Marie-Chantal Leclair
Assistant Professor
Marie-Chantal Leclair is a passionate musician who is actively involved in fostering recognition and development of the saxophone. A versatile musician, she continues to dedicate considerable portions of her time and energy to new music. Contemporary and electronic music; improvisation; new and experimental instruments 鈥� all are frontiers she eagerly explores. In recognition of her exceptional contribution to Canadian music, in 2009 the Canadian Music Centre awarded her the title of CMC Ambassador.听
As a member of the Quasar saxophone quartet, and its Artistic Director since the ensemble's inception in 1994, she has given concerts in Canada, the United States, and ten countries across Europe 鈥� with more than one hundred works premiered in performance to date. Additionally, she has initiated numerous unique projects spanning a diverse spectrum of musical styles and forms. Over the course of the quartet's twenty years of activity, Marie-Chantal has worked in close collaboration with esteemed composers from Canada and abroad, including Klas Torstensson, Louis Andriessen, Philippe Leroux and Jean-Fran莽ois Laporte. Quasar has been awarded OPUS prizes, including 鈥淧erformer of the Year鈥�, on five occasions, and the group has held the honoured title of guest soloist with both the Montreal and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras. Quasar concerts are broadcast regularly on Radio-Canada, the CBC and radio stations in Europe.
Marie-Chantal Leclair is often invited to perform with other groups, from ensembles to orchestras, 听interpreting 鈥渃lassic鈥� pieces of the saxophone repertoire (Debussy, Villa-Lobos, Milhaud etc.) as well as newly commissioned works. She has performed recently as invited soloist with Montreal's Orchestre m茅tropolitain and Orchestre Appassionata, and with the Soci茅t茅 de musique contemporaine du Qu茅bec. She is also known for her noteworthy performances on 鈥渓鈥檕rgue de sir猫nes鈥�, an instrument created by composer Jean-Fran莽ois Laporte.
A highly regarded instructor, Marie-Chantal Leclair has held Master Classes and conferences across Canada, at most of the country's leading university music programs, and in Europe, most notably at the Conservatory of Bordeaux and the Conservatory of Lucerne. She holds a Master's Degree in Performance from the University of Montreal and furthered her studies in improvisation with New York flautist Robert Dick.听
Marie-Chantal Leclair is Vice-President of the Le Vivier group, whose thirty members are organizations from Quebec dedicated to exploring and promoting the innumerable facets of new music. As well, she has served on a great number of juries, and for several years was a member of the Conseil qu茅b茅cois de la musique's administrative board.听
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Marie-Chantal Leclair est une musicienne passionn茅e 艙uvrant 脿 la reconnaissance et au d茅veloppement du saxophone. Musicienne polyvalente, elle consacre n茅anmoins une part importante de son temps aux musiques nouvelles. Musique contemporaine, 茅lectronique, improvis茅e, nouvelles lutheries, elle est de toutes les aventures. En 2009, le Centre de musique canadienne reconnaissait sa contribution exceptionnelle au d茅veloppement de la musique canadienne en lui d茅cernant le titre Ambassadrice du CMC.
Au sein du quatuor de saxophones Quasar dont elle est directrice artistique, depuis sa fondation en 1994, elle a donn茅 de nombreux concerts 脿 travers tout le Canada, aux 脡tats-Unis ainsi que dans une dizaine de pays d鈥橢urope. Elle a cr茅茅 plus de 100 艙uvres et mis sur pieds des projets couvrant diff茅rents domaines de cr茅ation musicale. Elle a travaill茅 en 茅troite collaboration avec des compositeurs canadiens et 茅trangers tels Klas Torstensson, Louis Andriessen, Philippe Leroux et Jean-Fran莽ois Laporte. Laur茅at de 5 prix OPUS, dont le prix 芦 interpr猫te de l鈥檃nn茅e 禄, Quasar s鈥檈st 茅galement illustr茅 脿 titre de soliste avec les orchestres symphoniques de Montr茅al et de Winnipeg. Les concerts de Quasar sont r茅guli猫rement diffus茅s par la radio de Radio-Canada, la CBC et des radios europ茅ennes.
Marie-Chantal Leclair est aussi r茅guli猫rement invit茅e 脿 jouer avec d鈥檃utres formations de l鈥檈nsemble de musique de chambre 脿 l鈥檕rchestre interpr茅tant tant des 芦 classiques 禄 du r茅pertoire pour saxophone (Debussy, Villa-Lobos, Milhaud etc.) que des cr茅ations. Elle fut r茅cemment soliste invit茅e de l鈥橭rchestre m茅tropolitain, de l鈥橭rchestre Appassionata et de la Soci茅t茅 de musique contemporaine du Qu茅bec. Elle fait 茅galement des performances remarqu茅es 脿 l鈥檕rgue de sir猫nes, un instrument cr茅茅 par le compositeur Jean-Fran莽ois Laporte.听
P茅dagogue appr茅ci茅e, Marie-Chantal Leclair a donn茅 des classes de ma卯tre et des conf茅rences dans la plupart des grandes universit茅s 脿 travers le Canada ainsi qu鈥檈n Europe, notamment au Conservatoire de Bordeaux et au Conservatoire de Lucerne. Elle d茅tient une ma卯trise en interpr茅tation de l鈥橴niversit茅 de Montr茅al et s鈥檈st perfectionn茅 en improvisation aupr猫s du flutiste new-yorkais Robert Dick.听
Marie-Chantal Leclair est vice-pr茅sidente du groupe Le Vivier qui regroupe une trentaine d鈥檕rganismes qu茅b茅cois d茅di茅s aux nouvelles musiques. Elle a 茅galement si茅g茅 sur le conseil d鈥檃dministration du Conseil qu茅b茅cois de la musique plusieurs ann茅es et particip茅 脿 diff茅rents jurys.听
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