Founded in 1981 in the great tradition of boys' choirs, Les Petits
Chanteurs de Laval celebrates its 35th anniversary with a bang, or
rather with two high-quality shows at renowned venues. ''It was and it will be
an extraordinary year,'' says Philippe Ostiguy, Musical and Artistic Director
for Les Petits Chanteurs de Laval.
Last Spring, on May 15th, there was a show at Théâtre
Maisonneuve at Place-des-Arts combining circus elements with choir music
inspired by circus. The show was one of important production means and was
conceived and directed by Anick Pelletier. ''It was a great success,'' says
Ostiguy. This upcoming December 17th, the month that will conclude the
35th year, a classical music concert, with excerpts from the Messiah
of Handel, will be happening at the Maison Symphonique in Montreal. ''It will
be a reunion concert because past chorists will be invited to come and sing a
few songs with us,'' he says.
While Les Petits Chanteurs de Laval celebrates its 35th
season, Les Voix Boréales celebrates its 18th season, as it was
founded in 1998, and Le Choeur des Jeunes de Laval rings in its 16th
season this year. ''Since we are all part of the organization, everyone is
involved,'' he says. When Les Petits Chanteurs de Laval was initially founded in 1981,
fathers and sons would sing together. In the next years, things started to
change, especially with Grégory Charles taking the musical director position
for 19 years starting in 1986. ''He really made the organization grow,'' says
Ostiguy.
Eventually, a choir for girls was created because there was a demand for
it, especially coming from the boys' sisters who wanted sing in a choir as
well. The two choirs eventually lead to the creation of an ensemble formed of
the former choir members, so the youth could keep singing, Le Choeur des Jeunes
de Laval. Ostiguy works for the three choirs that are part of the overarching
organization. In fact, besides Les Petits Chanteurs de Laval, a choir of about
125 boys aged 8 to 17, he also directs Les Voix Boréales, an all-girl ensemble
of girls aged 9 to 17, and Le Choeur des Jeunes de Laval, whose members are
from 17 to 25 years old and were previously in any of the two other choirs
(this choir being co-ed).
''We still found it important to keep the separation between guys and
girls,'' says Ostiguy. He explains that the choirs that are still separated by
sex are few and far between nowadays, but that there are advantages to it.
''What happens is that, unfortunately, when you put girls into a boys' choir,
the latter tends to disappear,'' he says. ''What we do realize, however, is
that the retention rate for boys is really high, more so than for girls. They
get in when they're 8-9 years old and they will stay involved a long time. It's
a long-term commitment,'' he says.
Ostiguy says that a reason that might explain that boys drop out when
girls are involved is that it can be harder for them to assert themselves in
more artistic activities. ''There is still prejudice at that level,
unfortunately, especially when kids are young,'' he says.
Besides the gender issue, there is also the time issue. While being part
of a choir is no doubt an enriching experience, it also requires a lot of time
and effort. Ostiguy recalls his own childhood, when he had to make a cross on
hockey to be able to keep singing (Ostiguy was part of Les Petits Chanteurs du
Mont-Royal growing up). ''At some point, you can't do everything, especially in
an activity that takes a lot of commitment like being in a choir,'' he says.
Chorists have to attend two rehearsals a week with their respective
choir; one on Saturday mornings and one on a weeknight. On top of that, they attend
singing summer camps (boys and girls going separately), tour locally and
internationally, and are called to sing at various events such as
St-Jean-Baptiste concerts and on television at shows like En direct de
l'univers. ''Since we do very professional events and our singers
are known for their professionalism, when they need young people, they come to
us, whether it is for television, the symphonic orchestra, the opera, etc.''
While the activity is time-consuming, it also comes with a lot of good.
''The choir members have amazing, out of the ordinary experiences by
participating in many large-scale events and by touring. Just on the musical
front, there are a lot of things that bring them very far, '' says Ostiguy.
There's also the social aspect that comes into play. ''When you're
young, and particularly during teenage years, it's important to identify to a
group. The choir members experience a lot of things together because they do
summer camp and concerts together. Their best friends are more likely in the
choir than at their school,'' he says. For parents looking to enroll their children in one of the choirs, it is
important that the children are interested in singing. ''While there is nothing wrong with parents
offering different options for their 8-year-old child, it is important that he
is genuinely interested,'' says Ostiguy. In fact, it is something that he
always tries to grasp at auditions by asking a lot of questions to potential
candidates.
Besides an interest in singing, the auditions (in the Spring and
completed in the Fall) to get a spot in one of the choirs are pretty
straightforward, according to Ostiguy. What is examined is the voice- if it's
on key- musical memory and the sense of rhythm. ''The rest can be developed,''
says Ostiguy. There is no need to know how to read music or to play an
instrument to earn a spot. ''We start from scratch,'' says Ostiguy. Classes of
music theory are offered to solidify the child's learning experience.
Besides the three choirs collaborating together, the organization also
often collaborates with certain musical organizations, the Orchestre
symphonique de Laval in particular.
Considering how far the organization has come on its 35th
birthday, there is no doubt that its future is bright.
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