Orford Arts Centre: Major Modernization Project

ORFORD ARTS CENTRE - CANADA

MAJOR MODERNIZATION PROJECT

QUEBEC GOVERNEMENT ALLOCATES $6.85 MILLION DOLLARS

Orford, Canada, June 27, 2009 ’Äì It was during a press conference held Thursday afternoon at the Orford Arts Centre that the Minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women, Christine St-Pierre, and MNA for Orford, Pierre Reid, announced an agreement in principle for an amount of $6.85 million dollars that will permit the advancement of a major modernization project for the Orford Arts Centre (OAC) and the upgrading of the infrastructure of its site and buildings.

The Orford Arts Centre is located in the heart of beautiful Mount Orford Provincial Park in Quebec, Canada and was founded in 1951 by Mr. Gilles Lefebvre and the Jeunesses musicales du Canada movement. The main mission of the Centre is the training of talented young musicians at the university and postgraduate level by some of the world’Äôs greatest masters in classical music, as well as the presentation of works in various artistic disciplines focusing on local artistry, artistic potential and innovation.

’ÄúThe Orford Arts Centre has the exceptional potential to attract music and art lovers from all over the world to our region. The project announced today will give the Centre a well-deserved new lease on life and encourage the full development of its potential,’Äù said Pierre Reid, MNA for Orford.

On behalf of the Orford Arts Centre’Äôs Board of Directors, President Mathieu Bouchard warmly welcomed this news. Said Bouchard, ’ÄúWe thank the Government of Quebec for the recognition it has given us and for its assistance. This financial support will allow us to ensure the longevity of the OAC and assert its place as a major heritage site in Quebec, an essential cultural institution both nationally and internationally, and a touristic and economic engine for the region.’Äù

"This financial support will also permit us to continue the Orford Arts Centre’Äôs mission throughout the year. What an extraordinary vote of confidence! Our artists here and abroad, our students from 35 different countries, and our public, applaud you,’Äù said Davis Joachim, Executive Director of the Orford Arts Centre.

The site of the Orford Arts Centre equally possesses great historical and architectural value. Today it is one of the few places in Quebec where you can find a significant concentration of buildings designed in the modern expressionist style. The Gilles-Lefebvre Concert Hall (1960), L’ÄôHomme et la Musique Pavilion (1967) and the J.A.-DeSˆ®ve Pavilion (1968) are all part of a formal renewal in Quebec architecture that coincided with the entry of Quebec society into modernity. The dynamic shapes of its pavilions and the originality of the methods used by architect Paul-Marie Cˆ¥tˆ© (1921-1969) make these buildings historical masterpieces of modern Quebecois design.

There is also something extremely interesting and unique about the architecture of the Gilles-Lefebvre Concert Hall, and the L’ÄôHomme et la Musique and J.A.-DeSˆ®ve pavilions: their designs are all linked to music. The Gilles-Lefebvre Concert Hall is in the shape of a grand piano. L’ÄôHomme et la Musique Pavilion is in the shape of an organ case. And the J.A.-DeSˆ®ve Pavilion is in the shape of the musical key F.