Francis Copron
Flute
Biography
Flutist Francis Colpron has been recognised for some years now as one of the most talented musicians of his generation. His quality and capacity for artistic and interpretative innovation have been acclaimed for nearly three decades by audiences, critics and cultural authorities alike. In 1991, he founded the ensemble Les Boréades de Montréal, and has been its artistic director ever since. Each year, he organises a highly successful Montreal season with the ensemble, performs in North America and Europe, and records on the Atma Classiques label.
Christophe Gauthier
Harpsichord
Biography
Born in Montreal, Christophe Gauthier studied at the Conservatoire de Montréal (harpsichord class of Mireille Lagacé) and completed his Bachelor’s degree (under the guidance of Réjean Poirier) and Master’s degree (under the guidance of Luc Beauséjour) at the University of Montreal. His skills as a chamber musician led Christophe Gauthier to co-found numerous ensembles, including Opus Project and Le Consort laurentien, which performed at the 2021 Utrecht Early Music Festival in the Netherlands. He also performs as an organist and harpsichordist with the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal, Arion Baroque Orchestra, Les Boréades, I Musici de Montréal, the Orchestre Métropolitain, and Philadelphia Orchestra. As an educator, Christophe Gauthier teaches organ and harpsichord at the Cégep de Saint-Laurent. He is regularly invited to teach at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance in Nova Scotia. Occasionally called upon to conduct ensembles from the harpsichord, he is also the choir director of the Ensemble vocal Vivace. He has notably conducted operas such as Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, Hercules by Handel, and David et Jonathas by Charpentier. He can be heard weekly on Radio VM, hosting the Musique classique program.
Francis Copron
Text and direction
Biography
An actress and singer since the age of 10, trained in Acting at the National Theatre School of Canada and in Directing at L’INIS, Valérie Le Maire has built a career marked by exploration and artistic freedom. She has performed in over fifty theatre and musical productions, under the direction of Dominic Champagne, Robert Gravel, André Brassard, Olivier Choinière, Brigitte Haentjens, and Alice Ronfard, among others.
Since her first stage direction in 2001 (La Barmaid), she has focused mainly on directing, writing, and musical composition, developing a hybrid language between hyperrealism and impressionism, where words, body, and music intertwine.
After returning to the stage in the musical Mamma Mia in 2019, she notably appeared in La traversée du siècle (Michel Tremblay / Alice Ronfard) and in Othello directed by Didier Lucien in 2025, in the role of the Doge and the sung part of the Sibyl, which earned her widespread critical acclaim. She is currently working on her eighth creation, Tempête Solaire, scheduled for 2027. Her most recent stage direction is Le Tisseur de vent.
David Ellis
Cello
Biography
David Ellis studied cello at the New England Conservatory (Boston) and the Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia). He then joined the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (Missouri) for five years. In 1988, he became a member of the ensemble I Musici de Montréal, and in 1989, he founded the Alcan Quartet. For 34 years, David Ellis’s career has been closely linked to the activities of this ensemble: tours in Canada, the United States, Europe, and the Far East; recording of an extensive catalog of recordings on the ATMA, Analekta, and CBC Radio Canada labels, including the complete Beethoven quartet cycle; and teaching at various universities and summer institutes.
In addition to his activities with the Alcan Quartet, he served as principal cellist of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Symphony Orchestra and taught at the Saguenay Conservatory of Music. With a highly versatile career, he was appointed artistic director of the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean Music Camp in 2016, then executive director of the institution in 2022. In August 2025, he celebrated his 11th anniversary as artistic director of the Rendez-vous musical de Laterrière.
The recipient of several awards throughout his career, he was awarded the National Assembly Medal in 2021 in recognition of his “exemplary commitment.” That same year, he was recognized for his achievements on the regional stage in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and was welcomed as a member of the Ordre du Bleuet. Upon his retirement from the Alcan Quartet in 2023, he received the Lieutenant Governor’s Medal “for exceptional merit.”
