Composer Denis Gougeon won the Serge-Garant musical composition prize on Monday evening

After more than 40 years of career, composer Denis Gougeon, 73, won the Serge-Garant musical composition prize on Monday evening, awarded by the Émile-Nelligan Foundation.

Incidentally a former student of Serge Garant (1929-1986), Mr. Gougeon has signed around a hundred varied works (operas, chamber Music, music for large orchestras, etc.), some of which were commissioned by the Molinari Quartet, the I Musici ensemble, the Orchester Métropolitain or the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (secret garden1989).

The laureate also taught composition at McGill University, then at the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal, between 2001 and 2019. “Gougeon’s works are recognizable. Just as we are able to recognize the works of Mozart, Beethoven or Bartók, those of Gougeon have a uniqueness, a very “Gougeonesque” color,” commented the violinist and artistic director of the Molinari Quartet, Olga Ranzenhofer, president of the jury. .

Inaugurated in 1991, the Serge-Garant Prize rewards a composer, born in Quebec or residing there for at least 10 years, for their entire body of work. The distinction comes with a $25,000 scholarship.

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