I am a violinist within the Collectif de la Cité since its formation!
At what age did you start learning your instrument and why did you choose it?
I started playing the violin at the age of 9. It was my parents' initiative to enroll me in lessons, but strangely, I immediately took to it! I think what fascinated me the most at the beginning was the challenge of putting together the puzzle of notes. I was on a mission, uncovering each note and sound by deciphering the sheet music in front of me. I loved the challenge. Whenever I had a few minutes free, I would run to my room and open the case, from which emanated a distinct smell that I will always remember - a mixture of attic, incense, and camphor - and I would sit on my bed to familiarize myself, by touch, with this mysterious piece of wood. There was something about this instrument that awakened all my senses.
What has been your biggest challenge in your career as a musician?
Honestly, a lot of things (haha)! First, during my twenties, the thirst for performance that drove me was both a driving force for commitment and realization of several projects, but also an endless spiral that repeatedly slipped into obsession, leading to states of imbalance and inner tension. Then, closer to my thirties, the financial question arose. If it had been set aside until then, it caught up with me and began to chip away at my motivation. In a cyclical movement, all these thoughts still inhabit me, but I believe I have now found a clearer privileged space for music, and that there is also life outside of this space.
What is your greatest pride as a musician today?
My long-standing relationships with friends/colleagues/musicians! Here, I would name Marie-Pier Gagné, whom I met in high school, Alain Filion, and Mathieu Rancourt, with whom I have been playing for about 13 years, also within the Collective as a jazz trio. Building lasting relationships and growing together within the same project - I think of my band Les Évadés, on which I have been working since 2013 - fills me with pride and touches me deeply, especially in a societal context where the ephemeral and flash-in-the-pan abound.
What are your passions besides music?
Cooking, cooking, cooking! Coffee (or coffees) and the creative high post-morning coffee. Otherwise, sleeping! My bed is definitely my favorite place.
What is your biggest dream?
To develop my musical career by increasingly embracing multidisciplinary approaches. More specifically, I would like my project Les Évadés to continue collaborating with visual art and film animation. I increasingly want music to align with other mediums; a bit like this idea of "total art," where personal skills as well as those of the group and collaborators would unite to form a truly artistically satisfying whole.
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