November 16, 2022
November 27 and December 10 in the region
The vocal duo Odéi and Marc-Antoine tackle Christmas classics
By: Olivier Denommee
Two close collaborators of the Chœur de la montagne, baritone Marc-Antoine d’Aragon and soprano Odéi Bilodeau, are joining forces in a new vocal duo, simply called Odéi et Marc-Antoine. They are preparing to present their first concerts, on the theme of Christmas.
Although the two opera singers, who both live in the region, had known each other for years, they had not often had the opportunity to sing together before the COVID-19 pandemic. “During the pandemic, we offered spontaneous performances in the courtyard of people in cities in the region. In several cases, people had never heard opera singers in their town. Face-to-face contact is always touching,” says Odéi Bilodeau. This experience also convinced the duo to sing together more often and to develop a repertoire that is intended to be accessible to the general public. “And what better time than Christmas to embark on such a project? asks Marc-Antoine d’Aragon, based in Saint-Mathieu-de-Belœil. If the duo intends to offer other concert concepts in the spirit of democratizing opera singing, they are currently focusing on the theme of Christmas.
The greatest holiday classics
According to the duo, the Christmas repertoire has the advantage of being known and appreciated. “We offer the less informed public a repertoire that we are sure they will like. Classical can be scary, but when people hear well-performed classical, they’re thrilled. […] Lyrical voices, the first times you hear that a few meters away, it’s impressive! », Supports the baritone.
And the duo spoils itself by appropriating “the greatest classics” of Christmas accumulating more than an hour of material. “The Angels in our campaigns”, “Midnight, Christians” and “Holy Night” are just a few examples of the works that will be performed by two voices and an organ. “We will also perform some Carols, associated with the English repertoire. In several songs, we insert translations, such as English or German, for an overview of the original version, ”adds the soprano installed in Mont-Saint-Hilaire. The duo will also present two popular versions of “Ave Maria”, those of Schubert and Bach/Gounod. “People know them, but maybe don’t associate them with their composer, so we wondered why not play them one after the other? adds Marc-Antoine d’Aragon.
The first concert of the series takes place on Sunday, November 27, at 2 p.m., at the church of Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu and another will follow at the Saint-Matthieu church in Beloeil, also at 2 p.m., on Saturday. December 10. The singers will be accompanied by organist Patrick Prud’Homme. Tickets are on sale on the odeietmarcantoine.com website starting at $24 and children 18 and under can attend the concert for free.
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The vocal duo Odéi and Marc-Antoine tackle Christmas classics
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