Award-winning German-Ukrainian guest violinist Diana Tishchenko finishes playing Camille Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3 with a dramatic flourish and shredded bowstrings at the OSQ concert at the Grand Théâtre on March 16. (Photo by Shirley Nadeau)

On March 13, as part of the Morrin Centre’s 200th-anniversary celebrations, Tommy Byrne, honorary Spanish consul in Quebec City, gave a talk about his book Premio-Real Dans La Capitale: Voyage sentimental d’un aristocrat et diplomate espagnol à Québec au XIXe siècle, which was launched in December 2023. Byrne revealed that the flamboyant Spanish count, who was the Spanish consul in Quebec City from 1874 to 1888, was “in his element” in the intellectual and scientific circles in the city at the time, including at the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, where a copy of one of the count’s publications can be found in its rare book collection, dedicated to the Society. His Excellency (as he insisted everyone address him) the fourth Count of Premio-Real was born in Jerez (near Cadiz), Spain in 1840 and died by suicide in Quebec City, following a period of ill health and financial setbacks. To discover more about his story, read Peter Black’s article about the December 2023 book launch at qctonline.com/qct-online-print-edition-december-13-2023 (for subscribers only). (SN) (Photo by Shirley Nadeau)

Renowned Canadian classical flamenco-rumba-jazz guitarist Jesse Cook brought the house down at the Grand Théâtre on March 3 as part of his North American tour. He and the members of his band had the audience on their feet as they demanded “just one more” encore. The show ended with “Mario takes a Walk,” “Gravity” and a charming duet with talented flamenco guitarist Matt Sellick (far left in photo), who tours internationally with Cook. Blending flamenco, jazz and other cultural influences, Cook has given thousands of concerts around the globe over the past three years. He is a Juno Award winner, Acoustic Guitar Player’s Choice Award silver winner in the Flamenco category and a three-time winner of the Canadian Smooth Jazz Award for Guitarist of the Year. He has recorded 10 albums and sold over 1.5 million records worldwide. (SN) (Photo by Shirley Nadeau)