This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
Established in 2022, La Route des concerts continues to expand. It now welcomes an increasing number of partners into its network of concert halls across the province and has caught the eye of established musical institutions.
Chantal Boulanger, organist and project co-ordinator, admits being surprised by this inexhaustible resource. “We have come to realize that there are many small classical music presenters who are unknown,”she says. “I’m still discovering them, even after working in the field for a long time. By bringing them together, we provide more visibility.
“Shortly after we started in Estrie, Laurentides, Beauce-Appalaches, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, and Côte-Nord have joined us. We now also have a few presenters in Quebec City. These are often volunteer teams lacking the means to promote their events, and La Route des concerts is there to help them reach a broader platform. While our goal is to encourage people to travel from one venue to another, if they do so within the same region—that’s already a success. We had nine presenters in 2022. Today, we have more than doubled—reaching 20.”
Jean-Pierre Harel, the project’s creator and artistic director of the Chapelle Concerts in Saint-Camille, emphasizes the promotional offer Carte Blanche, which allows audience members to create their own itinerary and get up to a 20-per-cent discount depending on the number of concerts chosen. “Our communications manager, Marie-Anne O’Reilly, is developing tourism by encouraging people to travel across Quebec. Through advertising, each concert is paired with an accommodation, a restaurant, or a tourist attraction. These include heritage sites that are likely to draw in the public. We want La Route des concerts to live up to its name,” he says.
Boulanger adds: “We have a calendar that covers all of Quebec. For me, it’s an accomplishment. People love being able to access all this information on a single website. Some buy tickets six months in advance—it’s a bonus for them.” Important players in the local classical music scene are now closely following the initiative.
“The musicians enjoy a warm reception, good working conditions, and the audience’s attention,” says Harel. “They are often very moved by these small venues. Performing for 100 people in an intimate setting and discovering its rural environment are things they appreciate immensely. Our primary goal is to ensure the visibility of regional cultural offerings, rather than being an agency for artists touring the province.”
Translation: Viktor Lazarov
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
