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 performances that connect audiences to art, with a voice that The Washington Post calls “bright, agile, and full of heart.” Reese maintains close relationships with many of the finest period ensembles in North America, including Tafelmusik, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the Boston Early Music Festival, American Bach Soloists, Les Délices, and The Sebastians. Collaborations with these ensembles in recent years have seen him perform throughout North America as well as venues in Belgium, Sweden, Finland, and Germany. Opera Today writes that James is “a master of Baroque style… [he] demonstrates that power in music can come just as much from ease as from force, in fact, perhaps even more so.”

An active recitalist, Reese performs frequently with lutenist Brandon Acker on recitals of early song. Their album of intimate songs from seventeenth-century France, Spain, and the New World is set to be released in 2026. James also works often with pianist Daniel Overly on programs of art song and lieder. Together, they debuted at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. 

James is a graduate of Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and holds a masters degree from the Yale School of Music. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Natalie.