vital Legacy, Yann Perreau, Tony Gouveia, Andrea Lindsay, Hiromi, Elisapie Isaac, Les 7 doigts de la main, Martine St-Clair, Ian Kelly, Gina Gibney Dance, Les Trois Accords, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Les Violons du Roy, 12 hommes rapaillés
and the art of Leonard Cohen…

The stars align for the
MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS Festival!

Tickets go on sale tomorrow at noon

Montreal, Monday, November 30, 2009 - You might say that the MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS Festival presented by Hydro-Québec, which celebrated its 10th birthday last year, has a pronounced passion for the pomp of anniversary editions! In fact, the Sun Life Financial Performing Arts cultural program is rich and exciting enough in itself to make this a historic 11th edition! Next Thursday, February 18 to Sunday, February 28, the Montreal cultural scene welcomes the biggest names from home and abroad to all its stages, from dance to jazz, theatre to the circus arts, music to exhibitions. It’s a program with a distinct Portuguese accent in honour of Portugal, featured country at this edition of the Festival, and bolstered by a brand-new series of hot-hot-hot rhythms, the aptly-named Caliente ! Tickets for all concerts in the cultural program go on sale starting Tuesday, December 1, at noon.

Dominic Champagne and Mísia

honorary co-presidents of the Sun Life Financial Performing Arts program

This year, the Festival’s artistic program has the good fortune to be represented by two renowned artists who have established themselves among the finest in their respective domains. On one side, Quebec artistic director Dominic Champagne, who arrives this winter with nothing less than Paradis Perdu (Paradise Lost) a multimedia dream brought to the stage-creating in collaboration with Jean Lemire and Daniel Bélanger-relating the story of the last man on earth, a soldier, who plunges into his dreams to rethink the creation of the world. The MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS Festival is proud to have contributed to Paradis Perdu, a dreamlike odyssey, a poem for the stage, an uplifting spectacle at the crossroads of theatre, film, music and the performing arts. With Pierre Lebeau, Rodrigue Proteau, Goos Meeuwsen, Esther Gaudette, Vlace Samar and Émilien Néron. Thursday, February 18 to Saturday, February 20, Théâtre Maisonneuve, Place des Arts.

In another register, but equally charged with emotion, welcome the sublime Mísia, queen of contemporary fado, whose scheduled Festival performance in 2007 was cancelled due to an accident. This time, she’ll be here in the flesh with Ruas, her latest album, presented onstage in two parts: Lisboarium, a poetic and subjective vision of the Portuguese capital via her musical and poetic choices, and & Tourists, inspired by 20 years of journeys that formed her musical sensibility. Thursday, February 18 and Friday, February 19, Cinquième Salle, Place des Arts. Presented by Hydro-Québec in collaboration with Radio-Canada.

An edition with all the flavour and warmth of Portugal!

Fado, fado, and more fado! If “saudade” is difficult to translate-not entirely nostalgia, not simply sadness…-it’s because it hits us right in the gut, where words fade away; it is the essence of marvelously moving Portuguese music and song. The fado holds sway over this 11th edition, notably on opening and closing nights: after Mísia inaugurates this Portuguese-inflected Festival artistic program, the Festival turns to Ana Moura, winner of the Amalia Rodrigues Award for Best Fado Performer of 2007, making her first visit to Montreal, to close things out in gorgeous fashion. Her latest album available here, Para além da saudade, offers ample testament to the vitality of the genre: with her incredible voice, powerful enough to forego the mic, her sincere and elegant vocalizing, whether in her own songs or traditional pieces, she carries forward the tradition of the intriguing and universally touching saudade. Closing concert, Saturday, February 27, Salle Pierre-Mercure, Centre Pierre-Péladeau. Presented by Sun Life Financial.

Caliente !, a series to melt the heart of February!

Already renowned as the event that reheats Montreal in the heart of winter, the MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS Festival may set the city on fire with this new concert series rolling to the hot rhythms of countries without snow! This year, the series-which will become a recurrent element of the Festival-includes artists from Portuguese-speaking countries.

Calexico. Opening act: Great Lake Swimmers - With flamenco guitars and the mariachi sound back in place, Carried to Dust, the newest album by the Arizona band led by Joey Burns and John Convertino, leans toward their Latino side, after the rock detour of their previous release. This ceaseless need for self-reinvention is the group’s trademark! A free-spirited, refreshing music! Opening the evening, Toronto indie-folk group Great Lake Swimmers present their latest, Lost Channels. Thursday, February 18, Métropolis. Presented in collaboration with Corona Extra.

Jorge Martinez, Flamenco Nuevo - Inspired as much by ancestral music as modern sounds, this virtuoso guitarist delivers a fiery flamenco-fusion, equal parts technical prowess and Latin pride. It’s danceable, festive, moving and free-spirited. It was no surprise that he caused a sensation as the opening act for Cesaria Evora at the 2008 Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Thursday, February 18, L’Astral. Presented in collaboration with Corona Extra.

The Aggrolites - California’s Aggrolites have ska, reggae and soul in their blood, and are on a mission to inject them into ours. Judging by their ever-burgeoning popularity (their songs are everywhere, from films to videogames to TV series including Friday Night Lights and The Hills), it’s mission accomplished! Better yet, their most recent album, the aptly titled IV, is said to be their finest to date. Friday, February 19, Métropolis. Presented in collaboration with Corona Extra.

PAPAGROOVE - Driven by a natural propensity to party, powered by a pronounced social conscience, Montreal collective PAPAGROOVE captivates crowds with a fusion of funk grooves and rock intensity, soul spirit and jazz verve, all of it rooted deeply in Afrobeat. After an utterly overpowering performance at the 30th Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the group heats up our coldest month with a suave, summery show matching songs from their blazing debut We’re Not Blind with newer pieces. Friday, February 19, L’Astral. Presented in collaboration with Corona Extra.

Tony Gouveia - Traveling to Portugal to discover the fado? No need… Tony Gouveia, part of the new generation of fado singers, has given the music a North American footing, in Ontario to be exact. Born in Lisbon but relocated to Canada at 13, Gouveia obviously hasn’t forgotten his roots, nor the fado his father sang to him as a child. Discover this male fado singer (a rarity, on this continent) and his album Fado Ardente. It’s Lisbon à la Montréal! Saturday, February 20, L’Astral. Presented in collaboration with Corona Extra.

Maria de Medeiros - Woman of the world, and of worldwide cinema (Pulp Fiction, Henry & June, Le polygraphe), Maria de Medeiros is part of a generation of Portuguese artists raised on Brazilian music and formed by the work of such masters as Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Her open-hearted appropriation of this magnificent repertoire brings a moving quality to her work. With its melancholy shadings, Medeiros’ album A Little More Blue finds itself just outside the usual multicoloured, festive Brazilian repertoire. It is this very quality which gives her music such a distinct personality-one present in her forthcoming album Péninsules & Continents, which she’ll perform for us in concert. Saturday, February 20 and Sunday, February 21, Cinquième Salle, Place des Arts.

Federico Aubele, Amatoria - After overpowering Ste. Catherine Street with his Latin dub trip-hop at the 30th anniversary of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Aubele returns to light up the Montreal night again. He’s a romantic with everything it takes to charm you with the tangos, boleros, bossa-nova and reggae tracks from his latest album, Amatoria. This handsome young man will sweep the city off its feet. Saturday, February 20, L’Astral. Presented in collaboration with Corona Extra.

Pavlo, Rik Emmett and Oscar Lopez - We know them for their respective renowned and prolific careers. Now, for the first time, Pavlo, Rik Emmett and Oscar Lopez unite onstage to perform as an acoustic trio. Be forewarned: this is a true musical event! The passion and precision of these six-string artists must be heard and seen to be believed. It’s one night only, in the intimacy of L’Astral, where this trio’s tender, fiery melodies are guaranteed to entrance you! Sunday, February 21, L’Astral.

Agnès Jaoui - Actress and director Agnès Jaoui turns singer and brings in her group Quintet Oficial to unveil the new album Dans mon pays. The musical passport bears the stamps of Cuba, Portugal, Brazil, Argentina or Andalusia, and the citizenry includes Vincent Segal (cello and artistic direction), Roberto Gonzalez Hurtado (guitar), Eric Chalan (double bass) and Maurice Manancourt (percussion). It’s a French-Cuban marriage, in a major Montreal premiere. Thursday, February 25 to Saturday, February 27, Cinquième Salle, Place des Arts. Presented by Air France.

The Cuban Martinez Show - Musician, composer, arranger and musical director, Yordan Martinez orchestrates a unique concert gathering Cuban-born Canadian artists, all of them veterans of major groups in their native Cuba. Onstage, Roberto Linares Brown, Adan de Dios, Alberto Alberto, Telmary and many others bewitch audiences with their original pieces and their irresistible, seductive and suave rhythms. Welcome to the Latin party! Thursday, February 25, L’Astral. Presented in collaboration with Corona Extra.

Virginia Rodrigues and the Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club^® - Nothing can bring out the sunshine in the nighttime quite like this double bill: Virginia Rodriguez, born in a favela in Bahia, discovered by Caetano Veloso and now one of the stars of the Brazlian scene and Afro-Brazilian culture; and legendary Cuban musicians Guajiro Mirabal (trumpet), Manuel Galban (guitar), Jesus Aguaje Ramos (trombone) and Barbarito Torres (laúd). It’s an evening to warm body, heart and soul! Friday, February 26, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts.

Arturo Sandoval. Opening act: Hilario Duran - To be lucky enough to catch this exceptional Cuban musician in live performance is to cry out: encore! The founder of incendiary Cuban jazz/rock/traditional group Irakere is an immensely versatile trumpeter of peerless virtuosity. Well, legendary jazz master Dizzy Gillespie didn’t take him as his protégé for nothing. Expect classic jazz and Afro-Latin at its hottest. Opening the evening: pianist Hilario Duran, who first came to prominence as a member of Sandoval’s band. Friday, February 26, Métropolis. Presented in collaboration with Corona Extra.

Roberto López Project, Colombian Salsa Cafe - Roberto López has absorbed the musical flavours of the Americas on his travels, and fashioned his own special Latino and Afro-Cuban sound. After winning over fans at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in 2008 and FrancoFans this past summer, he returns this winter with his polycultural orchestra and Colombian Salsa Cafe, a full musical serving of the Lopezian repertoire, including his new album Soy Panamericano. Get ready to dance all night long! Friday, February 26, L’Astral. Presented in collaboration with Corona Extra.

La Nuit brésilienne with Paulo Ramos, Bïa, Monica Freire, Nico Béki, Peninha and dancer Marcos Brasil - Our Brazilian-born Québécois friends bring us some much-needed Brazilian sunshine, sensuality and summery heat in the waning days of February. Paulo Ramos not only thrills us with his latest album, Bossamba, he also welcomes the delectable voices of Bïa, Nico Béki, Monica Freire and Peninha, among others. Wonderful dancer Marcos Brasil will also take the stage to dance the samba and encourage fans to lose their inhibitions and get down, Brazilian style. As part of Nuit blanche à Montréal. Saturday, February 27, L’Astral. Presented in collaboration with Corona Extra.

Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba, Elementos - A piece created by the internationally renowned Cuban choreographer, known for her flamboyant and extravagant works performed solely by women. In Elementos, Earth, Air, Fire and Water take human form and unite to breathe life into Man. A vibrant, elegant and theatrical fusion of ballet, flamenco and Afro-Cuban dance. Saturday, February 27, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts.

Karnival V.2 with Poirier - Karnival is the new semi-regular night hosted by Mr. “Bounce Le Gros” Poirier. For Nuit blanche à Montréal, he offers an intensely joyful, colorful bacchanalia, a party open to anyone who wants to celebrate Montreal… all night long! With Ghostbeard, Valeo & Face-T and Boogat! Free. Saturday, February 27, Club Soda.

… and the stars of chanson and jazz

Andrea Lindsay, Les sentinelles dorment - A unique voice, subtle arrangements, fresh, sunny melodies and a singular poetic sensibility-Lindsay delivers them all with Les sentinelles dorment, her second album. The lovely Franco-Ontarian singer-songwriter and her musicians beautifully render the touching, tasty new songs for the stage along with her earlier hits. Chic, danceable pop with a spark of whimsy. Thursday, February 18 and Friday, February 19, L’Astral.

Hiromi solo - Barely 30, this extraordinary young Japanese pianist, acclaimed during last summer’s appearance at the 30th anniversary of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, is one of the most high-profile jazzwomen of the moment. She’s back in Montreal, this time for a solo performance. Expect classics re-dynamized in the lady’s particular manner… like a touch of summer in the middle of winter. Thursady, February 18, Gesù - Centre de créativité.

Jorane solo - With her unique style, her unusual approach to the cello and her universal musical language, Jorane respects no boundaries. Europe, Asia and the U.S. have all welcomed her with open arms; and of course, she’ll always have a home in our hearts. She now treats us to a compilation of her greatest hits and unreleased film tracks. Thursday, February 18 and Friday, February 19, Lion d’Or.

Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra, Treelines, with special guest Ingrid Jensen - Saxophonist Christine Jensen gathers the cream of the Montreal jazz scene (Joel Miller, Chet Doxas and Erik Hove, saxophones; J-N Trottier and David Grott, trombones; Jocelyn Couture, trumpet; Martin Auguste, Steve Amirault and Fraser Hollins, rhythm section). For this very special evening launching the new album Treelines, the group, will also welcome renowned trumpeter Ingrid Jensen as a special guest. Friday, February 19, Gesù - Centre de créativité.

Grand Corps Malade, Enfant de la ville - Grand Corps Malade has dropped his melodic slam from one end of the country to the other and cast an echo across the entire francophone world. After an impressive European tour, the Montreal favorite returns to Quebec with a second album, Enfant de la ville, delivered in his warm and already familiar voice. Reserved seating. Friday, February 19, Métropolis.

Steve Smith’s Vital Legacy - Steve Smith-named one of the 25 greatest drummers of all time (Modern Drummer Magazine)-must have told himself: with all the musical pleasure provided by my two groups, jazz-rock outfit Vital Information and the straight-ahead Jazz Legacy, it might be a good idea to combine them… We can’t wait to hear the result! As the man himself says, it’s the best of both worlds! Saturday, February 20, Gesù - Centre de créativité.

Yann Perreau, Un serpent sous les fleurs - Accompanied by four solid musicians, powered by the success of his most recent album, Un serpent sous les fleurs, and reworked versions of hits from his previous albums, Perreau is ready to celebrate… and invites his fans to a wild, dance-mad happening! After a sold-out performance in October, the Felix-award winner (for best author or composer) illuminates the stage of the Métropolis, for the first time as a headliner. Saturday, February 20, Métropolis. Presented by ARTV in collaboration with CKOI.

Final Fantasy - If you missed Toronto violinist Owen Pallett-now named Final Fantasy, in tribute to the famed videogame-as opening act for Arcade Fire in 2005, now’s your chance to make up for it! Why? Because one hundred journalists, broadcasters and bloggers from across the country agreed that his CD He Poos Clouds deserved the inaugural Polaris Music Prize (in 2006) for Best Canadian album! Saturday, February 20, Théâtre Outremont.

Elisapie Isaac - On the heels of her brilliant run as one half of Taima, welcome There Will Be Stars, Elisapie Isaac’s magnificent debut solo album. Whether singing in English, French or Inuktitut, drawing inspiration from folk, rock, and even disco, she’s fashioned a sound that showcases her voice in a new light-a quality that drew the likes of Martin Léon, Richard Desjardins, Pierre Lapointe and Antoine Gratton to the album. Montreal premiere. Tuesday, February 23, Friday, February 26 and Saturday, February 27, L’Astral. Presented by CBC Radio 2.

Martine St-Clair - Finally, it arrived: Entre vous et moi, the compilation of greatest hits from a singer who’s been making them for 25 years. And the MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS Festival is proud to host the media premiere of this highly-anticipated show! The grand return of a Quebec favourite. Love is in the air! Wednesday, February 24 and Friday, February 26, Gesù - Centre de créativité. Presented by MusiMax.

Adrian Vedady Quartet with special guest Marc Copland - Montreal double bassist Adrian Vedady is a jazzman with a considerable following among fans, critics and other musicians for his style, precision and sound musical judgment. He unveiled his new album, In Three Acts, at the 30th Festival International de Jazz de Montréal this past summer. Performing here with a quartet, he treats us to the additional pleasure of a special guest, American pianist Marc Copland and his richly imagistic music. Wednesday, February 24, L’Astral.

Zachary Richard, Last Kiss - In tribute to New Orleans, our featured city for 2010, our favourite Louisianan heads back to Quebec after last summer’s triumph at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. He returns to melt February with songs from his latest English album, Last Kiss, co-produced by famed pianist David Torkanowsky. Performed onstage by three musicians, these songs are a first-class ticket through musical dreams and hurricanes, through tropical storms and storms of the heart. Thursday, February 25, L’Astral.

Les Trois Accords, Dans mon corps. Opening act: Pépé Goes Français - Dans mon corps is their latest album with the unlikely cover, featuring hard-hitting hooky melodies and lyrics of surprising depth, and presented here in a Montreal premiere. And here’s a cherry on the Mammouth: opening act Pépé revisits the French musical heritage, from Indochine to Dassin, with side-trips through Niagara, Dutronc and Renaud. Thursday, February 25, Métropolis. Presented by MusiquePlus.

12 hommes rapaillés - The spellbinding melodies of Gilles Bélanger, the impeccable production of Louis‑Jean Cormier and 12 voices raised in song: a moving, unique, perfectly poised tribute to Gaston Miron. A major undertaking in Quebecois song, 12 hommes rapaillés was a phenomenal success, selling more than 30,000 copies and drawing unrestrained praise from the critics. This genuine tour de force, a major musical moment hosted by Les FrancoFolies last summer, is back live onstage following an incredible success at Théâtre Maisonneuve this fall. With Michel Rivard, Yann Perreau, Daniel Lavoie, Richard Séguin, Vincent Vallières and many others. Don’t miss it! Thursday, February 25, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts.

Ian Kelly - With his second album, Speak Your Mind, new alt-folk darling Ian Kelly confirms his innate sense of melody. Straightforward, with sensitivity and intelligence, his songs reflect the preoccupations of a young man of 30: love, war, the environment… Onstage, the singer-songwriter unfurls his musical vision in a trio, supported by two wonderful musicians, Jon Day on keyboards and Mark Nelson on drums. Thursday, February 25, Club Soda.

Chloé Sainte-Marie, Nitshisseniten e tshissenitamin (Je sais que tu sais) - After singing the works of Gaston Miron, she now brings her voice to the songs of Philippe McKenzie, progenitor of the contemporary Innu-folk movement in the ’70s. She brings us an intimate performance in which voices and drums carry the language of a people who ask only that their history be understood and their identity restored. Saturday, February 27, Gesù - Centre de créativité.

Matt Herskowitz Trio - Matt Herskowitz (piano), David Rozenblatt (drums) and Mat Fieldes (bass) present an evening of Herskowitz’s original compositions, including Scenes from Jerusalem Trilogy (combining Jewish and Arab musical styles) and Polonaise Libanaise, as well as Herskowitz’s arrangement of the Prokofiev Etude in C Minor (op. 2 no. 3) and other original material presented in the pianist’s signature contemporary jazz/classical crossover style. Sunday, February 28, Segal Centre for Performing Arts.

Slim Williams and guests, Séances Lounge - Expect music worthy of the creator of the much-lauded Pulse of the Planet, a pillar of the Montreal soul scene who’s worked with The Spinners and The Temptations, who owns pop, soul, R&B, jazz and funk, and whose uplifting grooves and warm, spirited voice will have you moving to the Pulse before you know it… Thursday, February 18, Friday, February 19 and Saturday, February 20, Le Balcon.

Jeri Brown - Canadian diva Jerri Brown, a regular guest at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, has an adventurous spirit, superb musical sense, and a remarkable four-octave register. She and her musicians will present improvisational pieces, compositions and reinterpretations. Sunday, February 21 and Monday, February 22, Le Balcon.

Roman Zavada, Du cinéma muet au piano parlant - This young piano virtuoso is an artist of undeniable talent, who’s charmed and moved audiences from the Cinémathèque québécoise to the largest silent-film festival in the world (in Pordenone, Italy) with his real-time compositions. With Du cinéma muet au piano parlant, he juxtaposes his original musical narrations to the silent films of Charlie Chaplin. Tuesday, February 23 to Saturday, February 27, Le Balcon.

Dance, theatre and the circus arts

Petites Pièces de Poche by Séverine Lombardo of the Soeurs Schmutt company, and La physique by Anne Thériault - First, a performance presenting a mosaic of strange universes evoked by an in-depth study of the body and of light, plunging the viewer into a unique sensorial experience. Next, La physique: Science. Fiction. Two teams (the blondes and the brunettes) incorporate, and skewer, the laws of physics. Thursday, February 18 to Sunday, February 21, Tangente.

The 7 Fingers, Psy - Psy juxtaposes the darker facets of the human psyche with the stimulating and exalting language of the circus arts. It’s a hymn to beauty and humour that marries bodily acrobatics with those of the spirit and soul. While the members of Les 7 doigts took the stage in Loft and La vie, in Psy, (as in Traces), the collective turns the stage over to 11 other talented artists. Thursday, February 18 to Sunday, February 28 (except February 21 and 22), La TOHU.

The Mid-Life Crisis of Dionysus - An epic musical tragedy of Olympian proportions. Dionysus, the god of wine, women, and song, unexpectedly discovers that immortal life doesn’t mean eternal youth. An original musical from the creators of Johnny Canuck and the Last Burlesque. Thursday, February 18 to Saturday, February 27 (except February 21 and 22), Théâtre MainLine.

Bliss by Lise Vachon and CORPS.RELATIONS by Maria Kefirova - In her solo performance Bliss, Belgian dancer Lise Vachon is inspired by her reflections on the suspension of time. In the second part, CORPS.RELATIONS, she presents a piece in which the body-mind split is incarnated by a dancer and her (virtual) talking head. An absurd in-and-out-of-body experience. Thursday, February 25 to Sunday, February 28, Tangente.

Gina Gibney Dance, View Partially Obstructed - In its Canadian premiere: the latest piece by this New York artist who brought credibility to danse engagée and who has been lauded for her talent, sensibility and virtuosity. Performed by five dancers to original music composed by Ryan Lott. Thursday, February 25, Friday, February 26 and Saturday February 27, Agora de la danse.

Classical music

I Musici de Montréal, Double dose de plaisirs - Violinist Alexandre Da Costa and pianist Wonny Song, led by Jesús Amigo, conductor of Spain’s Extremadura Symphony Orchestra, renowned for his passion and undeniable intensity, present Double dose de plaisirs, a unique concert in which they will perform Mendelssohn’s rarely performed Concerto for Piano and Violin in D minor as well as works by two famed Portuguese composers, Eduardo Toldrá and Joly Braga Santos. Thursday, February 18, Salle Pollack, McGill University.

Daniel Taylor and Dame Emma Kirkby, Tilge, Höchster, meine Sünden by Johann Sebastian Bach and A Feather On The Breath Of God - The divine soprano voice of Dame Emma Kirkby joins Canada’s star countertenor Daniel Taylor for two unforgettable concerts: the first evening devoted to Psalm 51 from the Bach cantata Tilge, O höchster (after Pergolesi Stabat Mater), the second evening featuring the medieval works of Hildegard von Bingen, Symphonia Harmonie Celestium Revelationum, as well as compositions by Tallis and Palestrina. Friday, February 19 and Saturday, February 20, Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours.

Les Violons du Roy, Beau, bon… basson - Conducted by Bernard Labadie, four members of the Violons du Roy offer Beau, bon… basson, an extraordinary concert featuring uncommon instrumentation, and showcasing the long and curious wooden instrument of the title. On the program: concertos by Boismortier, Corette, Vivaldi, Telemann and Brescianello. Du beau bon! Saturday, February 20, Salle Pierre-Mercure.

The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, one of the most renowned and sought-after conductors in the world, brings his usual flair to conducting-for the first time in Montreal-the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. One of the most prestigious and highly-anticipated musical events of the season. On the program: the Concerto for Violin by Brahms, performed by Viktoria Mullova, Conciso by Theo Verbey and the Concerto for Orchestra by Bartok. Sunday, February 21, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts.

Nagano and Repin Play Brahms and Beethoven - In demand around the world, the prodigious Vadim Repin treats the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and its audience to a rare appearance in Quebec with Beethoven’s magisterial Violin Concerto, conducted by Kent Nagano. The OSM Musical Director also conducts Brahms’ First Symphony. Tuesday, February 23 and Wednesday, February 24, Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place des Arts.

Constantinople, El grito, el silencio - The Constantinople Ensemble invites us on a journey to the heart of flamenco with Constantinople virtuosi Kiya and Ziya Tabassian, on setar and Iranian percussion respectively, and Pierre Yves Martel, on viola da gamba. They will be accompanied by two guests from Seville, spirited singer Rosario La Tremendita, the current ambassadress of flamenco singing, and master guitarist Juan Requena. Friday, February 26, Salle Pierre-Mercure, Centre Pierre-Péladeau.

Art exhibition

Exposition Leonard Cohen Artworks - Leonard Cohen has filled sketchbooks since the outset of his career, tracing shapes and forms and giving life to a poet’s words. Until 2007, the great artist had never exhibited his drawings. Self-portraits annotated in his own hand, nudes and female portraits, and everyday objects invite the viewer to share an intimate moment with this extraordinary Montreal creative force whose words, timeless melodies and deep, warm voice have seduced audiences the world over for 40 years. The Galerie Lounge TD is honoured to present his sketches and drawings for the first time ever in Montreal. Free admission. February 18 to May 9, Galerie Lounge TD in the Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan.

Full details of the SAQ Wine and Dine Experience presented by Air France and the Sun Life Financial Performing Arts are available at montrealhighlights.com or by calling the HIGH LIGHTS Info Line (514 288-9955 or toll-free 1 888 477-9955). Details of the BMO Bank of Montreal Celebration of Light and the Nuit blanche à Montréal will be made public in early 2010. The 11th annual MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS Festival will run from February 18 to February 28. Don’t miss it!

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