Orchestre de l’Agora, in partnership with Espace Transition and the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, has launched the fourth edition of its music creation workshops this spring.

The initiative aims to bring together people aged 14 to 25 with stabilized mental health conditions and support their exploration of emotion through music as part of their recovery and social reintegration.

The program offers 10 workshops led by an artistic facilitator, musicians from the Orchestre de l’Agora, and a mental health professional. Through composition, improvisation, and sound exploration, participants work toward a culminating public concert on May 25, 2026.

“Espace Transition,” the social innovation project at the heart of the initiative, was founded in 2009 by Dr. Patricia Garel, former head of the Department of Psychiatry at CHU Sainte-Justine, and has since partnered with some of Montreal’s most prominent cultural institutions, including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Opéra de Montréal, and Grands Ballets Canadiens.

“The music creation workshop fully embodies the unique character of Espace Transition. In a very supportive environment, young people with no prior training are guided by musicians and composers through the process of creating original works. It is a far-reaching initiative that is both innovative and replicable, and to date, one of a kind,” said Garel, per an official press release.