Founded in 1979, Ensemble de musique sacrée de Québec inspires and stirs the souls of sacred music lovers. Its repertoire, interpreted with the greatest attention to authenticity and perfection, covers all eras and encompasses a wide variety of composers such as Josquin, Bach, Brahms, and Duruflé. Directed by Richard Duguay, the Ensemble is composed of some twenty members.
Richard Duguay has pursued a solo tenor career for some 20 years. He holds a degree in vocal performance from Université Laval in Quebec City and Royal Conservatoire of The Hague in the Netherlands. He polished his skills in Baroque musical interpretation at various international workshops in the United States and Europe. In North America, he has performed with The Boston Camerata, Arion and the Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal ensembles, Tafelmusik of Toronto, Les Violons du Roy and Anonymus ensembles of Quebec City, and Orchestre Symphonique de Québec. In Europe, Richard Duguay has performed with the Les Arts Florissants ensemble, conducted by William Christie; Concert Spirituel, conducted by Hervé Niquet in Baroque music; and a number of romantic music chamber choirs.
A violist, choir conductor, and recipient of the first prize from Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, Chantal Masson-Bourque arrived from France in 1964. For over 40 years, she has taught viola, chamber music, choir and choral direction, musical aesthetics, and instrumental pedagogy at Université Laval Faculty of Music in Quebec City. At the same time, she has pursued her career as a chamber music artist, performing in the United States, Europe, Russia, and Japan. A 1996 recipient of the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors’ National Award, she has recorded numerous CDs under the SNE and ATMA labels, notably as a violist with Quatuor Laval and with pianist Mariko Sato. A humanist-musician with a desire to make new music available, she has produced a number of world premier recordings of various works, some of which were composed specifically for her.
Organist Mathieu Blain received his basic music education under the tutelage of the sisters at Congrégation de Notre-Dame during the 1970s. At Conservatoire de Musique de Québec, he first came into contact with the organ in a class with Noëlla Genest, his professor between 1980 and 1985. In 1984, he was appointed organist at Saint-Mathieu Church in Sainte-Foy, where he served for nearly twenty years. Then in 2002, he continued his studies with Richard Paré at Université Laval Faculty of Music and completed a master’s degree in performance in spring 2004. With a bachelor’s degree in geography as well as a teaching certificate, Mathieu has also taught humanities and social science at Louis-Jacques-Casault High School in Montmagny for some fifteen years. His life is devoted to music and educating youth.