A GENUINE CULTURAL MOSAIC!

The Sun Life Financial Performing Arts program outdoes itself every year, so welcome a 9^th anniversary that tops them all! Start with a dance program that proves the MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS Festival is still in love with the most elemental of arts! First, flamenco warms our winter with opening- and closing-night events, featuring the great European dance diva, the divine Eva Yerbabuena, our honorary co-president, and the uber-modern choreography of FLAMENCOntemporain. Then in another register — and in world premieres! — we welcome two of the grandest women on the international dance scene, Toronto’s Peggy Baker, and Montréal’s Margie Gillis, also honorary co-president.

For all our listening pleasure, this 9^th edition has taken the best from every artistic style we could think of: starting with a rockin’ Hawksley Workman and the reggae sound of Jamaica to Toronto. The music also travels from further away than Highway 401: from Australia, courtesy of the stunning Spaghetti Western Orchestra, and Edinburgh Festival sensation Stewart D'Arrietta and his brilliant homage to Tom Waits; and from Chile — our honorary country — with the bilingual latin jazz of Claudia Acuña. And have we mentioned Chris Botti, Bobby McFerrin, Avishai Cohen and Aline de Lima? The lights have never been brighter, nor the music more cosmopolitan at this Festival. France will be represented by two icons who’ve had the whole world humming along to their songs for 40 years: a Rendez-vous with the most alluring items from the supervaried musical wardrobe of the grande dame of Franco/Anglo pop, Jane Birkin, and the Quebec return of the timeless Michel Fugain who, after a 10-year-absence, is more of a showman than ever!

Finally, when it comes to unique Festival creations, there’s no escaping Houdini, the Musical, a mesmerizing Montréal mélange of musical comedy, drama, history and genuine acts of prestidigitation from the actual career of the Escapologist himself. It’s a superb coproduction by the Saidye Bronfman Centre and the Festival, featuring 20 singers and musicians onstage.

Happy Festival!