Every spring in my teens, as a youngster geek classical music, I spent hours riveted to the radio to listen live to the rounds of the Montreal International Music Competition (CMIM).
Exactly like we can spend hours in front of the Olympic Games, watching our favorite events, comparing the prowess of the athletes. These moments of delirious virtuosity, of acrobatics where we hold our breath, we could also imagine the voice of Alain Goldberg delicately resting there: “She accelerates… it’s a success! Maa-gnificent…”
Later, I covered a few editions of the CMIM as a cultural journalist, fascinated by these incandescent young musicians, who came from all over the world to surpass themselves under close surveillance.
This competition has a particular cycle: its editions are alternately reserved for singing, piano, then violin, as is the case this year.
I’ve always had a soft spot for the violin years. I had violinist friends, I admired the exacting physical bond they had with their instrument: the violinist’s body has something of a bonsai, a contortion that has become natural… through time and hard work.
The violin repertoire is impressive: Bach, mandatory from the first round of the competition, the great sonatas, which we hear during the semi-finals, then the huge concertos in the final.
The web has taken over from conventional radio: the competition site presents everything, live. Ici Musique Classique will broadcast the semi-finals for the first time on April 29 and 30, and will serve the best moments of the competition on a special evening on May 8, all hosted by Marie-Christine Trottier.
But nothing exceeds the experience in the room: the faithful compare the interpretations, go there with their comments during the breaks, ignite for a charismatic personality.
Before becoming general and artistic director of the competition in 2012, Christiane LeBlanc experienced the event as a director: “Shortly after my arrival at Radio-Canada, I was assigned to the competition. I lived behind the scenes, from start to finish. The public was numerous and highly mobilized: on the last evening of the finals, the most faithful brought tablecloths and picnicked on the Place des Arts esplanade during the jury’s deliberations! »
I ask her what led her to make the leap from radio to the direction of the CMIM: “I had already taken care of the Radio-Canada competition, Révélations en musique. In fact, I could have been a talent agent: there is nothing more exciting than spotting a new young talent. This is what we experience every year at the competition! »
The strongest, we recognize them from the first test, even if the final classification can reserve surprises.
Christiane LeBlanc, General and Artistic Director of the Montreal International Music Competition
But she tells the 24 young musicians selected that they are already winners: the preparatory work, the encounters they make in Montreal, everything can contribute to their development. “I like to surround them, support them, give them optimal conditions. We have good rooms, good pianos, we reserve and pay for their plane tickets, which is extremely rare in the competition network, but which makes it possible to attract candidates from Europe and Asia. This is thanks to a group of business people who each sponsor a candidate, by paying $2,500.
For Christiane LeBlanc, hospitality is at the heart of the CMIM’s philosophy: “Each candidate is looked after at the airport by a host family who takes care of them during the two weeks of the competition: a remarkable voluntary commitment. It creates a safety net for these young people who come from afar and experience a language barrier. »
The violinists are often under 20: “They are almost children, but their poise on stage is breathtaking. »
It’s because they already have a job, many have been running competitions since their childhood. For the second time, we will present a pre-competition event called Mini Violini: two concerts by young virtuosos aged 10 to 14, chosen by the CMIM team, often winners of junior competitions. Audiences love it and will likely fill Bourgie Hall on April 22 and 23.
Another event expected at Bourgie Hall, April 28 at 2:30 p.m., the lecture by Professor Mary-Elizabeth Brown, who will present her 3D violin: a 3D printed instrument that can be reproduced at the cost of seven dollars! Something to revolutionize musical pedagogy in underprivileged areas, this trend that is proving its worth everywhere.
Christiane LeBlanc will leave the management of the CMIM at the end of this 2023 edition. She is happy to leave an organization in good health: “I am especially proud of the community woven around the competition by donors, partners and host families. . »
I participated in only one competition, North American, which took place in Tallahassee, capital of Florida. No host family, but the official hotel had gone there with an improbable display on its awning: “Welcome Harpsichordists! »
I was 20 years old, I left the final with an “honorable mention”, determined never to experience such devouring stress again.
I will always be impressed by those who run the contests with grace.