SPAC/ The Festival de Lanaudière Announce Unique Partnership for 2024 Mentorship Program

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Festival de Lanaudière and Saratoga Performing Arts Center have formed an unprecedented partnership for the 2024 edition of the mentorship program. 

Founded by the Festival de Lanaudière, the program now benefits from a collaboration that brings together two prestigious festivals from different countries, providing exceptional opportunities for emerging Canadian classical musicians.

Now in its third year, the Festival de Lanaudière’s mentorship program, taking place from July 25 to Aug. 4, allows six promising Canadian classical musicians to forge professional relationships with acclaimed artists, solidifying their paths to international recognition. 

This year’s participants will spend six days in Joliette, Quebec, followed by four days in Saratoga Springs, coinciding with The Philadelphia Orchestra’s annual residency at SPAC. 

The participants will benefit from in-depth exchanges with conductors, soloists, and musicians from The Philadelphia Orchestra, along with other notable figures in the classical music world at both festivals. In addition, they will engage in workshops, attend rehearsals and concerts, and receive one-on-one coaching, all aimed at developing essential career management tools.

“We are very excited to be collaborating with our wonderful colleagues at Festival de Lanaudière, continuing our work to build bridges across the border,” SPAC President & CEO Elizabeth Sobol said in a statement. “SPAC has always been home to many of the greatest performing artists in the world. Our participation in the project gives us an opportunity to nurture the next generation.”

The 2024 Mentees: Mehdi Ghazi, pianist; Frédéric-Alexandre Michaud, conductor, violinist and radio cultural commentator; Elizabeth Polese, soprano; Antoine Rivard-Landry, pianist; Catherine St-Arnaud, soprano; Gabriel Trottier, solo, chamber and orchestral horn player. 

Founded in 1978, today the Festival de Lanaudière is one of North America’s leading classical music festivals. It takes place at the Amphithéâtre Fernand-Lindsay as well as in churches and agrotourism sites in the Lanaudière Region.