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Although Jeunesses Musicales Canada serves youth, the organization itself is no youngster; JMC celebrates its 75th anniversary throughout the 2024-25 season. To honour this milestone, JMC is hosting a variety of special events, from performances by acclaimed trumpeter and one-man-band Fred Solo to potted “bon-bon” versions of operas for children. With their various theatrical and participatory elements, these performances testify to JMC’s evolution throughout the years.
Gabrielle Gagnon-Picard
Photo: Tam Photography
“Initially, our concerts for young audiences were shorter versions of our concerts for the general public—so a shorter recital,” says Artistic Director Danièle Leblanc. “In the early 2000s there was a shift; we saw youth products going in new directions, so we slowly adapted our concerts to reach young audiences.” At this time, JMC began incorporating humour, participatory elements, and clear storylines in their shows to captivate children’s attention.
Fostering attentive audiences for classical music is one cornerstone of JMC’s mission. Another is the support and encouragement of young performers. JMC offers a range of classical-music concerts for general audiences, and performers are pooled from a selection of “up-and-coming Canadian artists, who are just out of university or who are showing signs of a promising career and want to have a touring experience,” Leblanc explains.
Marie Nadeau-Tremblay, Tristan Best, Kerry Bursey. Photo: Tam Photography
Performers are supported not only by various grants and touring opportunities offered by JMC, but by educational ones as well. The JM Summer Camp, which is now the renowned Orford Music Academy, was founded in 1950 by JMC founder Gilles Lefebvre. He “really had a holistic vision,” says Leblanc. “By bringing in the great performers to give them training in a musical camp during the summer, these young people were then going to feed the network of Jeunesses Musicales concerts.” In addition to the JM Summer Camp, Lefebvre also established the Concours national des Jeunesses Musicales, a national competition for young instrumentalists, and was responsible for the music pavilion and programming of Expo 67.
Lefebvre was inspired by Jeunesses Musicales organizations he encountered in Europe in the late 1940s. He sought to adopt the European model and import it to Canada. Leblanc notes that there were already JM organizations in France and Belgium, founded “as a kind of cultural response to the existence of the Nazi Youth.” But instead of turning youth toward violent ideology, Jeunesses Musicales introduced young people to the great works of the classical repertoire through activities such as disc clubs and touring opportunities.
Today, the diversity of JMC’s activities continues to grow. They now have an instrument bank with fine string instruments available to loan to worthy musicians, as well as digital workshops and concerts which allow youth to experience classical music through a 360-degree lens.
Cordes, querelles et cour du roi as well as Touches modernes : Debussy, Descarries, Louie are concerts presented by JMC’s emerging artists that will tour throughout Canada during February and March. www.jmcanada.ca
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
