Gaétan Morency, president and CEO of the Grand Théâtre de Québec since 2015, died of a heart attack on Friday night.
“The sudden departure of Gaétan deeply saddens every member of the Grand Théâtre team. […] He was appreciated by everyone and knew how to bring out the best in people. We will miss him very much,” said CEO Carole Théberge in a press release.
40 years in culture
Montreal-born Gaétan Morency studied management at the École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC Montréal) before entering the world of culture – an environment in which he developed for 40 years.
He notably worked at the Cultural Enterprise Development Corporation (SODEC) and as Director General of ADISQ.
He also worked with Cirque du Soleil for 20 years, particularly building a training program there.
Mr. Morency is also the originator of the creation of TOHU in Montreal.
The Minister of Culture reacts
“What sad news. I met Gaétan a few weeks ago. He still had a lot of motivation to make our culture shine. His contribution, particularly to Cirque, ADISQ and the Grand Théâtre, was remarkable. My thoughts are with his loved ones, a few days before Christmas,” said Mathieu Lacombe, Minister of Culture and Communications, Youth and the Outaouais Region, on X.