Greetings,

The 50th International Horn Symposium is fast approaching. I am planning on having a few special items for those who purchase full week registrations before July 1. The program book is now being laid out with the bios, ads and event schedules. There are close to thirty world premieres at the horn symposium this summer. Congratulations to all the artists who are contributing their time and money in commissions, travel and supporting artist coordination for the wonderful tributes to “The Golden History of the Horn." All the events and information can be seen online at IHS50.org. Please plan your lodging as the Courtyard Marriott is already sold out August 2nd thru the 4th. Vendors and on-campus housing registration will close July 1.  Registration will open up at 3 p.m. on July 29 in the lobby of Sursa Hall. 

by Louis-Philippe Marsolais

I first attended the Domaine Forget Academy when I was 18 years old. It seems like so long ago! It’s a magical site, with the Charlevoix mountains on one side and the St. Lawrence River on the other, where I evolved as a musician, performer and human being. In the following years at Domaine Forget, I experienced some of the most beautiful musical moments of my youth: I met Hermann Baumann, John Zirbel, Vincent Cichowicz, and Roger Bobo, worked with Guy Carmichael and Eugene Rittich, and played chamber music with Lance Nagels and Geoff Thompson. I also bonded with young, talented, and passionate musicians who would later become my colleagues, including Julie-Anne Drolet and Gabe Radford.

For many young (and not so young) musicians, Domaine Forget is more than just a place where you take lessons. Its location—away from major city centers (with intermittent internet), where the river transforms day after day from a reflection of golden lights to a dense fog—connects us with the force of nature and its beauty. The culinary experience at the cafeteria is indescribable (!) and allows us the chance to initiate newcomers to the famous Chez Ginette poutine (poutine is a very popular dish in Quebec made of French fries, cheese curds, and gravy). Evenings spent around the bonfire or in the “party barn” are perfect for socializing with musicians from around the world while, in the background, a low brass quartet is playing the last movement of Bruckner 8 late into the night. Whether or not you stay awake to watch the sunrise, you always manage to have a productive next day full of masterclasses, lessons, chamber music rehearsals, symphony readings, concerts, and other workshops. And at the end of the session, you certainly need a few weeks to fully assimilate all the new things you’ve learned.

I have been teaching at Domaine Forget since 2013 alongside Guy Carmichael, who has seen me grow in this incredible environment. In the last few years, we have had the pleasure to work with many great masters such as Radovan Vlatković, Frøydis Ree Wekre, Bill VerMeulen, Gail Williams, Ab Koster, Denise Tryon, and Frank Lloyd. This year, we are very exited to welcome Bruno Schneider, who was my teacher during my time in Freiburg. I am sure a few good stories will come up! I am really looking forward to meeting this year’s horn studio.

This year’s brass session at the Domaine Forget Academy is from June 10 to 17, 2018, in St-Irénée, located in the Charlevoix region of Québec (1.5 hours from Québec City). You can find all the information here: https://www.domaineforget.com/en/academy/session-brass-horn/

Please note that the session is usually two weeks long at the beginning of June. The G7 summit in the area forced us to shorten this year’s edition.

I look forward to seeing you there sometime!

Tanslation by Marie-Michèle Bertrand

English version
by Louis-Philippe Marsolais

J’ai commencé à aller au Domaine Forget comme étudiant à l’âge de 18 ans, il y a déjà trop longtemps ! Ce lieu magique, enclavé entre les montagnes de Charlevoix et le fleuve St-Laurent m’a énormément fait évoluer comme musicien, interprète et être humain. J’y ai passé, dans les années qui ont suivi, plusieurs des plus beaux moments musicaux de ma jeunesse, où j’y ai rencontré les Hermann Baumann, John Zirbel, Vincent Cichowicz, Roger Bobo, travaillé avec  Guy Carmichael et Eugene Rittich, joué en musique de chambre avec Lance Nagels et Geoff Thompson. J’ai aussi tissé des liens avec de jeunes musiciens plein de talent et d’ambition qui allaient devenir plus tard des collègues – Julie-Anne Drolet et Gabe Radford.

Pour beaucoup de musiciens jeunes et moins jeunes, le Domaine Forget représente bien plus qu’un endroit où on reçoit des cours. Sa situation géographique, ce lieu isolé des grands centres (avec un internet intermittent), où le fleuve se transforme à chaque jour en des millions de reflets dorés ou bien en un nuage de brouillard dense nous fait réaliser la force de la nature, autant que la beauté qui y est attachée. L’expérience culinaire de la cafétéria est indescriptible (!) et permet à l’occasion d’initier les étrangers à la poutine de Chez Ginette. Les soirées au bord du feu ou bien au « party barn » permettent de fraterniser avec les musiciens d’un peu partout, avec en toile de fond un quatuor de cuivres graves qui rejoue encore une fois le dernier mouvement de la  8^e de Bruckner jusqu’à tard dans la nuit. Peu importe qu’on assiste au lever du soleil sur le fleuve ou pas,  on réalise que peu importe la longueur de la nuit, on réussit toujours à passer une autre journée productive, avec des classes de maîtres, des cours, des répétitions de musique de chambre, des lectures de symphonies, des concerts et autres ateliers. Et à la fin du stage, on a certainement besoin de quelques semaines pour intégrer tous ces apprentissages !