News

Despite the 35 years that have passed since the founding of NEM, Lorraine Vaillancourt is not looking back, preferring to continue living day by day. The artistic and musical director, who is about to take over from Jean-Michaël Lavoie, nevertheless looks back on this wonderful adventure.

A long-standing project

After 12 years working with Claude Vivier, John Rea, José Evangelista, Rémi Lapointe and Denis Gougeon, organizing the legendary Événements du Neuf, Lorraine decided to devote herself to one of her long-standing projects, "to found a permanent chamber ensemble and work in depth with musicians".

While she took a year off in 1988 at the Université de Montréal, she travelled throughout her network and Europe to find musicians, bringing together 15 talented individuals, including former students, who agreed to take part in the adventure.

On January 10, the NEM gathered for its first rehearsal to prepare for its first concert on May 3. "The audience was getting impatient and couldn't wait to discover us on stage," says the conductor. The opening concert was a success, with audiences asking for more, even though no plans for the future had yet been made. Lorraine chose to invest financially to keep the story going: "We had no subvention, so we had to prove ourselves". Her only concern was to pay the musicians for each concert and rehearsal. It all happened very quickly. The NEM enjoyed international success with its tours, and continued to perform in Canada.

The insecure economic and financial situation has not stopped the ensemble from growing and developing numerous projects. The founder remembers the early days with a smile: "Initially, young businessmen used NEM as a case study. They gave us at worst 6 months, at best 2 years of existence". Unintentionally, those two years became 35.

Focus on repertoire

In the early days, Lorraine decided to focus and promote repertoire instead of new works. According to her, "we weren't playing enough of the works", questioning this constant desire for discovery and innovation, without really appreciating it. Interpreting from the repertoire was also a way of "not forgetting to honour the composers".

Over the years, the ensemble has opened up to new works, always presenting creations at the end-of-season concert. She is convinced that "modernity exists, true, personal, original voices that invent stories still exist, if we keep our eyes open".

A dedicated, permanent ensemble

When musicians join the ensemble, it's often for the long haul. Two musicians are still members, since the very beginning 35 years ago, others have been part of the adventure for more than 20 years. "It's not a freelance job", as Lorraine says, and she doesn't hesitate to talk to her musicians when it comes to integrating new members.

A certain stability, a spirit of cohesion and a work ethic characterize the ensemble: "It's a committed group, and you have to be aware of it and want to be part of it", says the musical director. "Cohesion doesn't just happen; it has to exist underneath, and you have to get the characters to align".

May 3, the 35th anniversary concert

It's with a certain simplicity that Lorraine confirms she has taken pleasure in the program for this concert, "giving a voice to composers who have counted". In contrast to the NEM's initial ambitions, this concert is more about creation, a way of expressing the ensemble's evolution over the years.

It will feature creations by John Rea, Maxime McKinley and Philippe Leroux.However, the ensemble does make a special mention of the new works. 35 years ago, the NEM performed a different work by this composer, who died in 2023.

Lorraine assures us that the next generation is in good hands with Jean-Michaël Lavoie, and affirms that she is not completely out of the picture, and will always be involved in some way with the NEM. She concludes: "The NEM owes it all to a lot of people," and that's what counts.

The 35th anniversary concert takes place on May 3 at Salle Claude Champagne. Tickets are still available here.

Interview by Typhaine Allain