• In a few words, how would you describe yourself?

I’m a composer, a Montréal native and a proud graduate of the Université de Montréal Faculty of Music!

• What did you like best about the Faculty? Which person inspired you the most during your stay at Université de Montréal?

I was very excited to be studying at Faculty of Music. Interacting with professors as impassioned as I was was very stimulating in my learning and in my productions. And I was very happy to work with François-Hugues Leclair, my composition professor. His teaching struck me as both important and valuable: not only was the technical side solid, but his vision of music opened up on perspectives that seemed to me to be essential. We talked as much about esthetics as philosophy, as much about the importance of music in society as the importance of the voice of the composer, of his creation and of his impact in the community. Those are artistic and human values that have stayed with me to this day.

•  In what way has your stay at the Faculty of Music influenced your life?

I have the opportunity to practice the vocation of composer, which is no small matter! All the more so in that when I started my studies at the Faculty, I had no idea that that would be my profession. I think the curriculum I took allowed me to develop my abilities and reassured me that my artistic aspirations were valid.

• Is there an anecdote you’d like to share with us?

An anecdote that involves a whole lot of misunderstandings: I was often taken for a student in classical singing! Well, I have to admit that maybe I have the physical requirements for the job, as well as an exuberant laugh! Besides, I hung out quite a bit with singers, which made many people think I was one too, to the point where I was even approached with a contract for an opera! Imagine the confusion of that person when I explained that I couldn’t sing!

•  How has the network you built at the Faculty of Music contributed to your career?

I think that the networking we develop during music studies is the basis for our careers. It’s an area where collaborations are so numerous and varied that the networking is intrinsic to the practice of our profession, and the living environment offered by the Faculty of Music is perfect for developing those friendships (whether they’re professional or personal.) A great number of artists that I work with today are Université de Montréal graduates that I met during my studies.

•  Who’s your favorite artist, and why?

I have great admiration for Leonard Bernstein. A charismatic and extremely talented being, who was a kind of incarnation of music: a composer, conductor and pianist all at once.

November 2020