IMPRESSIONS KOVACS • HOWARD • GARSON • DANIELS • ALARIE COLTRANE • MERCURE • D’RIVERA • BECHET

In pirations Ensemble

André Moisan CLARINETS AND SAXOPHONES Frédéric Alarie BASS Jean-Willy Kunz ORGAN Hélène Lemay TROMBONE Paul Picard DRUM In pirations Founded in 2015 by the renowned clarinettist and conductor André Moisan, the InSpirations ensemble presents an original concept and stands out for its unique sound and its interpretations combining classical, jazz, world music and contemporary musical techniques.

A TRUE MUSICAL KALEIDOSCOPE WITH THE BACKDROP OF MUSIC FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, THIS HETEROGENEOUS AND UNIQUE FORMATION BRINGS TOGETHER FIVE PASSIONATE VIRTUOSOS ENTIRELY DEVOTED TO THEIR ART. IMPRESSIONS The originality of the InSpirations and double bass. Impressions is the is an ambassador of musical tradi- ensemble fnds its essence in the subtle culmination of a stylistic research tions revisited through the spectrum assembly of acoustic instruments initiated by each member of the of modernity. After conquering the around the organ, thus offering a group who, in concert, stage original public and critics of several cities in palette of infnitely varied colors. compositions and adaptations of Canada and the United States, the repertoire works. training continues its momentum with At the heart of Impressions, the organ performances on the international becomes a unifying and versatile Witness of an era rich in cultural scene. instrument, capable of unusual sound convergences and artistic cross- textures in synergy with the quartet’s breeding, the InSpirations ensemble interventions. The immense variety of organ timbres provides an ideal canvas for improvising saxophones and clarinets, trombone, percussion Well known for his consummate mastery of the instrument, his musicality and the clarity of his playing, he has made regular concert and radio appearances as a soloist and a chamber musician since 1977. His numerous concerts abroad, most notably at the Carnegie Hall, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and on Radio-Berlin, have established him as a leading soloist.

In the orchestral field, Mr. Moisan has worked under renowned conductors, mainly with the OSM. He first performed with the Orchestra in 1977, under Andrew Davis, and made his first solo appearance in 1997 with Charles Dutoit. Since May 1999, he has held the position of principal saxophone and bass clarinet with the OSM. As well as teaching the clarinet at the University of Montreal since 1989, he has won numerous awards and was nominated four times for the Opus prize as a soloist, a chamber music player and a conductor. A presenter, guest speaker and accomplished educator, he has conducted the OSM in its Youth Concerts series for ten years, and also led in the Children’s Corner series. Many times a finalist, he won the “Family Concert” Opus Prize in 2003 for a performance in that particular series and was a finalist again in 2007 as a conductor with the OSM. Additionally, André Moisan conducts a ANDRÉ number of other orchestras, teaches and works as a soloist across Canada and abroad. He has recorded more than 50 cd’s, MOISAN including seven as a soloist for ATMA, all CLARINETTIST critically acclaimed worldwide. Two new cd’s AND SAXOPHONIST will be released in the spring of 2017 : l’Orgue dans tous ses états (with Jean-Willy Kunz) and the other dedicated to the Hebraic repertory and Klezmer with the Molinari Quartet. FRÉDÉRIC ALARIE BASS He has played with Bernard Primeau, Frédéric Alarie amazes by the colour, Lorraine Desmarais, Jean-Pierre Zanella and depth and audacity he puts forward in his Yannick Rieu, to name only a few. Invited work : as a musician, composer or soloist, he to play from Canada to China, by way of constantly pushes the limits of both his own France, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Germany, expression and of jazz itself. Poland and the United States, he has left his indelible mark as a top-notch bassist. He has had the great fortune Since his debut in Montreal’s jazz scene at to play alongside notable artists the end of the 1980s, Frédéric Alarie has such as Oliver Jones, Ranee Lee, Sheila Jordan, John Abercrombie, incessantly deepened and enriched the Joe Lovano, Renaud Garcia-Fons, art of stand-up bass. Reputed as a great George Benson, Salvator Adamo, builder, he relishes in deconstructing Nathalie Dessay, Charles Aznavour and Michel Legrand. And he has jazz’s conventional scaffolds in order to formed his own ensembles such as erect new ones. His play is fluid, sensitive Frédéric Alarie & Basse Section, or and audacious indeed. more recently the Frédéric Alarie Quartet, Trio and Duo. Frédéric Alarie is one of the most sought- after stand-up bassists in Canada. He has recorded on 34 albums as an accompanist- soloist, and has played on about sixty other albums as a guest ; several of these albums have received awards, including the FELIX and JUNO AWARD. As a composer, Frédéric Alarie has nine albums under his belt, all of which have been greatly praised by critics. 1997’s Vision album, along with the Basse Section ensemble, was nominated for best jazz album of the year at the ADISQ. That same year, Saison Jazz Montréal named him the Discovery of the Year. In 1998 he won the Trébas Jazz Award. Jean-Willy Kunz is the first organist in residence of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. In addition to playing both with the Orchestra and in recital, he sees to the development and showcasing of the OSM’s Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique at Maison symphonique de Montréal. JEAN-WILLY KUNZ ORGANIST Jean-Willy Kunz studied at the Conservatoire in Lyon with Louis Robilliard, at the Conservatoire in Montreal with Mireille Lagacé, as well as at McGill University, where he earned a doctorate with John Grew. He has been a prize-winner at a number of organ competitions, including the Concours international d’orgue de Chartres and the Canadian International Organ Competition. His discography includes many recordings which reflect the broad range of his musical influences : solo organ ; Impressions for organ, clarinets, saxophones, trombone, double bass and percussions ; Symphonie et créations pour orgue et orchestre with the OSM (Juno Award 2016) ; Punkt with Pierre Lapointe ; André Gagnon Baroque for harpsichord and symphony orchestra. Jean-Willy Kunz is organ professor at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal and artistic director of the Canadian International Organ Competition. HÉLÈNE LEMAY TROMBONIST She holds a bachelor degree in music from the University of Sherbrooke and she has many times won scholarships in the Council of Arts and Letters of Québec. In 2008, she founded TUXEDO SWING where she held the positions of artistic As a distinguished trombone player and director and conductor. Her will to promote local an experienced businesswoman, Hélène artists led her to create la Lemay regularly performs with numerous Série Culturelle de Warwick popular Quebec artists from the jazz, 2015, reflection of the eclecticism of her tastes. pop and classical scene. As a producer of cultural events, she gained a solid reputation by offering performances with the greatest artists of the national and international scene. For over 20 years, Picard has also performed with From 1984 to 1986, Picard was a member house bands on TV broadcasts; he has done of legendary jazz percussionist Don Alias’ a tremendous amount of studio work, recording band. After touring with Canadian star Roch with many of Quebec’s top artists, playing film Voisine in the early 1990s, Picard joined music and providing percussion on hundreds Celine’s band in 1995. Picard also writes of jingles. In 1981, Picard won a grant from music, and has composed 10 theater scores the National Art Council of Canada to and one film score. continue his exploration of ethnic and Latin percussion, and his studies eventually earned him a college teaching post he still holds at CEGEP Saint-Laurent in Quebec.

PAUL PICARD DRUMMER If you find yourself in urgent need of a percussionist for your pop-jazz-rock-classical band, Paul Picard is your man. Picard trained under Louis Charbonneau at the Quebec Music Conservatory and won the Conservatory’s Premier Prix in Percussion in 1974. In the decades that followed, Picard explored virtually every ethnic, traditional and popular form of percussion, performing alongside everyone from classical virtuosi such as Itzhak Perlman to jazz greats Henry Mancini and Ella Fitzgerald. He has performed with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Canadian bands with styles ranging from pop to Latin. (@/27B7=<<3:/:9/