Stay in tune this november!

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This November, four distinctive Montreal music festivals will take place online, bringing great music to your living room when it’s needed most. Pump up the volume for some up-and-coming francophone artists, world music, classical and the leading lights of the Montreal scene!

Montreal’s Arab flavours

The Arab World Festival of Montreal presents a fusion-inflected vision of North African and Middle Eastern music. For example, there’s Dérives celto-berbères on November 22, melding traditional Québécois sounds with Moroccan kaada. Then there’s the great Algerian diva Nada Al Raihane, teaming up with flamenco band Triana, or, closing the fest on November 29, Arabic standards interpreted in the unique styles of Montrealers Nidal Ibourk and Wissam Amar.

Arab World Festival of Montreal
November 12 to 29

Showcasing our finest

M pour Montréal has a simple mission: shining a spotlight on underexposed Montreal artists. This year, the festival’s approach includes a showcase inspired by the old Ed Sullivan Show, with Alex Nicol, Edwin Raphael, Flore Laurentienne, Janette King, Paul Jacobs and more. It’s a chance to see and hear our local scene’s rising stars with some cool vintage trappings. Other highlights include a show by the iconoclastic Mac de Marco, who just released two demos that give us a new appreciation for his most recent album, Here Comes The Cowboy. Mac always goes his own way!

M pour Montréal
November 18 to 20

Timeless Bach

Sometimes, the apparent simplicity of a J.S. Bach composition belies the dazzling complexity of its arpeggios. In other cases, it’s all about the rhythmic variation and ornamentation of sublime, awe-inspiring music. Either way, the great composer always struck a delicate balance between counter-melody and harmony. Every facet of Bach’s remarkable talent continues to inspire music lovers, and each year Montreal is privileged to have an entire festival dedicated to his work and legacy. This year’s event will be streamed online, with acclaimed artists like conductor Nicolas Ellis, pianist Anna Saradjian and the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal giving performances that bring the great composer’s works to life.

Montreal Bach Festival
November 19 to December 6

The world in your home

Mundial Montréal is a “festival market” where world-music luminaries meet industry professionals and the public. They’re all there for two days of music, this year as a virtual event highlighting the dynamism of the local and international world-music scenes. The approach is effective and enjoyable: each artist is profiled through an interview with an industry expert. Among others, you’ll meet Elkin Robinson and his reinvention of Caribbean folklore, the French duo Bab L' Bluz and their singular approach to guitar, inspired by Moroccan Gnawa. Bonus: the festival opens with a panel celebrating the late Lhasa de Sela, who passed away ten years ago.

Mundial Montreal
November 23 and 24