COMMUNITY CALENDAR of EVENTS   

COMMUNITY CALENDAR of EVENTS   

 

Thursday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. – The Orchestre symphonique de Québec, directed by Duncan Ward. Virtuoso pianist Marc-André Hamelin will play Beethoven’s “Emperor Concerto” (Piano Concerto no. 5). Also on the program are “Don Juan” by Richard Strauss and the “Emperor’s Waltz” by Johann Strauss Jr. For details and tickets, visit osq.org/concerts/marc-andre-hamelin-joue-lempereur. 

 

Friday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. – Good Friday Procession of the Cross starts at Chalmers-Wesley United Church on Rue Ste-Ursule, then proceeds to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church and the Cathedral-Basilica Notre Dame de Québec before ending at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. This annual ecumenical and bilingual service includes dramatic readings of the Passion of Christ from the Gospel of John, choral music and congregational singing. All are welcome. 

 

April 18 to 21 – Celebrate Easter at the Aquarium du Québec. Solve the marine ŒUFS’nigmes puzzle by hunting for wooden coconuts, eat chocolate after answering the quiz on the awakening of spring in animals, listen to the story of Conrad the sea cucumber and get your face painted in Easter colours with a deep-sea twist. For more details, visit sepaq.com.  

April 19 and 20 – Enjoy Easter weekend at the Musée de la civilisation, with lots of activities for families with children. Note: Until April 2026, on the first Sunday of every month, people under 20 and families with children are admitted free. For details, visit mcq.org/en/discover/activities.

Until April 20 – All are welcome to participate in family-oriented Easter activities at the Moulin des Jésuites, 7960 Boul. Henri-Bourassa. For details, visit moulindesjesuites.org. 

Until April 20 – Manif d’Art presents an exhibit of the 25-year careers of Quebec sculptors Cooke-Sasseville Contre Toute Attente / Against all Odds at the Espace Quatre Cents on Rue St-Paul. For details, visit manifdart.org/en. 

April 22 to 27 – The 16th annual Imagination Writers’ Festival takes place at the Morrin Centre. For details, visit morrin.org.

 

Thursday, April 24 at 7 p.m. – Bibliothèque Monique-Corriveau (1100, Route de l’Eglise) presents French historian and author François Kersaudy, in conversation with journalist Josée Legault, in partnership with Montreal’s Jewish Public Library and Quebec City’s Beth Israel Ohev Sholom synagogue. Light will be shed on the fascinating story of Felix Kersten, personal physician to Heinrich Himmler, who used his position to save thousands of lives. The event (in French) is free, but registration is mandatory. Call 418-641-6277 or sign up in person at the library. See preview on p. ??. 

 

Thursday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. – Martha Wainwright’s 20th-anniversary tour concert takes place at the Palais Montcalm. For details and tickets, visit palaismontcalm.ca/concert-spectacle-quebec/martha-wainwright-tournee-20e-anniversaire. 

 

April 24, 25 and 26 – The Orchestre symphonique de Québec presents HOLLYWOOD 8, in a galaxy not too far away … at the Grand Théâtre. Travel with the musicians of the OSQ across the universe and explore the planet Krypton in Man of Steel, the planet Jakku in Star Wars Episode 7: The Force Awakens, or Neverland in Captain Hook. For details, times and tickets, visit osq.org/concerts/hollywood-8. 

 

Friday, April 25 at 7 p.m. – It’s Classic Movie Night at Chalmers-Wesley United Church, 78 Rue Ste-Ursule. This month’s film is Zero Hour! a 1957 American drama starring Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell and Sterling Hayden. Enter by the side door (off the parking lot) at 6:30 p.m. to watch cartoons and newsreels of the day before the main feature. Admission $5 (cash only). All are welcome. There is a snack bar with freshly popped corn, soft drinks and candy.  

 

Saturday, April 26 at 4 p.m. – The Club Musical de Québec welcomes American baritone Thomas Hampson, a pillar of the international voice community, who will illustrate his commitment to both the lieder and melody repertoire, accompanied by German pianist Wolfram Rieger, at the Palais Montcalm. For details and tickets, visit clubmusicaldequebec.com.

 

April 26 and 27 – L’Ensemble de musique sacrée de Québec, directed by Richard Duguay, present the Quebec première of the luminous Requiem by Canadian composer Eleanor Daley, and works by Duruflé, Fauré, Gjeilo, Lloyd Webber as well as other gems of the Baltic choral repertoire at Église de Saint-Augustin (April 26 at 7:30 p.m., 325 Route 138, St-Augustine-de-Desmaures), and at the Monastère des Augustines (April 27 at 2 p.m., 77 rue des Remparts, Québec). For information about tickets ($30-$35) at the two locations, visit emsq.org.   

 

Saturday, May 3, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. – Les 12 heures de chant – the Centre de valorisation du patrimoine vivant ès TRAD invites all to come and sing continuously, without repeating the same song twice, and ideally from memory (without any written support), at the Sacristie du site patrimonial de la Visitation de Sainte-Foy, 801 Route de l’Église.  

 

Saturday, May 3 at 6 p.m. – It’s TRIVIA NIGHT at Quebec High School! If you and your team are not registered by now, it’s probably too late! If you really want to play, you might be able to join another team as a spare. Contact Susan McBain at suemcpow@gmail.com.

 

Saturday, May 3 at 8 p.m. –To mark its 75th anniversary and the 130th anniversary of Carl Orff’s birth, the Chœur de l’Université Laval presents the musical masterpiece Carmina Burana. Directed by Guy Lavigne, the 100-voice choir will be accompanied by some 40 professional musicians and three soloists at the Palais Montcalm. For details and tickets, visit palaismontcalm.ca/concert-spectacle-quebec/carmina-burana. 

 

May 8, 9, 10 at 7:30 p.m. and May 11 at 2 p.m. – The Quebec Art Company presents Kevin Kerr’s Unity (1918), directed by Renée-Loup Caron at Holland Elementary School. Well before the COVID-19 pandemic raged, Canadian playwright Kevin Kerr wrote Unity (1918). This Governor General’s award-winning dark comedy depicts the impact of the Spanish Flu on the people in a small Prairie town as soldiers return home from the First World War. As fear of the flu begins to fill the town of Unity with paranoia, drastic measures are taken to stave off the illness. This powerful drama, based on actual events and staged with professionalism by the Quebec Art Company, must not be missed. Tickets for reserved seating, $25, are available at thepointofsale.com/tickets/c1k250317001. See preview on p. ??.

 

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SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, June 14 at 1:30 p.m. – The Catholic Women’s League of Canada of St. Patrick’s Council is celebrating its 100th Anniversary with a traditional CWL English Tea in McMahon Hall with provincial spiritual advisor Dr. Cory Labrecque, as guest speaker, followed by Mass at 4 p.m. in St. Patrick’s Church, 1145 Ave. de Salaberry, Quebec City. Tickets for the tea will go on sale in May. For more information, contact Carol Mazurat at 418-686-2006 or mazarc@hotmail.com. 

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The Wellness Centre at Jeffery Hale promotes the personal and collective well-being of English speakers in the Quebec City region by offering a range of health promotion programs. Learn more by visiting their website at wejh.ca/about-us. 

Visit the Voice of English-speaking Québec website (veq.ca) for information about events in English for all ages. 

Visit the Morrin Centre website (morrin.org) for information about more literary, artistic and educational activities for everyone.