The renovation of the old Saint-Sulpice library with a view to creating the Maison de la chanson et de la musique du Québec (MCMQ) is due to begin this month. However, several questions remain regarding this vast project led by host Monique Giroux and lyricist Luc Plamondon. Among other things, we wonder about the extent of the funding granted to it by the Quebec government, even if it means calling into question its relevance.
Unveiled with great fanfare two years ago by Prime Minister François Legault, the MCMQ project is currently difficult to qualify, and its contours remain to be clarified. “We are creating something new, which requires inventiveness,” admitted Monique Giroux by email, who has dreamed of this project for several years.
The future MCMQ is not considered by the government as a museum, even if it will present permanent and temporary exhibitions devoted to Quebec music. It is also specified that it will not be seen as a performance hall either, although it is planned to have an auditorium with around a hundred seats, intended to accommodate, among other things, master classes and lectures. school workshops.
The opening is scheduled for 2026, but the timeline could still change. The renovation of the Saint-Sulpice building, a heritage building that has been vacant for nearly twenty years, is due to begin in May following a call for tenders launched a few weeks ago. The work on this building in the Latin Quarter is currently estimated by Quebec at $48.5 million.
The MCMQ will then benefit from government support of $7.3 million for its operations, an amount that arouses envy in the cultural community, it was noted. The duty. According to the Société des musées du Québec, barely 14 of its 301 members have a budget greater than $4 million.
“It’s important that the government is very present at the start. Afterwards, $7.3 million is a lot of money, especially in a context where museums, festivals and performance halls lack it. The Maison de la chanson will have to prove that it will be able to seek, in a few years, other income so as not to be solely dependent on government aid,” underlines Nathalie Courville, president of ArtExpert, a box which advises several cultural organizations on financing issues.
Do we really need it?
Producer and manager of renowned artists in the Quebec music industry, Michel Sabourin has been observing the deployment of the MCMQ project from a distant eye for two years. The former owner of Club Soda, who has retired for a few months, doubts that this investment is what the community needs at the moment.
“I don’t feel a great need for Maison de la chanson. What worries me more is the loss of influence of French-speaking song — in Montreal and among young people in particular. It seems to me that the money should rather go there,” he summarizes.
Michel Sabourin fears that the MCMQ will follow in the footsteps of the defunct Just for Laughs Museum. Opened in 1993, this museum dedicated to humor was initially promised great success, given the important place of the laughter industry in Quebec. It ultimately never obtained the expected interest, closing its doors in 2010 after experiencing significant financial setbacks requiring help from Quebec.
“Could anyone be interested in collections related to Quebec music? It seems to me that once you have seen Jean-Pierre Ferland’s guitar, Robert Charlebois’ guitar is not really different,” argues Mr. Sabourin.
The office of the Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, maintains its support for the MCMQ project. It is also indicated that the annual budget allocated to the operation of the institution was determined following external studies commissioned by Echo Sonore, the non-profit organization (NPO) created by Monique Giroux to administer the future house. .
One house, two leaders
Monique Giroux declined our interview request, preferring to stick to exchanges by email. On the side of Bibliothèque et Archives nationaux du Québec (BAnQ), we were told that CEO Marie Grégoire was not available to answer our questions.
BAnQ has owned the building of the former Saint-Sulpice library since 2016. And despite its fragile financial situation, the state corporation will remain so after the opening of the Maison de la chanson et la musique du Québec. The BAnQ music heritage collection will be moved there. “BAnQ will also ensure the holding of school activities linked to its collections,” it is specified. BAnQ should sell land adjacent to the Grande Bibliothèque to Hydro-Québec in order to finance part of the work on the Saint-Sulpice building. The amount of the sale is not yet known.
The development of exhibitions and the organization of events linked to the promotion of music will be the prerogative of Echo Sonore.
According to sources close to the matter, disputes existed until recently between Écho Sonore and BAnQ over their respective roles in the MCMQ, which both organizations deny. “Shared between a state corporation and an NPO, the Maison de la chanson et de la musique du Québec is an unusual project whose advent involves challenges. Everything has to be invented. The key is to discuss and agree, which we do,” specifies BAnQ.
Support for the MCMQ
Several initiatives to occupy the Saint-Sulpice building have died in the last 15 years. At Espace Saint-Denis, located a few steps away, we are delighted that a project finally seems to be moving forward. The revitalization of the Latin Quarter is at stake, according to Jean-Claude Chabot, vice-president of France Film, owner of Espace Saint-Denis.
“This Maison de la chanson project could be a gem, if we put the resources into it. As it can become a white elephant if we decide to do something static that interests no one. But at this stage, a white elephant is better than nothing at all. If we don’t put anything into Saint-Sulpice, we are heading towards disaster and we risk losing a heritage gem,” reasons Mr. Chabot.
With Catherine Lalonde