April 2017: Crescendo, the first edition lived up to its name

Crescendo, it’s more than just a concert. It’s also an experience that includes learning as well as a huge accomplishment, all within one weekend. The participants had the chance to be immersed in a French environment all weekend, while also sharing their passions for the arts with others their age.

A Conseil Jeunesse-style weekend Starting on Thursday night, March 23rd, all of the participants came together at l’école Jules-Verne for a games night: a great way to get to know each other before a weekend of workshops. These started on Friday morning and all of the participants were separated based on their artistic discipline. Experienced and dynamic teachers were there to share their knowledge and passion with the participants until Saturday morning.

We had the chance to work with the following group of professionals: • Frédéric Étanchaud (guitarist, song-writer and producer) • Éléa Saunier (Singer-songwriter) • Céline Étanchaud (comedian and theatre director) • Johanne Fradette (music teacher at l’école Gabrielle-Roy) • Roger Leclerc (music teacher at l’école des Pionniers de Maillardville) • Steve Kaldestad (saxophone player) • Sophie Brassard (contemporary dance artist) • Anne-Diandra Louarn (journalist at Radio Canada) • Stéphane Gaudet (member of the Conseil Jeunesse) • Ulayu Sequaluk (student in applied arts at Blanche Mcdonald)

Aside from these—oh so—inspiring workshops, the participants, volunteers and teachers also indulged in more informal magical moments such as spontaneously singing along while Cameron Groleau, one of the participants, played various songs on the piano.

A harmonious concert The first edition of the Crescendo concert which took place on Saturday March 25th was a real success that included a classy pre-show red-carpet-style party, very professional performances, the presence of 113 audience members, a great technical team, and much more. The event ended on Sunday morning, with a post-mortem where all the participants got to share about their experiences from the weekend. The testimonies were collected and will (hopefully) be used to improve our next edition of Crescendo! While we wait for that, incredible photographs and videos taken by Gaëtan Nerincx, Laurence Landry and Camille Dubuc will be posted online over the next few days so that we can all take a look back on this emotionally-charged event!