An outstanding program awaits music lovers at the Festival International Hautes-Laurentides (FIHL) from July 5 to August 5. Some 17 concerts – including seven that are free of charge – will bring together a wide range of musical styles in the halls and on the outdoor stages of the Laurentians.

From classical to jazz by way of world music, country, opera, electro-pop and Columbian rap: that’s what’s playing at this unique Festival which this year celebrates its 20th birthday. This particular artistic turn is part of the revisited mission of the Festival following its name change last year. (It was formerly the Festival classique des Hautes-Laurentides.) “Classical music can sometimes be a bit elitist. Our role is to democratize it,” says internationally renowned musician and artistic director of the FIHL, Alexandre Da Costa. This virtuoso musician, a huge fan of Éric Lapointe, is proud to offer other types of music and to make “high voltage” concerts accessible to the general public.

The program, derived from his personal favourites, will feature internationally-known artists, including the Vienna Piano Trio and the famous Utrecht String Quartet, as well as major Quebec talents including Bruno Pelletier, Irvin Blais and the Orchestre symphonique de Laval. Alexandre Da Costa will himself give several concerts, as well as coming onstage with his Stradivarius for duets with singers and musicians from various musical genres. Several concerts will be preceded by an informal talk with personalities from the world of the arts. “It cuts the barrier between the stage and hall, as well as giving people moments of pure magic,” says the artistic director.

17 concerts in 19 municipalities

The kick-off will take place in the Mont-Tremblant Village Church Playhouse on July 5 at 7:30 p.m., with a classically-flavoured concert from Alexandre Da Costa and Denis Brott. The Festival will move next to the Vallée de la Rouge from July 12 to 15, where festival-goers will be able, most notably, to hear a marriage of baroque classical music and electro-pop with the Stradivari Sinfonia ensemble and Alexandre Da Costa. From July 19 to 22, the Vallée de la Diable will sway to the sounds of the Taurey Butler Jazz Trio and the classical Utrecht String Quartet, in addition to hearing singer Bruno Pelletier. The Vallée de la Lièvre will welcome, on August 2, composer-interpreter Irvin Blais, from the Gaspé. The next day, the Orchestre Symphonique de Laval, Alain Trudel and pianist Jean-Philippe Sylvestre will perform at the Espace Théâtre in Mont-Laurier.

Free concerts throughout the region

Both seasoned fans and newbies be able to enjoy the seven free shows that are sometimes presented in a hall, sometimes outdoors…such as the absolute must, the Domaine Saint-Bernard outdoor free concert on July 21, which this year features the male vocal quartet Quartom. The municipalities of Val-David, Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carre, Labelle, Lac-Saguay, Rivière-Rouge and Notre-Dame-de-Pontmain will also host free concerts by great artists from here and elsewhere such as Sonido Pesao, Thom Polychuck, Jean-Philippe Sylvestre and the father-daughter duet Éric and Éléonore Lagacé.

New for this 20th season: three gala concerts will be presented in Montreal, thus taking the Festival beyond the Laurentians. “A strategy that could prove beneficial to the artistic and financial success of the Festival,” says Alexandre Da Costa, who would like to take the event even further afield in coming years. The record attendance last year shows the evolution of the Festival and the solid reasoning behind opening it to other musical styles…although classical will always be an integral part of its DNA.

For the full program and to obtain tickets: concertshautes-laurentides.com