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Quebec Symphony Orchestra/Orchestre symphonique de Québec

Article byAnnick Poussart, Forest Bertr, Bertrand Guay, Marc Samson, Claire Grégoire-Reid

Published OnlineOctober 13, 2006Last EditedDecember 15, 2013

Quebec Symphony Orchestra (QSO)/Orchestre symphonique de Québec (OSQ). Considered one of Canada's leading ensembles, the QSO remains the oldest Canadian orchestra that is still active.

Quebec Symphony Orchestra/Orchestre symphonique de Québec

Quebec Symphony Orchestra (QSO)/Orchestre symphonique de Québec (OSQ). Considered one of Canada's leading ensembles, the QSO remains the oldest Canadian orchestra that is still active.

Origins, 1902-1914

On 23, 24 and 25 Jun 1902, following Laval University's golden jubilee during which Joseph Vézina conducted an orchestra of freelancers in three major concerts, the young instrumentalists Léonidas Dumas, Joseph Talbot and Raoul Vézina decided to form a permanent group. On 3 (or 5) Oct 1902, some 25 players officially founded the Orchestre symphonique de Québec (OSQ). Joseph Vézina was chosen as music director, a position he held until his death in 1924. The new ensemble was heard for the first time 28 Nov 1902, in three works during a choral concert at Tara Hall on rue Sainte-Anne. The QSO appeared again at Tara Hall on 5 Dec in a more substantial program. On 23 Feb 1903, four members of the Septuor Haydn (J.-Alexandre Gilbert, W. Noble Campbell, Arthur Lavigne and Nazaire LeVasseur), and some ten musicians from La Garnison, joined to augment the core players. This gathering of 40 players with varied backgrounds chose the name Société symphonique de Québec (SSQ). At that time, founding president Léonidas Dumas ceded his position to J.-Alexandre Gilbert, who also served as concertmaster until 1934. The SSQ was incorporated 20 Mar 1906, but its motto "Arte alitur fulgetque" (Art nourishes and enlightens) was not adopted until 3 Jun 1927.

The Société symphonique de Québec was chosen to inaugurate the Auditorium de Québec (now the Théâtre Capitole) in performances on 31 Aug and 1 Sep 1903, with soloists Rosario Bourdon, Paul Dufault, Émiliano Renaud and Joseph Saucier. Beginning in 1904, concerts were sold by subscription. Until World War I the SSQ presented an annual three-concert series, in addition to participating in meetings of the Société du parler français (Society for Speaking French), and various events, mostly of a religious nature.

In 1907, the SSQ won first prize in the music division of the music and drama competition at the Russell Theatre in Ottawa, organized by Governor General Lord Grey; the judge was the American composer George Whitefield Chadwick. Not long afterward, the SSQ was heard at the Monument National in Montreal, and a year later the orchestra played the leading musical role in Quebec City's grand tricentenary celebrations.

Before the war, renowned soloists performed with the SSQ, which sought to keep a balance between local and international artists. In 1906, 1910 and 1912, the orchestra participated in the premiere of Joseph Vézina's three comic operas - Le Lauréat, Le Rajah and Le Fétiche - at l'Auditorium de Québec; all were received with success.

1914-1950

World War I completely disrupted the orchestra's activities, and subscription concerts gave way to philanthropic events. Moreover, due to production costs and the Spanish flu epidemic, the orchestra did not give a single concert between March 1918 and March 1919. On 13 and 14 Apr 1921, the SSQ invited the young violinist Arthur LeBlanc to make his debut; he appeared regularly until the mid-1940s.

In 1923, at the tricentenary commemoration of the birth of Monsignor de Laval, 6,000 audience members applauded a 300-voice choir in Gounod's La Rédemption. Upon Joseph Vézina's death (5 Oct 1924), Robert Talbot took over as music director. He expanded the SSQ's repertoire and, of note, conducted the orchestra's first complete performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony at the 25th anniversary in May 1928; symphonies by Haydn and Schubert (complete or in part); Dvořák's New World Symphony; Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker; Fauré's Masques et bergamasques suite; Wagner's Prelude from the Meistersingers of Nuremberg; Brahms's Third Symphony; the Symphony in D Minor by César Franck; Glazounov's Sixth Symphony; and works by Vincent d'Indy, Emmanuel Chabrier, Ernest Chausson, and Guy Ropartz. Furthermore, Talbot enabled the orchestra to make its radio debut in 1931. On 21 Oct 1932, a concert with soloist Raoul Jobin highlighted the Palais Montcalm's inauguration.

The autumn of 1935 marked the beginning of a troubled period for the SSQ. A group of young dissidents, wishing to increase the quality and quantity of concerts, united under Edwin Bélanger to form the Cercle philharmonique de Québec (CPQ). The first concert on 10 Dec 1935 took place at the Palais Montcalm, and the initial season consisted of four public concerts as well as five free educational concerts for schoolchildren - a major innovation. For seven years the CPQ presented 45 concerts in this way, compared with 31 by the SSQ. Quebec City, then, for a brief period, had two symphony orchestras. However, continuing financial problems on both sides led to a merger, and on 25 Jun 1942, the consolidated orchestra reclaimed the original name of Orchestre symphonique de Québec (Quebec Symphony Orchestra). Bélanger succeeded Talbot as music director. From then on, despite serious difficulties recruiting musicians, the QSO resumed its annual series of four to six concerts, invited celebrated international artists, and offered innovative educational programming. This included, in addition to afternoon children's concerts, a young soloists' competition initiated in 1945. Thirteen-year-old pianist Janine Lachance was the first winner, and tenor Richard Verreau won the award in 1948. This competition disappeared in the late 1950s, but was re-established in 1977. Bélanger also tried to raise public awareness of contemporary repertoire.

1951-1980

In 1951 Wilfrid Pelletier succeeded Edwin Bélanger, holding the position until 1966. Pelletier raised the orchestra's level by inviting new players - teachers and recent graduates - from the Conservatoire de Québec, founded under his leadership in 1944. He also conducted several operas in concert versions in the late 1950s and enthusiastically carried on Edwin Bélanger's educational work.

Information Provided by Wikipedia.