During the mini-festival of Music in the Image of Richelieu, which can be accessed free of charge and by reservation, on July 24, the ELRFC band made their first audience shake since the pandemic, competing with the great orchestras of Montreal.
In terms of festivals and concerts, Richelieu showed that it had nothing to envy the city, as musicians and artists from the region gathered in front of the Notre Dame de Bonsecours, on a scale platform.
“This kind of demonstration is rare, we don’t usually walk around, we were shy during the pandemic because we weren’t allowed to play in a group.” , explains, in an interview with the newspaper, assistant Martin Savard, the musical director of the band. “We mainly do in-house performances, at Saint-Jean Garrison located in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. We have juniors and seniors in our ranks. All recruits in Canada were trained in Saint-Jean, which makes our training diverse. The composition of the orchestra was not the same Never, we have musicians who come from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Montreal, etc., and I’m the guy with the baguette in the future! I’m the conductor of the orchestra, and I have a whole team with me that helps me pick out the pieces.”
“Not many people know that there are musicians in the military, and our role is to put on performances to make them known to the public.” – Martin Savard
Musical essentials
On the menu there is a variety to suit all tastes, including the national anthem of Canada, a military march, and more, which kept the crowd energized. The orchestra made nostalgic spectators sing, dance and clap their hands on yesterday’s masterpieces from the big screen, such as the theme melody of happinessDid the kids do twirls to Nino Rota’s music for the movie 8 ½ by Fellini, and makes the hearts of popular culture fans beat to the rhythm of the popular series’ theme Game of thrones (Game of Thrones), a must see. “Our specialty is the music of Italian cinema, but we put together a wide network and adapt our musical repertoire to the genre of the event summer showWe played Latin music with Cuban singers. “
With the conductor of the orchestra, nearly forty musicians, including two animators at the microphone, made the guests spend an unforgettable festive moment. “In the summer there are always more of us, otherwise there are only three working full time, who understand the logistics of music. In the summer, many come to support us in the summer season. We are between 35 and 40 musicians to compose the whole. We have woodwinds, brass, and a pianist. who plays certain pieces, percussion, and double bass as a stringed instrument. Because there are so many saxophonists, they sometimes have to swap places with their mates, staying in the background while certain pieces are played.”
Petty Officer Savard admits that the army’s versatility is often an element of surprise. It is true that many professions that exist within the armed forces are unknown to the public. The musician’s profession is one of them. Few people know that there are musicians in the military, and our role is to give performances to make them known to the public. “
Currently, while the band has no future concerts to add to their summer programming, the success and breakup of their latest show should attract future requests for performances. “We always try to have new concerts, and with a return to normal, we will see what can be done. What makes us happy is to play to please the audience, and we hope there will be requests. ”, concludes Petty Officer Savard.
