Ensemble contemporain de Montréal (ECM+)

A flagship of Canadian chamber orchestras, the Ensemble contemporain de Montréal (ECM+) has premiered more than 260 works since its founding in 1987, including three operas and a majority of pieces for large ensemble. Extending its commitment to musical creation, ECM+ regularly integrates new works into large-scale multidisciplinary events, praised by critics as “a high-level artistic experience, meticulously crafted and refined” (Wolfgang’s Tonic, 2015).

Its national composition competition, Génération—established in 1994 to discover and celebrate the finest emerging voices in Canadian contemporary music—culminates every two years in a major tour of roughly ten concerts, propelling the careers of four laureate composers across the country.

Founding Artistic Director Véronique Lacroix, renowned for her instinct and boldness, communicates her passion through powerful interpretations that “paint a portrait of an effervescent landscape in perpetual transformation” (La Scena Musicale, 2018). In residence at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal since 1998, ECM+ has released 11 recordings—including two devoted to composer Ana Sokolović—and numerous concerts broadcast on Radio-Canada.

ECM+ appears regularly at international festivals such as the Festival Internacional Cervantino (Mexico), Montréal/Nouvelles Musiques (MNM), Ottawa Chamberfest, the ISCM World Music Days, and, most recently, the Ars Musica Festival in Belgium.