Every August since 2012, the Montreal Symphony’s Classical Spree (“La Virée Classique”) has drawn enthusiastic crowds to four action-packed days of cultural events throughout the city. This year’s Spree, from August 10 to 13, includes the orchestra’s free concert at Olympic Stadium, which last year attracted 45,000 people with an abridged version of Bizet’s Carmen. This summer, Music Director Kent Nagano leads multiple concerts and interactive sessions with audiences, and there will be three free parks concerts and 30 low-priced 45-minute concerts by OSM and other musicians, plus performances and activities geared toward families. New this summer are projections of films/concerts, street performers, young musicians and singers, and food trucks. The orchestra reports that Classical Spree is an important piece of its effort in developing new audiences. Last summer, 130,000 people attended the festival, with people age 25 to 44 representing 27 percent of audiences.
