The competition was limited to piano in the early years but in 1943 a string category was added and in 1944 voice. The winner in each category received an award of $100 and a performance with orchestra in the Matinées symphoniques series. In addition, the prize winners took part in a concert organized by the Archambault company. The competition was open to all Canadian pianists under the age of 22, string players under 24, and singers under 25. A compulsory piece and sight reading tests were added to the performance fare of each category.
Among Prix Archambault winners, Paule-Aimée Bailly (1940), Jacqueline Lavoy (1942), Lise DesRosiers (1943), Jeanne Landry (1945), and Monique Munger (1955) were laureates of the Prix d'Europe as well. The Prix Archambault may be credited with having discovered other young artists who went on to make distinguished careers for themselves, among them Fernande Chiocchio, Marguerite Lavergne, Joseph Rouleau, Sylvia Saurette, Léopold Simoneau, and Ronald Turini. In 1965, the MSO Competition replaced the Prix Archambault.
Author Cécile Huot
Links to Other Sites
Historica-Dominion Institute
The website for the Historica-Dominion Institute, parent organization of The Canadian Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada. Check out their extensive online feature about the War of 1812, the "Heritage Minutes" video collection, and many other interactive resources concerning Canadian history, culture, and heritage.


Besides hockey and the maple leaf, there is little as symbolically Canadian as the CBC – the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It grew out of a developing nation's need to express its identity and find its voice.
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