“An experience for all the senses!”
“An impressive, inspired and so inspiring choir !”
“Extraordinary sound! And what mastery!”
“An amazing evening. I went through a whole range of emotions!”
“I'll remember this concert for its outstanding musicality. It was bold, inspiring...”
“Quality, poise and beautiful performance...”
The ensemble's mission is simple yet daring: to present a distinguished and eclectic repertoire to an audience eager to be surprised and enthralled!
The ensemble was founded by organist, choral conductor and composer Patrick Wedd and performed for the very first time in November 1992.
Musica Orbium loves a challenge, and from the Renaissance to jazz, the ensemble has travelled a wide variety of musical eras and genres since its first day. The choir has performed no fewer than 400 works from a wide variety of cultures and genres in concerts held twice a year in the Montreal region.
Whether alone, in a cappella repertoire or in collaboration with other ensembles and soloists, Musica Orbium is committed to sharing its passion and desire to excel in music with as broad a community of music lovers as possible.
Today, under the direction of Roseline Blain, outstanding choral conductor and artistic director, Musica Orbium continues to passionately explore and deliver well-known as well as lesser-known gems from the vast repertoire of choral music.
Artistic director, choral conductor, pianist, coach and broadcaster
Active on the music scene for over 25 years, Roseline Blain is a versatile artist who is sensitive to the world around her. Creating, sharing, collaborating and pooling resources are intrinsic to her way of being and conceiving artistic projects.
A lifelong lover of the stage, over the years she has explored different artistic disciplines (theater, dance, stage direction, oral and written communication, interpretation and artistic direction) to create projects that reflect her own image. Guided by in-depth research, her performances and speeches are authentic and embodied, appealing to the audience's sensibility and enhancing the artistic and human experience.
For Roseline Blain, every work must be treated with depth and commitment, in a constant quest to place it in its historical and stylistic context, while respecting the composer's intention. This rigor, at the heart of her work as interpreter and choral conductor, means that she places the meaning of the text and the "natural music" of the language at the heart of the musical treatment.
While respecting the heritage of the past, like the foundations of an ever-evolving artistic present and future, her approach is in keeping with modernity. For several years now, she has been promoting live music and addressing the issue of female leadership in the arts. She proudly proclaims her status as a woman and mother, a status that is constantly reflected in her work.
Trained as a pianist and choral conductor, Ms. Blain is a graduate of the Université de Sherbrooke and the University of Ottawa. In 2024, she will be guest conductor of the National Youth Choir of Canada. Her enthusiasm and boundless energy led her to found four choirs between 2012 and 2014, three of which she still directs: the Chœur du Plateau, Ensemble Gaïa and Ensemble Phoebus, in addition to directing the Chœur du musée d'art de Joliette and Ensemble Musica Orbium.
In recent years, she has been guest conductor at the Domaine Forget choral singing workshop, held the position of head of the Master's program in choral conducting and of the Université de Sherbrooke's Summer School of Choral Singing during Robert Ingari's sabbatical, and was co-president of PODIUM 2020.
Several ensembles and organizations have called on her leadership skills, including the Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal, with whom she has conducted a dozen concerts in Europe, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Orchestre de l'Agora, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique des jeunes de Montréal, the Orchestre de la Francophonie, the Orchestre philharmonique des musiciens de Montréal, CAMMAC and the Père Lindsay music camp.
Her talents as a communicator have led her to speak about music on Radio-Canada, CIBL and Radio Ville-Marie, where she has worked as a columnist, host, producer and researcher, as well as a lecturer for the Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke. A passionate educator, she regularly coaches up-and-coming musicians.
Her work as a choral conductor has been rewarded on numerous occasions, including the nomination of the Chœur du Plateau as Chœur fleuron ambassadeur, the highest distinction awarded by the Quebec Choral Alliance.
We're recruiting !
We are looking for new, experienced choristers, particularly in the tenor and bass sections.
Musica Orbium and its artistic director Roseline Blain would like to hear from choristers interested in discovering a varied repertoire, who have a good voice, good reading and good choral experience.
Musica Orbium rehearsals take place on Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at:
Conseil des Arts de Montréal
1210 Sherbrooke Street East
(Opposite Parc Lafontaine - Beaudry or Sherbrooke Beaudry or Sherbrooke metro stations)
Next auditions: Saturday, September 7 (after rehearsal)
Musica Orbium is comprised of some forty gifted amateur singers. Each member has a sound vocal technique and is eager to be challenged within the ensemble. Choristers are required to pass an audition attesting to competent sight-reading. They must also be able to take ownership of their score independently, so as to be able to tackle interpretation and musicality from the very first rehearsal.
Aiming for excellence, perfecting your skills, surpassing your limits, assimilating powerful or rare works, experiencing the fulfillment and unique human experience of choral singing - does this sound like something you'd like to do?
Musica Orbium celebrated its 30th anniversary over the course of the 2022-2023 season. The Fall concert was devoted to a repertoire of works dedicated to Sainte-Cécile, patron saint of musicians and a great inspiration to choirmaster Roseline Blain. This included Charles Gounod's Messe solennelle de Sainte-Cécile, a sober yet luminous work rarely performed.
In the spring of 2023, Musica Orbium treated its audience to a concert of South American music, with the Misa Criolla (Creole Mass) by Argentinian composer Ariel Ramirez as its centerpiece, a vibrant, warm and rhythmic work drawn from folklore and sung in Spanish. On the stage of the Saint-Pierre-Apôtre church, under dazzling lighting, the ensemble was accompanied by a group of musicians and percussionists of South American origin, as well as the dazzling tenor Antonio Figueroa. Selected pieces from the Andean folk vocal repertoire rounded off the 30th anniversary celebrations in a lively, festive atmosphere..
While recognized especially for its a cappella repertoire, the choir also performs with various instrumental ensembles, such as Ensemble Caprice. Past collaborations with them include J.S. Bach’s exquisite Mass in B Minor , which garnered the recognition of the Conseil des arts de Montréal, Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and Handel's grandiose Coronation Anthems .
Audiences who attend a Musica Orbium concert are always in for a treat. In 2016, the choir mesmerized the public in two sold-out performances of
Tallis’s
Spem in alium and
Striggio’s
Ecce beatam lucem , in which listeners were invited to leave their seats and circulate among the singers. In Spring 2018, the ensemble celebrated its 25th anniversary by offering Montreal two thrilling performances of
J.S. Bach’s intensely dramatic
St Matthew Passion , as it had never been seen before in this city: with two organs, two complete choirs with soloists and two orchestras divided at either end of the church, as per the first performance of this masterwork in 1736, in the Thomaskirche in Lieipzig.
From the quality of execution to the chance to hear all-too-infrequently performed jewels of the choral repertoire, Musica Orbium’s concerts offer audiences rare and memorable emotional moments that bring heaven a little closer to Earth.
The choir benefits from the support of the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and the Conseil des arts de Montréal.
Excerpts from the 30th anniversary concert
St-Pierre-Apôtre Church, Montreal
Saturday, April 22, 2023
under the direction of Roseline Blain
with
Antonio Figueroa, tenor
Sebastian Vertugo, piano
Ruben Espada, Andean flute
Hugo Larenas, guitar
Luis Lopez, percussions
Sébastien Pellerin, contrabass
Tulio Velazco, charango
and Musica Orbium Ensemble
Anonymous Cuzco : Hanac pachap
Claudia Bertounesque Tu entames le chant*
Ariel Ramirez Misa Criolla
and 6 South American folk songs, sung in Spanish or in the original dialect
* Work specially commissioned by Musica Orbium
Ramirez, A., Misa Criolla: Kyrie
Ramirez, A., Misa Criolla: Gloria
Ramirez, A., Misa Criolla: Gloria
(Carnavelito-Yaravi)
Ramirez, A., Misa Criolla: Sanctus
Anonyme, Del Prado Vengo (Huaynito)
Anonyme, Doña Ubensa (Huayno)
Arr.: Liliana Cangiano
Adaptation: Roseline Blain
Ramirez, A., 1969, Alfonsina y el mar
poem written by Felix Luna
Cazenave, Delia Te fuiste una tarde
Arr.: Roberto Catarineu
Roseline Blain, Artistic Director
Antonio Figueroa, Tenor
Sebastian Vertugo: Piano
Ruben Espada: Andes flute
Hugo Larenas: Guitar
Luis Lopez: Percussions
Sébastien Pellerin: Contrebasse
Tulio Velazco: Charango
Program:
Anonyme, Cuzco : Hanac pachap
Claudia Bertounesque, Tu entames le chant
Ariel Ramirez, Misa Criolla
and 6 South American folk songs, all sung in Spanish or the original dialect
St. Peter The Apostle Catholic Church
Montreal
Saturday, April 22, 2023
Louis Langelier, President
Lise Rochette
, Vice-president
Sylvain Labonté, Treasurer
Michelle Alie, Director
Christian Barrette, Director
François Bertrand, Director