XVII Annual Colloquium of the Gregorian Institute of Canada
June 22-25, 2024
Mission Saint-Irénée de Lyon, Montreal, Canada
3044 rue Delisle (at Atwater Avenue), Montréal, Québec
‘Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord.’ (Colossians 3:16.)
Keynote speaker and workshop facilitator:
Olga Roudakova, (Paris, France) Artistic Director of Lux Cantus
All events will take place at St. Iranaeus, except as noted below.
Welcome to Montreal!! The organizing committee has been working hard to prepare an exciting and rewarding chant event for both experienced and novice chant lovers! We are pleased to welcome lecturers from North America and Europe, and we are especially looking forward to working with our guest clinician, Olga Roudakova! St. John the Baptist Day (June 24) is the National Day of Quebec, so you can expect a big celebration!
All workshop and chant materials will be provided to registrants. PDFs of all the chant will be supplied here in advance of the conference.
The Full Schedule appears below the Registration information. Also below will be found information about accommodation and transportation in Montreal.
Registration:
Registration includes admission to all events and hard-copy of all conference materials. Registration does not include meals or accommodation.
To Register, Part One: Please supply the following information to igc.gic@gmail.com: Name; Address; E-mail; and whether you would like us to make a reservation for you (including any dietary restrictions) for the Tuesday dinner-banquet at the Burgundy Lion.
Part Two: Please use the buttons/link below to submit payment for the conference. (all rates in Canadian dollars)
Fees:
Regular Early-bird: $160.00 (registration) + $30.00 (GIC membership-required) = $190.00 total.
Regular (after June 10) $190.00 (registration) + $30.00 (GIC membership-required) = $220.00 total.
Low-income Early-bird: $130.00 (registration) + $20.00 (GIC membership-required) = $150.00 total.
Low-income (after June 10): $160.00 (registration) + $20.00 (GIC membership-required) = $180.00 total.
(Low-income is self-determined, based on need.)
Please note: the older churches in Montreal were not built to accommodate disabled persons. Accessing the choir-loft at St. Iranaeus is via several flights of stairs; likewise, accessing the lecture facilities downstairs is via a stairway. We sincerely apologize for this inconvenience.
for further information or assistance, please contact us at igc.gic@gmail.com.
Draft Schedule (updated April 2)
Saturday June 22
| 11:00-13:00 | Registration |
| 13:00-14:00 | Rehearsal for Sunday Mass (Mária Budácová) |
| 14:15-15:00 | Lecture: L’interprétation rythmique du chant des antiennes Grégoriennes, Romaines et Milanaises (Luca Ricossa, Haute École de Musique de Genève) |
| 15:00-15:15 | Break |
| 15:15-16:15 | Keynote Lecture: “Sicut incensum”: les offertoires grégoriens (Olga Roudakova) |
| 16:30-18:30 | Dinner |
| 19:00-20:30 | Rehearsal for Vespers and St. John’s Mass (Olga Roudakova) |
| 20:45-21:15 | Compline (Adrian Ross) |
Sunday June 23: The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
| 8:30-9:30 | Registration |
| 8:30-9:00 | Vocal warm up (Mária Budácová) |
| 9:00-9:45 | Rehearsal for Sunday Mass (Mária Budácová) |
| 10:00-12:00 | Sunday mass (including confirmations) |
| 12:00-14:00 | Lunch break |
| 14:00-14:45 | Lecture: The Plainsong New Repertory of Leo Nestor (Kevin O’Brien, University of Maryland) |
| 14:45-15:30 | Lecture: Plainchant au Québec: redécouvrir le serpent d’église – Expanding the narrative of ecclesiastical performance during the Ancien Régime in Québec (Alex Belser, McGill University) |
| 15:30=15:45 | Break |
| 15:45-17:00 | Rehearsal for Vespers (Olga Roudakova) |
| 17:00-18:30 | Dinner |
| 19:00-20:00 | First Vespers of St. John (Olga Roudakova) |
| 20:30-21:00 | Compline (Adrian Ross) |
Monday June 24: The Nativity of St. John the Bapist
Monday includes an afternoon at the historic Church of Saint-Nom-de-Jésus, 1645, avenue Desjardins (at 4215 rue Adam), with its massive historic Casavant Organ.
Travelling to Saint-Nom-de-Jésus:
By car (30 minutes travel): the simplest way is to drive North-East on Rue Notre-Dame 9 km; turn left on Pie IX Blvd; in 300 metres turn right on Rue Adam; the church appear on your left at the next intersection (avenue Desjardins).
By Metro (subway and bus) (40 minutes travel): Take the Green line from Station Lionel-Groux North-East to Station Pie-IX; take the 439-S bus South-East for 5 stops to Pie-X/Adam; walk one block North-East (on Rue Adam) to the church.
Travelling back to St. Iranaeus:
By car: the simplest way is to drive South-East to Avenue de la Salle, turn right onto St. Catherine Street East; at Rue Alphonse D Roy turn left for one block; then turn right onto Rue Notre Dame. Follow Rue Notre Dame E and A. Ville-Marie/QC-136 to Rue Saint-Antoine O in Le Sud-Ouest. Take the exit toward Avenue Atwater from A. Ville-Marie/QC-136; merge onto Rue Saint-Antoine, and then turn left on Atwater; St. Iraneus is 500 m.
By Metro (bus and subway) (40 minutes travel): walk one block South-West to Pie-X and another North-West to Pie-X/la Fontaine. Take the 439-N bus North-West for 4 stops to Station Pie-IX. Take the Green line from Pie-X South West to Lionel-Groux; walk one block South-East (on Atwater) to the church.
If you require assistance in making this trip, please contact anyone on the committee. Some people may have extra room in automobiles.
Monday June 24: The Nativity of St. John the Bapist
| At Saint-Iranaeus | |
| 8:30-9:00 | Vocal warm up (Olga Roudakova) |
| 9:00-9:45 | Rehearsal for St. John Mass (Olga Roudakova) |
| 10:00-11:30 | Mass St. John (Olga Roudokova) |
| 11:30-13:45 | Lunch break; travel to Church of Saint-Nom-de-Jésus |
| At Church of Saint-Nom-de-Jésus | |
| 13:45-15:00 | Rehearsal for Vespers (Olga Roudakova) |
| 15:00-15:15 | Break |
| 15:15-16:00 | Organ recital (Adrian Ross) |
| 16:00-17:00 | Second Vespers of St. John (Olga Roudakova) |
| 17:00-19:30 | Dinner; travel to Saint-Iraneaus |
| At Saint-Iranaeus | |
| 19:30-20:30 | Rehearsal for lauds (William Renwick) |
| 20:45-21:15 | Compline (Adrian Ross) |
Tuesday June 25
| 8:30-9:00 | Vocal warm-up (William Renwick) |
| 9:00-10:00 | Lauds (William Renwick) |
| 10:00-10:15 | Break |
| 10:15-11:00 | Lecture: On the Pathos and Ethos of Gregorian Chant: Tone Painting the Affects of the Soul (Ted Krasnicki) |
| 11:00-11:45 | Lecture: De Affectibus Missarum Defunctorum (Alexandra Yeryomin) |
| 11:45-13:00 | Lunch break |
| 13:00-14:00 | Rehearsal for Vespers (Olga Roudakova) |
| 14:00-14:15 | Break |
| 14:15-15:00 | Lecture: Structural Aspects of Gregorian Hymn Melodies (William Renwick) |
| 15:00-15:45 | Lecture: Hearing Hildegard: computational analysis and chant style (Kate Helsen, Western University) |
| 16:00-17:00 | Vespers (Olga Roudakova) |
| 18:00-20:00 | Dinner – banquet at the Burgundy Lion. (Please let us know ahead of time if you would like to join us for this informal celebration, and we will make a reservation for you.) |
| 20:45-21:15 | Compline (Adrian Ross) |
Travelling to Montreal
From the airport
Montreal’s major airport is the Trudeau International Airport to the west of the city. From there, you can take a flat-rate taxi (fare information), Uber, or the 747 bus to get downtown. The 747 bus runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and goes directly from the airport to several stops in the city center. A fare of $11 (which includes an unlimited 24-hour transit pass) pays for your trip, which will take about 30-40 mins. You can purchase the fare from ticket machines located between baggage claim and the exit doors. These machines accept cash, debit, and credit card (Visa or Mastercard) forms of payment. You can also purchase your fair with exact change (coins only) on the bus.
By train
Montreal’s main train station, Gare Centrale, is located below the Queen Elizabeth Hotel on the corner of René-Lévesque and Mansfield streets. It also has an entrance at 895 rue de la Gauchetière ouest. The station is the major terminus for Canada’s VIA Rail trains from Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, Québec and the Gaspé, as well as U.S. Amtrak trains from Washington and New York. It also provides easy access to the city’s subway (the Metro), as it is situated at the Bonaventure station (on the Orange Line of the Metro).
By bus
Megabus services a bus stop located at 997 rue St-Antoine Ouest H3C 4T7. This also the location of Metro station Bonaventure on the orange line of the Montreal Metro.
The terminal for other major bus lines is the Gare d’autocars de Montréal, located at 1717 rue Berri.
Car Parking
The conference locations do not have free parking available. Metered street parking is available in the downtown core. Be careful to read the parking signs thoroughly, as many of the spots are designated for pass-holders only.
Accommodation
Accommodations include B&Bs, Hotels and University Dormitories; the following links may be of assistance:
St. Joseph’s Oratory Accommodation
Montreal also has hundreds of potential AirBnB hosts, hostels, and a strong couchsurfing community.
Food
Montreal is world-famous for great food! Two block to the south of St. Iranaeus is Rue Notre Dame, which contains many restaurants of all kinds. One block further south is Marché Atwater, a large specialty market that is home to many different vendors. For a quick snack, there is Café Dépôt Métro Lionel-Groulx, located at the Metro (subway) station just to the north of the church, or Lili & Oli at 2713 Rue Notre Dame, or Mr. Puff’s at 3404 Rue Notre Dame.
Two blocks to the north of Très-Saint-Nom-de-Jésus is Ontario Street; to the North East are several coffee shops, and a little further on at 4445 Ontario Street East is Maisonneuve Market, which provides a great variety of food.
Sight-seeing
If you are able, take a few extra days to fully explore this great cosmopolitan city . . . churches such as the Basilica of Notre Dame and St. Joseph’s Oratory, museums, the old port, the downtown, night-life, the ‘Golden Mile’, and of course Mount Royal. Must-see attractions in Montreal is just one of many helpful starting points.
Getting around Montreal
Metro and Bus
Public transportation in the city is handled by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM). You will need a “Zone A” fare for travelling throughout the city. You can purchase any fare at any of the metro stations or pay exact change (Canadian coins only) for a single fare ($3.75) when you get on the bus. The Lionel-Groux Metro Station (intersecting the green and orange lines) is conveniently located 100 metres north of St. Iranaeus Church. map.
Fares types:
- $3.75 for one trip; $7.00 for two
- Unlimited evening pass (6:00pm-5:00am with first use before midnight): $6.00
- Day pass (24 consecutive hours): $11.00
- 3-day pass: $21.25
- Unlimited weekend pass: $15.25
- All fare booth transactions (purchases and refunds) are debit or credit only.
If you are arriving from the airport on the 747 bus, you will already possess a 24 hour day pass.
Taxis/Ubers
Montreal has many taxi local taxi companies, including:
Most drivers will speak both English and French, especially if you are travelling to major destinations such as one of the hotels downtown, Gare Centrale, or the YUL Airport.
Montreal also has Uber services available. Please consult your Uber app for fares.
Bike Share
Bixi is a public bicycle-sharing program originating in Montreal. One can rent bicycles per ride at any docking station and you don’t have to make an account to access the bike share program. Each rental is $1.25 plus $0.11 a minute. Bikes can be returned to any of the hundreds of parking spots in the city. After returning, you can pick up another bike in a few minutes.
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CALL FOR PAPERS [ended]
The 2024 IGC-GIC Colloquium invites presentations on any topic connected with Gregorian Chant. While particular interest will be given to exploring aspects of emotion and affect in sacred song, proposals on all topics are welcome and will be considered. Topics may include but are not limited to:
• The representation and/or expression of sentiment in the Gregorian repertoire
• Emotion and affect in chant performance practice
• Mood and meaning in the chant corpus: modes, modulations, melismas
• Office and Mass chants connected with John the Baptist
• Any other area of interest related to Gregorian chant
Please send a 250-word abstract to the program committee at igc.gic@gmail.com. Abstracts may be sent (and papers presented) in either English or French. Conference papers will be limited to 30 minutes, followed by a 10-minute discussion period.
Presenters are welcome to include practical demonstrations, e.g., singing and/or inviting the audience to do so. Proposals will be evaluated anonymously.
The deadline for proposals is March 15, 2024.