Interviews and portraits

This section will be devoted to portraits and interviews of percussionists, from Quebec and elsewhere, who have contributed to the evolution of the instrument.

Pierre Béluse

Pierre Béluse is well known by the Quebec percussionists and general public. Member of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra for 21 years, where he was know as one the greatest cymbal players, member of the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa for 12 years, percussion professor at McGill University for 34 years, jazz drummer, Pierre Béluse in also well known for his total commitment in contemporary music performance and his passion for new sounds. The man who has trained many generations of musicians, looks back on his career, his influences and his musical evolution.

Frank Epstein

Frank Epstein teaches percussion at the New England Conservatory and has been a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1968. He is well known in the orchestral percussion community as a cymbal specialist. Frank was in Montreal during the Fall of 2003 to give a cymbal masterclass. All percussionists who assisted to his masterclass were very much impressed by his technique and the many different cymbal strokes he has developped for the orchestral repertoire. They were also fascinated by his teaching. We wanted to know more about Frank's carreer and interests and went to meet him in Boston last January.

Louis Charbonneau

Louis Charbonneau is also very will known in Quebec and abroad. Now retired after 49 years as solo timpanist with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Louis Charbonneau still amazes us by presenting masterclasses, and participating in concerts. Eternal timpani lover, identified as one of the world's two or three best timpani players by conductor Zubin Mehta, he tells us all about his debut, his encounters with the greatest conductors, and his views on his instrument, and training. A wealth of discovery!

Emmanuel Séjourné

Emmanuel Séjourné was in Quebec in April 2003 to give recitals and masterclasses at the Université de Sherbrooke and in Montréal. This mallets and chamber music specialist is well known in Quebec. He has distinguished himself on many occasions on european, american and asian stages. He is also well known for his methods, studies and pieces for mallet instruments. He kindly took the time, shortly before flying back to Luxembourg, to share his thoughts on music, percussion instruments, composition and teaching.