Les Barocudas have established themselves as an innovative ensemble on the early music scene. Eager to combine wit and creativity with their high-calibre performance skills, the ensemble brings a signature freshness to Baroque repertoire, which has charmed audiences far and wide with a refreshing approach to early music performance and Baroque repertoire.

Following the success of their award-winning debut album, La Peste, Les Barocudas period ensemble returns with Basta parlare! (Enough said!), a program exploring the dynamic, experimental musical style that swept 17th century Italy — in particular, works that showcase the violin and recorder.

Joining Les Barocudas Marie-Nadeau Tremblay (violin), and Tristan Best (viola da gamba), are Vincent Lauzer, (recorder); and Christophe Gauthier (harpsichord). Basta parlare includes works by Italian baroque composers including Dario Castello, Giovanni Legrenzi, Tarquinio Merula, and Biagio Marini, among others, whose music was considered almost radical at the time.

Marie Nadeau-Tremblay

Since graduating in 2019 with a master’s degree in early music, Marie Nadeau-Tremblay has established herself on the Canadian scene as an emerging young baroque violinist. In 2019, she landed an unprecedented four awards at the Mathieu-Duguay Early Music Competition, including First Prize. Named Radio-Canada’s 2021–2022 classical “Revelation” and winner of the 2022 “Discovery of the Year” Opus Prize, Nadeau-Tremblay also received the 2022 Choquette-Symcox Award from the Jeunesses Musicales Canada Foundation. While her album La Peste (2020) earned Juno and Opus award nominations, her most recent album, Préludes et solitudes (2021), which was highly acclaimed by both the CBC and Early Music America, won a 2023 Opus Prize for “Album of the Year.” In 2022, Marie Nadeau-Tremblay received a career development grant from the Fondation Père Lindsay. She performs on an original Thomas Perry violin (1750) as well as on an Amati model violin by Timothy Johnson generously loaned to her by Mr. Jacques Marchand. In addition to music, Nadeau-Tremblay enjoys drawing and is studying Mandarin and Japanese.

Depuis sa graduation en 2019, où elle obtient une maîtrise en musique ancienne, Marie Nadeau-Tremblay a su s’imposer sur la scène canadienne comme jeune violoniste baroque de la relève. En 2019, elle figure quatre fois au tableau d’honneur du Concours international de musique ancienne Mathieu-Duguay, remportant entre autres le premier prix. Nommée « Révélation Radio-Canada 2021-2022 » en musique classique et « Découverte de l’année » aux prix Opus 2022, Marie est aussi lauréate du prix Choquette-Symcox de la Fondation Jeunesses Musicales Canada. Son album La Peste (2020) lui a valu des nominations aux prix Juno et Opus. Son plus récent album, Préludes et solitudes (2021), a été chaleureusement accueilli par la critique, tant par la CBC que par Early Music America, et gagne un prix Opus en 2023 dans la catégorie « Album de l’année ». En 2022, Marie reçoit en outre une bourse de développement de carrière de la Fondation Père Lindsay. Elle joue sur un violon Thomas Perry (1750) ainsi que sur un violon Amati fabriqué par Timothy Johnson, lequel lui est généreusement prêté par M. Jacques Marchand. Outre la musique, Marie aime beaucoup dessiner et étudie le mandarin et le japonais.

Vincent Lauzer

Hailed for his “athletic and virtuoso playing” and “sensitive interpretations”, recorder player Vincent Lauzer leads an active career as a performer, artistic director, and teacher. He is Artistic Director of the Lamèque International Baroque Music Festival, Co-Artistic Director of Les Plaisirs du clavecin, Head of Youth Development with Arion Baroque Orchestra, and since November 2022, he has served as Co-Artistic Director of the Montreal Baroque Festival. In October 2018, his recording of Vivaldi’s concertos with Arion Baroque Orchestra was awarded a Diapason d’or by the renowned French magazine Diapason. In addition to several prizes in national and international competitions, he received the prestigious Fernand Lindsay Career Award in 2015. He was named “Révélation Radio-Canada” in 2013–2014 and “Discovery of the Year” at the 2012 Opus Awards. In 2012, he won First Prize at the Canadian Music Competition’s Stepping Stone and the Career Development Award from the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto. Vincent Lauzer is a member of Flûte Alors! and regularly performs as a soloist with Arion Baroque Orchestra, La Bande Montréal Baroque, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra and Les Violons du Roy. He has played in various series and festivals in Canada and the United States, as well as in Mexico, France, Germany, Spain and Belgium.

Reconnu pour son jeu «athlétique et virtuose» et pour ses interprétations «senties et sensibles», le flûtiste à bec Vincent Lauzer mène une carrière active à titre d’interprète, de directeur artistique et d’enseignant. Il est le directeur artistique du Festival international de musique baroque de Lamèque, le co-directeur artistique des Plaisirs du clavecin, le responsable du développement jeunesse pour Arion Orchestre Baroque et, depuis novembre 2022, le co-directeur artistique du Festival Montréal Baroque. Son enregistrement des concertos de Vivaldi avec Arion Orchestre Baroque lui a valu, en octobre 2018, un Diapason d’or, décerné par le célèbre magazine français Diapason. Lauréat de nombreux premiers prix lors de concours nationaux et internationaux, il reçoit en 2015 la prestigieuse bourse de carrière Fernand-Lindsay. Il est nommé «Découverte de l’année» au Gala des prix Opus 2012, puis «Révélation Radio-Canada 2013-2014». Il remporte également en 2012 le premier prix du Tremplin (Concours de musique du Canada) ainsi que le Career Development Award du Women’s Musical Club of Toronto. Vincent fait partie de l’ensemble Flûte Alors! et se produit comme soliste avec Arion Orchestre Baroque, La Bande Montréal Baroque, l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, le Pacific Baroque Orchestra et Les Violons du Roy. Il a en outre joué dans plusieurs séries et festivals d’envergure au Canada et aux États-Unis, de même qu’au Mexique, en France, en Allemagne, en Espagne et en Belgique.

Tristan Best

Tristan Best is an early string instrument player currently based in Montreal, Quebec. With roots in New York and Nova Scotia, Tristan came to Montreal in 2016 to study viola da gamba and early music performance. Tristan holds a bachelor and a master of music in viola da gamba performance after completing his studies at McGill University in 2021 under the tutelage of Betsy MacMillan and Elin Soderstrom. Tristan frequently performs with Montreal-based ensemble Les Barocudas, has participated in the Montreal Baroque Festival, and was awarded the Founder’s Prize along with second place as a soloist in the Mathieu-Duguay Early Music Competition in 2022. Outside of performance, Tristan is also an educator and has given workshops and lectures about the viola da gamba around Canada and the United States.

Tristan Best est un gambiste originaire de New York et de la Nouvelle-Écosse. Son amour de la musique ancienne le mène à Montréal en 2016 pour l’étude de la viole de gambe à l’Université McGill, où il obtient un baccalauréat, puis une maîtrise sous la tutelle de Betsy MacMillan et d’Elin Soderstrom. Tristan se produit souvent avec l’ensemble montréalais Les Barocudas, a participé au Festival baroque de Montréal et a reçu le prix du fondateur ainsi que la deuxième place en tant que soliste au Concours de musique ancienne Mathieu-Duguay en 2022. Quand il ne performe pas sur scène, Tristan est également un éducateur et a donné des ateliers et des conférences sur la viole de gambe au Canada et aux États-Unis.

Christophe Gauthier

Born in Montréal, Christophe Gauthier studied harpsichord with Mireille Lagacé at the Conservatoire de Montréal. He then earned two degrees at the Université de Montréal, his bachelor’s studying with Réjean Poirier and his master’s studying with Luc Beauséjour. His skill as a chamber player has led Christophe Gauthier to help found a number of ensembles, including the Rendez-vous baroque français and the Consort Laurentien. The latter group performed in the summer of 2021 at the Utrecht Early Music Festival in the Netherlands. He performs as organist and harpsichordist with the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal (SMAM), Arion Baroque Orchestra, I Musici de Montréal, and the Orchestre Métropolitain under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Christophe Gauthier teaches organ and harpsichord at the Cégep de Saint-Laurent. He is regularly invited to teach at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (Nova Scotia). He occasionally directs ensembles from the harpsichord, and conducts the choir Ensemble vocal Vivace. Notably, he has directed performances of the operas Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, Hercules by Handel, and David et Jonathas by Charpentier. He can be heard weekly on Radio VM, where he co-hosts the show Musique classique.

Né à Montréal, Christophe Gauthier a effectué ses études au Conservatoire de Montréal (classe de clavecin de Mireille Lagacé) et ses études de baccalauréat (classe de Réjean Poirier) et de maîtrise (classe de Luc Beauséjour) à l’Université de Montréal.

Ses qualités de chambriste ont amené Christophe Gauthier à participer à la fondation de nombreux ensembles, dont les Rendez-vous baroque français et le Consort Laurentien, lequel s’est produit à l’été 2021 au Festival de musique ancienne d’Utrecht (Pays-Bas). Il s’exécute également en tant qu’organiste et claveciniste avec le Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal (SMAM), Arion Orchestre Baroque, I Musici de Montréal, et l’Orchestre Métropolitain, sous la direction de Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Pédagogue, Christophe Gauthier enseigne l’orgue et le clavecin au Cégep de Saint-Laurent. Il est régulièrement invité à enseigner à la Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (Nouvelle-Écosse). Appelé occasionnellement à diriger des ensembles à partir du clavecin, il est également chef de choeur pour l’Ensemble vocal Vivace. Il a notamment dirigé les opéras Didon et Énée de Purcell, Hercules de Handel et David et Jonathas de Charpentier. On peut l’entendre chaque semaine à l’antenne de Radio VM, à la barre de l’émission Musique classique.

Samantha Louis-Jean, soprano

Vincent Lauzer, recorder

Camille Paquette-Roy, baroque cello

*Mélisande McNabney, harpsichord

*Mélisande McNabney is replaced by Luc Beausejour for the Debut Atlantic tour.

Les Songes

Ensemble Les Songes consists of soprano Samantha Louis­‐Jean, recorder player Vincent Lauzer, baroque cellist Camille Paquette­‐Roy and harpsichordist Mélisande McNabney. These four dynamic young performers were brought together by friendship and their common passion for the baroque repertoire. In 2015 and 2016, Les Songes were on the road across Canada performing their program Alma Innamorata, with two tours presented by the Jeunesses Musicales Canada.

With this program, they were nominated at the Prix Opus in the Concert of the Year – medieval, Renaissance, baroque music category. Les Songes have performed in the Clavecin en Concert and La Dauphine concert series, at the Bourgie Hall and the Chapelle historique du Bon­‐Pasteur, as well as the International Baroque Music Festival in Lamèque. Their concert Agitata was recorded and broadcast by CBC ICI Musique.

Samantha Louis-Jean, soprano

The Canadian and French soprano Samantha Louis‐Jean received her vocal training at the Maîtrise de Radio-­France, the University of Montreal, then with Marie Daveluy and Yolande Parent. She made her professional debut singing Euridice (Monteverdi, L’Orfeo)
with the Montreal Baroque Festical and Lauretta (Puccini, Gianni Schicchi) with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.

Since then, she has performed with the Portland Trinity Consort, the Orford Festival, the Ensemble Caprice, the Lamèque International Baroque Festival, Clavecin en Concert, the Ensemble Masques, Les Violons du Roy and the Quebec Opera Festival.

In 2015-2016, Samantha was selected for the Handel Residency at the Festival Internation d’Aix-en-Provence conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm. She then performed at the Montpellier Opera, the Festival des Lumières de Sorèze and the Nuits Musicales d’Uzès with Ensemble les Ombres; and sang the role of Elvira (Rossini, L’Italiana in Algeri) at the Tourcoing Lyric Atelier and the Champs­‐Élysées Theatre, conducted by Jean-Claude Malgoire.

In 2016-2017, she will perform at the Comédie de St-­Étienne, the Aix-­en-­Provence Festival, the Tourcoing Lyric Atelier and the Champs-­Élysées Theatre.

Samantha Louis­‐Jean is a winner of the Froville International Baroque Competition, the Prix d’Europe Competition, the Lyndon-­Woodside Oratorio Society of New York Competition and the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation. She is a grant recipient of the Conseildes Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Canada Council of the Arts and the Jeunesses Musicales du Canada.

Vincent Lauzer, Recorder

Révélation Radio­‐Canada 2013-­‐2014 and Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the 2012 Opus Awards, recorder player Vincent Lauzer is the artistic director of the Lamèque Internation Baroque Festival in New Brunswick. Winner of several prizes in nation and international competitions, he has recently been awarded the Fernand Lindsay Career Award, a scholarship given to a young promising Canadian musician for the development of an international career.

A versatile performer, he plays with Flûte Alors!, Les Songes, the Pacific Baroque Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, La Bande Montréal Baroque, Les Idées Heureuses, Arion Baroque Orchestra and La Cigale. Vincent has also performed for various series and festivals in Canada and the United States, as well as in Mexico, France, Germany, Spain and Belgium.

Mélisande McNabney, harpsichord

Mélisande McNabney performs keyboard music of all periods, on harpsichord, piano and fortepiano.In August 2015, she recieved the third prize at the International Competition Musica Antiqua in Bruges, Belgium. A Graduate of McGill University and the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, Mélisande was granted her Master’s degree from the Amsterdam Conservatory in June 2010, where she studied harpsichord, continuo and fortepiano in the classes of Bob van Asperen and Richard Egarr. She is now pursuing her Doctorate degree at McGill University under the guidance of Hank Knox and Tom Beghin, thanks to the support of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarships Program.

Currently based in Montréal, Mélisande is regularly invited to play with ensembles such as Les Violons du Roy, Arion Orchestre Baroque, Les Idées Heureuses, the Theatre of Early Music and Ensembles Caprice. She is also a member of Pallade Musica and ensemble Les Songes, which will be on tour with Jeunesses Musicales Canada in the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons.

Mélisande has received scholarships from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Banff Centre, the FQRSC and the CALQ.  She is replaced on this tour by Luc Beausejour.

Camille Paquette-Roy, baroque cello

Having shown an interest and talent for music at a very early age, cellist Camille Paquette-Roy was admitted to the Music Conservatory of Trois‐Rivières in 1999, where she studied under Jean-Christophe Guelpa for ten years. In 2009, she graduated from the conservatory of Trois­‐Rivières with a Diplôme d’Études Supérieures. In the same year, she began her Master’s degree at McGill University under Brian Manker, which she completed in 2011.

A versatile artist, Paquette-Roy works frequently with a variety of ensembles, including Les Songes, l’Orchestre Baroque Avion, Caprice Ensemble and Quatuor esca. In addition to her activities in the Classical and baroque realms, Paquette-Roy is an active performer in Montréal’s pop music scene with artists such as Ingrid St-Pierre, Jean Leloup and Half Moon Run.

Luc Beausejour, harpsichord

Luc Beauséjour leads a very active concertizing career. He has performed as soloist in North and South America as well as in Europe. He was named “2003 Performer of the Year” by the Conseil Québécois de la Musique and has won Félix awards for two different recordings at the Gala de l’ADISQ. His love of Bach’s music has led him to perform the Cantor’s works for harpsichord and for organ almost in their entirety.

Beauséjour has carried out over 35 recording projects, either as soloist or as musical director. Since 1994, he has been the artistic director of Clavecin en Concert. He teaches at Le Conservatoire de Montréal and at the l’Université de Montréal where he also completed a Doctorate degree. He is pleased to be appearing with Les Songes on their Debut Atlantic tour.

-VISIT LES SONGES’ EDUCATION & ENGAGEMENT PAGE – 

Touring from March 14th to March 30th, 2014

Vincent Lauzer, Marie-Laurence Primeau, Alexa Raine-Wright and Caroline Tremblay

Dynamic and versatile, the Montreal-based ensemble Flûte Alors! is composed of four new-generation recorder players.  Unique in their category, the ensemble is the only professional recorder quartet in Canada.

Since its inception in 1999, the group has been following an exceptional path, quickly distinguishing themselves with the audacity of their programs and the excellence of their performances. Flûte Alors! has a natural stage presence and ability to communicate with audiences that creates a unique, engaging experience while promoting the magnificent, albeit often neglected, instrument we call the recorder.

For the past several years, Flûte Alors! has been receiving nominations and winning prizes, both nationally and internationally. They have been invited to perform in a number of music festivals including the Montreal Recorder Festival and “Concerts aux Îles du Bic.”

In 2009, Flûte Alors! received first prize in chamber music at the National Music Festival and in 2011, they released their first album, Kaléidoscope which was presented in more than 40 locations across Canada as part of their 2012/13 Jeunesses Musicales tour. Flûte Alors has also recently made its debut in the United-States thanks to an invitation to participate in the prestigious Concerts at One series held at Trinity Wall Street in New York City.

Dedicated to pushing the limits of the recorder and expanding its repertoire, Flûte Alors!’s performances encompass music from the Renaissance and Baroque eras, as well as contemporary, jazz, and pop works. The ensemble often collaborates with other performers from diverse musical backgrounds and frequently commissions works for recorder ensemble from the new generation of composers in addition to creating their own arrangements.

With their performances, Flûte Alors! embarks on an incredible voyage across the ages, revealing a bouquet of colors and sounds to audiences everywhere.

En tournée du 14 au 30 mars, 2014

Vincent Lauzer, Marie-Laurence Primeau, Alexa Raine-Wright et Caroline Tremblay

Ensemble dynamique et polyvalent, Flûte Alors! est composé de quatre flûtistes à bec de la nouvelle génération. Unique en son genre, Flûte Alors! est le seul quatuor de flûtes à bec professionnel au Canada. Depuis sa création en 1999, l’ensemble suit un parcours exceptionnel où il se distingue par l’audace de ses programmes et l’excellence de ses interprétations. Grâce à leur qualité de communicateurs, les musiciens font vivre à leur public une expérience unique, rafraîchissante tout en se faisant le promoteur de cet instrument magnifique, malheureusement méconnu et trop souvent négligé, qu’est la flûte à bec.

Depuis plusieurs années Flûte Alors! récolte prix et nominations tant au niveau national qu’international. L’ensemble est invité à se produire dans de nombreux festivals de musique (Festival Montréal Baroque, Festival Les journées de la Flûte à bec, Concerts aux Îles du Bic) et s’est produit en France et en Allemagne. En tant qu’artiste Jeunesses Musicales du Canada pour la saison 2012-2013, Flûte Alors! a présenté son concert Kaléidoscope dans près d’une quarantaine de villes à travers le Canada. L’ensemble a récemment fait ses débuts aux États-Unis suite à une invitation à se produire dans la prestigieuse série de concerts « Concerts at One » à Trinity Wall Street, New-York. C’est grâce à une subvention de la MRC Roussillon que l’ensemble a fait paraître son premier opus, KALÉIDOSCOPE, au printemps 2011.

Dédiés faire connaître le riche répertoire de la flûte à bec, Flûte Alors! présente depuis 2008 une série de concerts à Montréal lors desquels se côtoient musiques médiévale, renaissance, baroque, contemporaine, jazz et même pop ! L’ensemble commande régulièrement des œuvres à de jeunes compositeurs d’ici, collabore avec divers artistes  en plus de présenter ses propres arrangements d’œuvres choisies.

Les présentations de Flûte Alors! se révèlent un véritable voyage dans le temps et à travers les époques, un bouquet de saveurs, une palette de couleurs, un périple éclaté pour le plaisir et l’émerveillement de tous publics.