The Score | Northern Sounds

As new, worrisome variants of COVID-19 spread earlier this year, many Canadian provinces imposed strict stay-at-home orders, after having previously eased restrictions. Given that backdrop—plus Canada’s colder climate, which makes outdoor performances impossible for much of the year—it seems remarkable that during the 2020-21 season the Montreal Symphony Orchestra recorded 39 new concerts, offered via webcasts. Most concerts were recorded at the Maison symphonique de Montréal without an audience, but in March the Québec government began allowing performing arts venues to open to limited audiences. Conductors during the season included Music Director Designate Rafael Payare; Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Music Director Otto Tausk; and National Arts Centre Orchestra Music Director Alexander Shelley. Canadian conductor Dina Gilbert led June’s season-ending concerts of music by women composers Ana Sokolović, Alexina Louie, Barbara Croall, Lili Boulanger, and Elizabeth Maconchy.