Posted at 10:00 am
The joy of gathering with family and friends around large tables that extend throughout the day is what characterizes tenor Marc Hervieux’s Sundays. Director General of the Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art of Quebec since the end of August, he spends a good part of the week in Quebec, so he enjoys his weekends at the Laurentians by the lake with his girlfriend and their three daughters.
A childhood memory
When we talk to him about Sundays, Marc Hervieux brings back childhood memories. “We wanted to take the family for a ride in my dad’s huge car, a forest green 1977 Mercury Grand Marquis with a white vinyl top! We all went together, my two sisters, my brother and I in the back seat and my parents in the front, smoking during our Sunday drive. We stopped to have a potato chip on Broadway Street in Montreal East. It’s a living memory. A tradition we had as a kid in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve on Sunday lunchtime was roast beef with mashed potatoes mixed with carrots and peas, which my mother used to make! In the evening, as we had a big lunch, we ate lunch! We’d have a bowl of cereal or toast, and every now and then my mom would make club sandwiches, and it was like we were in a restaurant! »
At the edge of the lake
There are Sundays when nothing is on Marc Hervieux’s agenda. “I like waking up in the chalet at La Conception, in the Laurentians, by the lake, to the smell of coffee and I do almost nothing! I will cook, prepare a lunch with my daughters who are 16, 18 and 21 years old. We are a close-knit small clan, they come to spend the weekend with their lovers, the family is growing, there are friends too. We like when the house is full, it’s chalet life and it’s a great joy! My youngest daughter plays volleyball so there may be Sundays when there are games or a tournament so I go with her and cheer on the team! »
The day at the table!
“My favorite thing is brunch, which turns into a late lunch and then dinner! Everyone is chattering and having fun putting the world together, then we get a little bit cravings again because we’ve been talking for a few hours, so we grab a bite and then it’s finally time for dinner! I love that. I like stews because it’s easy but also because of the smell in the house. We put the kettle in the middle of the table, everyone helps themselves, it’s friendly. I like to prepare a beef bourguignon with a softly melted camembert, there is also my cassoulet which has become a tradition. Friends call me and claim it! It can get very crowded on weekends, up to 30 people! My girlfriend and I get along great in the kitchen, so we both launch stews, three or four different recipes, cooking quietly while we head outside! We light a log fire! We also have an ice rink by the lake, we play hockey, we skate and when we come home it smells like happiness! There is nothing that beats that! Absolutely nothing! »
A little work
On Sunday mornings, Marc Hervieux is on the air from 10am to 12pm on Ici Musique, but he is not live. “I take the time to respond to listeners on social media because radio is such an intimate medium that I feel like I’m there live. People write to me spontaneously, they tell me what effect music has on them, how happy a certain song makes them or brings back memories. There are Sundays when I’m in concert, so I can be in rehearsal in the morning if I have a show in the afternoon. I don’t work most Sundays, quite the contrary, but it’s very rewarding to sing and get the love of the audience. »
Day off
“When I sang in opera houses around the world, Sunday was always a day off. There was no concert or rehearsal. Sunday is holy, it is a day off, and I confess that I fully agree with this principle. Sunday is there to provoke meetings between friends and family. The stores could close, we could adapt and plan not to have to shop on Sundays. We need to reconnect with that precious time, rediscover the joy of communicating together. Communication has been going from one screen to another for too long and we need to reconnect with the pleasure of meeting, discussing and reflecting in person during this downtime. »