Driven by a desire to relay a social message
that goes beyond notes, this brother and sister
duo present a collection of luminous pieces
written in a spirit of peace. The repertoire will
consist of music by Francis Poulenc, Ilse Weber,
Walter Kent, and others, creating a unifying
concert that, with a little hope, will inspire
everyone to build a better world.ANNA-SOPHIE NEHER, soprano
Anna-Sophie Neher, a German-Canadian soprano and recent winner of the OSM Manulife Competition, received her BA from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. After a year in New York under the supervision of Sanford Sylvan and Dawn Upshaw, she graduated from McGill University, where she worked with Dominique Labelle. Throughout her years of study, she has distinguished herself in several competitions and received many scholarships, including the prestigious Wirth Prize from McGill University and the Jacqueline Desmarais scholarship (2015, 2016, 2018). At the opera, she has performed such roles as Adèle (Die Fledermaus), Pamina (The Magic Flute), and Belinda (Dido and Æneas). In concert, she has performed as a soloist with numerous professional orchestras and choirs, including the Orchestre symphonique de Gatineau and the Festival international de Lanaudière orchestra. In August 2018, Anna-Sophie joined the Canadian Opera Company’s studio ensemble.
CARL MATTHIEU NEHER, piano
Born in Gatineau, Carl Matthieu Neher graduated from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, where he studied with renowned pianist André Laplante. He twice won the first prize in the Canadian Music Competition and has been a soloist with the Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil and the Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville. Carl Matthieu Neher also recently gave a recital at Place des Arts as part of Pro Musica’s Les Mélodînes series and performed at Bourgie Hall as a chamber musician with Productions BOP. He is a recipient of the first scholarship from Productions musicales Kaléidoscope, an organization that promotes the democratization of classical music, and has performed concerts in the form of educational workshops at Joseph Rouleau Hall, the Maison de la culture Villebon in Beloeil, Stewart Hall in Pointe-Claire, the Centre multifonctionnel in Saint-Lambert, and La Belle Chapelle in Sherbrooke.