Marie-Christine Tremblay and Jacques Marchand: Proud Supporters of Local Artists

Marie-Christine Tremblay and Jacques Marchand Champions of local artists

Jacques Marchand and Marie-Christine Tremblay with mezzo-soprano Florence Bourget (Atelier lyrique, 2020)

Interview with Jacques Marchand

With a career in education and fashion, it is hardly surprising that Marie-Christine Tremblay and Jacques Marchand are such passionate individuals and engaged philanthropists. Over the years, they have become very involved in classical music and opera, deepening their interest by sponsoring an artist of the Atelier lyrique and chairing the Talent Gala. For the past year, Marie-Christine and Jacques have directed their support toward the creation of new works.

Where does your passion for music and opera come from?

As for many of my generation, I discovered music at church. I was immediately struck by the human voice, this divine instrument which can truly shine through craftsmanship and hard work. The power, the beauty, and the sheer emotion of the human voice are always what move me first, then at the opera, everything takes on a spectacular dimension, truly the awe-inspiring demonstration of the genius of the human spirit.

Why is it so important for you to support new works at the Opéra de Montréal?

First and foremost, I am deeply committed to helping artists. They are a great richness of our society, and it is our responsibility to develop the musical landscape so that they might continue to flourish and contribute to making Montréal a major cultural metropolis. I highly value the artistic direction of our opera company and the will to bring together multidisciplinary creative forces in a spirit of exploration and collaboration. The economic reality of artists is upsetting, and the support of the private sector is vital. We need substantial investments in creation to develop new works and bring forward bold ideas, otherwise we will never be competitive.

You often speak of the arts in economic terms. Coming from the world of education and fashion, which parallels do you draw with opera?

Québec is replete with talent in so many fields – from aeronautics to artificial intelligence, to circus, cinema, and fashion… Similarly, music is an economic strength in our society, and it requires investing in human beings, without which talent cannot develop. Education is all about nurturing that talent, and we are lucky to live in one of the great university capitals of the world. Creation is a niche, high-added value market, which generates wealth and allows our artists to shine and to be recognized internationally. There is no shortage of examples of local artistic entrepreneurship having built successful business models which helped put our creative talent on the international map.