About ICAV
A Montreal institution dedicated to training the next generation of opera singers and presenting the art of vocal music — since 2001.
Tomorrow's great voices. Discover them on stage.
The Canadian Institute of Vocal Art accompanies, every summer, a cohort of young lyric artists. Singers, conductors, coaches and collaborative pianists work for six weeks alongside mentors who are active on the world's great international stages.
Our conviction is simple: training is passed on through practice, and practice finds its meaning before an audience. This is why the Academy and the Lyric Concerts are inseparable — one nourishes the other, the other reveals the one.
These artists whom you will soon see on the great stages of the world, you hear them first here, in Montreal — often for the very first time.
The Academy
Six weeks of intensive immersion: individual mentorship, masterclasses, stage and language coaching. From baroque to grand opera — first in the studio, then on the stage.
Discover the AcademyLes Concerts Lyriques
Fifteen public performances in Montreal — recitals, French art song, opera gala. Our young artists share the stage with their mentors, before a discerning audience.
View Les Concerts LyriquesTwenty-five seasons, one unwavering standard
Founded in 2001 by a circle of Quebec educators and artists, ICAV took root in one conviction: that Canada deserved an international-calibre summer vocal arts academy, open to the public.
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2001
Founding
Founding of the Canadian Vocal Art Institute in Montreal.
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2008
First public season
Opening of the Concerts Lyriques to the general public, Salle Bourgie.
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2014
Expanded Academy
The program welcomes conductors, coaches, and pianists.
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2018
Residency at Place des Arts.
Landmark partnership for the summer closing gala.
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2021
20th season
Return after the pandemic; anniversary concert at Théâtre Maisonneuve.
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2026
25th edition
Anniversary season — fifteen concerts, four weeks.
A permanent team at the heart of the project.
Six people lead the institution year-round. Each summer, they welcome the mentors, the participants, and the public — and coordinate the four weeks that make up our season.
Executive Director
Marc-Antoine d'Aragon
Artistic Coordinator
Nathalie Deschamps
Assistant to the Director
Justine Fournier
Production
Kevin Whitty
Communications
William Brenner
Education
Cloée Morissette
Board of Directors
Vanda Treiser
Co-chair
Bernard Stotland
Co-chair
Margot Provencher
Vice-chair
Daniel Turp
Secretary
- Sharon Azrieli
- Michel Brutti
- Sue Carol Isaacson
- David B. Sela
Support ICAV. Support a voice.
Each season exists thanks to the commitment of our public partners, our private patrons, and the cultural institutions that host us. We thank them warmly.
Donors
$125 000 and more
$50 000 and more
$25 000 and more
$10 000 and more
$5 000 and more
$2 500 and more
- Bill Lassner
- Bullwealth
- Fondation Pierre Desmarais Belvedere
- George Stedman
- Jane Skoryna
- Sue Carol Isaacson
Partners
Put your name behind the next generation of Canadian lyric singers.
Are you representing an organization or foundation that wishes to align its name with the next generation of Canadian lyric artists? We would love to discuss the possibilities.