T h e F e s t i v a l & C o n n e c t i o n
Founded in 1994, the International Festival of Song and Chamber Music Society made its inaugural debut in 1995. The Society runs two programs, The Mountain Festival of Song and Chamber Music, a summer and winter program focused on the chamber music repertoire and the song repertoire, and the Mountain View Connection Concert Series. Both programs provide educational opportunities for young musicians from across Canada and around the world to gain valuable experience performing and perfecting the song and chamber music repertoire.
O u r M a n d a t e
Our charter states that the International Festival of Song and Chamber Music Society “provides opportunities for young musicians from across Canada and around the world to gain valuable experience performing and perfecting the song and chamber music repertoire,” and interact with more experienced performers and learn from them. The Society wishes to develop an audience for art song and chamber music by presenting programmes of the highest quality with a great variety of musical styles, involving works by classical composers for voice and piano, voice and other instruments, and purely instrumental chamber music. Another goal of the Society is to offer audiences a chance to hear first-rate performances of standard and neglected repertoire by talented and enthusiastic young artists.
H i s t o r y
Since its founding in 1994, the International Festival of Song and Chamber Music Society has played a substantial role in developing generations of new musical leaders across Canada and around the world.
IFSCMS was created by piano duo Charles Foreman and Kathleen van Mourik, the current artistic directors, who had a vision of creating a song and chamber music festival where artists from different generations and backgrounds could come together. For 15 years, IFSCM featured master classes presented by the renowned Dutch vocal accompanist and chamber musician, Rudolf Jansen, in a series of master classes dedicated to the Art of the Lied.
Over the last 26 years, IFSCMS was instrumental in bringing world-renowned guest artists to Alberta to mentor young musicians, including Michael McMahon, Helmut Brauss, Janos Négyesy, Yegor Dyachkov, Anton Kuerti, Elly Ameling, Christie Reside, Joseph Johnson, Jonathan Crow, Brett Polegato and many others.
In 1998, IFSCMS began a concert series dedicated to presenting young emerging artists and over the years presented Karina Gauvin, Erika Raum, Yegor Dyachkov, Olivier Thouin, Frédérique Vezina, Allison Angelo, Tracy Smith Bessette, Christie Reside, Vikingur Olafsson, Jack Olszewski, Bronwyn Schuman and many other brilliant young musicians in concert.
IFSCMS continues to present high quality and diverse programming and has been able to move to new online ventures, such as the Isolation Point Virtual Concert Series to allow musicians to continue to present great art to the public.
E q u i t y, D i v e r s i t y & I n c l u s i o n
The International Festival of Song and Chamber Music Society strives to give equal opportunities based on talent, potential, commitment, and our specific programming needs. We offer every musician who auditions for our organization an opportunity to work and contribute to society. While we strive to promote inclusion, we also provide opportunities for women, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities.
Our audition process is transparent. Deadlines for summer programs are June 1
We encourage potential applicants for the concert series and summer educational programs to contact us anytime to arrange an audition or reach out about upcoming performances.
We also accept video auditions by email anytime during the year. Please contact us at:
mountainviewfestival@gmail.com
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
In the spirit of reconciliation, IFSCMS acknowledges that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy, which includes Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.
