Aura at Basilic Notre Dame à Montréal
Writings On The Walls: Telling a Story with Lights and Music
Earlier this month my cousin came to visit from Lebanon. I was super-duper excited about her coming considering the last time I saw her was more than 10 years ago, the year was 2006 to be exact. Since she’s never been here (In Canada, Quebec Montreal), I prepared a whole tour for her to take. What I came to discover was that even though I have lived here since 1992, I did not know my own city. I have lived in Laval since coming here and rarely do I venture to Montreal (not that it’s that far mind you), I just become a tad nervous in streets that I don’t really know. I digress. In my search for the perfect tour, I found that the Notre-Dame Basilica was putting on a show called Aura. My cousin being religious and all, I thought it was the perfect night out for her.
I am so…soooooo glad we went. It was stunning, beyond anything I could have imagined. The beauty of the Basilica shone as the music and the lights echoed on its walls and ceilings. Each laser light was rhythmical and matched perfectly with the music playing. The music was classical yet brutal and majestic at the same time. I did not know where to look or what to listen to. My senses were positively overwhelmed with the splendour of the spectacle I was watching, listening to, feeling, smelling. The sound reverberated through me as I sat there immersed, barely noticing the people around me. I thought it would be weird because it was in a church but on the contrary, the inside of the church gave it a sense of unreal, of something deeply spiritual that I think would have lacked in another setting. My cousins and I were in awe.
I am sad to say I had never before been inside the Basilica. I might have passed near it but I never actually noticed it (I feel bad saying/writing that). Anyhow, the show must go on, and go on it does. Aura is still happening! Remember to arrive 15 minutes in advance because they close the doors and even its a ticket they won’t let you in. I have a video I filmed (illegally because they forbade it…yes, I know, sinning inside a church…the irony).
In The Picture Below: (My Cousins and I)
Here is the Link if you want to purchase your tickets for the upcoming shows:
https://aura.ticketpro.ca