A Bach Celebration

Myriam Leblanc

Soprano

Québecoise soprano Myriam Leblanc has garnered rave reviews: music critic Christophe Huss opined that “in the last ten years, she is one of the most beautiful voices, perhaps the most beautiful, to have emerged from the Quebec talent pool” (Samedi et rien d’autre, Radio-Canada). With a Master’s degree in choral conducting from the Université de Sherbrooke and a diploma from McGill University, the young soprano is equally at home in the classical, bel canto, and baroque repertoires. Boasting numerous awards, she has been a guest soloist of various symphony orchestras, including the OSM, Orchestre Métropolitain, and those of Trois-Rivières, Quebec City, and Saskatoon. On the operatic stage, she has distinguished herself in productions by Opéra de Montréal (Rigoletto, Svadba, Aida), Opéra de Québec (Carmen), Orchestre Métropolitain (Parsifal), and Jeunesses Musicales du Canada (Roméo et Juliette). She has also performed in concert most notably with I Musici, Ensemble Caprice, Les Violons du Roy, and Tafelmusik, and has recorded for the Analekta label. Her recent projects include the role of Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème with Francis Choinière in Trois-Rivières, and of Dido in Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Ensemble Caprice.

James Reese

Tenor

“A shining tenor” (New York Classical Review), American tenor James Reese delivers dynamic, thoughtful performances that facilitate intimate connections between audiences and his art. Reese maintains close relationships with many of the finest period ensembles in North America, including Tafelmusik, Portland Baroque Orchestra, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, Les Délices, and The Sebastians. Collaborations with these ensembles in recent years have taken him to venues from Hawaii to international locales in Belgium, Sweden, Finland, Canada, and Germany.

An active recitalist, Reese has performed for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, as well as collaborative recital programs with Tempesta di Mare and Piffaro. He works frequently with friend and collaborator, pianist Daniel Overly, and in 2025, they present Schubert’s Die Schöne Mullerin at the historic Hill-Physick House in Philadelphia. 

James has recorded on the Hyperion, ECM, Harmonia mundi, Innova, and Albany labels. As an ensemble musician, James sings frequently with leading choruses and vocal ensembles, including Tenebrae, Blue Heron, Seraphic Fire, The Crossing, and Gallicantus.  Also an advocate for new music, James was a founding member of Philadelphia vocal ensemble Variant 6.