Quebec Contemporary Music Society

The Quebec Contemporary Music Society, or Société de musique contemporaine du Québec in French (SMCQ), is a contemporary classical-music organization based in Montreal, Quebec. It was founded in 1966 by Montreal composers and musicians, including Wilfrid Pelletier, Jean Papineau-Couture, Hugh Davidson, Serge Garant, and Maryvonne Kendergian.

The SMCQ presents an annual series of concerts involving its own ensemble as well as invited guests, the biennial Montreal/New Music International Festival, and a youth program called SMCQ Jeunesse (SMCQ Youth). The Homage Series, inaugurated in the 2007-08 season, is a biennial collaborative event that features the music of a major Quebec composer, which that season was Claude Vivier.

Artistic Directors

Montreal/New Music International Festival

The first Montreal/New Music International Festival was produced in 2005 and featured the music of more than 50 composers, including Cornelis de Bondt, R. Murray Schafer, and Michel Longtin. It included performances by the Hilliard Ensemble, Klangforum Wein and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. The format of the festival included a week of concerts, lectures, master classes, and public rehearsals with composers.

References

  1. ↑ The Canadian Encyclopedia website, Société de musique contemporaine du Québec
  2. ↑ Couture, Ariane (2020). "SMCQ, SRC and the New Music Scene in Montreal in the 1960s". In Sallis, Friedemann; Landwehr, Regina (eds.). John P.L. Roberts, the CBC/Radio Canada, and Art Music. Cambridge Scholars. pp. 84–99.
  3. ↑ "Homage Series". SMCQ. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  4. ↑ ATMA Classique website, Société de musique contemporaine du Québec
  5. ↑ Bernard, Justin (2021-10-21). "Walter Boudreau: 33 years with the SMCQ". La Scena Musicale. Retrieved 2026-08-28.
  6. ↑ Canadian Music Centre website, Composer Ana Sokolovic Appointed as New Artistic Director of the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec (SMCQ), article by Andrea Ayotte dated 21 April 2022