It is with emotion that musicians from the Montreal Symphony Orchestra prepare to play in honor of Karl Tremblay during the national honors ceremony to be held on Tuesday evening at the Bell Centre.
• Also read: National Honors Ceremony for Karl Tremblay: What You Need to Know
“Like Quebec, I was very moved when I learned of his death. It was a shock for everyone, even though we knew what direction it was going to take. But that it happens so soon, so quickly… Since then I have listened to a lot of Cowboys Fringants,” admits Olivier Thouin, violinist of the OSM string quintet, who will pay homage to Karl Tremblay.
“We will be a small group. It will enrich the intimate side of the ceremony. (…) When I asked my colleagues to take part in this event, they all said yes in less than 15 minutes, he adds. It was kind of obvious to pay homage to him.”
Gabriel Fournier
It’s impossible to know what songs will be played at the Bell Center during the OSM musicians’ twenty-minute performance.
“It lies in the secret of the gods,” explains Olivier Thouin. We are also moving a little into the unknown. I can’t wait to see the public reaction at the Bell Centre. I think there will be enormous respect, a kind of contemplation… There will be a lot of people, and that’s a good thing, because Karl touched so many people.
A groundbreaking collaboration
In September 2018, the OSM presented its first show in collaboration with the Cowboys Fringants. Olivier Thouin has excellent memories of these ten shows in five years and even described these meetings as “particularly meaningful”.
Gabriel Fournier
“At the time, I may not have known what Les Cowboys Fringants meant to Quebec. It was a shock in the orchestra. The audience stood up, clapped their hands… I had never seen such lively, dance-like reactions before. (Laughs…) This is very unusual for us at Maison symphonique. Wow.”
“Karl Tremblay sang very direct lyrics that touched Quebecers deep inside,” he adds. Karl’s way of conveying the message… His voice has evolved a lot over the years, in the sense that it has become warmer. It is this direct side that reaches people’s souls. That means that these songs will still work very well in 10, 20, 30 years.”
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In addition to the performance of the OSM string quintet, guitarist and lyricist Jean-François Pauzé will speak during the ceremony. The film America is Crying will then be shown.
Karl Tremblay, 47, died Nov. 15 of prostate cancer.
The national honors ceremony will be held on Tuesday, November 28th at 7:30 p.m. at the Bell Center.