THE FEDERATION OF PUERI CANTORES OF QUÉBEC

Transcription

1 THE FEDERATION OF PUERI CANTORES OF QUÉBEC Closing mass, international Eucharistic Congress, Quebec, 2008

2 Mission and objectives Mission The Federation of Pueri Cantores of Quebec helps the Quebec children s choirs to pursue their ideals through all kinds of initiatives. Furthermore, it makes occasional pairing easier financially, organises national congresses, supports participation to national congresses and helps in training choruses or their directors. Objectives of the Federation In connection to this mission, The Federation of the Pueri Cantores of Quebec pursues different objectives: Permit choral members to save steps, for example by lending them musical partitions of songs Improve efficiency and efficacy of the Federation choirs in the pursuit of their objectives of benevolence by offering them perfecting sessions Promote: o The liturgical song, especially the Gregorian, the sacred polyphony, classic and modern. o The profane repertoire of good music convenient for children s voices, in the style of music as well as in the contents of the text. Develop the children of the world s sense of sharing by spreading the peace brought to us through Jesus Christ Regroup the community choirs and school choirs of Petits Chanteurs operating in the judicial territory of Quebec. Organisational structure The Federation of the Pueri Cantores of Quebec is a non-profit corporation, ruled by the Canadian Corporations Act. The Federation today is comprised of seven affiliated choirs, in four cities of Quebec. In total the choirs are composed of 257 girls, 276 boys as well as 71 adults. At the annual general assembly of the Quebec Federation, all the members are asked to elect, for a period of two years, the next executive committee and the Board of Directors. of the Federation. The members are chosen amongst the delegates of each choir.

3 For , the following persons have been elected: Board of Directors President Louise Marie Desbiens Les Petits Chanteurs de Beauport Vice-président / Maîtrises (choir schools) Claire Bisaillon Les Petits Chanteurs de la Maitrise du Cap Vice-président / Manécanteries (choir community) Johanne Chantal Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal Secretary-treasurer Céline Binet La Maîtrise des Petits Chanteurs de Québec Director of choir schools Dominique Gonthier Les Petits Chanteurs de Trois-Rivières Director of community choirs Georges Pichette Les Petits Chanteurs de Charlesbourg Musical directors for each of the choirs Céline Binet, La Maîtrise des Petits Chanteurs de Québec Geneviàève Hamel and Nicole Perron Les Petits Chanteurs de Granby Claire Bisaillon, Les Petits Chanteurs de la Maîtrise du Cap Gilbert Patenaude, La Maîtrise des Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal Louise-Marie Desbiens, Les Petits Chanteurs de Beauport Luc Darveau, Les Petits Chanteurs de Trois-Rivières Jessica Latouche, Les Petits Chanteurs de Charlesbourg

4 Head Office 835, avenue Brown Québec (Québec) G1S 4S1 Téléphone: poste 3641 Courriel: QUÉBEC La Maîtrise des Petits Chanteurs de Québec Céline Binet, directrice musicale 835, avenue Brown Québec (Québec) G1S 4S1 CAP-DE-LA-MADELEINE Les Petits Chanteurs de la Maîtrise du Cap Claire Bisaillon, directrice musicale 775, rue Berlinguet Trois-Rivières (Québec) G8T 2H1 BEAUPORT Les Petits Chanteurs de Beauport Louise Marie Desbiens, directrice musicale 589, avenue Royale Québec (Québec) G1E 1Y5 CHARLESBOURG Les Petits Chanteurs de Charlesbourg Jessica Latouche, directrice musicale 650, avenue du Bourg-Royal Québec (Québec) G2L 1M8 TROIS-RIVIÈRES Les Petits Chanteurs de Trois-Rivières Luc Darveau, directeur musical 725, rue Hart Trois-Rivières (Québec) G9A 4R9 GRANBY Les Petits Chanteurs de Granby Nicole Perron et Geneviève Hamel, co-directrices musicales C.P Granby (Québec) J2G 8E7 MONTRÉAL Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal Gilbert Patenaude, directeur musical 4300, chemin Queen Mary Montréal (Québec) H3V 1A6

5 Accomplishments Elaboration of a five-year development plan ( ) 1 st orientation: Re-enforce communication between choir members 2 nd orientation: Promote and protect the work of Mgr Claude Thompson, eminent composer and founder of the Federation of the Pueri Cantores of Quebec. 3 rd orientation; Offer training sessions to members 4 th orientation: Assure visibility of the Pueri Cantores movement 5 th orientation: To recruit (with the perspective to open up in the rest of Canada) Activities in recent years; September 2011 Participation in the mass in commemoration of the 911 attacks in New York with the American Pueri Cantores Mai 2011 June 2008 Mai 2006 Coming projects: July 2013 Spring 2015 Year th national congress held in Granby to celebrate the 80 th anniversary of the Petits Chanteurs de Granby Participation in the closing mass of the national Eucharistic congress on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec 10 th national congress held in Montreal to celebrate the 50 th anniversary of the Petits Chanteurs du Mont Royal Participation in the National Congress of the American Pueri Cantores in Washington 12 th National Congress of Quebec to celebrate the 100 th anniversary of the Maitrise des Petits Chanteurs de Quebec Create a guide of the Petit Chanteur

6 Biography of Mgr Thompson, Founder of the Quebec Pueri Cantores Federation Ordained priest in 1951, Claude Thompson started studying in Rome in He obtained in 1954, of the Angelicum, a licence in theology and in 1956, a licence in Gregorian music and a bachelor degree in composition from the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. On his return from Europe, he became director of the Petits chanteurs Trifluviens, while teaching theology and the sacred music in Grand Séminaire de Trois-Rivières. In 1957, he became chapel Master and organist with the Saint-Joseph Seminar. During this period, he was invited to give several organ recitals. A second stay in Rome in 1961 made it possible for Claude Thompson to continue the study of organ and to finalize is doctoral studies in Sacred Music. In 1966, he founded the School of les petits chanteurs de Trois-rivières. This school allows the children of the les Petits Chanteurs de Trois-Rivières Choir, to receive with the time, the regular schooling of the 2nd cycle of primary education along with musical training comparable with the European schools. Master in Gregorian style he obtained, in 1970, a doctorate in sacred music. In 1972, he was one of the member-founders of the Pro-Organo-Mauricie society, a Quebec organization aiming to promote organ concerts in the regions. Also, Claude Thompson composed about fifty choral compositions (masses, motets, etc) and four major productions for chorus and orchestra. Moreover he has harmonized a great quantity of Quebec and international folk songs. As director of the Trois-Rivières Pueri cantors choir, Claude Thompson organized many tours in Europe, in the United States, in New Brunswick and throughout Quebec. He produced 24 musical CDs and tapes. Pontifical gold medal-holder, citizen of honour of the Carcassonne town in France and elect member of Harlequin trophy in recognition of the artistic quality expressed in managing The maîtrise des petits chanteurs de Trois-Rivières. Has well established, his Reputation on the international scene: he participate in the celebrations to the French Bicentenary revolution, in Paris, where he received from the French Senate, the rank of Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres for its engagement in the French-speaking international musical area. President-founder of the Quebec Federation of Pueri Cantores affiliated to the International Federation, he organized the 27th international Congress of this movement, the first in America, which was held in July juin 2012

7 Mgr Claude Thompson, founder of the Pueri Cantores of Québec Pueri Cantores of Quebec in the St-Patrick s Church in New York, september 10 th 2011

8 Historique History Throughout the world, the children s choirs traditions date back over thousand years. However, it is truly in the middle of the last century, under the intuition and the will of Mgr Fernand Mallet ( ) that a new breath is given to Pueri Cantores and that they are able to communicate amongst themselves. Director in France of the famous Petits Chanteurs à la Croix-de-bois ( ), Mgr Mallet traveled with his choir through the world, from church to church. Not only does it give to its petits chanteurs an international publicity, but it also opens the way to the creation of other children s choirs. In 1947, he creates the French Federation Pueri Cantores, regrouping all the children choirs in France. In 1951, he also founded, the International Federation of the Pueri Cantores From France to Québec In the Fifties, a first Quebec Federation is born under the initiative of Mgr Mallet who, on some occasions is accompanied by the Petits Chanteurs à la Croix-de-Bois, creating gatherings in Quebec of almost 2000 Pueri Cantores. The Maîtrise de Québec, founded in 1915, adheres in 1951 to this first edition of the Quebec Federation which ceases to exist in the Sixties. In May 1983, the leader of Les petits chanteurs de Laval had the idea of reviving the Quebec Federation of Pueri Cantores under the presidency of Mgr Claude Thompson, and to join with the International Federation. Consequently, each choir conductor who before was mostly in parishes, schools and citieswas able to exchange with other directors and the young singers Since its foundation, 11 national congresses have taken place. In 1995, the Quebec Federation was the host of the 27th international Congress where twenty-six choirs represented eleven countries. All these events enabled the Pueri Cantores of fraternal experiences. Today, the Pueri Cantores constitute a formidable youth educational movement by means of song, group exchanges and particularly in the learning of singing liturgy.