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Preview: It’s off to the country with the Montreal International Music Competition

By Michael Vincent on August 8, 2014

CMIM
Montreal International Music Competition Summer Dinner-Concert Fundraiser. Dumham, Quebec.

One of the highlights of the classical music festival season in Quebec is the annual Montreal International Music Competition Dinner-Concert fundraiser. It’s held every summer in Dunham, Quebec, a small town located in the Eastern Townships, about an hour east from Montreal.

In keeping with tradition, the evening highlights the operatic arts, featuring top-calibre musical artists accompanied by a symphonic orchestra. It will be held at Ferme le Campanile, the private estate of MIMC president and co-founder André Bourbeau, which has proved to be an ideal location.

“It’s relaxed, beautiful, and certainly different as a concert venue,” states Christiane LeBlanc, Executive & Artistic Director of the MIMC.  “It is only an hour’s drive from Montreal.  And it has a very special welcoming factor […] And don’t worry, we will have gotten rid of all the pigeons and flies in the horse arena before guests arrive!”

L'Orchestre de la Francophonie, with Jean-Philippe Tremblay
L’Orchestre de la Francophonie, with Jean-Philippe Tremblay

This year marks the 21st anniversary for the high-profile event that benefits the MIMC Foundation. The gathering welcomes nearly 500 prominent business people, artists and politicians every year, with guest artists including Gianna Corbisiero (soprano), Eduardo Del Campo (baritone), Antonio Figueroa (tenor), Alexandre Da Costa (violin).

The Orchestre de la Francophonie will also be on hand, with conductor Jean-Philippe Tremblay, who has made the orchestra his own.

This year, the event will be based on Spain, which will be felt not only in the menu, but also in the music.

“It is kind of a tradition to have a theme each year. Some years we presented operas (Faust, Carmen).  Other years have been thematic:  Broadway musicals, Paris, Divas in Dunham, Vienna and this year Spain,” described Ms LeBlanc.

Tickets for the event start at $350, with proceeds going directly to the MIMC Foundation.

The dinner menu will follow the Spanish theme with gaspacho, tapas, sangria, paëlla and, above all, fiesta!

As with any large-scale classical music series or competition, organisers have had to rely more and more on fundraising to meet the bottom line. When compared to last year’s MIMC fundraising initiatives, things have become more difficult than, say 5 years ago.

This event is important not only for the funding it generates, but also as an opportunity to allow the long time supporters of the competition to gather as a community of music lovers.

According to Ms. LeBlanc, the MIMC added another benefit 7 years ago called “Vinum & Musica”, an auction of great wines with dinner and music, which is held in the fall, in Montreal. And 2 years ago, they also added a special “Prestige” concert, which has been very successful.

“So financially, I would say these 3 events make up for the fact that it has become more and more difficult to raise money for classical music and culture in general in the past couple of years,” states Ms. LeBlanc.

Upon reflection, she confessed, “I think it is very rare that an event of this kind can stand the test of time(20 years!!!) It means a lot of work for the Competition team, but we like to think of it as our yearly “CAMPING TRIP”!  It’s great for team building!”

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Dunham with a Spanish Twist! takes place this Saturday, August 9th, 2014. For tickets and further details see here.

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Michael Vincent

Michael Vincent
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