Each year since 2006, Montreal hosts an aria and Lieder concert series which sees several opera directors from Europe sit on an “International Selection Committee” in order to listen to up-and-coming young opera singers from Canada and possibly offer them the chance to sing in their upcoming opera productions, or to take part in master classes or traineeships in Europe.
Théâtre Lyrichorégra oranizes for several European opera directors to come to Montreal, some of them from Bavaria, to sit on the Selection Committee during the week’s concerts. Their presence involves intensive work with the young singers, from solo repetitions to duo or trio work. This enables them to gain valuable insight into the capacities of the young singers who have been auditioned by Théâtre Lyrichorégra during the previous year.
The young artists experience the hard work required over a short period of time that is usual for opera productions. They will work on various repertoire pieces, which gives the opera directors the opportunity to appreciate them in various musical styles. The week is dotted with public, free-admission concerts where the Montreal audience can come and discover the talents of tomorrow.
The Bavarian State Chancellery supports yearly one Bavarian singer who will travel to Montreal to take part in this intensive training week. The Quebec Ministry of International Relations also supports this program by offering a “Québec-Bavière grant”, which will enable a young singer from Quebec to travel to Bavaria to take part in auditions or traineeships.