Highlights of Handel’s Giulio Cesare.

Soloistes: Magali Simard-Galdes, Ilana Starr, Simone McIntosh, Ian Sabourin, Rose Naggar-Tremblay, Jean-Philippe McClish 

Matthias Maute

Ensemble Caprice

CONCERT PRESENTED BY:

J.J. Cardinal Funeral Home Lachine

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7:15pm : Introductory talk by Richard Turp.

7:30pm: Concert

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Musicians

Giulio Cesare (Julius Caesar) – Mezzo-soprano
Ilanna Starr

Cornelia, Pompey’s widow – Contralto
Rose Naggar Tremblay

Sesto (Sextus), her stepson – Mezzo-soprano
Simone McIntosh

Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt – Soprano
Magali Simard-Galdès

Tolomeo, her brother, King of Egypt – Countertenor
Ian Sabourin

Achilla, General of Ptolemy – Bass
Jean-Philippe McClish

Ensemble Caprice
Conducted by Matthias Maute

1st Violin:
Tanya Laperrière
Simon Alexandre
Sallynee Amawat

2nd Violin:
Lucie Ringuette
Natalie Cadotte

Viola:
Pemi Paull

Cello:
Jean-Christophe Lizotte

Double Bass:
Reuven Rothman

Horn:
Simon Poirier

Flute:
Sophie Larivière

Oboe:
Joel Verkaik

Harpsichord:
Christophe Gauthier

Synopsis

Cesare, in pursuit of his enemy Pompeo, follows him to Egypt. Pompeo’s wife Cornelia pleads with Cesare to spare her husband. He is about to grant her plea when the Egyptians, led by their young king Tolomeo, bring him Pompeo’s severed head. Cornelia and her son Sesto vow to avenge his death. Tolomeo’s sister Cleopatra seeks to depose her brother and become sole ruler of Egypt. She joins Cornelia and Sesto’s plan and asks Cesare for help. Seduced by her charms, Cesare falls in love with Cleopatra. Her brother attempts to assassinate him, but Cesare escapes. Cleopatra learns he has drowned. She is captured. Cesare, alive, returns to rescue her. Tolomeo is killed by Sesto for assaulting Cornelia. Cesare makes Cleopatra Queen of Egypt and returns to Rome.

Musical Excerpts

Voici le texte avec tout le français supprimé, ne gardant que l’anglais :

Musical Excerpts

Sinfonia
Aria (Cesare) – Empio, dirò, tu sei, togliti
Cesare condemns Tolomeo for his tyranny in beheading Cesare’s military rival.

Cornelia – Priva son d’ogni conforto
Cornelia having lost her son Pompeo pleads for death rather than lie with such an unbearable pain and loss.

Aria (Sesto) – Svegliatevi nel core, furie d’un alma offesa
Sesto tries to reassure his mother Cornelia that he will avenge the death of his father, Pompeo, who was assassinated by the Egyptians, instructed by Tolomeo to demonstrate the Egyptians’ loyalty to Giulio Cesare.

Aria (Tolomeo) – L’empio, sleale, indegno
Tolomeo swears to kill Cesare to protect his rule of the kingdom of Egypt.

Aria (Cornelia) – Nel tuo seno, amico sasso
Cornelia continues to mourn the loss of her husband at the hands of Tolomeo.

Aria (Sesto) – Cara speme, questo core tu cominci a lusingar
Sesto has sworn to avenge his father’s (Pompeo) death but accompanies his mother (Cornelia) and César to the Egyptian palace to meet Tolomeo. Sesto sings of his hope for peace and reconciliation.

Aria (Cesare) – Va tacito e nascosto
Meanwhile Caesar, at Tolomeo’s palace in Alexandria, compares himself to a stealthy hunter carefully tracking his prey; the prey in this case is Tolomeo, king of Egypt, who has just given Caesar a cool reception and whom Caesar views with suspicion.

Aria (Achilla) – Tu sei il cor di questo core
Though Tolomeo is fascinated by Cornelia’s beauty he has promised Achilla that he could have her. Achilla is overjoyed at the prospect.

Duet (Cornelia & Sesto) – Son nata a lagrimar
Cornelia having rejected Achilla, he orders that she and Sesto be arrested. In this poignant duet between Cornelia and Sesto, they speak of dignity among the utter despair of their situation.

Sinfonia – Atto secondo

Aria (Cleopatra) – V’adoro pupille
Cleopatra is attempting to seduce Julius Caesar. She sings the praises of Cupid’s darts and uses her beauty and charms to captivate and seduce Caesar into falling in love with her. Once achieved, she knows that he can help her overthrow her brother Tolomeo and ascend to the throne.

Aria (Tolomeo) – Sì spietata, il tuo rigore sveglia
After being rejected by Cornelia, Tolomeo sings of his jealous fury at the rejection of his amorous desires.

Aria (Sesto) – L’angue offeso mai riposa
In this great aria, Sesto compares himself to the venom of a snake’s bite and enters the garden of the palace, wishing to slay Tolomeo for killing his father.

Aria (Cesare) – Al lampo dell’armi
Cesare learns that he has been betrayed, and that his enemies are approaching his chambers and chanting “Death to Cesare”. However, in a fabulous aria di furia, Cesare decides to stay and fight.

Entracte

Aria (Cleopatra) – Se pietà di me non senti
Cleopatra, having fallen in love with Cesare, begs the gods to bless and protect him. If they cannot she will accept death.

Sinfonia – Atto terzo

Aria (Achilla) – In tal modo… Dal fulgor di questa spada
Furious at Tolomeo for being ungrateful to him despite his loyalty, Achilla plans to defect to Cleopatra’s side, but Tolomeo stabs him before he does.

Aria (Cleopatra) – Piangerò la sorte mia
Piangero la mia sorte is a lamentation that reflects Cleopatra’s deep sorrow over the misfortunes that have befallen her. She believes her lover Cesare to be dead and mourns the loss of status and power, asking how she could lose everything in a single day.

Aria (Cesare) – Quel torrente, che cade dal monte
But Cesare is not dead and he appears and promises that he will either save both Cornelia and Cleopatra or die doing so.

Aria (Sesto) – La giustizia ha già sull’arco
With Cesare alive and Achilla dead, Sesto’s spirits lift, and he vows to fight on.

Aria (Cleopatra) – Da tempeste il legno infranto
In this legendary aria di comparizione, Cleopatra compares a tempest-tossed ship that reaches port to her spirits and hopes that are revived by seeing Cesare reach her safe and sound.

Duet (Cleopatra, Cesare) – Caro! – Bella!
Sesto having killed Tolomeo, Cesare proclaims Cleopatra to be queen of Egypt. They declare their love for each other in a beautiful duet.

Chorus – Ritorni omai nel nostro core
For the final chorus, the entire cast gathers on stage to celebrate the power of love and the triumph of good over evil.

BIOGRAPHIES

Ian Sabourin 

Canadian countertenor Ian Sabourin is quickly emerging as one of the leading voices in early music. With a powerful and captivating voice, he has performed with renowned ensembles such as Orchestre Classique de Montréal, Ensemble Caprice, and Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal. Ian’s recent roles include Ottone in L’incoronazione di Poppea at Opéra de Montréal and David in Handel’s Saul with Caelis Academy Ensemble.

Ian has earned recognition through awards like the Stingray Rising Star Award and Discovery of the Year – Vocalist from Mécenat Musica, with the support of these honors propelling his career. He is currently continuing his training at Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier Lyrique and studying with renowned teachers Lena Hellström-Färnlöf and Laura Brooks Rice. Fluent in both English and French, Ian is committed to making the countertenor voice more accessible to wider audiences and is poised for an exciting future.

Ilanna Starr

Praised for her “formidable aplomb” (Le Devoir) and “lovely mezzo voice” (Berkshire Fine Arts), Canadian-American mezzo-soprano Ilanna Starr has just completed a two-year artist residency with the Atelier lyrique of l’Opéra de Montréal (OdM). She is currently a vocal fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center where among many highlights this summer, she makes her debut as the title role in L’enfant et les sortilèges. Role highlights of recent seasons include her mainstage debut with OdM as Flora Bervoix (La traviata), Sesto (La clemenza di Tito) under the direction of Stephen Lawless, the Baker’s Wife (Into the Woods) with Opera North, Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, Mercédès (Carmen) with l’Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, and Nerone (L’incoronazione di Poppea) with OdM and Orchestre de l’Agora. Since becoming a regional finalist and two-time award winner at the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition at the start of last year, Ilanna has gone on to become a semifinalist in the 2024 Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition and has been awarded prizes in competitions held by the National Opera Association, Nuits Lyriques de Marmande, and the National Society of Arts & Letters, among many others. A three-time laureate of the Jeunes Ambassadeurs Lyriques, she has received support from Théâtre Lyrichorégra and Jeunesses Musicales Canada. Passionate about exploring diverse human experiences through song, she has curated and performed recital programs centered on women’s voices, domestic violence, and Jewish resilience during the Holocaust and beyond. She has trained at SongFest and Chautauqua, and holds degrees from Vanderbilt, Northwestern, and McGill. A lover of dogs, yoga, and Baroque rage arias, Ilanna digs singing from her heart and laughing from her belly (and vice versa).

Jean Philippe McClish

Jean-Philippe Mc Clish is a bass from Quebec City, praised for his “superb warm, full, deep, powerful, and impressive voice” (Ludwig Van). His talent has led him to perform with a wide range of companies, including Theater Orchester Biel Solothurn, Theater Winterthur, Opéra de Montréal, Edmonton Opera, Regensburg Opera, Orchestre Métropolitain, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, Kingston Symphony, Toronto Summer Festival, Verbier Festival, and Opera Palazzo. He is also set to appear soon with Opéra de Québec and Palazzetto Bru Zane. In 2025, Jean-Philippe will take on the roles of Achilla (Giulio Cesare), Colline (La Bohème), Zuniga (Carmen), Alidoro (La Cenerentola), and Sparafucile (Rigoletto).

During the 2023–2024 season, he performed as Frère Laurent (Roméo et Juliette), Orbazzano (Tancredi), Die Mutter (Die sieben Todsünden), Zuniga (Carmen), Nourabad (Les Pêcheurs de perles), and Dr. Grenvil (La Traviata), in addition to giving several recitals. His past roles also include Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro), Don Alfonso (Così fan tutte), Il Re (Ariodante), Kékszakállú (Bluebeard’s Castle), Raimondo (Lucia di Lammermoor), and Garibaldo (Rodelinda). His accolades include the Art Song Foundation Award, the Jacqueline Desmarais Award, and a prize-winner in the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières Competition. Jean-Philippe was a studio member of the Atelier lyrique at Opéra de Montréal from 2019 to 2021. He holds both a Master’s degree and an Artist Diploma from the McGill Schulich School of Music and a Bachelor’s degree from the Conservatoire de musique et d’arts dramatiques de Quebec.

Magalie SImard-Galdes

Soprano Magali Simard-Galdes is distinguished by her clear, brilliant and crystalline voice. As the years go by, her vocal uniqueness is defined, expressed and appreciated. Her varied repertoire, from baroque to contemporary music, bears witness to her great musicality. As a performer, Magali stands out for the uniqueness of her stage personality and her in-person charisma. ​ On the operatic stage, she has performed the roles of Agnès (Written on skin), Musetta (La Bohème), Tytania (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Gilda (Rigoletto), Roxane (Cyrano), Constance (Dialogues des carmélites), Sophie (Werther) and Nicette (Le pré aux clercs). She also has appeared with Vancouver Opera, Oper Köln, Opéra de Montréal, and Wexford Festival Opera, among others.

She returns to l’Opéra de Montréal as Micaëla (Carmen) in the 2025-2026 season. ​ In concert, in recent years, the soprano has sung with Le Cercle de l’Harmonie, Orchestre national de Lille, Arion Orchestre baroque, Violons du Roy, Orchestre métropolitain, Orchestre symphonique de Québec, Orchestre classique de Montréal, National Arts Center Orchestra, Houston Symphony and l’Atelier lyrique de Tourcoing. ​ Since the fall of 2022, this committed woman has also been making her voice heard as an environmental columnist on Radio-Canada’s ICI première. She holds a master’s degree in sustainability management from HEC Montréal.

Rose Naggar Tremblay

Noted for depth of tone, vocal equality, mastery of breathing and emotion in singing * (Le Devoir), Rose Naggar-Tremblay began her musical training with piano and choral singing, then began her classical music singing training at the age of 12. She continued her studies at McGill University where she obtained a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance, with a minor in European literature and culture. Since 2020, she has been studying under the tutelage of Lena Hellström-Färnlöf (director of the Academy of Music and Opera at Mälardalen University). During her time as artist in residence at the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal from 2017 to 2020, we heard Rose Naggar-Tremblay among others in Svadba and Twenty- Seven. In 2021, she made a notable debut at the Sofia Opera in the role of Carmen, then won First Prize at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition, First Prize at the Georges Enesco Paris Competition, the Jeune Espoir Lyrique Canadien scholarship, and the Prize for best interpretation of a Canadian work in the MSO competition with the Healing, a cycle which she composed in collaboration with Éric Champagne. In 2022, she was named Radio-Canada Revelation in classical music 2022-2023, won Second Prize at the Prix d’Europe 2022 and was awarded the prestigious Fernand Lindsay career scholarship.

In March 2022, she also participated in the launch of the opera album based on the life and texts of Jack Kerouac, La nuit est ma femme, in which she played the role of Gabrielle. An accomplished musician, she frequently puts her voice at the service of chamber music, participating in numerous concerts and recitals. She recently sang as a soloist in Elgar’s Sea Pictures, Palmeri’s Magnificat, Handel’s Messiah, Vivaldi’s Dixit Dominus, the Mozart and Duruflé Requiems as well as numerous Bach Cantatas. (Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Mountain Choir, Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir of Music Lovers, I Musici and Choir of the Orchestre Métropolitain). In 2023, she made her debut at the Opéra de Metz and Reims in the role of the Second Spirit (Rusalka) and at the Bayerische Staatsoper in the role of the Innkeeper (Boris Godounov), as well as reprising the role of Carmen at the Edmonton Opera. She also produced her first mini album of original songs, a cross between French chanson and chamber music, entitled Je me souviens à toi. In 2024, she will perform La Voix d’en haut (La femme sans ombre) at the Capitole de Toulouse and Erda (Das Rheingold) at the Erfurt Theatre. In 2025 she will return to the Capitole de Toulouse as Cornelia in Giulio Cesare and will make her debut at La Scala in Milan and at the Théâtre des Champs Élysées, performing Farnace in a concert version of Mozart’s Mitridate.

Simone McIntosh

Canadian mezzo-soprano, Simone McIntosh, is a versatile singer with a passion for music, varying from baroque to contemporary with a specialty in agile coloratura singing. McIntosh represented Canada at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2023 and won a finalist spot in their respective art song competition. In other major competitions, McIntosh became the first prize laureate for the Concours Musical International de Montréal – Aria Division 2022, second prize winner and best mezzo-soprano of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg 2022 and the 2022 recipient for the Igor Gorin Memorial Award. Earlier accolades include becoming the Second Prize Winner for the Concours OSM, recipient of the Manetti-Sherem Vocal Prize, and winner of the Wirth Vocal Prize and COC Ensemble Studio Competition McIntosh has performed on the main stage of opera houses across Europe and North America including San Francisco Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Opernhaus Zürich, and Oper am Rhein.

Due to her agility and upper extension, McIntosh feels particularly at home in bel canto repertoire in roles such as Angelina in La Cenerentola (Vancouver Opera), Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia (Scottish Opera), and Anna in Maometto Secondo (Teatro Nuovo), and debuting in the 24/25 season as Romeo in I Capuleti e I Montecchi (Staatsoper Hannover). Other significant roles in McIntosh’s recent performance repertoire include Hänsel in Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel (Oper am Rhein), Arsamene in Handel’s Serse (Opernhaus Zürich), Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni (Canadian Opera Company), and Proserpina/La Speranza in Monteverdi’s Orfeo (Opernhaus Zürich). In her recital work, McIntosh has performed recitals with Music in the Morning, Richard Bradshaw Free Concert Series, Schwabacher Recital Series, Toronto Summer Music Festival and Songfest. Notable recital and chamber works include Messiaen’s Harawi,which she performed at the Lachine Music Festival in 2023, Respighi’s Il tramonto, and Motetti di Montale by John Harbison. McIntosh is a graduate of the International Opera Studio at Opernhaus Zürich, the Adler Fellowship Program with San Francisco Opera and the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio. McIntosh graduated from McGill Schulich School of Music with an MMus, and a BMus from the University of British Columbia in her hometown, Vancouver.

Matthias Maute
Conductor, Choir Director, Composer, Flutist
Two-time JUNO Award Winner
Opus Award – Artistic Director of the Year

A two-time JUNO Award winner and recipient of the Opus Award for Artistic Director of the Year, Matthias Maute is internationally recognized as a conductor, composer, and soloist on both the recorder and the flute. He is the artistic director of Ensemble Caprice, Ensemble ArtChoral, and the Bach Society of Minnesota, as well as the co-artistic director of the Montreal Baroque Festival.

A regular guest at major international festivals, Matthias Maute is celebrated for his bold and innovative artistic vision. The New York Times described Ensemble Caprice, the Montreal-based orchestra he directs, as a “group that encourages the listener to hear the world anew.”

With over twenty recordings on the ATMA Classique and Analekta labels, Matthias Maute has also established himself as a prolific composer. His works are published by Breitkopf & Härtel, Amadeus, Moeck, and Carus.

In 2020, he launched the Mini-Concerts Santé et Diversité initiative, delivering 17,000 Mini-Concerts Santé to 130,000 people in hundreds of communities. Matthias is also the founder of ClassiqueInclusif, a project dedicated to promoting inclusion and diversity within the world of classical music.

Ensemble Caprice

“Ensemble Caprice has established itself as an immensely thoughtful and progressive force on the musical scene.” — The New York Times

Ensemble Caprice, founded by conductor, composer, and soloist Matthias Maute, is a two-time JUNO Award winner and the recipient of six Opus Awards, including the Opus Award for Artistic Director of the Year and Musical Event of the Year 2020 for its Mini-Concerts Santé. 20 000 Mini-Concerts Santé have reached over 160,000 people in 400 regions, towns, and neighborhoods across Quebec.

In addition to its concert series in Montreal and Quebec City, the Ensemble tours extensively in Canada, the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia. It has performed at prestigious festivals, including those in London, Shanghai, Bruges, Utrecht, Tel Aviv, and South Africa. The New York Times has praised Ensemble Caprice for its “imaginative, powerful, and top-level interpretations.”

The Ensemble’s discography includes over twenty CDs, earning multiple accolades, including two JUNO Awards, a nomination for the Echo Klassik Award in Germany, and high praise from Gramophone magazine.

On the digital stage, Ensemble Caprice has achieved global recognition, with its videos reaching audiences in over 170 countries via the Mécénat Musica classical music channel. In recent years, the Ensemble has presented more than 100 concerts across 8 countries on 4 continents, including performances at multiple major festivals and several tours in Asia, Latin America, and Africa.

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