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As a cosmopolitan province,
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
is a home to various genres of music, ranging from
folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...
to
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
. Music has played an important role in Quebecer culture. In the 1920s and 1930s, singer/songwriter Madam Bolduc performed comedic songs in a folk style with Irish influences. Quebec's popular artists of the last century include
Félix Leclerc Félix Leclerc (August 2, 1914 – August 8, 1988) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, writer, actor and political activist. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 20, 1968. Leclerc was posthumously inducted into ...
(1950's),
Gilles Vigneault Gilles Vigneault (; born 27 October 1928) is a Canadian poet, Publishing, publisher, singer-songwriter, and Quebec nationalism, Quebec nationalist and Quebec sovereignty movement, sovereigntist. Two of his songs are considered by many to be Qu ...
(1960s–present),
Kate and Anna McGarrigle Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010) and Anna McGarrigle (born December 4, 1944) were a duo of folk rock and country folk Canadian singer-songwriters (and sisters) from Quebec, who performed together until Kate's death in 2 ...
(1970's–present) and
Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...
(1980's–present).' The
First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...
and the
Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...
of Quebec also have their own traditional music. A local variety of
Celtic music Celtic music is a broad grouping of music genres that evolved out of the folk music traditions of the Celts (modern), Celtic people of Northwestern Europe (the modern Celtic nations). It refers to both orally-transmitted traditional music and ...
can also be found there. Quebec also has many well-known
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
musicians and a culture of
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
, as well as a strong presence of
historically informed performance Historically informed performance (also referred to as period performance, authentic performance, or HIP) is an approach to the performance of Western classical music, classical music which aims to be faithful to the approach, manner and style of ...
of
baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
and renaissance music. The song ''
À la claire fontaine "À la claire fontaine" (; ) is a traditional French song, which has also become very popular in Belgium and in Canada, particularly in Quebec and the the Maritimes, Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. His ...
'' was the anthem of the
New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...
,
Patriots A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...
and
French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...
before being replaced by ''
O Canada "O Canada" () is the national anthem of Canada. The song was originally commissioned by Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Théodore Robitaille for the 1880 Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day ceremony; Calixa Lavallée composed the music, after which French- ...
''. Currently, the song ''
Gens du pays "Gens du pays" is a Québécois song that is often considered the unofficial national anthem of Quebec. Written by poet and singer-songwriter Gilles Vigneault, and with music co-written by Gaston Rochon, it was first performed by Vigneault on June ...
'' is preferred by many Quebecers to be the national anthem of Quebec. The Association Québécois de l'industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo (ADISQ) was created in 1978 to promote the music industry in Quebec. The Orchestre symphonique de Québec and the
Montreal Symphony Orchestra The Montreal Symphony Orchestra () is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. History Several orchestras were precursor ensembles to the curren ...
are respectively


Traditional music

When it was under French control, Québec was referred to as Le Canada. It was known as the advanced colony out of all the New France settlements. After some generations of French settlers being born in Canada, the colonists began to identify with their home country and call themselves les Canadiens (the Canadians) as distinct from les Français (the French), those native to France. The ''Canadiens'' brought with them a rich tradition of songs and dances from northern France, namely the regions of
Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
,
Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...
,
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
,
Poitou Poitou ( , , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical ...
, and
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
. Influence from these regions and the Irish immigration to Quebec of the 19th century may explain the Celtic connection that Quebec still shares with
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
, Ireland,
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
and the
Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of ...
. As time went by, the French Canadians began to develop their own music, and also incorporated and transformed the styles of music played by the settlers from Great Britain, in particular the Scots, after the
Conquest Conquest involves the annexation or control of another entity's territory through war or Coercion (international relations), coercion. Historically, conquests occurred frequently in the international system, and there were limited normative or ...
. (One hundred of these songs were collected by Ernest Gagnon for an 1865 compilation, one of the first such collections to be published in Canada.) Traditional music is infused with many dances, such as the
jig The jig (, ) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It first gained popularity in 16th-century England, Ireland, Scotland, and other parts of the British Isles, and was adopted on mainland Eu ...
, the
quadrille The quadrille is a dance that was fashionable in late 18th- and 19th-century Europe and its colonies. The quadrille consists of a chain of four to six ''Contra dance, contredanses''. Latterly the quadrille was frequently danced to a medley of ope ...
, the
reel A reel is a tool used to store elongated and flexible objects (e.g. yarns/ cords, ribbons, cables, hoses, etc.) by wrapping the material around a cylindrical core known as a '' spool''. Many reels also have flanges (known as the ''rims'') arou ...
and
line dancing A line dance is a choreographed dance in which a group of people dance along to a repeating sequence of steps while arranged in one or more lines or rows. These lines usually face all in the same direction, or less commonly face each other.Knight, ...
, which have developed in the festivities since the early days of colonization. And in Quebec's culture, the following musical instruments are the most prominent: harmonica (music-of-mouth or lip-destruction),
fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...
,
spoons Spoons may refer to: * Spoon, a utensil commonly used with soup * Spoons (card game), the card game of Donkey, but using spoons Film and TV * ''Spoons'' (TV series), a 2005 UK comedy sketch show *Spoons, a minor character from ''The Sopranos' ...
,
jaw harp The Jew's harp, also known as jaw harp, juice harp, or mouth harp, is a lamellophone instrument, consisting of a flexible metal or bamboo tongue or Reed (mouthpiece), reed attached to a frame. Despite the colloquial name, the Jew's harp most like ...
and
accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German language, German ', from '—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a Reed (mou ...
. Traditional Quebec music is characterized by ''
podorythmie Podorythmie is a traditional French Canadian method of tapping one's feet during musical performances, which is a common practice in Québécois and Acadian music, and to a lesser extent, Canadian folk music as a whole. It is a percussion techniq ...
'' which means giving the rhythm with the feet, and is currently provided by various contemporary groups performing mostly during Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations, the Quebec National Holiday and many local festivals.


Popular music

Perhaps the phenomenon in the popular music of that century was the career of La Bolduc, who became extremely popular singing satirical and sometimes racy songs based on the Quebec and Irish folk traditions, and who also was expert in the wordless vocalization known as '' turlutte''. By the 1960s, radio and television had begun to help disseminate French folk songs, especially after the 1967 foundation of the Centennial Collection of Canadian Folk Songs, including recordings of Quebec performers like Yves Albert and Jacques Labrecque, as well as
Acadian The Acadians (; , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Today, most descendants of Acadians live in either the Northern American region of Acadia, ...
Edith Butler Edith is a feminine given name derived from the Old English word , meaning ''wealth'' or ''prosperity'', in combination with the Old English , meaning ''strife'', and is in common usage in this form in English, German, many Scandinavian langua ...
. The popular songwriters and singers of this period were
Gilles Vigneault Gilles Vigneault (; born 27 October 1928) is a Canadian poet, Publishing, publisher, singer-songwriter, and Quebec nationalism, Quebec nationalist and Quebec sovereignty movement, sovereigntist. Two of his songs are considered by many to be Qu ...
,
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
(attended
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
, d.2016, buried in Montreal), and
Félix Leclerc Félix Leclerc (August 2, 1914 – August 8, 1988) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet, writer, actor and political activist. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada on December 20, 1968. Leclerc was posthumously inducted into ...
, who brought more influences to the music of France-based singing stars like
Jacques Brel Jacques Romain Georges Brel (; 8 April 1929 – 9 October 1978) was a Belgian singer and actor who composed and performed theatrical songs. He generated a large, devoted following—initially in Belgium and France, but later throughout the world ...
. Leclerc, from
La Tuque La Tuque ( , , ) is a city located in north-central Quebec, Canada, on the Saint-Maurice River, between Trois-Rivières and Chambord. The population was 11,129 at the 2021 Canadian census, most of which live within the urban area. At over , i ...
, and Vigneault, from
Natashquan Natashquan is a municipality located on the north shore of Jacques Cartier Strait, on the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the Côte-Nord region, Minganie RCM, Quebec, Canada. Natashquan stretches along the coast, on both sides of the Little Natashq ...
in the north of Quebec, became heroes for a new generation of Quebec youth. It was Vigneault's " Mon pays" (My Country), which became a rallying anthem for Quebec nationalism after a 1965 performance by
Monique Leyrac Monique Leyrac, (26 February 1928 – 15 December 2019) was a Canadian singer and actress who popularized many songs by French-Canadian composers. Early life Leyrac was born Monique Tremblay in Montreal, Quebec.Alexis Luko, Rachelle Taylor an ...
, and established a tradition of Quebec artists supporting Quebec's independence movement. Many artists openly endorsed it, notably Raymond Lévesque,
Pauline Julien Pauline Julien, (May 23, 1928October 1, 1998), nicknamed "La Renarde", was a singer, songwriter, actress, feminist activist and Quebec sovereigntist. Born in Trois-Rivières, Quebec,Christian Rioux and Betty Nygaard King."Pauline Julien" ''Th ...
and
Paul Piché Paul Piché (born September 5, 1953) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, environmentalist and political activist He mostly composes on acoustic guitar, although some of his recent work has had some electronica sound input. Many of his songs have ...
. In the 1960s, the French Canadians of Quebec were beginning to self-identify as ''Québécois'' (Quebecers). See the
Quiet Revolution The Quiet Revolution () was a period of socio-political and socio-cultural transformation in French Canada, particularly in Quebec, following the 1960 Quebec general election. This period was marked by the secularization of the government, the ...
. Another important nationalist performer during this period was
Georges Dor Georges Dor (March 10, 1931 – July 24, 2001) was a Canadian author, composer, playwright, singer, poet, translator, and theatrical producer and director. Early life Dor was born Georges-Henri Dore in Drummondville into a large family. As a yo ...
, who enjoyed international success with the recording of his own composition, "La complainte de la Manic" ("The Ballad of Manicouagan"); other popular singers of the time include Claude Gauthier and Clemence Desrochers. Popular artists of the 70s included
Harmonium The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ (which employs a va ...
, Offenbach,
Plume Latraverse Plume Latraverse (born ''Michel Latraverse'' 11 May 1946) is a prolific singer, musician, songwriter and author from Quebec. At the end of the 1960s he formed a band named La Sainte Trinité with Pierrot le fou (Pierre Léger) and Pierre Landr ...
, Garolou and
Beau Dommage Beau Dommage was a rock band from Montreal, Quebec, who achieved success in Quebec and France in the 1970s. The group's style included rich vocal harmonies and elements borrowed from folk and country music. History Beau Dommage started in 197 ...
, as well as Michel Rivard. Country music, in both French and English (primarily the former), is prevalent in Quebec. An aspect of the overall Canadian country scene, it is the chief source of francophone country, inclusive of artists such as
Renée Martel Renée Martel (26 June 1947 – 18 December 2021) was a French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in ...
,
Gildor Roy Gildor Roy (born May 11, 1960) is a Canadian actor. Gildor is the brother of Québécois actors Luc Roy, Yvon Roy and Maxim Roy. Biography He is the former owner of a baseball club in the Dominican Republic, where his wife is from. Gildor ...
, Patrick Norman,
Willie Lamothe Willie Lamothe was the stage name of Joachim Guillaume Lamothe (January 27, 1920 – October 19, 1992), a Canadian musician and actor from Quebec.
, and Georges Hamel.
Progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
and
fusion jazz Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...
band
Maneige Maneige was a Québécois progressive rock and fusion jazz band from Quebec. The instrumental ensemble was one of the Quebec progressive rock scene's longest-running bands, performing regularly for several decades. History Maneige was founded in ...
was founded in Quebec in 1972 by Alain Bergeron and Jérôme Langlois. The band was one of the Quebec progressive rock scene's longest running and consistent bands. In 1974, Vigneault and Leclerc played on the
Plains of Abraham The Plains of Abraham () is a historic area within the Battlefields Park in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It was established on 17 March 1908. The land is the site of the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, which took place on 13 September 1759, ...
with
Robert Charlebois Robert Charlebois (born June 25, 1944) is a Canadian author, composer, musician, performer and actor. Charlebois was born in Montreal, Quebec. Among his best known songs are ''Lindberg'' (the duo with Louise Forestier in particular), ''Ordi ...
, who made heavy use of
Quebec French Quebec French ( ), also known as Québécois French, is the predominant variety (linguistics), variety of the French language spoken in Canada. It is the dominant language of the province of Quebec, used in everyday communication, in education, ...
in his
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
fusions. In 1976, multi-instrumentalist sisters
Kate & Anna McGarrigle Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010) and Anna McGarrigle (born December 4, 1944) were a duo of folk rock and country folk Canadian singer-songwriters (and sisters) from Quebec, who performed together until Kate's death in 2010 ...
emerged on the international music scene with their blend of folk-rock and vocal harmonies added to self-penned songs in English and French, many of the latter co-written with Swiss-born poet
Philippe Tatartcheff Philippe Tatartcheff (born in Geneva, Switzerland) is a Canadian poet and songwriter. He is best known as the lyricist who wrote French language songs recorded by folk duo Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Origins and early life Tatartcheff's family was or ...
. The 1970s also saw roots performers like
La Bottine Souriante La Bottine Souriante (LBS) is a folk band from Canada. The band specializes in traditional Québécois music, often with a modern twist. Formed in 1976 by Yves Lambert, Andre Marchand, and Mario Forest, they have toured extensively through Eu ...
gain critical and commercial acclaim within Quebec.
Jim Corcoran James Ashley Corcoran (born 10 February 1949 in Sherbrooke, Quebec) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and former broadcaster. Biography Jim Corcoran was born in Sherbrooke, but went to high school and obtained his B.A. in Boston, Massachusetts ...
and Bertrand Gosselin released ''La tête en gigue'', an influential album that helped bring Quebec roots to crossover audiences across Canada, the United States and Europe. In addition to his musical career, Corcoran currently hosts a weekly show on
CBC Radio One CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent o ...
, which airs Francophone music from Quebec for English audiences across Canada. The early 1980s saw the formation of francophone
synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s ...
/ new wave groups such as
Nudimension Nudimension were a francophone French Canadian New wave music, new wave/synthpop band from Montréal, Canada who were active between 1982 and 1989. The band were composed of lead singer/composer Louie Louie (real name Louis Rondeau), non musician ...
that became involved in the genesis of music video and
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
culture. More recent Quebec performers include
Richard Desjardins Richard Desjardins (born March 16, 1948) is a Québécois folk singer and film director. Career Desjardins and his friends formed the country rock ensemble Abbitibbi in the 1970s; Desjardins played piano, guitar, and sang. When the group disbande ...
, Daniel Boucher,
Marie-Chantal Toupin Marie-Chantal Toupin (born July 14, 1971) is a Quebec singer. She has released a number of pop and soft rock music albums. Toupin has sold over 300,000 albums in Canada and has had two albums certified platinum. Early life Toupin was born in Mont ...
, Éric Lapointe,
Vilain Pingouin Vilain Pingouin is a rock band from Quebec, Canada. Biography After having played for a few years with various English-speaking rock groups, Rudy Caya and Michel Vaillancourt decided to plunge into more Francophone waters by playing with Les T ...
,
Mes Aïeux Mes Aïeux () is a neo-traditional Quebec folk music group founded in 1996. Style Although a leader of the Quebec " neo-traditional" scene, the band takes a modern slant on that style, borrowing stories and characters from French Canadian folkl ...
,
Les Trois Accords Les Trois Accords is a Canadian rock band from Drummondville, Québec. The band released their first album, '' Gros Mammouth Album,'' in 2003. In 2004, ''Gros Mammouth Album Turbo'' (certified Platinum by the Music Canada) was released with two e ...
,
Kaïn Kaïn is a folk rock group from Drummondville, Quebec, Canada."Kaïn : Pop culture"
''Voir'' ...
, Dumas,
La Chicane La Chicane is a Canadian francophone rock band based in Val-d'Or, Quebec. Their sound is described as "jazz-rock" or "lounge rock". History La Chicane was formed in 1993 in Val-d'Or, Quebec by Boom Desjardins, Alain Villeneuve, Suzanne Dufour, ...
,
Les Colocs ''Les Colocs'' (The Roommates) were a Quebec rock band formed in Montreal in 1990 by singer-songwriter André "Dédé" Fortin. Known for their energetic performances and eclectic fusion of musical styles, they blended rock with folk, swing, blues ...
,
Mélanie Renaud Mélanie Renaud (9 September 1981 – 14 May 2024) was a Haitian-born Canadian singer-songwriter and musical theatre actress. Life and career Renaud was born on 9 September 1981 in Haiti, and was adopted by a couple from Quebec when she was 8 m ...
, Cindy Daniel,
Daniel Bélanger Daniel Bélanger (born December 26, 1961) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. His music is eclectic, inspired by alternative rock, folk music, folk, and electronic music, sometimes humorous, sometimes wistful. Biography In 1983, Bélanger founded ...
, Paul Cargnello,
Laurence Jalbert Laurence Jalbert (born Lise Jalbert, 18 August 1959 in Rivière-au-Renard, Quebec) is a pop and rock singer-songwriter from Quebec. Career She released her self-titled debut album in 1990."Quebec singer's struggle pays off". ''Edmonton Journal ...
,
Rudy Caya Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...
,
Jean Leloup Jean Leclerc (; born May 14, 1961) is a Québécois singer-songwriter and author from Sainte-Foy, Quebec, Canada. He is popularly known as Jean Leloup (which he likes to translate to John the Wolf), a stage name he kept using until 2006, when h ...
,
Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...
(who had 4 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits like "
My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film '' Titanic''. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon F ...
" in 1998), Les Stups,
La Chicane La Chicane is a Canadian francophone rock band based in Val-d'Or, Quebec. Their sound is described as "jazz-rock" or "lounge rock". History La Chicane was formed in 1993 in Val-d'Or, Quebec by Boom Desjardins, Alain Villeneuve, Suzanne Dufour, ...
,
Dan Bigras Dan Bigras (born 23 December 1957) is a francophone rock singer and actor from Canada. He has released a number of albums of rock music, beginning with ''Ange Animal'' in 1990. He is the spokesman of ''Refuge des Jeunes de Montréal'' (meaning ...
,
Isabelle Boulay Isabelle Boulay, (; born 6 July 1972) is a Canadian singer. Biography Born in Sainte-Félicité, Quebec, where her parents owned a restaurant, Boulay moved to the nearby city of Matane at the start of her adolescence, and studied literature a ...
and more recently
Cœur de pirate Béatrice Mireille Martin (; born 22 September 1989), better known by her stage name Cœur de pirate (; French for ''Pirate's Heart''), is a Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist. A francophone from Montreal, she sings mostly in French and has ...
. Some bands, such as
Les Cowboys Fringants Les Cowboys Fringants () are a Quebecker folk rock band formed in 1995 in Repentigny, Quebec. The French word ''fringant'' can be translated as "dashing", or "frisky". They perform '' Quebecker'' néo-trad music (modernized Quebec folk music ...
have known success in Europe (primarily in France) while
Karkwa Karkwa is an indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formed in 1998. History Formed in 1998, the group consists of vocalist and guitarist Louis-Jean Cormier, keyboardist François Lafontaine, bass guitarist Martin Lamontagne, percussioni ...
,
Vulgaires Machins Vulgaires Machins is a French Canadian punk rock group from Granby, Quebec. The group consists of Guillaume Beauregard (vocals, guitars), Marie-Ève Roy (vocals, guitars), Maxime Beauregard (bass) and Pat Sayers (drums). Their lyrics denounce ...
,
Les Batinses LES or Les may refer to: People * Les (given name) * Les (surname) * L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer Space flight * Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews * Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies * Lincoln Experimental S ...
and
Malajube Malajube is a Canadian francophone indie rock band formed in Montreal, Quebec. History Formed by a group of friends in Sorel-Tracy, Québec, the band made itself known in 2004 with the release of its first album, '' Le Compte complet''. Critics ...
are also recognized elsewhere in Canada and internationally.
Hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...
has been widely active in the Montreal area with groups like
Loco Locass Loco Locass is a Canadian hip hop group from Quebec formed in 1995. The group often defends the role of the French language, and champions Quebec sovereignty. Songs such as " ROC Rap" and "Résistance" highlight the band's political leanings, ...
, Sans Pression,
Dionysos In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; ) is the god of wine-making, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, festivity, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, and theatre. He was also known as Bacchus ( or ; ) by the Greek ...
,
Criollo Criollo or criolla (Spanish for creole) may refer to: People * Criollo people, a social class in the Spanish colonial system. Animals * Criollo duck, a species of duck native to Central and South America. * Criollo cattle, a group of cattle bre ...
, Atach Tatuq,
Manu Militari Manu Militari (born May 21, 1979) is a francophone rapper from Quebec, Quebec, Canada. His stage name is taken from the Wikt:manu militari, Latin phrase meaning "By the force of arms". After a tour that included India, Greece, and the Middle Ea ...
, KCLMNOP,
Imposs Stanley Rimsky Salgado (born 12 September 1980), known by his stage name Imposs, is a Haitian-Canadian rapper, musician, singer and songwriter based in Quebec. Before becoming a solo artist, he was part of Muzion, one of the well-known hip hop ...
, Muzion and
Dubmatique Dubmatique is a French Canadian hip hop group formed in the 1990s in Montreal, Quebec. Groupmates Dj Choice, OTMC, and Jérôme-Philippe are the first French-language hip-hop group from Canada to have a number one hit single on the francophone po ...
. Heavy metal, and other adjacent metal genres, have as well played a significant role in Quebec's musical repertoire, represented notably by
Sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...
, Voivod and
death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...
bands
Cryptopsy Cryptopsy is a Canadian technical death metal band from Montreal, formed in 1988. History Pre-Cryptopsy days (1988–1992) Canadian death/thrash metal band Necrosis was formed in April 1988 by drummer Mike Atkin, guitarist Steve Thibault and vo ...
,
Kataklysm Kataklysm is a Canadian death metal band. As of 2024, they have released fifteen studio albums, two EPs, and two DVDs. Kataklysm received their first Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards, Grammy) for Best Album of the Yea ...
,
Martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
,
Neuraxis The neuraxis, also known as the neuroaxis is the axis of the central nervous system. It extends from the brain to the spinal cord and denotes the direction in which the central nervous system lies in both development and in mature organisms. Ear ...
,
Gorguts Gorguts is a Canadian death metal band formed near Sherbrooke, Quebec, in 1989. The band has gone through various membership changes since its inception; its only constant member has been guitarist-vocalist and co-founding member Luc Lemay, wh ...
,
Quo Vadis ''Quo vadis?'' (, ) is a Latin phrase meaning "Where are you going?". It is commonly translated, quoting the KJV translation of John 13:36, as "Whither goest thou?" The phrase originates from the Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter's fi ...
,
Despised Icon Despised Icon is a Canadian deathcore band from Montreal, Quebec. Formed in 2002, the band is noted for the talent of its drummer, Alex Pelletier, who makes frequent use of the blasting technique, as well as for its dual lead vocalists; Alex E ...
,
Ex Deo Ex Deo is a Canadian death metal band formed in Montreal, Quebec in 2008. The band is a side project of Kataklysm frontman Maurizio Iacono, and is based on the history of the Roman Empire. History Ex Deo was formed in 2008 as an artistic proj ...
,
Blackguard "Blackguard" or "blaggard" is an old-fashioned term for a . Blackguard or Black Guard(s) may refer to: * Black Guard, a corps of Black African soldiers in Morocco * Black Guard (Brazil), a militia of former slaves intended to protect the imperial ...
,
Beneath the Massacre Beneath the Massacre is a Canadian technical death metal band from Montreal, Quebec. Their debut EP '' Evidence of Inequity'', was released in 2005, under Galy Records. In early 2006, the band signed with Prosthetic Records and released their f ...
,
Augury Augury was a Greco- Roman religious practice of observing the behavior of birds, to receive omens. When the individual, known as the augur, read these signs, it was referred to as "taking the auspices". "Auspices" () means "looking at birds". ...
and many others. The Quebec black metal scene has also gotten some attention in recent years, including bands like Akitsa, Spirit of the Forest, Forteresse, Chasse-Galerie, Monarque and Nefastus Dies. In 2003,
TVA The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina ...
began to broadcast ''
Star Académie ''Star Académie'' is a Canadian reality television series that started in 2003, aimed primarily at the Quebec television audience, featuring an array of young women and men under the age of 30 competing for the title of the next solo singing sens ...
'', a Québécois version of a French reality music competition, several new artists including
Marie-Élaine Thibert Marie-Élaine Thibert (born April 18, 1982) is a Canadian adult contemporary and pop singer based in Quebec. Thibert was first notable for being the runner-up in the first season of Star Académie in 2003, the Quebec singing idol reality show. S ...
,
Marie-Mai Marie-Mai (born Marie-Mai Bouchard on July 7, 1984, in Varennes, Quebec) is a Canadian singer from Montreal. She was initially known as one of the finalists of the first season of the Quebec reality show ''Star Académie''. Background Marie-Ma ...
,
Émily Bégin Émily Bégin (born 21 January 1982) is a Canadian singer, actress and dancer. She is known for her participation in the first season of Star Académie. Shortly after she released her debut album. She received a degree in dance from Cégep Montm ...
and
Stéphanie Lapointe Stéphanie Lapointe (born 26 March 1984) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress and humanitarian activist from Quebec. She is best known as the winner of the second season of ''Star Académie''. Background Musical and acting development Lap ...
became well-known music artists after their passage in the reality show. The tensions between Quebec and English Canada have, at times, played out on Quebec's music scene as well. In 1991,
Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...
won the Félix award for Best Anglophone Artist for her English-language debut, ''Unison'', but refused it as she did not view herself as an Anglophone artist. Quebec has also produced a number of significant Anglophone artists, including
Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...
(who had 3 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 like ''
The Suburbs ''The Suburbs'' is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on August 3, 2010. Coinciding with its announcement, the band released a limited edition 12-inch single containing the title track and "Month of May".
'' in 2010.)
Win Butler Edwin Farnham Butler III (born April 14, 1980) is an American-Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist. He co-founded the Montreal-based indie rock band Arcade Fire with Josh Deu and his wife Régine Chassagne. Early l ...
graduated from
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
in Montreal in 2004.
Régine Chassagne Régine Alexandra Chassagne (; born 19 August 1976) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and multi-instrumentalist, and is a member of the band Arcade Fire. She is married to co-founder Win Butler. Early life and career Régine Alexandr ...
also went there. Other Anglophone artists from Quebec include Patrick Watson,
The Dears The Dears are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The band is led by the husband-and-wife duo of singer-guitarist Murray Lightburn and keyboardist Natalia Yanchak. History The band formed in 1995 and released their first album, ' ...
,
Godspeed You! Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock collective that originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation Records (Canada), Constellation, an in ...
,
Riverbeds A streambed or stream bed is the bottom of a stream or river and is confined within a channel or the banks of the waterway. Usually, the bed does not contain terrestrial (land) vegetation and instead supports different types of aquatic vegeta ...
,
Stars A star is a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by self-gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night; their immense distances from Earth make them appear as fixed points of ...
,
The Stills The Stills were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2000 and disbanded in 2011. History The band's original lineup consisted of lead vocalist and guitarist Tim Fletcher, guitarist Gregory Paquet, bassist Olivier Corbeil and dru ...
,
The Unicorns The Unicorns were a Canadian rock band formed in the year 2000 by Nicholas Thorburn (Nick Diamonds) of British Columbia and Alden Penner (Alden Ginger) of Quebec. J'aime Tambeur joined in December 2003. The band announced their split in late ...
,
Wolf Parade Wolf Parade is a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2003 in Montreal. The band released three full-length albums before taking a five-year hiatus in 2011. They announced their return in 2016, releasing a self-titled EP in May of that year, and ...
,
Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...
, Sam Roberts, Paul Cargnello,
We Are Wolves We Are Wolves are a Canadian indie rock band, based in Montreal, consisting of vocalist and bassist Alexander Ortiz, keyboardist/backing vocalist Vincent Levesque and drummer/vocalist Pierre-Luc Bégin. The band released their debut album, '' Non- ...
, The New Cities,
Chromeo Chromeo is a Canadian electro-funk duo from Montreal, formed in 2002 by musicians David "Dave 1" Macklovitch and Patrick "P-Thugg" Gemayel. Their sound draws from soul music, dance music, rock, synth-pop, disco and funk. As of 2024, the band h ...
,
Simple Plan Simple Plan is a Canadian rock band formed in Montreal, Quebec, in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of Pierre Bouvier (lead vocals, studio bass guitar), Chuck Comeau (drums), Jeff Stinco (lead guitar), and Sébastien Lefebvre (rhyt ...
and
William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1966 debut as the captain of the starship USS Enterpri ...
. In addition, some Quebec artists from the 1960s to the 1980s
Lewis Furey Lewis Furey, born with the name Lewis Greenblatt (7 June 1949), is a Canadian composer, singer, violinist, pianist, actor and director. Career Born in Montreal, Quebec to French and American parents, Furey trained as a classical violinist, and ...
,
Men Without Hats Men Without Hats are a Canadians, Canadian New wave music, new wave and synth-pop band, originally from Montreal, Quebec. Their music is characterized by the baritone voice of their lead singer Ivan Doroschuk, as well as their elaborate use of s ...
, Norman Iceberg,
Rational Youth Rational Youth was a Canadian new wave synth-pop band that was originally active between 1981 and 1986, and at various points up until the end of 2021. History Rational Youth was formed in 1981 in Montreal, Quebec, by synthesizer players Tracy ...
, Corey Hart,
Julie Masse Julie Masse (born June 3, 1970) is a Canadian pop singer. Biography Masse was born in Greenfield Park, Quebec. She released her self-titled debut album in 1990, a French language album that made her a star in Quebec and France, with the sing ...
, Martine St. Clair, Marjo, Offenbach, The Box,
Gino Vannelli Gino Vannelli (born June 16, 1952) is a Canadian rock singer and songwriter who had several hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s. His best-known singles include " People Gotta Move" (1974), " I Just Wanna Stop" (1978), " Living Inside Myself" (1981) ...
,
Luba Luba may refer to: Geography *Kingdom of Luba, a pre-colonial Central African empire *Ľubá, a village and municipality in the Nitra region of south-west Slovakia * Luba, Abra, a municipality in the Philippines *Luba, Equatorial Guinea, a town ...
, Jacynthe,
France Joli France Joli (; née Joly; born February 2, 1963) is a Canadian singer, best known for the disco classics " Come to Me" and "Gonna Get Over You". Teen stardom Born France Joly in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Joli grew up in Dorion. Her father wa ...
,
Sass Jordan Sarah "Sass" Jordan (born 23 December 1962) is an English-born Canadian rock singer from Montreal, Quebec. Her first single, "Tell Somebody," from her debut album of the same title won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1989. S ...
, and Grimskunk have frequently recorded both English and French material. Quebec artists have dominated the long and short lists of the
Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize. The prize was inc ...
. Among them,
Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...
, Patrick Watson,
Godspeed You Black Emperor Godspeed You! Black Emperor (sometimes abbreviated to GY!BE or Godspeed) is a Canadian post-rock collective that originated in Montreal, Quebec in 1994. The group releases recordings through Constellation Records (Canada), Constellation, an in ...
,
Karkwa Karkwa is an indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formed in 1998. History Formed in 1998, the group consists of vocalist and guitarist Louis-Jean Cormier, keyboardist François Lafontaine, bass guitarist Martin Lamontagne, percussioni ...
and
Backxwash Ashanti Mutinta, known professionally as Backxwash, is a Zambian-Canadians, Canadian rapper and record producer based in Montreal, Quebec. She is most noted for her 2020 album ''God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It'', which won the ...
have all won the coveted award.


Jazz music

Some famous jazz musicians from Quebec are
Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist and composer. As a virtuoso who is considered to be one of the greatest Jazz piano, jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordin ...
,
Paul Bley Paul Bley, Order of Canada, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a Canadian jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live per ...
, Oliver Jones,
Charles Biddle Charles Biddle (December 24, 1745 – April 4, 1821) was a Pennsylvania statesman and a member of the prominent Biddle family of Philadelphia. Early life Biddle was born to a wealthy old Quaker family on December 24, 1745, in Philadelphia, Prov ...
, Ranee Lee, Karen Young, and Alain Caron. The
Montreal International Jazz Festival The Festival international de Jazz de Montréal is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz festival. Every year it features roughly 3,000 ar ...
is a globally renowned jazz festival,having been hosted by the city since 1980 it's attracting thousands of visitors annually. For the rest of the year, the L'OFF Festival de Jazz de Montreal organizes jazz shows in bars across Montreal.


Classical music

The early part of the 20th century saw growth in opera, and the foundation of the
Montreal Opera Company Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
in 1910, and opera singers became popular.
André Gagnon André Gagnon (2 August 1936 – 3 December 2020) was a Canadian pianist, composer, conductor, arranger, and actor, known for his fusion of classical and pop styles,Jean-Pierre Thiollet, ''88 notes pour piano solo'', Neva Editions, 2015, p.16 ...
,
Angèle Dubeau Angèle Dubeau, (born 24 March 1962) is a retired Canadian classical violinist. She has devoted a large part of her career to making classical music accessible to a wide audience and also frequently played works by contemporary composers. In O ...
,
Michael Laucke Michael Laucke (; 29 January 1947 – 2 December 2021) was a Canadian classical music, classical, new flamenco and flamenco guitarist and composer. Starting at the age of thirteen, Laucke gave professional snooker demonstrations and his winni ...
,
Louis Lortie Louis Lortie (born 27 April 1959) is a Canadian pianist. Education Born in Montreal, Lortie made his debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at the age of thirteen and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra three years later. Soon after he tour ...
,
Alain Lefèvre Alain Lefèvre, (; born July 23, 1962) is a French Canadian pianist and composer. He has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Royal Albert Hall, Royal Festival Hall, Théatre des Champs-Élysées, Théatre du Châtelet, Sa ...
,
Alain Trudel Alain Trudel (born 13 June 1966) is a Canadian conductor, trombonist and composer. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec, Trudel first became known to the public as a trombone soloist. He made his solo debut at the age of 18, with Charles Dutoit a ...
,
Alexandre Da Costa Alexandre Da Costa is a Canadian concert violinist and conductor from Montreal, Quebec. He is the artistic director of the ''Orchestre philharmonique du Québec''. Education Da Costa has a bachelor's degree in performance (piano) from the Facu ...
,
Marc-André Hamelin Marc-André Hamelin, OC, OQ (born September 5, 1961) is a Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer who has received 11 Grammy Award nominations. He is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music. Biography Born in Montreal, Quebec ...
, Nathalie Choquette and
Richard Verreau Richard Verreau, (January 1, 1926 – July 6, 2005) was a French-Canadian operatic tenor, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories. Biography Born Richard Verreault, in Château-Richer, near Quebec City, he began sin ...
are established classical musicians from Québec at the present.
André Mathieu André Mathieu (18 February 1929 – 2 June 1968) was a Canadian pianist and composer. Life Mathieu was born René André Rodolphe Mathieu on 18 February 1929 in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the parish of Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur ...
is among the renowned composers from the province. He has been compared to a 'little Canadian Mozart', and
Rachmaninov Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of ...
pronounced him, "a genius, more so than I am". His works became the official music of the Summer Olympics of 1976. Other famous composers are
Claude Champagne Claude Champagne (27 May 1891 – 21 December 1965) was a French Canadian composer, teacher, pianist, and violinist. Early life and education Born as Joseph-Arthur-Adonaï Claude Champagne in Montreal, Quebec, Champagne began piano and the ...
,
Calixa Lavallée Calixa Lavallée (; December 28, 1842 – January 21, 1891) was a Canadians, Canadian musician and Union Army band musician during the American Civil War. He was born in the Province of Canada. He is best known for composing the music for "O Can ...
,
Pierre Mercure Pierre Mercure (21 February 1927 – 29 January 1966) was a Canadian composer, TV producer, bassoonist, and administrator. Mercure was born in Montreal. As a student at the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Montréal, he earned honour ...
,
Jacques Hétu Jacques Joseph Robert Hétu (August 8, 1938 – February 9, 2010) was a prominent Canadian composer and music educator. Hétu is the most frequently performed of Canadian classical composers, both within Canada and internationally. Educati ...
,
André Gagnon André Gagnon (2 August 1936 – 3 December 2020) was a Canadian pianist, composer, conductor, arranger, and actor, known for his fusion of classical and pop styles,Jean-Pierre Thiollet, ''88 notes pour piano solo'', Neva Editions, 2015, p.16 ...
,
Airat Ichmouratov Airat Rafailovich Ichmouratov (, Tatar language, Tatar Cyrillic: Айрат Рафаил улы Ишмурат,) born 28 June 1973, is a Volga Tatar born Russians, Russian / Canadians, Canadian composer, conducting, conductor and klezmer clarin ...
, Denis Gougeon,
José Evangelista José Evangelista (5 August 1943 – 10 January 2023) was a Spanish composer and music educator who was based in Montreal, Canada. He was professor of composition at the Université de Montréal from 1979 to 2009. A member of the Canadian Leag ...
and composer-critic Alfred La Liberté, among others.


Quebec and France

Both nations have influenced each other in terms of music styles. In recent years, Quebec singers have gained notable recognition on the French stage. Quebec singers that have performed in France included:
Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the " Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had a significant impact on popular musi ...
, Garou,
Anthony Kavanagh Anthony Kavanagh (born September 26, 1969) is a Canadian stand up comedian, actor, singer and TV presenter. After a successful career on the francophone stand-up scene in Quebec, he became a major star in France and is now a popular television h ...
(a stand-up comedian),
Isabelle Boulay Isabelle Boulay, (; born 6 July 1972) is a Canadian singer. Biography Born in Sainte-Félicité, Quebec, where her parents owned a restaurant, Boulay moved to the nearby city of Matane at the start of her adolescence, and studied literature a ...
,
Bruno Pelletier Bruno Pelletier (; born August 7, 1962) is a Canadian singer, musician, and actor who is known as the “Genius of French Music”, and for playing Pierre Gringoire alongside Daniel Lavoie as Frollo, in English and French. Life Pelletier was ...
,
Lynda Lemay Lynda Lemay (born 25 July 1966) is a Canadian francophone singer-songwriter. Through her mother she is a descendant of Zacharie Cloutier. After winning regional awards in 1989 she went to France and regularly tours in Quebec and France, includi ...
,
Cœur de pirate Béatrice Mireille Martin (; born 22 September 1989), better known by her stage name Cœur de pirate (; French for ''Pirate's Heart''), is a Canadian singer-songwriter and pianist. A francophone from Montreal, she sings mostly in French and has ...
and many others.
Roch Voisine Joseph Armand Roch Voisine, (born 26 March 1963) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, actor, and radio and television host who lives in Montreal and Paris. He writes and performs material in both English and French. He won the Juno Award for Male V ...
and
Natasha St-Pier Natasha St-Pier (born 10 February 1981) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and television presenter. She is of Acadian heritage, and grew up in the Saint John River (Bay of Fundy), Saint John River valley of New Brunswick, but has spent most of ...
are two artists who also perform in France and are often mistaken for Quebecers. They are actually from New Brunswick and are of Acadian heritage, like
Daniel Lavoie Daniel Lavoie (; born Daniel Joseph-Hubert-Gérald Lavoie, March 17, 1949) is a Canadian musician, actor, and singer best known for his song " Ils s'aiment" and the role of Frollo in musical ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He releases albums and pe ...
who is from
Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...
.


Musicals

Few musicals were made or adapted by Quebec artists. Among them,
Luc Plamondon Luc Plamondon (born March 2, 1942) is a French Canadians, French-Canadian lyricist and music executive. His work includes the musicals Starmania (musical), ''Starmania'' and Notre-Dame de Paris (musical), ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He is the brot ...
has had the brightest career as a songwriter, writing for the big ones (Céline Dion, Garou). The main musicals 'made in Quebec' : ''Starmania'', ''La Légende de Jimmy'', ''Notre-Dame-de-Paris'', ''Chicago (adapted into French)'', "Demain matin, Montréal m'attend", ''Dracula''.


Le Cirque du Soleil

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...
develops its own musical pieces to go along with various acrobatic tricks. The music aspect of the show is essential as it sets a mood for performances and links one number to another.


See also

*
Culture of Quebec The culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting predominantly from the shared history of the French-speaking North American majority in Quebec. Québécois culture, as a whole, constitutes all distinctive traits – spiri ...
* French-Canadian music *
Gogo (Quebec music) Gogo was a type of francophone music that was popular in the 1960s in Quebec, Canada. It accompanied dancing that was characterised by lively, quick and irregular movements of the body and wide gestures of the arms. The words and music were often ad ...
*
List of Quebec musicians This is a list of singers, bands, composers and other musicians from the province of Quebec. Blues * Garou (singer), Garou – also pop * Okoumé (band), Okoumé – also néo-trad, rock and roll, rock and electronica * Roxanne Potvin – sin ...
*
List of Quebec record labels This is a list of notable record labels from Quebec. * Alien8 Recordings * Ambiances Magnétiques * Audiogram * Arbutus Records * Bonsound Records * Constellation Records * Dare to Care Records * Distribution Select * Disques Victoire * ...


References


Further reading

* Brouillard, Marcel. ''Images de la chanson: un siècle chanté''. .l. Éditions l'Essentiel; Ville Montréal, Qué.: Distr. Novalis, 2000. * Défossé, Félix. L'Évolution du métal québécois, vol. No Speed Limit, 1964–1989. Rouyn-Noranda, Qué.: Éditions du Quartz, 2014. N.B.: Two more vols. are projected to complete this 3 vol. history of heavy metal music of Québec. * Duguay, Raoul. ''Musiciens du Québec''. Montréal: Éditions du Jour, 1971. ''N.B''.: The emphasis is on "classical" then contemporary composers and on those of "musique actuelle". * Lasalle-Leduc, Annette. ''La Vie musicale au Canada français''. Québec, Qué.: Ministère des Affaires culturelles, 1964. * Lefebvre, Marie-Thérèse. ''La Création musicale des femmes du Québec''. Montréal: Éditions du Remue-ménage, 1991. ''N.B''.: Concerns women composers of Québec. * Rodrigue, Patrick. "Rouyn-Noranda, la Mecque du rock 'n' roll" & "Un Musée du rock 'n' roll pourrait naître à Rouyn-Noranda", Abi''tibi-Express'', vol. 1, no 44 (31 mai 2011), p. 4. N.B.: Paired ill. articles, each individually titled and separately accessible also on the newspaper's Internet site, describing Rouyn-Noranda as one of the two contrasting poles, the other being Montréal, of popular music in Québec. * Sévigny, Jean-Pierre. ''Sierra Norteña: the Influence of Latin Music on the French-Canadian Popular Song and Dance Scene, Especially as Reflected in the Career of Alys Robi and the Pedagogy of Maurice Lacasse-Morenoff''. Montréal: Productions Juke-Box, 1994. 13 p. ''N.B''. Published text of a paper prepared for, and presented on, on 12 March 1994, the conference, Popular Music Music & Identity (Montréal, Qué., 12–13 March 1994), under the auspices of the Canadian Branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music.


External links


Instrumental Folk Music of Quebec

Québec Pop

Bande à Part (CBC/Radio-Canada)



Les Violons du Roy
{{Canada topics Culture of Quebec