The former Saint-Sulpice library, in the Latin Quarter, will have a new vocation: it will house the Maison de la chanson et de la musique du Québec. The announcement was made Thursday by Prime Minister François Legault and the Minister of Culture and Communications, Nathalie Roy, at the Grande Bibliothèque, near the heritage building located at 1700, rue Saint-Denis.
Posted at 1:00 p.m.
“We want this new place to introduce local music to Quebecers, young and old, newcomers and tourists. That it gives a taste for discovering music from here and, through it, our great artists and our culture, ”said François Legault in a press release.
The Maison de la chanson et de la musique (MCM) project, led by host and designer Monique Giroux and lyricist Luc Plamondon, among others, aims to promote song and music in the broadest sense. It intends to become the “showcase of Quebec song” of yesterday and today offering “immersive activities” and in particular by allowing to consult written, sound, digital and visual archives.
However, the MCM does not seem to want to be a simple museum. It’s about artist residencies, encouraging encounters around song, focusing on creation, master classes and even practicing music. The ambitious concept will be led jointly by ÉCHO SONORE, an NPO chaired by Monique Giroux who initiated the MCM project, and Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec.
“Quebec song and music needed a house, the first one being exclusively devoted to them, with premises where we could keep them, tell them and project them into the future,” said Monique Giroux, who is delighted to see the project come to fruition at the Saint-Sulpice library, a building she had her eye on from the start.
” [La chanson] makes us vibrate and makes us proud of who we are. It sings of our history and our territory, ”also said the Prime Minister, who has spoken a lot of pride in recent weeks in the National Assembly. The government’s announcement about the MCM coincides with National Day festivities taking place Thursday and Friday across the province.