For one evening, the grounds of Externat Sacré-Cœur sounded less like a school campus and more like an outdoor concert hall.
Thousands of residents gathered in Rosemère on August 7 as the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM) brought its annual OSM in the Parks tour to the municipality. It transformed the school’s athletic grounds into a destination for music lovers from across the lower Laurentians.
Presented as part of Externat Sacré-Cœur’s 50th anniversary celebrations, the free concert offered audiences a rare opportunity to experience one of Canada’s premier orchestras outside the traditional setting of Montreal’s Maison symphonique. Families spread blankets across the grass; lawn chairs filled every available space and spectators arrived well before the performance began to secure a good view of the stage.
By the time the orchestra took its place, anticipation had been building for hours.
The evening began with remarks from local dignitaries and school officials who highlighted the significance of hosting an internationally recognized orchestra. Rosemère is typically a town better known for its quiet residential character than large-scale cultural events.
“We’re so proud to welcome everyone here to our beautiful city of Rosemère to celebrate music and culture,” Mayor Marie-Elaine Pitre told the crowd before the performance.
Her comments reflected the mood of the evening, which felt as much like a community celebration as a concert.
The event was the result of a partnership between the Town of Rosemère, Externat Sacré-Cœur and the OSM. For the school, the concert represented a major milestone in a year dedicated to commemorating five decades since its founding.
Principal Jasun Taparauskas described the occasion as a tremendous honour for the institution and thanked the many partners who helped make the evening possible. Hosting the OSM as part of the school’s anniversary festivities, he said, was a fitting way to celebrate a history rooted in education, community involvement and the arts.
The opening portion of the evening also shone a spotlight on the next generation of musicians. Before the OSM’s arrival on stage, student performers from Externat Sacré-Cœur were given an opportunity to showcase their talents before the large audience, earning enthusiastic applause from spectators.
Their performance served as a symbolic bridge between aspiring young musicians and one of the country’s most accomplished professional ensembles. Once conductor Rafael Payare appeared on stage, however, the focus shifted squarely to the orchestra.
Payare, who has become one of the most recognizable figures in Canadian classical music since assuming leadership of the OSM, conducted a program designed to appeal to both dedicated classical enthusiasts and those experiencing a symphony orchestra for the first time. The performance also featured several veteran OSM musicians, including violinist Marianne Dugal and bassoonist Stéphane Lévesque, both of whom have spent more than two decades performing with the orchestra.
What made the evening particularly remarkable was the accessibility of the experience.
Classical music is often associated with formal concert halls, expensive tickets and strict etiquette. In Rosemère, none of those barriers existed. Children ran across the grounds before the performance began, families shared picnic dinners and residents who may never have attended a symphony concert found themselves listening to a world-class orchestra only minutes from home.
That accessibility is a central part of the OSM’s summer park series, which aims to bring orchestral music directly into communities across Quebec.
“It is an immense privilege to have the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal play for us in Rosemère,” said Mayor Marie-Elaine Pitre. “Thanks to this collaboration with Externat Sacré-Cœur, we have the opportunity to offer our residents a cultural experience of truly exceptional quality, accessible to all and staged in a magnificent setting. This is exactly the kind of inclusive event that helps bring our community to life.”
Throughout the performance, audience members sat attentively, many visibly captivated by the scale and power of the orchestra’s sound. Others simply closed their eyes and let the music wash over them as the sun gradually set behind the campus.
The relaxed outdoor setting created a different experience than a traditional concert hall. Rather than rows of assigned seats and formal attire, the evening featured neighbours gathered together under open skies, sharing a cultural experience that felt both intimate and grand.
The concert was also another example of Rosemère’s continued investment in cultural programming. While communities frequently host festivals and outdoor entertainment during the summer months, opportunities to see an ensemble of the OSM’s calibre remain relatively rare outside major urban centres.
For many residents, that rarity was part of what made the event special.
The concert culminated in a fireworks display that illuminated the night sky above the school grounds, drawing cheers from the crowd and providing a fitting conclusion to an evening that celebrated both music and community.
As Externat Sacré-Cœur continues its 50th anniversary celebrations, organizers will undoubtedly view the OSM’s visit as one of the year’s defining moments. For a few hours, Rosemère became the cultural centre of the North Shore, proving that world-class music doesn’t always require a trip to Montreal. Sometimes, it can be found right in your own backyard.
