Interviews

For PAN M 360, Alex Burger tells us about a special concert, a themed event entitled “Un coin du ciel.” Several local artists will join Alex on a multigenerational stage for a Kebamericana summit—that is, French-Canadian artists passionate about the building blocks of modern North American popular music: country, folk, blues, rock, “west” of the mainstream in this case. Anyone (or almost anyone) who grew up on this continent knows the foundations, whether they like them or not. That’s the premise of this “Un coin du ciel” evening, a multigenerational event, courtesy of Alex Burger, which brings together this Thursday at Club Soda (and Friday at Grizzly Fuzz in Quebec City) Mara Tremblay, Fred Fortin and Stephen Faulkner, Arielle Soucy, Veranda, Tom Chicoine, Cindy Bédard, Patrick Bourdon, and Véranda. Alex Burger explains it all!

PAN M 360: Un coin du ciel, which is also the title of a song by Renée Martel, is a Kebamericana celebration, isn’t it?

Alex Burger : Yeah, that’s what it looks like. In Quebec City the next day, Émilie Clepper and Simon Kearney will also be there with us.

PAN M 360: Being yourself a fervent practitioner in your songs, this evening makes perfect sense.

Alex Burger :I’d been thinking about doing a show like this for a long time, and it seemed like the right moment at Coup de coeur francophone; it was a lucky break. So now it’s happening, and I’m really happy it’s finally happening.

PAN M 360: How is it structured? Around an original repertoire? Classics? Cover versions?

Alex Burger : Okay, we have several guests, so there won’t be any covers. I’ve never been good at covers. So we’re going to play everyone’s songs, we’ll play some of my songs, and then it’ll all spill over… It’s going to be long! There will be a lot of guitar solos. The solos will be long too. People need to be ready; we’re going to make a lot of music. What’s important is that the material is good, that everyone can contribute a song or two.

Yes, I won’t give too much away, but I’m counting on Fred Portin because we love him. Mara Tremblay too. There are some slightly less well-known artists, like Patrick Bourdon; his time on the show will be a little shorter, but at the same time, it’ll be great to have his spotlight. There will be duets, of course, but I’ve also decided to create duets with the guests, not necessarily with me.

If you want to hear Ariel Soucy sing with Mara Tremblay, this is the right evening for it.

PAN M 360: Are there any other associations we can find out about beforehand?

Alex Burger : I don’t want to burn everything down, but it’s certain that Fred Portin and Faulkner, that’s going to happen.

PAN M 360: That’s great! We’ve never seen that before?

Alex Burger : No, that’s it. Faulkner was the first person who told me he wanted to play with Fred.

PAN M 360: Do the artists come with musicians or is there a house band behind them?

Alex Burger : The house band, that’s my band. It’s the band that accompanies me, 5-6 musicians. We’re going to be a great group! It’s the group that’s been with me since 2018.

PAN M 360: Collective arrangements for this evening?

Alex Burger : Since it’s my band, we’ve worked together for a long time. So we did this together. It was quite a collective effort. There wasn’t really a musical director. We’re not doing a staged show. We’re going for a rock show. We’ll play the songs. Whatever happens, happens. We’ll jam.

PAN M 360: So will the song introductions be improvised?

Alex Burner : Yes, a lot of things will be improvised. That’s always how we are in my band. There’s always that element of improvisation that’s part of the show.

I didn’t want to change that just because we were playing a bigger venue with guests. I didn’t want to compromise the tour. It’s also kind of the end-of-tour show.

We’ve been touring for the last album—Ça s’invente pas—for two years now.

PAN M 360: We understand that the end of your tour is turning into a big party!

Alex Burger :Often, at the end of a tour, we showcase what we’ve accomplished, how tight the band has become. Here, I’m doing that at Club Soda, and I wanted to do something different because I’d already done this concept of ending a tour in a big venue. I wanted to push us. This time, we’re taking a bit more of a risk.

PAN M 360: Of course, you’re doing lots of songs by your guests and it has to be good!

Alex Burger : We’re not repeating ourselves. We’re not stuck in our old patterns. For us, it’s an exciting show. We know where it’s going because we’ve already learned everything, but we’re not 100% sure. That’s what makes it fun. It’s great.

PAN M 360: You can’t make this stuff up, as expected! The album was released exactly two years ago, in October.

Alex Burger : Yes, exactly.

PAN M 360: So, it’s been thoroughly rehearsed. Are you going to play some songs from the album?

Alex Burger : Yes, I don’t know exactly how many, but also songs from the first album. We’ll see how many people want. It’ll be between a third and half of the show. Those who come to hear my songs will be satisfied. They’ll get plenty.

PAN M 360: An apotheosis beyond country! All the foundations of popular North American music are brought together here!

Alex Burger : That’s it. I was a bit more into progressive rock when I was younger, only to realize that with prog, you don’t get to play many shows. I’m kidding, I had a lot of fun making that music. I learned a lot from those structures. And I really dabbled in Americana because I even won an award that carried that label. At some point, it’s a question of whether it’s country or not… I’ve moved on from that. When I was doing more rock, I didn’t ask myself if I was making rock or not.

PAN M 360: It’s rock, it’s country, it’s folk, it’s blues. Bluegrass?

Alex Burger : There will be bluegrass. Veranda will be there!

PAN M 360: Oh yes, indeed. And what’s happening on your end after this show, which is intended as a conclusion to the Ça s’invente pas cycle?

Alex Burger : Right now, I don’t have much time for my projects; I’m touring with Bon Enfant as their bassist. After that, things will be pretty quiet. I’m going to start working on a third album, but taking it slow. I want to make an album just for the joy of it; I don’t really want to have a two-year deadline. No, for now, there’s no specific plan. It’s good to make an album when you have the ideas for it. You also have to give your fans time to want to listen to the next album.

PAN M 360: In any case, the rhythm is different for each artist. There are no rules in this regard.

Alex Burger : That’s it, and there are no plans in place on my end.

PAN M 360: So, whatever happens next, we can’t wait to be together in Un coin du ciel!

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Soprano Véronique Gens is the central figure in a program presented by the Montreal Symphony Orchestra on French melody, this Wednesday, November 12, and Thursday, November 13. French melody is a concept linked to the classical repertoire, which appeared in France in the mid-19th century. For voice and piano, and sometimes for voice and orchestra as in this case, French melody evolved independently, only to see its popularity wane during the 20th century. Today, some wish to revive it and restore its prestige to this body of work created by the great French composers of the 19th century, in collaboration with the finest writers of their time.

Véronique Gens is one of those artists who are dedicated to this resurgence.

In short, the Nantes-based singer performed baroque music for over fifteen years before turning her attention to other repertoires, starting with French melodies, in collaboration with Palazzetto Bru Zane, co-presenter of this Montreal program. She also distinguished herself with her interpretation of La Voix humaine by Francis Poulenc and Jean Cocteau, which Canadian conductor and soprano Barbara Hannigan masterfully presented to Montreal audiences not so long ago.

Véronique Gens will perform with the OSM under the baton of young French conductor Lucie Leguay. Also invited to sit on the jury for this year’s OSM Competition finals, which are dedicated to voice, Véronique Gens explains her relationship with French melody.

PAN M 360: During this conversation, you will explain the choices made by Berlioz, Fauré, Holmès, Massenet, Dukas—in short, all the French composers of the 19th century. Explain to us how this program was put together, your role as a singer, because there will also be conductor Lucie Leguay leading the orchestra, performing melodies once written by composers for orchestra.

Véronique Gens: Most of the time, the melodies are written for piano, and it’s true that we always do more or less the same ones, but thanks to the intervention of the Palazzetto Bru Zane, these are melodies that are rarely or almost never performed, apart from a few by Fauré, Les Roses d’Ispahan for example, which is a melody I sing very regularly in recitals with piano. But here we are lucky enough to have found, again thanks to Bru Zane, the transcriptions for orchestra, and that’s something no one else ever does.

So we very rarely perform cycles of melodies with an orchestra. Berlioz’s Nuits d’été comes to mind, for example. It’s pretty much the only cycle I know of that is performed on a regular basis, and even then only in large concerts with major symphony orchestras. So this is a completely new program! I was lucky enough to record all these melodies with an orchestra, but in France, no one gave me the opportunity to sing them with an orchestra. So, thank you, Montreal, and thank you, symphony orchestra.

PAN M 360: It’s not done at all in France, which is surprising.

Véronique Gens: No, it doesn’t surprise me anymore, actually. The French don’t like French melody… In short, let’s put it that way.

PAN M 360: But what do you think of French melody? Opinions are divided, of course. For some who are unfamiliar with the repertoire, it can seem a little outdated because there is a type of pronunciation in Old French, words that may have become obsolete…

Véronique Gens: No, no, no! All my life, I’ve tried to dust off all that, so to speak, and I think people are afraid of French melody because of what you say, with a bit of a tight-lipped attitude, that it’s very intellectual music, very complicated and all that… I think the way it’s presented is a bit like that, actually, but in any case, that’s changing.

Well… it’s difficult to move all that, but there are lots of melodies that are very accessible, all of Reynaldo Hahn, all of Gabriel Fauré, so actually, if you do a complete recording of Debussy’s melodies, it’s really unbearable and too complicated and too intellectual… Well, I really like Debussy, he’s a great composer, but Debussy’s melodies are still quite hard to digest. So there you have it, I think we need to vary the pleasures a little, and this program gives us a kind of overview of everything that French melody can be.

It can be much lighter things, it can be funny things, very serious things, sad things, of course, but what’s also very special is that we’re doing it with an orchestra, and I think that will reassure people and make them want to come. It’s less austere, perhaps, than a singer and a pianist, where it’s very serious. With an orchestra, people are perhaps more used to seeing an orchestra… We try to vary things, in any case.

There will be excerpts from Nuits d’été, but there is also Théodore Dubois. To be honest, before singing it with Bru Zane, I had never heard of him. So, Fauré, yes, once again, Les Roses d’Ispahan, La Chanson du Pêcheur, but all of this with a very different perspective because it’s done with an orchestra. It’s really something else.

PAN M 360: Adaptations, then. They were written, well, initially, most of them were written for piano and voice, and then the composers wrote them. They did this systematically throughout the entire program we are entitled to.

Véronique Gens :Yes, but you would need to ask Bru Zane’s artistic director to find out more.

PAN M 360: Since we won’t be able to do it this week, tell us about Palazetto Bru Zane.

Véronique Gens : So, it’s been about 15 years since we met, and I’ve discovered a whole new artistic world. Romantic French music has been completely neglected in France, and Bru Zane’s work is to bring all this music to light, with composers I’d never heard of before, most of whom are fascinating. I’ve made several recordings with Bru Zane, maybe a good twenty or so, with completely unpublished works. Benjamin Godard, for example, I had never heard of him, and his music is wonderful, very romantic, very Hollywood movie-like.

So, all these works need to be brought back to life, and it’s an enormous task to relearn all this music. But with Bru Zane, we do one or two concerts at most, one recording, and that’s it, we move on to something else. So it’s really a huge task, it’s quite frustrating because it takes a lot of time. But that’s how it works with Bru Zane, and I’ve discovered some absolutely new and exciting things.

PAN M 360: Great. Tell us about Lucie Leguay now, tell us about this conductor, we don’t know her.

Véronique Gens : She is very young and very promising, whom I had the opportunity to meet when I recorded La Voix Humaine with the Lille Orchestra.

She was the assistant to conductor Alexandre Bloch, and she could hear my voice so clearly, she could hear everything that needed to be heard, things that the conductor didn’t have time to hear because he was so busy with his orchestra. And it was really exciting to work with her. She is very musical and very passionate, and she loves voices—and that’s not the case with all conductors!

So, she was there mainly to help me, to take care of me. And it was a collaboration. I learned a lot from working with her.

PAN M 360: So you have developed a professional and artistic relationship with her and you are giving her the opportunity to shine in Montreal.

Véronique Gens :Exactly! And now, a few days ago, she was appointed artistic director of the Lausanne Orchestra and the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. I think she has a bright future ahead of her. She’s a very interesting and exciting young woman, in my opinion.

PAN M 360: OK! Let’s try to briefly go over the catalog, as there are several works on the program.

Véronique Gens : Yes, but as you know, the melodies are quite short, with a few exceptions—Berlioz, for example. It’s like when you go to a vocal recital with piano accompaniment: the programs are long because the melodies are very short, quite simply. I don’t know all the pieces written for voice and orchestra. Honestly, I haven’t heard them all, but they are pieces that have been rediscovered by Bru Zane and are part of their recordings. In fact, most of the melodies I sing in this program were recorded with Bru Zane in a program called Paysage. And we made a complete recording of Massenet’s melodies with orchestra in another recording.

PAN M 360: How do you approach the lyrics in this repertoire?

Véronique Gens : I think the first and most important thing when singing this kind of melody is to make yourself understood. If people don’t understand what you’re saying, they immediately lose interest. And that’s completely natural and normal.

For me, you know, there’s this big debate about French melody: what’s more important? The music or the lyrics? All of it was written by great French poets, like Théophile Gauthier, Guillaume Apollinaire, and others. Personally, I think that here, poetry feeds the music and the music feeds the poetry. And that makes it something absolutely exceptional compared to an opera aria, which wasn’t necessarily written by a great French author.

PAN M 360: Opera librettos are full of pompous texts that have not aged well…

Véronique Gens :  Yes. And then, we repeat the same thing over and over again. These are magnificent poems. And if you don’t understand what they’re saying, you miss the whole point. And I think that’s one of the reasons why people lose interest in this kind of repertoire. So if you’re convinced by what you’re saying, you can take everyone with you and convince everyone. If you come across as a little stiff, it doesn’t work. You just have to be honest and sincere. And that’s how I try to approach it all.

PAN M 360: But… French music seems to be unpopular in the very place where it originated.

Véronique Gens:  In France, no one wants to program this kind of music, which is a real shame. I sing French melodies everywhere, in Tokyo, in England. The English love it. In France, there’s no way to program only French melodies. That’s just how it is…

PAN M 360: How do you explain that? The French are afraid of French melody, but they still like impressionist music, don’t they?

Véronique Gens: Yes, but there’s another factor to consider, and that’s the economic factor. It’s difficult to fill a hall these days with a recital of French melodies. It’s still a bit of a niche market, if I may say so. And it’s something that, once again, we don’t do often enough. And people aren’t used to it enough. It’s an educational task that needs to be done over and over again. It’s a job, it’s a constant concern.

PAN M 360: Finally, let’s talk about your other planned activities in Montreal.

Véronique Gens: Since I’m here right now, I’m going to give master classes at the Montreal Conservatory. And then I was asked to be on the jury at the end. I won’t be there for the first two days. I’ll be very busy! I’m delighted to have been asked; I’m doing more and more jury work. I’m teaching more and more classes. It’s exciting to see the level of all these young singers who are rising and rising. They’re all ready. And it’s all the more difficult because you have to make a choice when they’re all so good and so strong. And… it’s very, very difficult to start a young career now. It’s a global phenomenon. Whether you’re in Asia, North America, or Europe, you see people of a very high standard, but… there’s not room for everyone.

It’s a double anniversary that will be celebrated on Saturday, November 15, 2025, at the Claude-Champagne Hall of the University of Montreal: the 60th anniversary of the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ) and the 75th anniversary of the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal (UdeM). For the occasion, a program tracing the common history of the two venerable institutions will be played, highlighting the music of the various personalities who have directed the SMCQ while being teachers at the Faculty. I spoke about this event and the various elements that unite the two institutions with Simon Bertrand from the SMCQ and Jean-Michaël Lavoie from UdeM.

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PANM360: What is the importance of the link between the SMCQ and UdM?

Simon Bertrand: It is important because many composers have played an important role both for the SMCQ and for the music faculty of the University of Montreal, as is the case with Serge Garant.

Jean-Michaël Lavoie: Indeed. Serge Garant was a professor of analysis and composition at the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal and directed the Contemporary Music Workshop (Atelier de musique contemporaine) before becoming the artistic director of the SMCQ.

PANM360: In your respective hearts and in a completely subjective way, what were the most memorable and historic moments of this collaboration?

Simon Bertrand: There were many, because at the time the Pierre-Mercure Hall (downtown Montreal) did not yet exist and so many of the SMCQ’s memorable concerts took place in the Claude Champagne Hall (at the Faculty, north or the Mountain). Of course, the visits of leading figures of contemporary music such as Stockhausen or Berio were important moments in the history of contemporary music here.

Jean-Michaël Lavoie: Being a professor at the Faculty of Music and director of the Contemporary Music Workshop since 2017, the concert on November 15, 2025, will become the most significant moment for me. I am very happy to participate in this project.

PANM360: How did you build the program, and why the choice of each of these works?

Simon Bertrand: The basic idea was to showcase a work by each of the former artistic directors of the SMCQ, while knowing that, in doing so, we would also be programming composers who have also been or still are professors at the UdM, such as Garant in the past and Sokolovic right now. Of course, we also included a commission to a young composer, in order to ensure the presence of the next generation, and a greater intergenerational dialogue.

PANM360: It has always been a challenge to reach the audience for creative and avant-garde music. In your opinion, is it easier or more difficult today, in our cultural, economic, and technological context?

Simon Bertrand: That depends on the strategies that are adopted. For my part, I consider it essential to break down the barriers of so-called “contemporary” music and to go out and find the audience and other forms of art, and to do this, develop multidisciplinary collaborations with artists in other fields. But the program of this Saturday’s concert has a more historical and commemorative connotation, like a kind of celebration.

Jean-Michaël Lavoie: The challenge remains the same, and I would say it is perhaps more difficult today to reach the audience, as concerts are less attended than before. Today, we can discover all kinds of music and international artists on digital platforms, whereas before, you had to go to a concert to find out what others were doing and open yourself up to new horizons.

PANM360: The various directors of the SMCQ are on the program. Why not Simon Bertrand?

Simon Bertrand: I made a formal pledge not to self-program for at least the first two years of my term at the SMCQ, because I find that too many artistic directors do it and that there are too many conflicts of interest, often very obvious, in our field.

PANM360: How do you envision the future of the relationship between the two institutions? What are the elements that inspire confidence? What are the challenges?

Simon Bertrand: I believe that this natural alliance between the SMCQ and the University of Montreal will last as long as the composers who teach there continue to work with our organisation. That is at least my dearest wish!

Jean-Michaël Lavoie: Collaborations are possible only when there is a willingness to work together and sustained dialogue. Since I’ve been at the Faculty of Music, the dialogue has always been constant. I remember several projects discussed and realised with Walter Boudreau. I am therefore very happy that, under the guidance of Simon Bertrand, this collaboration continues between the Faculty of Music at UdeM and the SMCQ.

PANM360: Anything else you would like to highlight?

Jean-Michaël Lavoie: With the years, I realise that it is just as important to know the past and history well as it is to be in advancement, progress, novelty, creation, etc. Knowing where we come from and why this and that was done is extremely revealing and gives meaning to what we do today (and tomorrow).

Saturday, November 15, 2025 7:30 PM

Works by Boudreau, Daigneault, Garant, Sokolović, and Tremblay.

Participants  : 

Ensemble de la SMCQ

Cristian Gort, musical direction

Contemporary Music Ensemble of the University of Montreal

Jean-Michaël Lavoie, musical direction

Programme

Velours Velours, buoyed by the release of his latest album Quand je pleure, je suis content (When I cry, I’m happy), gave us an interview as part of Coup de Coeur Francophone.

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PAN M 360: Hello Raphaël, happy Halloween! How’s your autumn going? What’s your Halloween costume this year?

Velours Velours: I was dressed as a detective, and it was my birthday, so I was dressed as a detective who loves his job so much that he can’t help doing it even on his birthday.

PAN M 360: You released your first full-length album earlier this year, Quand je pleure, je suis content. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable album that takes us by the hand and leads us on a walk in the sunshine, gently chatting about life with serene authenticity. What was your state of mind when you wrote these songs?

Velours Velours: Different states of mind… the album is quite eclectic, even if it’s fairly cohesive. The songs were written at different times in different places. It’s a long phase of introspection, experiences and feelings that I put into these songs, some of which are quite intimate. It’s a sensitive and honest album, melancholic but really luminous, and that’s where I was when I composed it.

PAN M 360: At POP Montreal, you did a performance where you played your song La fin every time someone rang a bell for 24 hours. Images of this experience recently appeared on your social media accounts. What was the intention behind this? How did it go? What did you get out of it?

Velours Velours: When my manager and I conceptualized the event, we wanted to perform a song from the album in a special way. During our brainstorming session, the idea of a closed-door performance came up. It made sense during the event, with the lyrics of the song, people coming and going, fatigue setting in and adrenaline taking over. The goal was really to go ‘all the way.’ In the end, it wasn’t too difficult. I was very well supported by my team, the audience, and the artists who accompanied me and transformed the performance with their interpretation of the song. It was definitely a highlight of my career so far.

Photos: Camille Gladu-Drouin

PAN M 360: What do you have planned for your CCF show?

Velours Velours: This show is pretty special, it’s kind of the culmination of the tour so far, which we’re bringing back to Montreal. We went back over the songs, revisited some things to allow ourselves to jam more, and we even prepared two covers… to be continued! We want to have fun and get the crowd going. We won’t be playing in Montreal again for quite a while after this, so it’s shaping up to be a really good time!

Velours Velours will be performing on 14 November with Katrine Noël as part of Coup de cœur francophone at 8 p.m. at Foufounes Électriques. 🔗 See the event details on our 360 calendar.

Lena Chamamyan is a regular at the FMA, having performed there since the 2000s. Her career began in Damascus and the Levant, long before the civil war forced her to leave her country to pursue her career outside the conflict zones. Now settled in France, where she obtained citizenship, Lena Chamamyan has allowed her art to evolve with her various migrations. She is increasingly drawn to new sounds, namely a blend of electronic and instrumental elements within the framework of Arabic pop music or even classical Arabic music, not to mention her explorations of flamenco and jazz. Returning to the FMA after an absence since autumn 2022, the Franco-Syrian singer intends to maintain her acoustic instrumental style. Electronic elements may follow in the coming years.

Photo tirée du compte Instagram de Lena Chamamyan

THIS SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH, 5TH HALL OF THE PLACE DES ARTS

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PAN M 360: How was your FMA program built?

Lena Chamamyan : It’s been a few years since I last performed my own concert here. But I haven’t stopped performing all over Europe during that time. For Montreal, I’ve prepared the same repertoire that I perform in Europe. These are songs dedicated to the Mediterranean diaspora.

PAN M 360: What do you mean by this commitment?

Lena Chamamyan: There are songs that are written for them. There are songs that tell the story of the diaspora. There are also new songs; I’m currently promoting songs from my new album.

PAN M 360: Speaking of your new album, how was it produced? What was the production process like? Who did you work with?

Lena Chamamyan : It’s a self-produced album. I enlisted producers of varying ages, from 19 to 50. I wanted to showcase the full spectrum of contemporary Arab culture while maintaining the use of Modern Standard Arabic in the lyrics. I wanted to ensure it worked seamlessly with different musical styles. So I blended genres within the songs; some folk songs were reworked, and the melodies were updated. I did this in several songs, updating my compositions and then entrusting them to Arab and North African producers of different ages and nationalities.

PAN M 360: What is the instrumentation?

Lena Chamamyan : It’s just me singing; there are guitars, keyboards, strings, oud, and electronics. There are producers from Algeria, Jordan, but especially Syrians in exile all over the world. I wanted to know their influence, and also the influence they’ve received within the diaspora. Producers like Maher El Mallakh, Omar Alkilani, George Koita, OBADA Q, Shady Moanes, Ghaleb Zidan, Hello Psychaleppo…

PAN M 360: For the most part, you’ve worked with up-to-date producers!

Lena Chamamyan : Yes, they are mostly producers who incorporate electronics into their work. Normally, I work primarily with acoustic instrumentation, but I changed my style for this album.

PAN M 360: And this Sunday at FMA? Will you be presenting your new equipment in electronic music mode?

Lena Chamamyan : No. It will be the acoustic version. There will be older, better-known songs, and there will be new ones that will be presented for the first time on stage, here in Montreal.

PAN M 360: So this won’t be the instrumentation of your latest album!

Lena Chamamyan : No, not at all. Up until now, I’ve maintained the acoustic version for my shows. I haven’t done a live electronic version yet, but we’re working on it.

PAN M 360: It would be very interesting to discover this aspect of your work.

Lena Chamamyan : Yes, this project could change things.

PAN M 360: Joseph Nakhlé, who is with us, you should think about presenting the electro version of Lena at Orientalys, the summer counterpart of FMA in August in the Old Port.

Joseph Nakhlé : Absolutely. Outdoors, we’ve already considered an electronic version of our artists invited to the FMA.

PAN M 360: And what about the version for Sunday, November 9th?

Lena Chamamyan : We tried, but the musicians we were considering didn’t get visas. I, on the other hand, have had French nationality since 2020.

Joseph Nakhlé : If I may digress for a moment, there have been more visa refusals this year, and we’re having a problem with the closing night. Even Moeen Shreif from Beirut, who is a mega pop star in Lebanon and the Arab world, hasn’t yet received his visa just days before the event. He’s performed in Canada several times before. We’re really struggling with this this year. It’s becoming ridiculous… If it jeopardizes our closing night, we’ll issue a press release and so on.

PAN M 360: What year was your last visit to the FMA?

Lena Chamamyan : I came here in 2022. I had also come a few times before that. Today I think there’s a big difference between my first shows at the FMA and my current show. In terms of the text, in terms of the music, in terms of everything.

PAN M 360: Since you have had French citizenship since 2020, do you live in France?

Lena Chamamyan : Yes, to a large extent. I live between Paris and Cairo, where I play in an apartment because I like to spend the winter there as it’s warmer and I have very good friends there. But in the summer, it gets too hot, so I’m mostly in Paris.

PAN M 360: There are many studios in Cairo, do you work there?

Lena Chamamyan : I work mostly in Europe and Turkey with musicians and producers.

PAN M 360: Yes, you’re a regular at FMA. I remember talking to you at the beginning of your career, when you were living in Syria.

Lena Chamamyan : Yes, my family lived in Damascus at the time. My father is from Aleppo, but I grew up in Damascus. In my early years, my songs were more melancholic and romantic.

PAN M 360: Back when you were doing your first concerts, it was different.

Lena Chamamyan : Now, my music has a lot more energy. I believe we need to celebrate joy. There’s a lot of positive energy, but there’s also a lot of negative energy that needs to be expressed. I think a concert is a music therapy session.

PAN M 360: The current context is so difficult for Syrians and their Arab neighbors, we must think about healing by expressing our anger and also our joy.

Lena Chamamyan : Exactly!

Lena Chamamyan’s musicians at the FMA concert:

Arden Arapyan: Piano and musical direction

Marwan El Boukhari: Bass

Nizar Tabcharani: Qanoun

Phyras Haddad: Percussions

Fadi Machreki: Percussions

Raffi Kevork Chouljian: Drums

Nawar Helala: Trumpet

With its wild brand of alternative pop, fueled by punk and electro-industrial energy, LE VENIN shot straight into my veins from the very first listen of his new album, released under the Simone Records label. An unmatched energy seems to drive this still little-known artist. PANM 360 set out to make first contact with someone who just might become the new enfant terrible of Québec’s music scene.

PANM: Hi Antoine, congratulations on the release of your album AUTO-CONSTRUCTION MIXTAPE, which positions LE VENIN as one of the most innovative musical projects in recent years. With a striking blend of genres, an incredibly powerful energy, and diverse, captivating productions, your album manages to surprise us at every turn. How do you go about rethinking the codes of québécois pop?

Antoine: By reinventing the production — making it less conventional than what we’re used to hearing. Sometimes it’s worth racking your brain and trying to do something different, even if it totally sucks sometimes — the experiment itself is worth it.

PANM: At times, I can hear shades of Nine Inch Nails and Les Vulgaires Machins — am I wrong? What are your influences when it comes to hip-hop, industrial electro, and rock?

Antoine: I don’t really know Nine Inch Nails, but Les Vulgaires are definitely a big inspiration. I’d say the other influences are Kanye West, Ashnikko, Rammstein, Locked Club, and like… a bunch of random shit.

PANM: What was your experience collaborating with Hubert Lenoir, Robert Robert, and Jérôme 50, and how did those collaborations influence your choices for LE VENIN?

Antoine: Jérôme 50 does way too many takes in the studio — it’s insane. Hubert Lenoir sings ridiculously high, and Robert Robert isn’t even named Robert. Hubert really helped me bring my sound to life, though. He helped me find direction in my creative process, to make sense of all of it.

PANM: What’s on the horizon for LE VENIN? Any shows coming up? What can we wish you for the future?

Antoine: Let’s just say I’m not about to quit my day job. I’ll try to play some decent shows, hopefully not too far from where you live. I’d love to take this project to Europe — the food there is insanely good.

From the Minho to the Euphrates, two rivers separated by thousands of kilometres, one in Portugal and the other in present-day Iraq, more than a millennium of intercultural, religious, and artistic weaving contemplates us. This is somewhat the premise of the album From Minho to Euphrates by the Lebanese-Canadian singer and oud player Lamia Yared, her third after the two previous, very successful ones: Chants des Trois Cours (2019), and Ottoman Lights, praised right here. With her Spanish colleague Efrén López and several excellent artists from around the world, she explores a very rich repertoire made up of 4th-century Syriac chants, 12th-century Cantigas de Santa Maria from the court of Alfonso X, the Muwashahāt of Aleppo, as well as a rare 13th-century composition by Safi al-Din al-Urmawi, one of the great theorists of Middle Eastern music. Christianity coexists with Islam with serenity, maqams dialogue with hymns to the Virgin Mary. I met Lamia Yared to talk about it.

READ THE ALBUM REVIEW

PANM360: Hello Lamia. Tell us about the repertoire of this album. What is it about?

Lamia Yared: It is a repertoire that covers approximately 1500 years of the region’s history, ranging from the Iberian Peninsula to Mesopotamia (Iraq). I wanted to create a dialogue between 4th-century Syriac chants, those sung by the first Christians of the East, with mediaeval Christian chants such as the Cantigas de Santa Maria and from the Muslim repertoire such as the Muwashahat of Aleppo. These traditions have never met, so we were keen to offer choices and bring them all together on the same album. We even go as far as Persian influence because it was strong in Syriac music (the Syrians were invaded by the Persians in the 4th century). We can hear the influence of the maqams. We have gathered a great team, me and the Spanish multi-instrumentalist Efrén López, namely Omran Adrah (qanun), Miriam Encinas Laffitte (viola da gamba), Behnam Masoumi (tombak), and Tammam Ramadan (nay).

PANM360: What are maqams and Muwashahāt?

Lamia Yared: Yes, it’s true that I use a lot of words that are not well-known. The Muwashahāt is a complex vocal form that was developed in Syria in the 18th century, both in the rituals of Sufi brotherhoods and in secular singing. The whole region was influenced by the Hellenistic and Syriac heritage. Both in churches and in Sufi brotherhoods, one could hear the same musical spirit. So it’s part of the sound of the region. And this sound from the region, it’s the maqam school. And what is the maqam school? So it’s this music that has a certain microtonality. It’s not something you play on a piano, obviously. We sing these modes so we can perform something for the deceased or something to celebrate life. These are quarter tones.

PANM360: Was it difficult to bring these traditions together, to ensure the overall coherence?

Lamia Yared: We used microtonality in the Cantigas songs to get closer to the rest and to show their proximity on several levels, including the religious level of course. All these traditions, from the 4th century to the 12th century, then up to the Muwashahāt later, passing through the music of Safi al-Din al-Urmawi, they were all united in these texts, in these approaches, by microtonality. That’s the link.

PANM360: The Cantigas de Santa Maria have been played by Jordi Savall, among others. It is an absolute reference from which you had to stand out…

Lamia Yared: Yes, and it is through the use of microtonality, at least brought to the forefront more evidently, that we did it. Moreover, I use the voice I use when I sing Arabic music and Syriac chants, not the classical mediaeval technique. So it’s a bit more my personal version.

PANM360: What does this music represent for you, personally?

Lamia Yared: You know, I grew up in Quebec, I was six years old when I arrived here. I was born in Lebanon, and I went back there later, between 2009-2013. I then immersed myself in the music I wish I had known much earlier in my life. In truth, I knew them, unconsciously, because before the age of six, I went to mass with my family there. I heard those songs, those melodies. They were ingrained in me. But I had to relearn their language when I returned to Lebanon. It came to touch me deeply. These are the expressions of the early Christians of the East. I really like the archaeology behind all of this, the fact of drawing from something so ancient, and from an oral tradition that has been passed down for a very long time. I find it to be of great sincerity, it’s something, how can I say, very pure. I like to draw from music that doesn’t have a “flashy” aesthetic, and delve into the soul of the piece to find something that resonates with me, that I want to experience and transmit. Each piece of music I play, whether I sing it, be it a Muwashahāt, a cantiga, or a Syriac chant, it lives within me. I feel that I belong to these lands, even though I am here and I live in Montreal. I am conveying something very personal.

PANM360: Will we be able to hear the result in concert?

Lamia Yared: We will launch on April 24, 2026, in the very beautiful Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours Chapel, in Old Montreal. It’s a very appropriate place, steeped in history and spirituality, with magnificent acoustics. I invited Efrén López, and wonderful musicians from here like Marie-Laurence Primeau on the viola da gamba, Didem Bachar on the kanun, and Hamin Honari on percussion. We’ll also do a launch in Australia, because the World Within Worlds label is Australian. We also have a tour planned in November 2026.

PANM360: What impression do you want to leave on listeners and viewers?

Lamia Yared: Bringing together two traditions that flourished at the same time, but never met. We sang in a similar way in both the Christian and Muslim communities. We sang for the Virgin Mary in the Syriac language, in Aramaic, and in the now-extinct Galician language. It is a call for dialogue that is at the base of this approach. There is a way to talk to each other through art. It is also a dialogue with today’s audience, so that they feel something beyond religious history because this type of sacredness is no longer updated, but we can find reasons for ecumenical and secular rapprochement.

Les Leçons de Bach may be a reminder of a fundamental inspiration for Les Violons du Roy, which Bernard Labadie founded in Quebec City in the mid-1980s. Originally planned by pianist and conductor Robert Levin, who had to withdraw due to health problems, the programs presented on Thursday at Palais Montcalm and Friday at Salle Bourgie are exceptionally conducted by Bernard Labadie and feature pianist Inon Barnatan. The performance of these programs is nonetheless thrilling. Let Bernard Labadie whet our appetite!

PAN M 360: Is it unusual for Les Violons du Roy to present a program devoted exclusively to Bach?

Bernard Labadie: If you look at all the programs, there aren’t tons of them, but it’s pretty rare that there isn’t at least one a year, I’d say. If only because I myself am a huge fan of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

PAN M 360: Impossible not to be! He’s the absolute master!

Bernard Labadie: Yes. In my case, I would even say that it was because of his music that I became a musician.

PAN M 360: How did this choice come about this year?

Bernard Labadie: One thing to keep in mind about this week’s program is that it is not my program. It is Robert Levin’s, the pianist who was supposed to be our guest this week. He was to be both soloist and conductor for this program. I am very saddened by his absence—he has had some health issues.

So, he had to be replaced. And replacing Robert with just one person is very difficult. Not only was he the pianist and conductor, but he was also a leading authority on the 18th-century repertoire. He is something of a legend, in fact. So, I was delighted. I am also a personal friend of this artist, whom I have known for a long time. But now I find myself taking on some of his responsibilities. Obviously, I am not a pianist. We invited a pianist to replace him.

PAN M 360: Tell us about Inon Barnatan. 

Bernard Labadie: He is an Israeli pianist who has been living in the United States for a long time. To be honest, he is not a musician I know well, but I have been hearing about him for a long time. I had a seven-year tenure in New York with the St. Luke’s Orchestra. During that tenure, which ended last April, I had a lot of contact with the music scene there. His name kept coming up. My colleagues told me that I really had to work with him. In the end, it didn’t work out, but as luck would have it, it’s happening not in New York but in Quebec City, and with only a few weeks’ notice.

PAN M 360 : Et quelle est la réputation d’Inon Barnatan concernant le répertoire de JSB?

He is not yet in the same league as Robert Levin, who had to cancel, or Andras Schiff or Sergei Babayan, who are great interpreters of Bach. 

Bernard Labadie: I would say that… That is to say, I don’t think Inon is recognized as a Bach specialist. He is a pianist with a very broad repertoire, including Bach, whom he loves very much. He told me that he had just come back from a Brahms recital in Germany and that he had been playing vocal music with musicians in Boston a few weeks ago. He is someone who really embraces the entire repertoire, unlike Robert Levin, who is a leading authority on the repertoire of the 18th and early 19th centuries —although he is also one of the greatest living specialists in the music of Henri Dutilleux, a great French composer (1916-2013)—but this is quite common among people who make a lot of music inspired by ancient practices.Bernard Labadie: I would say that… That is to say, I don’t think Inon is recognized as a Bach specialist. He is a pianist with a very broad repertoire, including Bach, whom he loves very much. He told me that he had just come back from a Brahms recital in Germany and that he had been playing vocal music with musicians in Boston a few weeks ago. He is someone who really embraces the entire repertoire, unlike Robert Levin, who is a leading authority on the repertoire of the 18th and early 19th centuries —although he is also one of the greatest living specialists in the music of Henri Dutilleux, a great French composer (1916-2013)—but this is quite common among people who make a lot of music inspired by ancient practices.

PAN M 360: Let’s review the repertoire on the program for the Bach Lessons: first, the five contrapunctus from Die Kunst der Fuge / The Art of Fugue:

Bernard Labadie: Actually, it’s music that I’ve performed a lot with the orchestra. We even recorded the entire Art of Fugue in the early 2000s. And then we performed the entire Art of Fugue in concert. I think it was three years ago, in Quebec City. Performing the entire Art of Fugue in concert is rare. It’s a big undertaking. It’s quite complicated. Performing excerpts from it has happened quite often, including on tour.

But what may distinguish our approach this time is that we will perform excerpts from The Art of Fugue as Robert had intended them to be performed.

The Art of Fugue is a work that is sometimes described as theoretical, in that there is no instrumentation provided. It is written on separate staves, with four voices throughout. So it could be thought of as a string quartet, and has often been performed as such. Even though the work was written on four staves and Bach intended it to be a keyboard piece, it is perfectly playable on the keyboard. Yes, it was originally written for solo keyboard, but there have been additions since then. Yes, there have been several.

So when we perform The Art of Fugue, and when I say “we,” I mean myself and Les Violons du Roy, we always take a fairly orchestral approach, which means we use our 14 strings, including the double bass, which doubles the cello line, thus adding a fleeting octave to the structure. We also always add a harmonic instrument, the basso continuo. We simply take Bach’s four original lines and assign them to the different sections of the orchestra. In our case, this is the basic formation of Les Violons du Roy: four first violins, four second violins, three violas, two cellos, and a double bass. By using the double bass, we add an upper octave to the bass line, giving it a broader, more orchestral dimension than adding a keyboard instrument such as a harpsichord or organ. This is a hallmark of late Baroque orchestral music.

Robert Levin, on the other hand, chose a purer approach, without double bass or harmonic instruments. So most of the counterpoints, except for one that will be played by solid instruments, will be performed without double bass, harpsichord, or organ, which gives a much purer vision of the music. It’s like a kind of reading where the clarity of the polyphony is extremely evident. Here, the music is absolutely transparent because we have the four voices at roughly equal power, as written by the composer. So there is no keyboard and, above all, no double bass in the version played here. As this was Robert’s choice, we decided to stick with this approach. And then, as we have often performed this music for our audience, I felt it was less interesting to come back and do it again as we usually do, but rather to present it in a slightly different light.

PAN M 360: Yes, it’s always a good idea to bring variations to what we’ve already accomplished. 

Bernard Labadie: It’s always better to do so.

PAN M 360: Let’s move on to the main course, the Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052:

Bernard Labadie: It is Bach’s greatest keyboard concerto. It is the longest, the most elaborate, and also the most famous. It is even a concerto that some Romantic pianists had in their repertoire, which was very rare at the time, because Bach’s music was not widely played by pianists in the 19th century. But it is so expansive that there is an immense breath running through this work. And it is a work for which we can suspect that Bach had a particular affection, because he subsequently reprised the first and last movements in three different cantatas.

PAN M 360: Why the Italian Concerto BWV 971?

Bernard Labadie: Originally, Robert had planned another work, which didn’t suit me because I had never performed it before. And since I agreed to replace him at the last minute, we decided to make a slight change to the original program. The Italian Concerto is inspired by the Vivaldi concerto model. The style of writing is decidedly Italian in its influence. Other works by Bach are much more influenced by the French style, while some lean more towards the North German style.

PAN M 360: How could he draw on all his influences?

Bernard Labadie: At the beginning of his career, Bach had a patron in Weimar who was a good musician and had money. When he traveled to Amsterdam, he would bring back the latest scores available so that Bach could familiarize himself with them. And since Bach and Vivaldi were contemporaries, the young Bach studied Vivaldi’s works and even transcribed them for solo keyboard. It was a way for him to immerse himself in the style.

PAN M 360: Let’s move on to the excerpt from The Musical Offering,BWV 1079.

Bernard Labadie: It is the famous “Ricercare”, an old term that refers to a primitive form of fugue that was practiced by harpsichordists in the 17th century. In Bach’s work, it is the equivalent of a fugue. His choice of the word Ricercare is a tribute to the past, but I also think it may be a reference to the origin of the piece.

The Musical Offering was actually the result of a visit by Bach to the court of Frederick II. Johann Sebastian Bach’s son, Carl Philipp Emanuel, was a harpsichordist at Frederick II’s court, which partly explains why his father was invited. The latter’s reputation as a keyboard improviser was well established, particularly within Frederick II’s orchestra, which had gathered around him a group of musicians who were among the most famous and skilled of the time.

So these people had heard of Bach, did not necessarily know his music very well, but knew that he was a formidable improviser on the keyboard, and that he was also a master of the fugue. When Johann Sebastian arrived, he was asked to improvise. The king gave him a very beautiful, long, and complex theme, and asked him to improvise a six-voice fugue on this theme—fugues are usually composed for four voices. Bach replied that it was impossible to improvise a six-voice fugue on this theme, but that he would improvise a six-voice fugue on one of his own themes. And that is apparently what he did.

When he returned to Leipzig, he composed this six-voice fugue, Ricercare, one of the most famous fugues in the history of music, analyzed in every detail by almost every musician in the world who has studied counterpoint.

PAN M 360: We are left with the Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1056

Bernard Labadie: Yes, there are seven concertos for harpsichord by Bach. Three are for two harpsichords. Two are for three harpsichords. And then there is one for four harpsichords. The Concerto in F minor is a shorter concerto, much less elaborate than the first one on the program. No. 5 is best known for its beautiful slow movement—the second. You can hear it in every elevator in the world. Yes, it’s true, this slow movement is a rather extraordinary melodic creation.

PAN M 360: Finally, Mr. Labadie, let’s briefly return to your return to the helm of Les Violons du Roy when Jonathan Cohen’s term ends.

Bernard Labadie: Quite simply, I am returning to the position of music director, but I am not returning with the idea that I will do another 15 years. I am not returning to my position, I am not returning to my job as I did it in the first 30 years before I left.

My goal is to help the organization get through the next few years until we find a successor, and above all to create the right conditions for that successor to have the means to achieve their ambitions. For Les Violons du Roy, as for so many other cultural organizations, the financial situation has been difficult since the pandemic.

Things are not going well: declining attendance at theaters, much greater difficulty in finding private funding, and changing priorities for foundations and companies that distribute funds and supplement public funding. Private funding is more interested in community causes than purely artistic causes.

PAN M 360: Hence your return home for next season.

Barnard Labadie: The question, in fact, is this: if Les Violons du Roy were to seek a successor other than myself today, there is reason to fear that it would be difficult to attract a candidate of the highest caliber. It’s all well and good to offer them an orchestra in such great shape as Les Violons du Roy, but you still need the money to attract internationally renowned soloists and guest conductors, to carry out high-profile projects with or without a choir, to go on tour with the orchestra, and so on. But that takes money, and money is much harder to come by right now. So we are going through a period where the organization needs to regroup and work on all fronts.

Program Bach’s Lessons

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) 

Extraits de L’Art de la fugue, BWV 1080  

• Contrapunctus I

• Contrapunctus II

• Contrapunctus VIII

• Contrapunctus XI

• Contrapunctus IX  

Keyboard Concerto No. 1 in D minor, BWV 1052 • Allegro • Adagio • Allegro Soloist: Inon Barnatan, piano

• PAUSE 

Italian Concerto, BWV 971 • [No indication] • Andante • Presto• Italian Concerto, BWV 971 • [No indication] • Andante • Presto

Inon Barnatan, piano

 “Ricercare à 6” from The Musical Offering, BWV 1079 

Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1056 • Allegro • Adagio • Presto Soloist: Inon Barnatan, piano

On Tuesday, November 11, the Arab World Festival presents Convergence, a duo performance created by two seasoned instrumentalists: Chaima Gaddour on qanun and Samih Souissi on cello. Both originally from Tunisia, one lives in Montreal and the other in France. They will present a unique and exciting fusion of musical cultures at the Salle Claude Léveillée in Place des Arts. Michel Labrecque interviewed them to learn more.

PANM360: Before we talk about this concert, which will premiere in Montreal, tell me about your personal and musical background, so that we can get to know you better.

Chaima: I’m a newcomer to Quebec, having arrived two and a half years ago. Before that, I lived in Tunisia, my country of origin, and then in Dubai. I started playing music at the age of five, with the qanun, and I graduated in Arabic music. I also studied classical dance at the conservatory for many years and earned a master’s degree in administration and cultural policy. I also taught music at the conservatory and university in Tunisia. I’m very happy to be living in Montreal now.

Samih: I was also born in Tunisia, and I started learning music at the age of eight. Now, I’ve lived in France for half my life. I began with the violin, but fairly quickly switched to the cello. I graduated from the conservatory. Professionally, I started a career as a computer engineer, but for the last ten years, music has been the heart of my life. I conduct choirs and also musicals, while continuing to play the cello. And I try to give the cello a sound that incorporates my Arab and Middle Eastern roots. This requires a completely different technique.

PANM360: Before going any further, let’s talk about the qanun, an instrument less well-known in our region. If I’m not mistaken, it’s a stringed instrument created by the Ottomans.

Chaima: The qanun is nicknamed “the king of instruments” in the Eastern world. It is a horizontal harp, so to speak, an instrument with an enormous capacity for harmonic and musical richness.

PANM360: How did this project, Convergence, come about, the first version of which we will see at FMA?

Chaima: We met while touring with a large orchestra, the Boudchart Orchestra, and we tried duets during breaks or after concerts. Or on days without concerts. And we clicked.

Samih: It’s not every day you see a duo like ours: a traditional Arabic plucked string instrument and a cello. I’ve already done concerts with qanun players, but Chaima has a really special musical openness that leads me to explore new worlds.

Chaima: Actually, we’re both very musically curious. We’re interested in music of all genres. We also explore Latin and Asian music.

Samih: Beyond simply juxtaposing repertoires, we try to create stylistic fusions. For example, combining Latin American music with North African and Andalusian music. Or combining Schubert with Mohammad Abdel Wahad, an Egyptian singer and composer. And it all has to flow naturally.

PANM360: Do you also compose?

Chaima: No, not exactly. But to blend these musical styles, you have to rearrange them, sometimes add lines or counterpoint, so in a sense, there’s a compositional process involved. Not to mention the improvisation that’s present in our pieces. There’s also a whole musicological research process to connect all these musical sources.

PANM360: How would you describe the spirit of Convergence, which already intrigues me greatly?

Chaima: It’s a kind of journey in which the Orient travels: it goes to Ireland, to Europe, to Latin America and to Asia. It mixes with all these musical styles.

Samih: This is an opportunity for us to express our multiple identities. We both reject any single identity label. This show is a first, but we hope to repeat it many times around the world. We want to spark a dialogue between different cultures that will make others’ cultures less intimidating. Canada is an excellent place to begin this process.

PANM360: Thank you for this interview! I’d like to add that we’ll also be able to hear you accompanying Fairouz Oudjida for the Legendary Andalusia concert at the Fifth Hall of Place des Arts on November 7th. You also conduct the RCM Orchestra, which stands for Cultural Richness of Montreal.

Chaima: Thank you to the Arab World Festival for giving us these opportunities.

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Rosie Valland, Alex Burger, Marie-Pierre Arthur, Bibi Club, Bon Enfant, Rau_ze, Stephen Faulkner, Dumas, and Flèche Love are among the approximately 80 acts featured in the 39th Coup de cœur francophone, taking over Montreal from November 6 to 16. Undoubtedly a must-see, the CCF remains the quintessential fall event for the Francophone music scene, bringing together creative forces from America and beyond in chanson, rock, country/Americana, soul/R&B, and hip-hop. It goes without saying that PAN M 360 is interviewing Noémie Laniel, the programming director of the 39th Coup de cœur francophone (CCF) since last year, who is here to discuss the lineup she and her team have created.

This content is produced in partnership with La Vitrine, which includes Coup de coeur francophone in its SEO.

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PAN M 360: This doesn’t make me feel any younger, I was there at the first edition, I’ve been crossing paths with Alain Chartrand (founder and artistic director of the CCF) since the 80s at CIBL, even before the event was created.

Noémie Laniel: I wasn’t there 39 years ago (laughs), but I’ve heard a lot of good things about it!

PAN M 360: Is there an angle where it is more a representation of the emerging and established news of the French fact in North America and Europe, or does the programming reflect a particular inclination?

Noémie Laniel: I think we’re still focused on that angle, representing the new wave, as my director Alain so aptly puts it. In any case, it’s an expression we like to use when talking about emerging artists, the next generation, or artists who are on the rise. So yes, Coup de cœur francophone still has this mission of showcasing the artists of the new wave. We’re bold, we’re representing a wide range of genres and styles. We’re embracing the diversity and dynamism of what’s happening right now in French-language music in all its forms.

PAN M 360: What are the main features of this 2025 program?

Noémie Laniel: The unique thing about this year is that we have many events within the event. We have a very rich program of special evenings, launches, and evenings in collaboration with several artists who will share the stage.

PAN M 360: Give us some examples!

Noémie Laniel: I’m thinking of Marie-Pierre Arthur who presents us with a stripped-down show with François Lafontaine accompanying her, with director Sébastien Blais Montpetit and a choir.

I am thinking of Dumas, at the Gesù on November 14 and 16, who will present us with a formula with projections which will be the narrative thread of his show – in the first part, the Abenaki artist Mimi O’Bonsawin.

I’m thinking of Rosie Valland, who is presenting the anniversary show for her album Partir avant on November 15th at the Ministère.

We have Alex Burger at Club Soda on November 13th with the show Un coin du ciel, an evening with a country/americana flavour, an intergenerational mix with a lineup of veteran artists, confirmed artists and emerging artists.

So, in short, that’s it, we’re really into that this year. And generally speaking, we’re exploring all sorts of musical styles.

At the Plaza Theatre, on Friday, November 14th, we have Xela Edna, Flèche Love (from Switzerland), and Virginie B, who are performing a triple bill together. It’s going to be super pop, it’s going to be great! Then across the street from the Plaza Theatre, at Ausgang Plaza, we have a more experimental evening with Cédric Dind-Lavoie, Mykalle, and Bilou from Belgium, who is also a visual artist, so a mix of projections and sound explorations.

PAN M 360: Also worth keeping an eye on?

Noémie Laniel: I’d like to start by talking about the opening night, which for me is a very representative evening of the current buzz, the buzz among young people. This artistic buzz will be represented that evening by Bibi Club, Bon Enfant, and Rau_ze—three very different musical spheres, but which come together tonight. These three projects, for me, are representative of what’s happening right now in our scene. These artists are finding their place, they’re bringing people together, they’re doing things differently, they’re daring. In short, these projects are opening at Quai des Brumes, Rockette, L’Esco, not to mention the Fanfare de l’Île at Quai des Brumes. We’re bringing together the Mont-Royal/Saint-Denis corner! It’s a festive evening that, for me, represents the very best of what’s happening right now.

We also have several concerts/album launches, and we’re discovering a lot of new artists releasing their first albums. I’m thinking of the hip-hop/R&B artist Irdens Exantus, who also has an acting career—notably in Antigang. I’m also thinking of Kat Pereira, who made a name for herself at the Francouvertes and will also be launching her album with a live show. We have Embo/Phlébite, who will be launching their album in a double bill with Bandit Voyage, a Swiss duo we discovered last year. We absolutely loved them! This duo is launching an EP produced in Montreal last fall.

As the opening act for established artists or in the context of special evenings where they are invited, there will be the singer and songwriter Naïma Frank, there will be Noëm, Arielle Soucy, Veranda, Tom Chicoine, Cindy Bédard, Patrick Bourdon.

There’s the hip-hop artist Sensei H, who’s currently featured on Radio-Canada’s Révélation program, and who’s also one of my favorite projects. At Quai des Brumes and Verre-Bouteille, we have several discovery nights with artists like Charly Darling, Couleur Dauphin, Margaret Tracteur, Clara Dahli, and many more. In short, these evenings are full of artists worth discovering.

PAN M 360: So, roughly how many artists and how many concerts is that in total?

Noémie Laniel: Well, statistically speaking, we have roughly 80 artists in Montreal. I say that because, as you mentioned earlier, there’s also everything that’s happening across Canada leading up to the Festival in Montreal. It’s really a snapshot of what’s happening right now. It illustrates how musical and stylistic boundaries have exploded and how the very notion of a song is transforming and evolving over time. I think we’re capturing the essence of all that.

PAN M 360: Several festivals have had to reduce their artistic proposals. What about yours?

Noémie Laniel: Coup de Coeur francophone casts a wide net in terms of styles, but we’ve scaled back compared to previous years. It might not be immediately apparent, but yes, we’ve reduced the scope. Why? Yes, public funding is harder to secure, but it’s also a matter of programming vision. Current economic conditions are impacting us and forcing us to rethink how we work, how we present our event, being more concise, avoiding cannibalization, and thus making Coup de Coeur even better despite everything.

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In November, festivals in Quebec’s regions are few and far between, but the Val d’Or Traditional Music Festival is a standout destination. From November 5th to 9th, the Abitibi city pulsates with traditional music, with programs presented from morning till night, right up until Sunday morning. The festival invites us to “come to the living room,” a theme reminiscent of traditional gatherings in the living rooms of good people across the country. The Beaudry brothers, Éric and Simon, Leahy, La Famille LeBlanc, Skye Consort, and many others perform in the heart of the Abitibi autumn. This is an excellent opportunity to highlight this traditional music event, which has been successfully established in the region since November 2018. To summarize the Val d’Or Traditional Music Festival’s history, its organizing committee was contacted on the eve of the event.

This PAN M 360 content was produced in partnership with La Vitrine, which includes the Val d’Or Trad Music Festival in its directory.

PAN M 360: Karine Roberge, you are the president of the Val-d’Or Traditional Music Festival.

Karine Roberge : Exactly!

PAN M 360 : Please tell us how this festival emerged in Val d’Or.

Karine Roberge: This is our eighth edition; the first was in 2018. But it started before that, with a group of local musicians organizing dance evenings. We invited caller Jean-François Berthiaume to participate in our evenings. When he saw what we had, he said, “You have a festival on your hands!” It was gaining popularity; the community was truly delighted with what we were doing. We also had the support of the city; we even won an award for our work with the dance evenings.

PAN M 360: Indeed, a Val d’Or cultural prize was won by the Racine Carrée group, which preceded the first presentation of your Val d’Or Trad Music Festival.

Karine Roberge: We did this for three years, from 2015 to 2018. We did it on weekends, we organized workshops, we could bring in a musician who would bring us repertoire that he would teach us. Little by little, we launched the first edition in 2018, and the audience continues to grow with each festival.

PAN M 360: You are a musician yourself, aren’t you?

Karine Roberge : Yes, I play the violin.

PAN M 360 : The Val d’Or Traditional Music Festival was born in 2018, tell us about its progress!

Karine Roberge : Initially, it was Friday and Saturday; I even wonder if we didn’t include Sunday the first year. Then we added Thursday, then Wednesday.

PAN M 360 : An increasingly large task to accomplish!

Karine Roberge : It starts on Wednesday (November 5th). We usually have a show followed by a call-and-response singing activity. On Thursdays and Fridays, we always have happy hours (5 to 7 pm), and on Thursdays and Fridays, we have bands performing. After that, we have two bands performing each Thursday and Friday evening. We even have a late-night show, which is new this year. After that, on Saturday night, it’s our big dance party. For us, it’s Saturday night. People look forward to the famous dance party with the caller.

PAN M 360 : Is it the original local band playing?

Karine Roberge : The first few years, yes, but as we are quite busy with the festival, we have been inviting groups to play for the last 2 or 3 years.

PAN M 360 : It’s pretty intense for 5 days!

Karine Roberge : We also always have a group at the reception desk from 7:00 to 7:30 p.m. So we present four groups a day, or almost. On Saturdays, we also run lots of workshops. In the mornings, we also present shows. Before, we organized informal gatherings with musicians, but now we have shows at three different venues in Val-d’Or.

On Friday at lunchtime, we also have five groups playing in five different restaurants around town. We’re really spreading out everywhere, we’re infiltrating the city!

PAN M 360 :  You present music in all sorts of places that aren’t necessarily concert halls, which is really cool!

Karine Roberge : Yes! Furthermore, we are currently presenting four shows in seniors’ residences the week before the festival with a local band. We also always present a group in collaboration with the school board (Centre de Service scolaire de l’Or-et-des-Bois). We reach many young people, up to 400 from the school board.

PAN M 360 : And this is not the end yet!

Karine Roberge : Yes, we always finish on Sunday mornings. It’s our classical-traditional show, where we want to demonstrate that traditional music appeals to a wide range of audiences, not just those who enjoy traditional folk dances. We can also engage fans of other genres, like classical music. Sometimes people have preconceived notions about it. That’s why we present a show on Sunday mornings at the Val-d’Or Conservatory of Music. We’ve previously had Nicholas Williams, Philippe Prud’homme, and Élisabeth Giroux, who perform traditional music with a classical touch. This year, Skye Consort will be performing. 

PAN M 360 : And your programming? Tell us about your selection this year.

Karine Roberge : These are groups from Quebec, Acadia, or Ontario. But starting next year, we might look a little further afield. We’ll see.

PAN M 360 : Clearly, you’re still improving! In any case, you’re still improving!

Karine Roberge : Yes! And we often work with themes. We create lots of slogans.

Equipped to keep the tradition alive… Better traditional than never… From the heart to traditional… This year, it’s all about coming to the living room. Because in traditional music, the living room was where the old-time gatherings took place, where families came together. It’s a way of saying to people: “Come celebrate with your family!” That’s kind of the theme this year.

Family is also a theme. Extended family, family in the literal sense, family in the figurative sense. We have the Leahy family, the LeBlanc family, the Beaudry brothers who are our spokespeople. Real families! Our local group, Les Fous, is an Abitibi family, so to speak. Then we have Excavation & Poésie, a chosen family, friends who have come together. The Vaudevillian, who come for the Friday happy hour, are a couple.

Traditional music is like a large, close-knit family where we come to celebrate together during a festival. We reconnect with our roots and experience our traditions together.

PAN M 360 : How do you manage to finance your event?

Karine Roberge : We have many local sponsors. Businesses here are truly very generous. We also seek grants – from CALQ, Canadian Heritage, the City of Val-d’Or, etc. Our budget is still around $200,000.

PAN M 360 : You are presenting your festival in November, which is a time of year when there are not many musical events.

Karine Roberge : Yes, we did question ourselves at one point, we wondered if we should change. From a tourism perspective, for example, we have to convince people to come to Val d’Or in November. It’s a month that’s supposedly dull and boring. Then we realized that November is also a great time for music, for celebrating.

PAN M 360 : In Abitibi, autumn arrives early, on November 5th. There’s something special, even exotic, about experiencing a taste of the cold in a musical context! Are you all from Val-d’Or, you who are organizing this Val-d’Or Trad?

Karine Roberge : Yes, that’s right. As for the organization, we’re all from Val-d’Or. We’re not that far away, we’re only 5.5 hours from Montreal! We hope people will be willing to make the trip, because we’re always well received in Abitibi, people have a great time. So yes, it’s an invitation, a great excuse to come!

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Vanille is the project of singer-songwriter Rachel Leblanc, who will be taking advantage of Coup de coeur francophone to release her third album, Un chant d’amour (A Song of Love). She’s preparing a romantic atmosphere within a cinematic universe, a complete departure from her first two albums, Soleil’96 and La clairière (The Clearing), which leaned towards alternative rock and folk. This time, we’re more in the realm of 70s pop with influences from French music. She’ll be performing on November 8th at the Lion d’or, and Keithy Antoine had the opportunity to interview her for PAN M 360.

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