Nicolas Ellis conducts Villa-Lobos, Dompierre, Montgomery, and Dvořák — With Kerson Leong

In a program entitled “Beauty from the Americas,” renowned Canadian violin virtuoso Kerson Leong takes the stage alongside Quebec-based chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy and their Principal Guest Conductor Nicolas Ellis for an invigorating exploration of music by composers from the Americas, as well as a beloved Dvořák work inspired by the continent. Heitor Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 9 opens the evening with the lush string sounds of a Brazilian-infused prelude and fugue. Leong, acclaimed as one of Canada’s greatest violinists (Toronto Star), then performs the world premiere of a new violin concerto, Les Chats (The Cats), by renowned Canadian film composer François Dompierre. Next up are the lavishly textured, plucked and bowed string sounds of Strum, a gorgeous folk-inspired work by Grammy-winning American composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery. To finish, Les Violons du Roy delight with Dvořák’s famous “American” Quartet in a majestic arrangement for string orchestra.