The Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Trois-Rivières (CMQT) is a music

Music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

 conservatory located in Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières

Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...

, Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

.
Most of the school's students come from the Saint-Maurice

Saint-Maurice, Quebec

Saint-Maurice is a parish municipality in the Mauricie region of the province of Quebec in Canada.-Demographics:Population trend:* Population in 2006: 2338 * Population in 2001: 2292* Population in 1996: 2295...

 region of Quebec; many of them from the conservatoire preparatory programs at the school of St-Gabriel du Cap-de-la-Madeleine and the comprehensive school Ste-Ursule de Trois-Rivières. The CMQT was originally located on Laviolette St, but in 1970 the school moved to better facilities in the building of the Centre culturel and the former École Ste-Marie. The conservatoire moved to its present location on Radisson Street in October 1978.

Founded by pianist Czeslaw Kaczynski in 1964, the CMQT became an entirely state-subsidized institution by the Quebec government

Politics of Quebec

The politics of Quebec are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Quebec City, where the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, the legislature, and cabinet reside.The...

 in 1967. The conservatoire is part of a network of 9 conservatories in Quebec, the Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec

Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec

The Conservatoire de musique et d'art dramatique du Québec is a public network of nine state-subsidised schools offering higher education in music and theatre in Quebec, Canada. The organization was established in 1942 as a branch of the Ministère des Affaires culturelles du Québec by the...

 (CMADQ), and was the fifth school in the CMADQ network to be established. Kaczynski served as the school's first director until 1970. The current director is Louis Dallaire.

History

The CMQT was originally a pre-college preparatory school which was established by Kaczynski in 1964, opening for its first day of classes on 1 April 1964. Exactly three years later to the day, the school became a full fledged consevatory with a college program and became a member school of the CMADQ. Kaczynski continued to lead the school through 1970, leading a staff whose members included Gaston Arel (music theory), Otto Armin (violin), Hervé Baillargeon (flute), Raymond Daveluy

Raymond Daveluy

Joseph Eugène Raymond-Marie Daveluy is a Canadian composer, organist, music educator, and arts administrator. An associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre, his compositional output consists mainly of works for solo organ. He had an active international career as a recitalist and concert...

 (harmony/counterpoint), Réal Gagnier (oboe), Stephen Kondaks (viola), Rafael Masella (clarinet), Élisabeth Miquel (piano and piano accompaniment), Bernard Piché (organ and theoretical subjects), Antoine Reboulot (piano) and Charles Reiner (piano and piano accompaniment).

Originally the CMQT only offered instruction in instrumental music, with Jean Deslauriers

Jean Deslauriers

Jean Deslauriers was a Canadian conductor, violinist, and composer. As a conductor he had a long and fruitful partnership with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation; conducting orchestras for feature films and television and radio programs for more than 40 years...

 serving as the school's first orchestra director. Raymond Daveluy succeeded Kaczynski as the school's director in 1970, remaining there as director until 1974 when he was succeeded by Armando Santiago

Armando Santiago

Armando Santiago is a Canadian composer, conductor, music educator, and university administrator of Portuguese birth. A member of the Canadian League of Composers, his compositional output includes a considerable amount of orchestral works and chamber works...

. However, Daveluy remained a member of the faculty for several years after he stepped down as director. A vocal music program with classes in singing was established in 1974 by Jacqueline Martel, eventually growing to include studies in opera

Opera

Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...

 and choral music

Choir

A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...

. Some of the teaching staff appointed to the school during the 1970s included clarinetist Jean Laurendeau, horn player Joseph Masella

Joseph Masella (french hornist)

Joseph Masella was a Canadian french hornist and music educator.Masella was born in Montreal into the well known Masella family of musicians...

, oboist Bernard Jean; organist Noëlla Genest; pianists Michel Dussault, Christiane Sénart, Nadia Strycek, and Denise Trudel-Bellemare; saxophonist Jacques Larocque

Jacques Larocque

Jacques Larocque is a Canadian saxophonist, arranger, music educator, and university administrator. He has authored and published numerous transcriptions and arrangements for saxophone quartet; some of which have been recorded by ensembles like the Alliage Saxophone Quartet and the American...

; and trombonist Joseph Zuskin. Michelle Quintal taught theoretical subjects at the school and Gilles Bellemare

Gilles Bellemare

Gilles Bellemare was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He ran as a Liberal candidate in 1973 for the district of Rosemont and won with 51% of the vote. He was defeated in 1976 with 33% of the vote. He was succeeded by Parti Québécois candidate Gilbert Paquette.-Footnotes:...

 was the school's main instructor in harmony and counterpoint.

More recent directors of the CMQT include Georges Savaria

Georges Savaria

Georges Savaria is a Canadian pianist, composer, ondist, college administrator, and music educator. His compositional output consists of a 1951 piano concerto, several songs and works for solo piano, and music for theatre, television, and radio...

 (1979–1980), Roger Bédard (1980–1982), Jean Charron (1982–1986), Michel Kozlovsky (1986–1991), and Pierre Normandin (1991–2009). The school is currently led by director Louis Dallaire who was appointed in 2009.

Notable alumni

• Suzanne Beaubien, pianist
• Pierre Beaudry, trombonist
• Marie Bédard, violinist
• Pierre-Michel Bédard, organist and composer
• Gilles Bellemare
  Gilles Bellemare
  Gilles Bellemare was a Canadian politician from Quebec. He ran as a Liberal candidate in 1973 for the district of Rosemont and won with 51% of the vote. He was defeated in 1976 with 33% of the vote. He was succeeded by Parti Québécois candidate Gilbert Paquette.-Footnotes:...
  
  , conductor and composer
• Marie-Andrée Benny, flautist
• Danièle Bourget, flautist

• Murielle Bruneau, double bass player
• Gilles Carpentier, clarinetist
• Claudine Côté, opera singer
• Marie Gélinas, cellist
• Sylvie Lambert, cellist
• Louise Pellerin, oboist
• Denise Trudel, pianist
• Louise Trudel, cellist