Montreal’s Mount Royal becomes a summer concert stage for Orchestre Métropolitain
Posted August 5, 2026 1:09 pm.
Last Updated August 5, 2026 10:38 pm.
Music filled the foot of Mount Royal on Wednesday as the Orchestre Métropolitain (OM) brought Montrealers together for its annual free outdoor concert, held this year as part of celebrations marking the 150th anniversary of Mount Royal Park.
The festivities began hours before the first note of the evening concert.
The first edition of the Symphonic Picnic invited audiences to gather from 5 p.m. for a series of musical performances, community activities and a presentation on the history of the park.
By concert time, organizers estimated between 50,000 and 60,000 people had gathered beneath the mountain to hear the orchestra conducted by Grammy Award-winning conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin.
A concert built around connection
For Nézet-Séguin, who leads the Orchestre Métropolitain, the scale of the event reflects the orchestra’s mission: bringing music beyond traditional concert halls and into the community.
“We love at OM bringing music to the people. We want to share with as many people as possible. Sometimes it’s 200, 300 people and that’s fine, but of course when it’s 60,000, it has a magnitude that reminds us that we are first Montreal’s orchestra, we’re Montrealer’s orchestra. We want to be there for the people, we want to give them hope, we want to give them moments where they can forget about their daily lives, they can just enjoy the music and be moved, be inspired.”
The concert featured Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 and Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9, From the New World as well as the premiere of Montréal Cirque, a new commission by Ana Sokolović rooted in the present moment and the territory, along with Quebec composer Guillaume Couture’s Rêveries.
For some concertgoers, the appeal was not only the music, but the experience of sharing it outdoors with thousands of others.
One attendee said the event became a tradition after a friend introduced her to it.
“What brought me here is a friend of mine introduced me to this event a few years ago and I absolutely fell in love with it. I love music. I think it’s a wonderful experience to be able to see music live in the park.”
Another visitor said the setting itself was part of the attraction.
“I believe it’s the ambience that made it special. It’s the weather, the sight, and the music. That’s really why I’m coming.”
For others, the accessibility of the event was what made it stand out.
“Nice weather, free music, opportunity to come out with the family, it’s great. What more could you ask for?”
Making culture accessible
The evening was hosted by Fabiola Nyrva Aladin, who served as OM ambassador and host for the first time.
She said events like this help make culture feel open to everyone.
“It’s like being part of a solution. It’s being part of something bigger than ourselves, it’s bringing Montrealers together around culture, in an accessible, free, outdoor setting, right in the middle of the week. I think that’s the best way to make culture as casual as going out for ice cream.”
Aladin said celebrating the 150th anniversary of Mount Royal Park also offered a chance for Montrealers to reconnect with a place that is familiar, but not always fully explored.
“It’s an iconic place that all Montrealers know, but do all Montrealers spend as much time as they should in this mythical place? I think putting so much emphasis on this place and its history allows us to deepen our relationship with our territory.”
To close off the evening, the concert concluded with a special performance by Elisapie and Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal.
A celebration of music and Montreal’s mountain
For Nézet-Séguin, seeing people of different ages and backgrounds gathered together is what makes the event meaningful.
“To see families, you know, children coming with their parents or seeing groups of young friends, teenagers and older people, of course, people who are seasoned concert goers all mixed together. I think it represents Montreal also as a diverse city and we wanted to celebrate our mountain, which is not only the lungs of the city, but it’s also a place where symbolically we gather together and to celebrate things.”
The anniversary celebration also carried a deeper message for the conductor, who pointed to the importance of protecting Mount Royal for future generations.
“One of the big challenges on earth now is really climate change and to celebrate that 150 years ago, some people were visionary enough to actually protect this mountain is really important and it speaks volumes about Montreal too.”
Adapting the music outdoors
Bringing a full orchestra outside also comes with challenges. Nézet-Séguin said performing away from the controlled acoustics of a concert hall requires adjustments from musicians and technicians.
“Of course, being outdoors, it’s not ideal in terms of acoustics for us and that’s why we have a great technical team that is adjusting all the microphones and sometimes we have to play a little bit differently, a little bit louder I would say because in the Maison Symphonique everything is so pristine and crystal clear.”
“But in a way that doesn’t matter to have to adapt to this because the purpose of being here with so many people and sharing the beauty of the music is what counts.”
A night that resonated
As the final notes echoed across Mount Royal, thousands of people shared the same performance in one of Montreal’s most recognizable spaces.
For Nézet-Séguin, moments like this can offer something rare during difficult times.
“In times where everything’s so dark and so scary and what’s happening to the earth and what’s happening with the wars and all of the unrest, moments where several tens of thousands of people can enjoy one note of an instrument and a collective of an orchestra. I think it’s inspiring. I hope that people, they regain some joy and they regain some hope when they actually hear this.”
The final note may have faded, but the evening clearly struck a chord—with a city celebrating its mountain, its music and the power of bringing people together.
