A Look Back at Place des Arts in 2023
There’s no doubt that 2023 was jam-packed with emotions and highlights! In addition to celebrating our 60th anniversary, we also welcomed the sultry Dita Von Teese; the world of François Pérusse, which took over our Esplanade during the Just for Laughs Festival; the first K-Pop show to be presented at Place des Arts, by Dreamcatcher; the legendary Bob Dylan singing Leonard Cohen; and much more... Have a look at our year-in-review and find out what some of our employees picked as their favourites!
JANUARY
Photo credit : Villedepluie, 2023
Adib Alkhalidey got the year off to a strong start, filling our big Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier not once, but twice!
Émile Bougault won the Ma première Place des Arts competition, right before also winning the Festival en chanson in Granby!
Photo credit : François Goupil
“The Orchestre Métropolitain’s Couleurs françaises was an exceptional experience, immersing me in the magic Emmanuel Pahud created on the flute. In discovering Franck’s Symphony, I was carried away to the heart of the French musical landscapes it evoked. An evening during which the connection between the music and the audience was palpable, a true delight!”
– Andrés from the Communications/Marketing team
FEBRUARY
Photo credit : Ariane Laget
Danse Danse presented the legendary troupe Tanztheater Wuppertal for a performance of Pina Bausch’s monumental work Palermo Palermo.
MARCH
Photo credit : Sacha Onyshchenko
Requiem, choreographed by Andrew Skeels and performed by Grands Ballets was presented... at last! The world premiere was to take place in February 2021, but only happened this past March… and it was certainly worth the wait!
Photo credit : Thierry du Bois
“Fred Pellerin is a storyteller with a firmly established reputation, who surprised us all throughout La descente aux affaires, both in the way he made us laugh and the way he moved us.”
– Laetitia from the Accounting team
APRIL
Photo credit : Deen van Meer
“Aladdin was a wonderful musical with a good dose of humour. My son and I found the songs, the singers and the dancers fabulous!”
– Astrid from the Communications/Marketing team
Photo credit : Danny Taillon
Robert Lepage’s highly-anticipated event entitled Projet Riopelle—paying tribute to painter Jean-Paul Riopelle, the 100th anniversary of whose birth was celebrated in 2023—took to the stage at Duceppe. “The actors were excellent in playing several different roles. The stage direction was extraordinary! The sets and special effects by Ex Machina were the stuff of genius!”
– Richard from the Customer Service team
MAY
Photo credit : Thibault Carron
“Alexandra Stréliski gave a surprise performance on the Place des Arts Esplanade! A sweet and gentle moment before the effervescence of festival season.”
– Christine from the Communications/Marketing team
Photo credit : Gabriel Fournier
Everyone who attended the Cowboys Fringants show with the OSM will remember it, even more so given that, without knowing, it would be the last time that Karl Tremblay would appear at Place des Arts.
JUNE
Photo credit : Christine Bérubé
Several people agree that -M- gave the best indoor show of the 2023 Francos! “Electrifying energy, dazzling staging, and a set of songs each more energetic than the next. Mathieu Chedid is an artist whose passion is contagious.”
– Arsène from the Customer Service team
Photo credit : Benoit Rousseau
“Daniel Bélanger is a great artist. A massive talent. It’s always a pleasure to discover his new compositions and revisit his biggest, immortal, timeless hits that remain as charming and elegant as when they were first released. A moment of grace.”
– Line from the Customer Service team
JULY
Photo credit: Victor Diaz Lamich
“Hearing Robert Plant’s legendary voice in a jazzier style rather than singing rock, alongside Alison Krauss, was a magnificent discovery! He even gifted us with a few songs from his Led Zeppelin era! Wow! What a magical evening at the Festival international de Jazz de Montréal!”
– Luc from the Human Resources team
Photo credit : Éric Myre
The end of a tradition at the Juste pour rire Festival and at Place des Arts... 2023 marked the last time Juste pour rire's galas would be presented with Gala Ultime, featuring the exceptional participation of the great Yvon Deschamps! “A wonderful retrospective with exceptional comics for all tastes and all generations.”
– Mat from the Accounting team
AUGUST
Photo credit : Agence BigJaw
Magnificent staging in the enchanting setting of Place des Arts’ Fernand-Lindsay Amphitheatre in Joliette… what better way to enjoy the music of Alexandra Streliski!
Photo credit : Gabriel Fournier
An unforgettable 2023 edition of the JOAT International Street Dance Festival took place, in part, on our Esplanade and indoors at Place des Arts—featuring, among other events, the Montreal Loves Hip Hop exhibition!
SEPTEMBER
Photo credit : Vivien Gaumand
To kick off its 23-24 season, the Opéra de Montréal presented the masterpiece The Marriage of Figaro for the first time in twelve years! This was also conductor Nicolas Ellis’s debut with the Opéra, working with musicians he knows well: the Orchestre Métropolitain!
Photo credit : Thibault Carron
The summer season came to a warm and wonderful end with dance evenings at the TEMPÉO Festival, featuring Bollywood, Haitian, Disco, 1960s (to mark our 60th anniversary), Latin, and Indigenous music!
OCTOBRE
Photo credit : Antoine Saito
October proved to be special for those awaiting the shows by legendary French hip-hop group IAM with the OSM, postponed several times because of the pandemic.
Photo credit : Kevin Calixte
As well as for those awaiting Marie-Jo Thério’s return to the stage more than 20 years after the release of her album La Maline!
"Anoushka Shankar is an artist who transforms the vibrations of the sitar into a universal language, where the simplicity of the notes resonates with the depth of the soul."
- Mylaine from the Sales team
NOVEMBER
“Roots of Flamenco, presented as part of the Arab World Festival, was a completely captivating, vibrant, and very beautiful show. The perfect symbiosis of flamenco and the Arab world made for a truly touching and unique artistic experience.”
- Clothilde from the Programming team
Photo credit : Alexandre Cotton
“Dumas is a true artist, the real thing! The atmosphere in the Cinquième salle, with the entire audience singing along like a choir, was exceptional! I want to see him again!”
– Annie from the Customer Service team
DECEMBER
Photo credit : Bertrand Exertier
“Parapapam, for the sets, the atmosphere, and the quality of the show.”
– Martin from the Security team
Photo credit : JF Savaria
Pub Royal, la comédie musicale des Cowboys Fringants settled in to Théâtre Maisonneuve just a few weeks before the untimely death of the band’s singer... An emotional tour de force by La Tribu and Les 7 doigts, featuring the group’s well-known characters.
We look forward to seeing you in our venues in 2024 to enjoy new cultural experiences together!
