Community Calendar of Events

Compiled by Shirley Nadeau

shirley@qctonline.com

Sept. 23 to 26 – FoodCamp workshops will take place at the Atelier Gourmand in the Galeries Gourmandes of the Galeries de la Capitale in Quebec City. Due to public health restrictions, only 32 people can attend each workshop in person. Others can watch the workshops online over a period of seven days and also order a box of ingredients so they can prepare the same dish from the comfort of their home. For more details and to reserve video(s) and box(es), visit foodcamp.info. 

Sept. 23 to 26 – Exposition de l’amitié Japon-Québec: an exhibit of some 200 works of Japanese and Quebec art at the Domaine Cataraqui, 2141 Chemin Saint-Louis from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Demonstrations at 2 p.m. Discover works of calligraphy, watercolours, paintings, Japanese handicrafts and more. Free admission.  

Sept. 24 and 28 – Auditions for Just Say the Word, a full-length musical by J.P. Chartier, to be produced at La Méduse from June 15-18, 2022. Just Say the Word boasts a cast of 20 with just as many original songs to fill a two-hour show. The cast requires both kids (aged 10 and older) and adults to fill the many principal and secondary roles. Interested artists can contact the team at info@artbeattheatre.ca or by phone at 418-473-3690.   

Sept. 24, 25 and 26 – Les Journées de la culture, three days of free public arts and culture activities throughout the province. In Quebec City, Église Saint-Dominique, 175 Grande Allée Ouest, offers three days of musical performances:

• Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. – Marie-Andrée Paré (soprano) and Martin Dubé (piano) present Quand les belles poésies deviennent chansons!

• Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. – Pascale Bourdages (soprano) and Robert Patrick Girard (organ) present Un beau samedi en musique. 
• Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. – Tempêtes et Passion present Airs d’opéras célèbres with Marie-Ève Boucher (soprano) and Marc-André Caron (baritone). 
• Sept. 26 at 3 p.m. – the Martin Verret Ensemble: Martin Verret (violin), Caroline Goulet (cello) and Gilbert Blais (guitar) present Dialogue entre cordes frottées et cordes pincées. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated.

Sept. 24 to Oct 3 – 10th edition of the Quebec City Magic Festival takes place at the Palais Montcalm and the Manège Militaire. There are also many outdoor activities. For details and to reserve tickets, visit en.festivaldemagie.ca.

Sept. 25 and 26 – Irish Heritage Quebec is giving tours of St. Patrick’s Cemetery, 1649 Chemin Saint-Louis, during Les Journées de la culture. The tour starts at 1 p.m. and lasts 90 minutes. The Saturday tour is in French and Sunday in English. To confirm your presence, please email Irish Heritage Quebec at newsihq@videotron.ca.

Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. – Voice of English-speaking Québec (VEQ) annual general meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. Those who wish to attend are requested to send an email to info@veq.ca or call 418-683-2366. The Zoom link will be sent to those who register. 

Oct. 3 at 2:30 p.m. – The Orchestre symphonique de Québec presents music by Beethoven, Dvořák and McCartney at the Grand Théâtre. Director Johannes Debus conducts Dvořák’s Concerto pour violoncelle with soloist Victor Julien-Laferrière, Paul McCartney’s Spiral and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7. To reserve tickets and learn more about concerts for the 2021-2022 season, visit osq.org. 

Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. – Les Violons du Roy concert at the Palais Montcalm. Guest conductor and harpsichordist Matthew Hall has concocted a program highlighting the huge impact that Italian baroque music had during the 18th century, especially in Germany, where it inspired some of the most celebrated composers of the day. A must for baroque music fans. For tickets and to see the rest of the orchestra’s upcoming season in Quebec City, visit violonsduroy.com/en/programming/quebec-city-season/2021-10. 

Oct. 15 and 16 – SNACS Book Sale in the gymnasium of Quebec High School, 945 Avenue Belvédère (corner of Boulevard René-Lévesque), times to be confirmed. Before the sale, you may drop off your donations, including English and French books, CDs and puzzles, at the main entrance of the school from Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.   

Oct. 21, 22, 23, 28, 29 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. – Quebec Art Company presents the musical HAIR at St. Patrick’s High School auditorium, 79 Rue de Maisonneuve. Tickets ($25) will be available soon at quebecartcompany.com.

Oct. 23, 26, 28 and 30 at 7:30 p.m. – The Opéra de Québec presents L’Elisir d’amore by Gaetano Donizetti at the Grand Théâtre de Québec. This two-act opera buffa features five exceptionally talented local soloists: Catherine Saint-Arnaud (Adina), Julien Dran (Nemorino), Hugo Laporte (Belcore), Julien Véronèse (Dulcamara) and Lucie Saint-Martin (Giannetta). For more information and to reserve tickets, visit operadequebec.com.

 Voice of English-speaking Québec (VEQ) offers Out and About activities for English speakers (ages 50 and up) including free transportation, and many other events including Virtual Visits, Tours for Newcomers, Baby Chat, Café au Lait Crew, Info Session on jobs with the Federal Public Service and a Virtual Prenatal Course. Visit veq.ca/our-community/upcoming-events for details or call VEQ at 418-683-2366. 

We’re All In This Together is a bi-weekly web series designed especially for seniors by the English Language Arts Network (ELAN). Each of the 18 episodes features entertainment, activities and conversations designed to connect with those in need of support and empathy, with a gentle reminder that we are, indeed, all in this together. Episodes released so far can be found on YouTube (search for “We’re All In This Together Senior Web Series”) and Facebook (search for “WereAllInThisTogetherQuebec”) and are available for all to enjoy.