Originally from Sainte-Ursule in Mauricie, Simon Charette has come a long way since he first touched a piano in the family home at the age of eight. He is now settled in the suburbs of Washington and makes a living from his art.
It all started when his mother wanted to sell the house piano: the child, which he immediately held against it.
“I was offended that my mother wanted to part with this instrument. I was finally able to keep it on the condition that I take lessons,” he recalled in an interview.
As time went on, Simon and the music matched more and more. Among other activities, he joined choirs, including the Amadeus Vocal Ensemble, in Louiseville, a neighboring town of Sainte-Ursule, for almost four years before joining the Chœur polyphonique de Montréal while studying classical piano at the Cégep de Saint-Laurent. Back at the University of Montreal, he decided to trade the piano for singing and graduated with a master’s degree in classical singing.
PHOTO COURTESY / Simon Charette
On Montreal soil he met an American. The lovebirds lived there until his wife received an offer to teach at a university in Washington.
“I decided to follow her and got a job teaching at a French school in the capital of the United States while taking singing lessons in New York. At the same time, I started conducting choirs,” tells us the man who currently directs the choir of the French Embassy in Washington, as well as other formations such as the Choeur Rochambeau of the French international school of the same name in the US.
“I play fifty percent of my professional life in French in Washington,” said the 37-year-old, who had the opportunity to lead singers during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Washington in 2018.
PHOTO COURTESY / Simon Charette
different reality
Simon Charette, who is also Associate Artistic Director of the Washington Opera Society, makes his living from music. But he notes that the reality of being a musician in the United States is very different than it is in Canada.
“You can’t be poor here. In Montreal, a musician can get by on $20,000 a year, it’s impossible here,” he believes.
However, he admits that even in the US it is extremely difficult to break into the music business. According to him, a musician’s environment can have a major impact on that musician’s career.
COURTESY / Rochambeau, The French International School
“They are the ones who give you courage in difficult times. Yes, you have to be talented and practice a lot, but don’t neglect loved ones. Whenever I was discouraged, there was someone who gave me a boost.”
Mr. Charette is currently doing a conducting internship, he is striving to attain this title at the opera one day.
“This position requires a lot of self-confidence. From the first few minutes, the musicians can see whether they are competent or not,” said Mr. Charette during our interview.
PHOTO COURTESY / Simon Charette
And he told us that he would also like to perform in Canada again from time to time.
“I miss the slower pace of life in Quebec and the connection to nature in Belle Province,” said he, who is also an American citizen.
PHOTO COURTESY / Simon Charette