Saint-Laurent to the Sea

The River That Holds a Thousand Stories

To mark its 20th anniversary, the vocal ensemble Voces Boreales presents From the St. Lawrence to the Sea, a concert inspired by the river’s powerful evocative force.

The St. Lawrence, the very backbone of Québec’s territory, has nourished imagination, memory, and artistic creation for centuries. This program forms part of a triple celebration—the 490th anniversary of Jacques Cartier’s voyage, the ensemble’s 20th season, and Andrew Gray’s tenth year as Artistic Director—and invites audiences to explore water as a connecting force between cultures, landscapes, and human stories.

Featuring striking works from the contemporary choral repertoire, including Miniwanka by R. Murray Schafer, Canticum Calamitatis Maritimae by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, and Sea Dreams by Peter-Anthony Togni, the concert culminates in the highly anticipated premiere of Omì (“water” in Lucumí) by composer-in-residence Luis Ernesto Peña Laguna. Drawing on his Cuban roots and migratory journey, this evocative work weaves a poetic dialogue between the waters of Cuba and those of the St. Lawrence.

Blending intensity, spirituality, and lush sonic textures, this concert offers a deeply moving experience—both intimate and expansive—that speaks as powerfully to the heart as it does to the imagination.

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