André Gagnon

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Gagnon, André
André Gagnon, pianist, composer, conductor, arranger (b at St-Pacôme-de-Kamouraska, Qué 2 Aug 1939). Despite the eclecticism of his compositions and interpretations, Gagnon has created for himself an easily identifiable style, a mixture of light and classical music. A graduate of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, he studied with Léon Destroismaisons (theory), Germaine Malépart (piano) and Clermont PÉPIN (composition). He then went to Paris to study with Yvonne Loriod (piano). Early in his career, he worked as accompanist, conductor or arranger for some of the great names of the Québec chanson: Claude LÉVEILLÉE, Pauline JULIEN, Renée CLAUDE and Monique LEYRAC.

After 1969 Gagnon concentrated on composition, arrangement and his career as a soloist. He won Juno awards for his records Saga (1974) and Neiges (1975) and as best instrumentalist (1977 and 1995). His Petit concerto pour Carignan et orchestre (1976) has been performed by Yehudi Menuhin and Jean CARIGNAN. He composed Mad Shadows (1977) for the National Ballet, after a novel by Marie-Claire BLAIS; it has been performed at Covent Garden and the Metropolitan, among other places. Between 1978 and 1998, 7 of his recordings were chosen as best instrumental record of the year during the ADISQ gala.

Gagnon had achieved worldwide popularity by 1980 and been made an Officer of the Order of Canada (1978). His compositions span a wide variety of music, including an opera, Nelligan, which was performed at the OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL in 1990. Gagnon was awarded the 1993 SOCAN Wm Harold Moon Award for his contribution to the dissemination of Canadian music. His album, Eden (1998), received a Felix award for instrumental album of the year. It was inspired by a journey to Japan, a country in which Gagnon has been enormously successful. Gagnon's most recent albums include Histoires rêvées (2001) and Piano Solitude (2003).

Author HÉLÈNE PLOUFFE Revised: RACHELLE TAYLOR AND ALEXIS LUKO


Links to Other Sites
André Gagnon
The website for award-winning Canadian composer and pianist André Gagnon. Features a detailed biography, discography, and notes about his performances in Japan and other Asian countries. Check the French version of the discography for links to brief audio clips of his recordings.

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