MARIE-JOSÉE SIMARD

A remarkable percussionist, Marie-Josée Simard was the first woman to win a Premier Prix in percussion at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal in 1979. She went on to perfect her skills in London under James Blades of the Royal Academy of Music, then in New York with the eminent marimbist Leigh Howard Stevens. Over the course of her forty-year career, she has given numerous concerts in Canada, Mexico, Korea, China, Poland and France.  In her homeland, she has consistently encouraged the creation of Canadian works, both for symphony orchestra and chamber music, as well as solo percussion works. In September 2015, she was awarded the CALQ Studio / Résidence grant at the Tokyo Wonder Site Residency. There, she spent three months with internationally renowned marimbist Keiko Abe, a professor at the Toho Gaguen School.

In 2016, Marie-Josée Simard embarked on a seventeen-concert tour of China, followed in 2019 by nine concerts with Trio En Trois Couleurs, an ensemble created at her instigation, with the artistic complicity of pianists François Bourassa and Yves Léveillé.

Recipient of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec in 2019 as artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Alberta to devote herself to the creation of John Plant's Three Echoes of the Odyssey with pianist Louise Bessette. With the support of CALQ and CAC, Marie-Josée created a 14th Concerto for marimba and vibraphone with the Orchestre National de Jazz, a work composed by Christine Jensen, Marianne Trudel and Jean-Nicolas Trottier, premiered at the Cinquième salle de la Place des Arts de Montréal in December 2021.  She is collaborating with Effendi Records to present a new album, “Les chemins du concerto” with jazz pianist François Bourassa, scheduled for release in March 2025.

Recently awarded a CALQ grant for the Studio/résidence du Québec à New-York, she is at the heart of New York's artistic life (Soho) since January 2025, for a period of 6 months. This studio is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious outposts for Marie Josée Simard, who has forged a solid international reputation that has earned her the admiration of the music-loving public and the respect of her peers.