Notes from the Front: Fraternal Music for Voice and Piano
ARTISTS
Mathilde Duval-Laplante, soprano
Rosemarie Duval-Laplante, pianist
Jean-Michel Dubé, pianist
In this concert, soprano Mathilde Duval-Laplante and pianists Rosemarie Duval-Laplante and Jean-Michel Dubé create a space for contemplation of peace in a time of war. From the fragmentation of musical forms to the creation of fantastic atmospheres that satisfy a desire for escapism, the trio reflects on the realities of the front lines. Through music and readings of wartime correspondence, this concert is an ode to peace, particularly at a time when conflict is constantly in the news.
A FIRST LOOK AT THE REPERTOIRE*
Jean-Sébastien BACH (1685-1750)
Bist du bei mir LISTEN
Francis POULENC (1899-1963)
Sonate piano à quatre mains LISTEN
Sergueï PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)
Sonate no 7, opus 83 LISTEN
BIOGRAPHIES
Mathilde Duval-Laplante, soprano
Mathilde Duval-Laplante is a multi-talented artist and entrepreneur. An opera singer, composer, and socially conscious poet, she is above all gifted with exceptional musicality. Her agile, crystalline voice is the unifying force behind her unique artistic expression.
The youngest of a family of musicians, Mathilde has performed in over two hundred concerts with the family vocal quartet since the age of four. She has won several competitions, including the youth theme song for Quebec City’s 400th anniversary, and has appeared in Robert Lepage’s film Triptyque. In 2022, she starred in the Jeunesses Musicales operetta La veuve joyeuse and collaborated with Gregory Charles in The Sound of Music.
Through her songs, Mathilde embodies her generation, where the boundaries between musical genres no longer exist. Her first album, the dark, orchestral L’Autre, was a finalist for the Œuvre de la relève du CALQ, and her video of the same title has won international acclaim. Recently, her pop anthem Brave fille moderne made its debut on Sirius XM’s commercial airwaves.
In 2023, Mathilde embarked on a new era with her project Cœur à l’eau, a series of songs that tackle various emotional storms with sensitivity. In collaboration with Espace Saint-Denis, she also produces La chansonnière, a modern boîte à chansons for independent artists that has attracted the attention of Clémence Desrochers and Radio-Canada.
Mathilde’s musical expressiveness creates a close connection with her audience, making her one of the most captivating artists of the moment.
Rosemarie Duval-Laplante, pianist
Rosemarie Duval-Laplante stands out for her sensitivity, refined sound, and passionate, spirited playing. Winner of first prizes at the Concours du Royaume in Saguenay and the Concours Pierre-de-Saurel in Sorel, she has performed as a soloist with the Budweis Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestre du Conservatoire de musique de Québec, and as a duet player with Les Violons du Roy and the Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
Passionate about chamber music, she has collaborated with various ensembles, including Les Violons du Roy. In 2017, she formed a four-hand piano duo with pianist Jean-Michel Dubé. This duo, who has two Jeunesses Musicales Canada tours to its credit, has performed in France, including a concert at the Musée de Port-Royal, and in Switzerland, and has been invited by France Musique to play live on air in Paris. They were also chosen to represent Canada at Jeunesses Musicales International’s 75th anniversary in 2020.
In 2022, the pair released their first album for piano four hands, dedicated to the music of Fauré and Debussy, on the Espace-21 label.
Rosemarie has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, and has studied with several internationally renowned pianists, both as a soloist and as a four-hand performer. She was also a teacher and accompanist at the Conservatoire de musique de Saguenay from 2018 to 2021.
Jean-Michel Dubé, pianist
Winner of the German Piano Open, recipient of the grand prize from the Canimex Canadian Music Competition (Stepping Stone), winner of the Prix d’Europe, and finalist at the Festival international de musique de Paris and the Piana Del Cavaliere Piano Competition, Jean-Michel Dubé is one of the 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30 (CBC Music 2017). His live performances can be heard on ICI Musique, Radio classique, and France Musique.
As a concert pianist, he has collaborated with the Orchestre symphonique de l’Estuaire, the Orchestre symphonique de Drummondville, the German Piano Open Competition Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, the Orchestre de la Francophonie, the Orchestre des jeunes de Montréal, the Canadian Music Competition Orchestra, and the Orchestre Philharmonia Mundi de Montréal. He has worked with the conductors Dina Gilbert, Julien Proulx, Henri Sigfridsson, Mathieu Lussier, Daniel Missyk, Louis Lavigueur, Uri Mayer, Jean-Pascal Hamelin, and Hubert Tanguay-Labrosse.
As a chamber musician, he has recorded André Mathieu’s chamber music with the chamber musicians of Les Violons du Roy, and he collaborates with various ensembles. As a duo player, he collaborates with Rosemarie Duval-Laplante on piano four hands and Dominique Beauséjour-Ostiguy on cello.
A graduate of the Conservatoire de musique de Québec in Suzanne Beaubien’s class, Jean-Michel Dubé has had the honour of playing privately for pianists Evgeny Kissin and Garrick Ohlsson. He has benefited from the mentoring of pianist Philippe Cassard for his solo work and of Hervé Billaut for duos.
Since 2022 he has been artistic director of Rendez-vous classiques – Piano et compagnie.
* JMC reserves the right to modify the repertoire without prior notice.
