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Francais (French)
On the occasion of Mother’s Day (May 12), we pay tribute to the mother behind the artistic and entrepreneurial journeys of musical prodigy Francis Choinière, and his twin brother and accomplice, Nicholas.
Francis Choinière
“Very early on, his dad and I discovered spontaneous singing skills in Francis,” recalls Magdalene Bilhete. As early as kindergarten, teachers were choosing two boys to sing in different school events. For Francis, “it was obvious that singing was in his genes,” she says. It goes without saying that she had to enroll him in courses that nurtured this gift.
Bilhete describes how Francis’s passion for choral singing grew and fuelled his desire to present great choral works with orchestra. The guidance of his first mentor, Jean-Sébastien Vallée, led him to obtain a master’s degree in orchestral conducting from McGill University, where he benefited from the supervision of mentors such as Alexis Hauser, Yoav Talmi and François-Xavier Roth.
Two professional lives for an exceptional mother
“The fateful moment was when Francis, at the age of 17, decided in 2016 to start his OPCM (Orchestre Philharmonique et choeur des mélomanes),” says Bilhete. She recalls family meetings, in which they discussed administrative procedures, as well as the sourcing of funding, and the promotion needed to set up the business—of which she still assumes the functions of secretary-treasurer on the board.
The Choinière Twins
She acknowledges the sacrifices required as a mother of children who had “decided to succeed in the artistic field, where one is never guaranteed to be able to make a living.” Bilhete had to juggle her new duties at OPCM and her work as a microbiologist in a hospital lab—two diametrically opposed lives!
Magdalene Bilhete
A few years later, the Choinière twins and friend Gabriel Felcarek took the plunge in order to achieve their big ambition: to present a major concert featuring the film score of The Lord of the Rings. This extravagant idea inspired the three accomplices to embark on a second major project: the creation of GFN Productions. “I remember this great evening in January 2019, when we presented this grand concert with more than 200 people on stage. Fabulous screenings! It was something!” After this feat, Bilhete was sure that nothing could stop these three musketeers.
“We continued despite the pandemic. We have produced great symphonic choral works by Mozart, Fauré, Duruflé and Brahms.” The happy mother notes with pride Francis winning the 2023-24 Goyer Mécénat Musica prize worth $125,000. A good part of these funds will be devoted to the development of OPCM’s ambitious projects.
Playlist
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
