The OSM, together with former contestants from the Cégeps en spectacle talent competition, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of CEGEPs in an evening show filled with song, humour, dance and classical music.
In 2017, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the creation of CEGEPs in Quebec. The introduction of the first 12 CEGEPs in 1967 to replace the classical colleges marked a major turning point in the Quebec education system.
The anniversary show, called OSM Celebrates 50 Years of CEGEPs will be presented at Maison symphonique de Montréal on Thursday, November 30. The show, hosted by Monique Giroux who will also be its artistic director, will treat audience members to a rich and incredibly varied program.
The rapper Koriass, who is on the A-list of guest artists, was the spokesperson for this year’s Cégeps en spectacle competition, a showcase of CEGEP students and future artists exhibiting their talent as singers, dancers, musicians, comedians, actors and circus artists.
From the very outset, the competition has been an important springboard for many artists who are now widely recognized by their peers.
This is what led to the idea of bringing back former competition winners and finalists to celebrate the 50th anniversary, together with others who have since become prominent. Yann Perreau, Vincent Vallières, Philippe Brach, Charles Richard-Hamelin, Catherine Major, Claudine Mercier and Jessica Viau are all on the program.
Emmanuel Dubois (aka Koriass) was a hit at the 2015 Francofolies, performing with his big band on the main outdoor stage of Place des Festivals.
He would later attract all kinds of attention with his pro-feminist comments, and ended up giving many talks on the subject in Quebec schools. On November 30, Koriass will perform “Supernova”, a touching song combined with an excerpt from the famous Cowboys Fringants song “Les étoiles filantes.”
Included on the program will be Yann Perreau performing “Amour Sauvage, Amour,” based on a Gaston Miron poem, from the album 12 hommes rapaillés, and “Le bruit des bottes” from the album Un serpent sous les fleurs.
Vincent Vallières and Philippe Brach will each sing solo and then combine their voices in a duet of “Complots d’enfants,” a Félix Leclerc song that Vallières put on his Félix Leclerc tribute album.
Contemporary dancer Jessica Viau will join singer-songwriter Catherine Major on stage to dance to Major’s “Le piano ivre”. Major, a prolific artist whose song “Ma Voix” was chosen as the theme song for the La Voix cuvée 2017 broadcast, will also perform “La maison du monde”.
Pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin will play excerpts from Gershwin’s famous Rhapsody in Blue to accompany a monologue by Claudine Mercier. The combined performances promise an exciting evening with a lot of talent on display.
Adam Johnson, the young OSM assistant conductor, will lead the orchestra for the event. In addition to an excerpt from Brahms’ Lullaby, the OSM will perform a piece chosen by CEGEP students from a list of five classical works. In an online vote, the students chose Dvorak, Symphony no. 9 “Nouveau Monde”.
Jean-Nicolas Trottier, Simon Leclerc and Blair Thomson will handle orchestrations for the show.
Don’t miss OSM Celebrates 50 Years of CEGEPs at Maison symphonique de Montréal at 8 pm on Thursday, November 30. To share this 50th anniversary with as many students as possible, the show will be recorded by Cégep de Jonquière students and simulcast live to all 48 of Quebec’s CEGEPs.
