Post by davidhr on Feb 16, 2021 8:51:25 GMT -5
A big week for Lara: two TV shows and a long, prominent cover article.
On the Star Academie this past Sunday, Lara opened and further participated in the medley of songs produced by the teachers and ‘Academicians’. It can be seen at
www.facebook.com/ReseauTVA/videos/2955013271396911
The Star Academie shared a video of Lara ‘in action’ giving a lecture to the ‘Academicians’, from the daily show (La Quotidienne) that will be shown throughout the week. It’s available at:
www.facebook.com/staracademietva/videos/762805711299773
The accompanying caption reads, “Star Academy | Lara: director / mom 💙
Lara, Lara, Lara… an iron fist in a magnificent velvet glove.
The Academicians are very lucky to have her as their director!
Watch the daily premiere now on TVA +.
bit.ly/StarAcademieTVAFB
The rest, tomorrow, same time!”
The ‘daily show’ is on TVA+ on the web (https://www.qub.ca/tvaplus/tva) from 7:30 to 8:00 PM for those who can access it. Note that in general there are short Star Academie videos available at www.facebook.com/staracademietva/videos/ which are open to everybody.
And TVA presented the first pictures of what the inside of the Star Academie building in Waterloo looks like, at
www.facebook.com/staracademietva/photos/pcb.511262653610033/511258653610433/
It certainly seems ‘plush’.
We’ll discuss the show from this past Sunday as a whole later in this News Update.
Last Friday on the program “Pour une histoire d’un Soir”, Lara sang a duet with Marie Carmen of the song “Entre l'ombre et la lumière” (Between the Shadows and the Light). A portion of it can be seen at
www.facebook.com/TeleQc/videos/520733885984857
For those of you who get the chance to see the full video, it was very well done.
Lara was the cover story in the journal “7 Jours”; for those interested in obtaining this article, it can be purchased at
www.zinio.com/be-fr/7-jours-m1214?fbclid=IwAR1Czt3D0sosBF4QCFuqJQskY2pLNGU_UgxTwVzuE54Vyo5np01uJu8xn3I
The ‘Lara Fabian est ton autre’ FB site provided the scans. Here’s the translation (BTW, I did this before noticing that Bernhard had also translated it, as a comment on last week's update. You did a great job! Really, just minor differences from mine...
------------------------
Lara Fabian A New Chapter of Her Life
I Felt This Need
Time stopped this afternoon in the company of Lara. A fine snow fell softly on the other side of the window. The cold sky, the small frozen lake and the bare forest drew the sweetest of landscapes, worthy of the most beautiful postcards. It is probably this feeling of communion which led Lara to confide in all intimacy. Perhaps a little also because we have known each other for 30 years and that friendship is like a source which leads directly to the heart. Meeting with an exceptional woman.
The Director of the Academy has moved to the country with her family
Big Meeting with Joel Legendre
It was already some years ago, Lara had confided to me that the moment when she was seated in the celebrated red chair of La Voix, she had had the impression for one of the first times in her life, of truly being in her place. In a few hours she begins a new chapter, this time as director of the most popular Academie in Quebec.
Lara, you are about to change the lives of talented young artists. Do you feel a responsibility towards them?
LF: Precisely, for a few days, I refuse to show this insecurity which inhabits me vis-a-vis this immense responsibility. So I decided to measure all the contours. I started reading some 400 pages which contain all the files on these young people likely to enter the Academie. It allowed me to get to know human beings before meeting the artists. So I see my responsibility in their regard as much broader, since I know their deep aspirations for their life and, of course, for this profession they are cherish. I believe that this is where I will deploy all my strength, helping these young people on the most difficult path of life: that of getting to know themselves. This path which ends up one day by making us say: "I said who I am". My role will be to help them to lay the first seeds on this territory of being and to make sure that they always have the right source to supply them with inspiration, benevolence, light and lucidity.
I have the impression that this mission that you have been given is a new step for you too, isn't it?
LF: It’s true. After all the transitions in my life which have permitted me to become a woman, wife and mother, after all this experience acquired during this part of my voyage, I want more than ever to give to the next and to contribute to the other. Star Academie will permit me to be this lighthouse on the horizon and to thus offer this space lodged in me, that I will put entirely at the service of the other. I want also to invite these young people to utilize the tools which have served me in my career and in my personal life. The notion of joy, of liberty and of candor will be the first plan of my transmission, for we live in a period where lightness is essential. I don’t want to be the one who will lead a student, I want to be his source and to position myself with a lot of humility in front of the Academicians, because I will have the will that they emancipate themselves, they wake up and that they evolve.
What would you loved to have been taught when you began in this profession?
LF: To shut my mouth! The first thing that I would have loved that someone told me, it is “Shut up and listen!” I had this need to take up too much space and, with hindsight, I realized that the space we should take appears more clearly to us when we speak little and observe. But this defect also allowed me to meet beautiful people. this clumsiness hid all the same a curiosity and the desire to express myself, which seduced people and subsequently allowed them to become important players in my life. They taught me that it is in listening and silence that the keys to growing are found.
You are about to give new talents a chance. And you, who gave you your chance?
LF: it is without a doubt Lise Richard. Lise is first and foremost an exceptional woman. I would even say that I have very much been in contact with the maternal side that she inspired. She was the mother of two young daughters whom she left for long periods to come with me all over the world. So, in turn, she became my big sister. Lise saw me one evening, while I was singing at the Bijou, a very popular Old Montreal cabaret in the 1980s. So it was she who brought me to Trans-Canada, which was at the time the biggest producer and distributor of records in Quebec. It is she who will make sure that I sign the contract for this first album. It is therefore thanks to this wonderful woman that everything started for me.
Many years later, you are still there! I know that your greatest pride is having lasted in this profession. What would you suggest to the Academicians to remain in this profession which is so often ephemeral?
LF: Can we prepare someone for something that is not guaranteed? Are we all destined to last in this profession? I do not know! But do we all have the skill and ability to evolve in our lives? The answer is yes, without a doubt! To do this, we have to turn adversity into an opportunity. I can teach them to see a wound, a shock or an enemy as a great possibility. When the arrow pierces their hearts, they remove it and throw it to the ground, I can teach them not to take it back from the ground and replant it in their hearts. They will be 15 at the start, and there will be no more than one left at the end. So I can teach them how to make of an impact an opportunity.
For this great adventure that is Star Academie, you will be well surrounded, by, among others, Ariane Moffatt and Gregory Charles.
LF: I adore them! I find that we form a beautiful palette through which we can easily express ourselves, because we are very complementary and also completely different. We sometimes disagree, but always agree to be. We examine the talent, not always from the same window, but in the end, there is real convergence.
What would you have liked to do differently in your career?
LF: I am not really a woman of regret, but one day, a man of great benevolence towards me said to me “Don’t be fooled by the enemy”. Speaking of myself, of course, for we are our worst enemies. "Don't let go of your hand and don't necessarily fall in love with a man because you have an artistic affinity with him.” So there is a precise moment in my career in the United States when I should not have mixed the love of a man with the one I had for his talent as a composer and producer. But to be able to discern in our hearts the variables of love is only done by making a mistake. Therefore, I don’t regret my error, but if today I could return to San Francisco, in this restaurant, in November 1997, I would say to the young Lara: “Don’t do that, you got the wrong candidate. His music is marvelous, but it is not he, your life companion.” I don’t regret the price that I paid, for each error has made me the girl that I became. Today, I can say loud and clear that there is nothing around me that I would see disappear, not even my errors!
In the documentary of your life, entitled Lara, you speak of this small voice which often looked to sabotage you. How does one manage to master it? And how to teach the Academicians to not listen to it?
LF: First of all, I understood that it is of no use to me and that it has always played against me. This little voice is never a guarantee of evolution. I wouldn't tell you that I can master it all the time, but I try to remember that the last time I listened to it, it did me a disservice. I will teach my students that it is by appealing to the duty of memory that we succeed in stopping this little voice.
The 30th of August 2021 will mark the 30th anniversary of your arrival in Quebec. Would you have thought that after all these years you would mentor a new generation?
LF: It is the first time that one speaks to me of my participation in Star Academie under this angle. What does not surprise me is that it is here that I have this privilege to give back to others, because Quebec is my roots and it is also the linchpin of my life, the place that has always cemented my phases of evolution. It is here that I heal myself and that I evolve. It was in Quebec that I had my chance, so it's a huge privilege for me to give this chance to others on my adopted land.
I imagine you being this young girl who would have certainly tried her luck at Star Academie if it had existed at the time
LF: Absolutely, and I would have given all! I take my role even more seriously, because as the narrator of my life, I will be able to say to the Academicians: Look where I come from. I am the daughter of Pierre and Louise, and I was born in a remote village. Everything is possible!
What have you found I Quebec that you haven’t found elsewhere in the world?
LF: It is a place which permits me to be myself, and I have the feeling of not being chained to teachings that crystallize emotions that may not do me any good. Here, you have the right to disagree with someone, but it won't end in a fight. Here, we do not really dwell on the differences - especially if I compare with "old Europe" - we can agree not to agree and continue on our way without any judgment. Quebec society offers immense freedom, so it is much more relaxed to live there.
The song “Je me souviens”, which you wrote, remains for me one of the most beautiful hymns addressed to our Quebec. Under what circumstances did you compose it?
LF: I was in Brussels and I had just reluctantly left Quebec. It was an April day, and while it never snows in Brussels, white flakes suddenly appeared. The sadness to see that this snow did not come from Quebec immediately invaded me. I felt this current in me and I wrote the text in just three minutes. As an artist, at that moment, I understood that I had been given the grace of this song. It is the snow that inspired me to write this ode to Quebec.
Your life is full of synchronicities. Moreover, just before obtaining the mandate of director at the Academy, you made a choice of life, that of moving with your family to the countryside, a few minutes from the Academy. Have you always been aware of this intuition which guides you in your decisions?
LF: I would tell you that I have finally begun to be in phase with my intuition. Over the past 10 years, I have become more aware of it as a woman and mother. Listening to my intuition comes much more from the woman in me than from the artist. And now, it is the woman that I am who tries to bring the intuition to the artist in me. I realize that it is in peace of mind that I connect to my intuition.
Is it for this reason that the desire to install yourself in the county arrived?
LF: Without any doubt. A part of me wants to tell you that it was the right time in my life, another part would tell you that it is to protect my child and a last one would tell you that the times we are going through made me want to return to the fundamental and to the essential. I no longer wanted to have this feeling of being in the heart of a beehive that resonates around me, but rather to inhabit a space where silence takes on its full dimension. Living in an environment where the gaze of others no longer concerns me at all allows me to reconnect with myself. But this historical stage that humanity is going through at this moment requires a major anchoring. I felt this need for silence that we find in the countryside to allow me a benevolent reflection.
On a daily basis, what does your new life far from the big centers bring you?
LF: My daughter Lou participates a lot more in the life of the family, and that makes me rejoice enormously. When we were in Montreal, I had more and more difficulty having Lou at home, when she returned from school, for example. Now she is always at home. We go fetch wood together, we light a fireplace, we empty the dishwasher, we cut the onions, we cook the meals, we eat, we clear the table and above all, we talk a lot. We spend a lot more time together.
After all these years of career, do you sometimes have the impression of having walked around the garden as a singer?
LF: There is something that has happened without my knowledge in what we are going through and which is very difficult to express. Part of me first felt gratitude for this stop, because I was on a world tour and I was tired. But the other part of me, which has been hiding for nine months now, feels like I've been in an accident. I can't wait to tell the singer in me that I still need her. But for the moment, since I can't exist from that point of view, I put her to sleep, because that's the only way I can live with all this upheaval.
It is a very moved Lara that I left. She promised to speak to the singer again, who has dozed off inside her for the past few months. I suggested to her not to leave her behind for too long, because having such a great gift also comes with great responsibility. I also took the liberty of reminding her that it was we who were the first to recognize that this singer with the exceptional voice that lies dormant within her also healed souls. We said goodbye to each other and the snow this time was not a sign of sadness, but of comfort. I feel blessed, Lara, that you crossed my path 30 years ago. I remember the two of us, as all those who love you remember you, across the world and here at home.
--------------------------------
Clearly Joel Legendre, whom we have known for many years, is afraid that Lara will never ‘reawaken’ the singer in her. That having the job of helping others, in concert with staying at home with her family (with Lou, trapped in the house since there’s no place else to go!) will be just too easy and appealing. It may well be a real problem; we’ll see if/when Lara resumes her 50 World Tour.
It is very interesting that Lara had already moved to the country, not far from where the Star Academie ultimately set up shop. Thus all our worries about the situation in Montreal – the ‘stay-at-home’ curfew that is currently in place – none of this actually affects her, except for the virus still being around in the province.
In other news, on Valentine’s Day, Lara noted on her FB page, “Check out my special Valentine's Day playlist, created by Apple Music" 💕 ❣️
musicor.lnk.to/LaraFabian-AppleMusic-LoveSongs
Whoever put it together did a very good job. Of course, despite listing 19 songs, they couldn’t possibly cover all of Lara’s songs about love, but they did choose ones that approach the subject from different sides.
In a complimentary fashion, there is a listing from qub music (i.e., TVA) indicating what Lara listens to at the gym. It can be found at (thanks to "lara fabian italia la voce")
musique.qub.ca/liste-de-lecture/ce-que-lara-fabian-ecoute-au-gym-94400?fbclid=IwAR1b4YlP76V9jvpmcrOd4sMYFdN_Fzs7HFPWvXJ9QlJvUYVRGeYvTM2Gpes
As you might expect, a lot of upbeat tempos.
Now on to the Star Academie program from last Sunday: here are some targeted notes (focusing on the events involving Lara in one way or another) on what was quite an enjoyable program. NOTE: ALL THE PERFORMANCES MENTIONED HERE ARE AVAILABLE TO VIEW IN THE JOURNAL OF MONTREAL ARTICLE THAT IS DISCUSSED BELOW.
** This is the first of 12 weeks on Sunday nights.
** There are 21 candidates for 15 places
** All the candidates underwent a quarantine and live in the same isolated bubble
** It was noted that the fact that the show was even being held is already an enormous victory There were three judges on stage:
Araine Moffatt, professor of musical creation
Gregory Charles Professor of Voice and Music
And Lara, the director
**5500 people participated in the auditions throughout Quebec and New Brunswick
**21 are competing, 15 who will board the bus to go live in Waterloo
**12 obtained a direct passport for the Academy (introduced on the earlier shows), delivered by the teachers.
**All the candidates prepared songs in case they would be among the 9 put in danger this evening.
**2 groups will sing against one another to win their place.
**The public will choose two candidates and the three teachers on stage (Araine, Gregory and Lara) will chose one.
**Votes cost $1/vote. Money goes to groups helping youth.
**As one can see in the video at the beginning of this update, Lara started the opening medley with “Quand on n’a que l’amour”; later she also did a portion of “I Will Love Again”
** There was also a medley with Laurence Jalbert, Louis-Jean Cormier, FouKi, Les Sœurs Boulay, Corneille, Alaclair Ensemble and Laurence Nerbonne who joined to sing “Quand on est en amour”, “Tout le monde en même temps”, “Ciel”, “Je rêve”, “Si ton cœur bat”, “Le bonheur”, “La famille” and “Ça fait du bien”, of Fiori-Séguin, in a hopeful tone (despite the pandemic).
**This evening 9 candidates sang.
*The first 4 who went against each other were (along with my comments):
(1) Frederique Beaulieu sang “I Say a Little Prayer for You”. It was pretty; her voice was tremulous.
(2) Vincent Julien sang “Quand on arrive en ville”. A very strong performance; the emcee Patrice Michaud noted that he dominated the stage.
(3) Guillaume Lafond sang “Tennessee Whiskey”. Playing guitar, he had a nice country voice.
(4) Allyson Petrin sang “Entre l’ombre et la Lumiere”. She did OK [Ironically the song Lara sang last week on her other TV show appearance].
The next 5 went against each other in the second portion:
(5) Sofia Duhaime (18years old) sang “J’ai demande a la lune”. Sort of pretty – not great vocally.
(6) Joey Michael Tremblay-Doyle (from Germany) sang “Comme ils dissent”. It too was not great.
(7) Meghan Oak sang “Titanium”. She has a good voice [she said she wanted to prove she could do it, and was told she had).
(8) Jacob Roberge sang “I Wanna to Know What Love Is”. He has a good, resonant voice. He was Lara’s favorite from the earlier rounds, and she got a chance to note that again.
(9) Jullian Thomasz sang “Il est ou le bonheur”. He did a nice rhythmic soft-shoe style performance.
**When called upon for comments, the judges were always complimentary, although sometimes with more enthusiasm.
**Before the final voting was announced, I chose my favorites: At the top, #s (2) and (8) followed next by #s (3) and (7).
**The audience voted first for #3, Guillaume Lafond, from the first grouping. The second choice by the audience, from the second grouping, was #8, Jacob Roberge.
**Lara reported the final choice, chosen by her and the two other judges. It was #7, Meghan Oak.
** As you can see, I thought they made the right choices. Let’s hope that remains the case for the rest of the competition .
Here’s a (translated) article about the show from the Journal de Montreal (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/02/14/star-academie--un-depart-haut-en-emotions-1):
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Star Académie: an emotional start!
Touching and exciting. Star Académie's debut variety on Sunday at TVA brought tears to new academics (and ours), showcased local music, and set the bar high for the 11 other Sunday varieties to come. . All that was missing was a frenzied audience ...
The evening began on a solemn note, as the 21 finalists at the gates of the adventure sang, in canon, excerpts from the old Star Académie theme songs , before naturally continuing “Now and everywhere” their new hymn, which will quickly be remembered. You will have to wait until Wednesday, February 17, to download the dapper melody of Jérôme 50, Hubert Lenoir and Julyan and listen to it repeatedly.
Followed a medley on the theme of love, Valentine's evening obliges. Gregory Charles (singing teacher) and Yannick Nézet-Séguin (artistic identity teacher) on pianos, on which were projected a thousand patterns, the candidates distributed in space, we revisited:
"When you only have love", "Unchained Melody", "Aimer d'amore", "You Can't Hurry Love", "I Will Love Again" and other Higher Love".
Everywhere, they sang, they danced, they had fun with the camera, and at home, we wanted to jiggle with this jubilant youth. And the artistic director Mika, present virtually, had the honor of closing the “medley”, on the immortal “The hymn to love”.
Later, the guests Laurence Jalbert, Louis-Jean Cormier, FouKi, Les Sœurs Boulay, Corneille, Alaclair Ensemble and Laurence Nerbonne joined the rising stars to feast with them to the sound of “Quand on est en amour”, “Tout le monde en même temps”, “Ciel”, “Je rêve”, “Si ton cœur bat”, “Le bonheur”, “La famille and even “Ça fait du bien”, de Fiori-Séguin,in a tone of union and hope.
And, always, in a hyper polished scenography, worthy of the greatest productions which hardly let anything outside shine, the COVID floats in the air. At the end, Patrice Michaud created an intimate atmosphere by unveiling his new single "Origami" and "Lean on Me", while the young people ensured the choirs around him.
Solidarity
Quickly, in the festive opening number, we had a twinge of heart. Because we can hardly imagine the fireworks that would have set the MELS studio ablaze if there had been an audience in the studio. It obviously lacked that energy, that je ne sais quoi that only a crowd and their cries can instill. But, on the flames side, the smiles of the future Academicians and their shining eyes made up for it.
They were also beautiful to see, our new darlings, to encourage each other, to play the choristers for their colleagues and to sincerely rejoice in their happiness, when one of them was assigned an Academician's chair and that he was promised a seat on the Star Académie bus, which left for the now famous Waterloo school at the end of the gala. Eyes full of tears, explosions of joy: there were many moments of pure emotion.
One of the selected participants, Maëva Grelet, strongly announced that she will give affectionate nicknames to her comrades, while Olivier Faubert, as one of the elders of the "family" (at 28), is already self-proclaimed big brother of the troop.
This beautiful motley band of talented, dynamic young people, of different looks and origins, that we will follow all winter, already had beautiful inspiring messages to convey. Like Rosalie Ayotte, who said she was happy to be celebrated as she is, with a bit coated and shaved head, and who hopes to motivate other girls with atypical physique to follow their dreams.
Endearing Patrice Michaud
At the entertainment, we discovered a natural, relaxed and perfectly authentic Patrice Michaud with his new friends from the Academy, moreover in excellent control of his (huge) set. A little nervous, but oh so endearing, our man let slip a slip or two, which only made him more human. "I have a blank ... But it just came back!" It's the joy of live!”, he said without stress after a blackout, at the end of his discussion with the “Star Académie Squad” (Mélissa Bédard, Mathieu Dufour and Pierre-Yves Roy Desmarais, already hilariously funny, and certainly one to watch in the coming weeks).
We especially fell in love with Michaud's reassuring and enveloping way of supporting the candidates as they were announced on their entry to the Academy, he who multiplied the "my man", "my handsome", "my great" and "ma belle” with regard to his proteges.
It was finally the professors of artistic identity Marc Séguin, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Anne Dorval who had the privilege of revealing to Guillaume Lafond, Jacob Roberge and Meghan Oak that they are continuing the Star Académie journey this year. [NB: actually Lara notified Meghan]
The daily Star Académie will be broadcast from this Monday, February 15, at 7:30 p.m., on TVA.
And some more on this evenings winners:
Guillaume Lafond - 25 years old - Richelieu
Now proud representative of country music at the Academy, Guillaume Lafond has bet on “Tennesse Whiskey” to defend his place and seduce the public and teachers, and repeated “Amen!” and "Thank you!" upon learning that viewers had chosen him. The photos of his grandfathers stuck in his hat apparently brought him luck. “I think it smells like whiskey in the studio, congratulated Ariane Moffatt after his performance. This style is your essence (...) it's contagious!" Until now, Guillaume worked as a technical director for a college performance hall, and he offered shows on a cruise ship.
Jacob Roberge - 22 years old – Lévis
The shy Jacob's reaction was oddly touching, when he learned that the people at home had voted him the second winner in the popular vote. He burst into sincere tears and collapsed on the ground thanking Quebec and its loved ones. Jacob had opted for a piece much older than him, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” by Foreigner, to show the extent of his talent. “I love you!” declared a Lara Fabian won over to the young multi-instrumentalist, after the latter's interpretation.
Meghan Oak - 23 years old - Coteau-du-Lac
Already a semi-professional singer, Meghan Oak lost her words when it was announced that she was getting her Academy pass. “I promise you won't regret it! I promise you infinitely!” repeated the one who had propelled her version of “Titanium”, of Sia, earlier in the show, to show what wood she was heating herself with, swearing that she was going to work well, according to the advice from her teachers during her stay in Waterloo. Earlier at 'Selection Camp', the faculty had touted Meghan's perfect technique, pointing out her emotional weaknesses.
Here are the other 12 candidates:
Rosalie Ayotte - 20 years old - Saint-Tite
William Cloutier - 25 years old - Victoriaville
Annabel Oreste - 20 years old - Laval
Dashny Jules - 20 years old - Montreal
Olivier Faubert - 28 years old - Montreal
Queenie Clément - 29 years old - Montreal
Charles Kamoun - 27 years old - Quebec
Lunou Zucchini - 25 years old - Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu
Zara Sargsyan - 16 years old - Montreal
Matt Moln - 21 years old – Lévis
Shayan Heidari - 20 years old - Montreal
Maëva Grelet - 19 years old - Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
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We’ll see how the program appears in subsequent weeks, but as the article said, it did get off to a good, emotional start. And the performers are by and large quite attractive, with decent vocal ability. So far it looks like it will be worth covering it each week.
Interesting photo(s) of the week: from the 'Lara Fabian est ton autre' scans of the article on Lara in “7 Jours”:
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=257363405758468&set=pb.100044544309321.-2207520000
and
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=257512622410213&set=pb.100044544309321.-2207520000..
Lara from the Star Academy show, thanks to TVA and then the ‘Lara Fabian the Netherlands’ sites,
www.facebook.com/staracademietva/photos/pcb.514464759956489/514463843289914/
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianTheNetherlands/photos/pcb.288523772693026/288522499359820/
Finally, that same site with a gorgeous picture of Lara
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianTheNetherlands/photos/a.213355013543236/289243052621098/
As suggested above, we’ll keep following the Star Academie Show, at least the Sunday night version (not necessarily the daily, more personally oriented programs). We now know that Lara doesn’t have to worry about confined spaces harboring coronavirus in Montreal anymore, so for the time being we’ll drop our coverage of that. However, for everyone else – stay safe.
David
On the Star Academie this past Sunday, Lara opened and further participated in the medley of songs produced by the teachers and ‘Academicians’. It can be seen at
www.facebook.com/ReseauTVA/videos/2955013271396911
The Star Academie shared a video of Lara ‘in action’ giving a lecture to the ‘Academicians’, from the daily show (La Quotidienne) that will be shown throughout the week. It’s available at:
www.facebook.com/staracademietva/videos/762805711299773
The accompanying caption reads, “Star Academy | Lara: director / mom 💙
Lara, Lara, Lara… an iron fist in a magnificent velvet glove.
The Academicians are very lucky to have her as their director!
Watch the daily premiere now on TVA +.
bit.ly/StarAcademieTVAFB
The rest, tomorrow, same time!”
The ‘daily show’ is on TVA+ on the web (https://www.qub.ca/tvaplus/tva) from 7:30 to 8:00 PM for those who can access it. Note that in general there are short Star Academie videos available at www.facebook.com/staracademietva/videos/ which are open to everybody.
And TVA presented the first pictures of what the inside of the Star Academie building in Waterloo looks like, at
www.facebook.com/staracademietva/photos/pcb.511262653610033/511258653610433/
It certainly seems ‘plush’.
We’ll discuss the show from this past Sunday as a whole later in this News Update.
Last Friday on the program “Pour une histoire d’un Soir”, Lara sang a duet with Marie Carmen of the song “Entre l'ombre et la lumière” (Between the Shadows and the Light). A portion of it can be seen at
www.facebook.com/TeleQc/videos/520733885984857
For those of you who get the chance to see the full video, it was very well done.
Lara was the cover story in the journal “7 Jours”; for those interested in obtaining this article, it can be purchased at
www.zinio.com/be-fr/7-jours-m1214?fbclid=IwAR1Czt3D0sosBF4QCFuqJQskY2pLNGU_UgxTwVzuE54Vyo5np01uJu8xn3I
The ‘Lara Fabian est ton autre’ FB site provided the scans. Here’s the translation (BTW, I did this before noticing that Bernhard had also translated it, as a comment on last week's update. You did a great job! Really, just minor differences from mine...
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Lara Fabian A New Chapter of Her Life
I Felt This Need
Time stopped this afternoon in the company of Lara. A fine snow fell softly on the other side of the window. The cold sky, the small frozen lake and the bare forest drew the sweetest of landscapes, worthy of the most beautiful postcards. It is probably this feeling of communion which led Lara to confide in all intimacy. Perhaps a little also because we have known each other for 30 years and that friendship is like a source which leads directly to the heart. Meeting with an exceptional woman.
The Director of the Academy has moved to the country with her family
Big Meeting with Joel Legendre
It was already some years ago, Lara had confided to me that the moment when she was seated in the celebrated red chair of La Voix, she had had the impression for one of the first times in her life, of truly being in her place. In a few hours she begins a new chapter, this time as director of the most popular Academie in Quebec.
Lara, you are about to change the lives of talented young artists. Do you feel a responsibility towards them?
LF: Precisely, for a few days, I refuse to show this insecurity which inhabits me vis-a-vis this immense responsibility. So I decided to measure all the contours. I started reading some 400 pages which contain all the files on these young people likely to enter the Academie. It allowed me to get to know human beings before meeting the artists. So I see my responsibility in their regard as much broader, since I know their deep aspirations for their life and, of course, for this profession they are cherish. I believe that this is where I will deploy all my strength, helping these young people on the most difficult path of life: that of getting to know themselves. This path which ends up one day by making us say: "I said who I am". My role will be to help them to lay the first seeds on this territory of being and to make sure that they always have the right source to supply them with inspiration, benevolence, light and lucidity.
I have the impression that this mission that you have been given is a new step for you too, isn't it?
LF: It’s true. After all the transitions in my life which have permitted me to become a woman, wife and mother, after all this experience acquired during this part of my voyage, I want more than ever to give to the next and to contribute to the other. Star Academie will permit me to be this lighthouse on the horizon and to thus offer this space lodged in me, that I will put entirely at the service of the other. I want also to invite these young people to utilize the tools which have served me in my career and in my personal life. The notion of joy, of liberty and of candor will be the first plan of my transmission, for we live in a period where lightness is essential. I don’t want to be the one who will lead a student, I want to be his source and to position myself with a lot of humility in front of the Academicians, because I will have the will that they emancipate themselves, they wake up and that they evolve.
What would you loved to have been taught when you began in this profession?
LF: To shut my mouth! The first thing that I would have loved that someone told me, it is “Shut up and listen!” I had this need to take up too much space and, with hindsight, I realized that the space we should take appears more clearly to us when we speak little and observe. But this defect also allowed me to meet beautiful people. this clumsiness hid all the same a curiosity and the desire to express myself, which seduced people and subsequently allowed them to become important players in my life. They taught me that it is in listening and silence that the keys to growing are found.
You are about to give new talents a chance. And you, who gave you your chance?
LF: it is without a doubt Lise Richard. Lise is first and foremost an exceptional woman. I would even say that I have very much been in contact with the maternal side that she inspired. She was the mother of two young daughters whom she left for long periods to come with me all over the world. So, in turn, she became my big sister. Lise saw me one evening, while I was singing at the Bijou, a very popular Old Montreal cabaret in the 1980s. So it was she who brought me to Trans-Canada, which was at the time the biggest producer and distributor of records in Quebec. It is she who will make sure that I sign the contract for this first album. It is therefore thanks to this wonderful woman that everything started for me.
Many years later, you are still there! I know that your greatest pride is having lasted in this profession. What would you suggest to the Academicians to remain in this profession which is so often ephemeral?
LF: Can we prepare someone for something that is not guaranteed? Are we all destined to last in this profession? I do not know! But do we all have the skill and ability to evolve in our lives? The answer is yes, without a doubt! To do this, we have to turn adversity into an opportunity. I can teach them to see a wound, a shock or an enemy as a great possibility. When the arrow pierces their hearts, they remove it and throw it to the ground, I can teach them not to take it back from the ground and replant it in their hearts. They will be 15 at the start, and there will be no more than one left at the end. So I can teach them how to make of an impact an opportunity.
For this great adventure that is Star Academie, you will be well surrounded, by, among others, Ariane Moffatt and Gregory Charles.
LF: I adore them! I find that we form a beautiful palette through which we can easily express ourselves, because we are very complementary and also completely different. We sometimes disagree, but always agree to be. We examine the talent, not always from the same window, but in the end, there is real convergence.
What would you have liked to do differently in your career?
LF: I am not really a woman of regret, but one day, a man of great benevolence towards me said to me “Don’t be fooled by the enemy”. Speaking of myself, of course, for we are our worst enemies. "Don't let go of your hand and don't necessarily fall in love with a man because you have an artistic affinity with him.” So there is a precise moment in my career in the United States when I should not have mixed the love of a man with the one I had for his talent as a composer and producer. But to be able to discern in our hearts the variables of love is only done by making a mistake. Therefore, I don’t regret my error, but if today I could return to San Francisco, in this restaurant, in November 1997, I would say to the young Lara: “Don’t do that, you got the wrong candidate. His music is marvelous, but it is not he, your life companion.” I don’t regret the price that I paid, for each error has made me the girl that I became. Today, I can say loud and clear that there is nothing around me that I would see disappear, not even my errors!
In the documentary of your life, entitled Lara, you speak of this small voice which often looked to sabotage you. How does one manage to master it? And how to teach the Academicians to not listen to it?
LF: First of all, I understood that it is of no use to me and that it has always played against me. This little voice is never a guarantee of evolution. I wouldn't tell you that I can master it all the time, but I try to remember that the last time I listened to it, it did me a disservice. I will teach my students that it is by appealing to the duty of memory that we succeed in stopping this little voice.
The 30th of August 2021 will mark the 30th anniversary of your arrival in Quebec. Would you have thought that after all these years you would mentor a new generation?
LF: It is the first time that one speaks to me of my participation in Star Academie under this angle. What does not surprise me is that it is here that I have this privilege to give back to others, because Quebec is my roots and it is also the linchpin of my life, the place that has always cemented my phases of evolution. It is here that I heal myself and that I evolve. It was in Quebec that I had my chance, so it's a huge privilege for me to give this chance to others on my adopted land.
I imagine you being this young girl who would have certainly tried her luck at Star Academie if it had existed at the time
LF: Absolutely, and I would have given all! I take my role even more seriously, because as the narrator of my life, I will be able to say to the Academicians: Look where I come from. I am the daughter of Pierre and Louise, and I was born in a remote village. Everything is possible!
What have you found I Quebec that you haven’t found elsewhere in the world?
LF: It is a place which permits me to be myself, and I have the feeling of not being chained to teachings that crystallize emotions that may not do me any good. Here, you have the right to disagree with someone, but it won't end in a fight. Here, we do not really dwell on the differences - especially if I compare with "old Europe" - we can agree not to agree and continue on our way without any judgment. Quebec society offers immense freedom, so it is much more relaxed to live there.
The song “Je me souviens”, which you wrote, remains for me one of the most beautiful hymns addressed to our Quebec. Under what circumstances did you compose it?
LF: I was in Brussels and I had just reluctantly left Quebec. It was an April day, and while it never snows in Brussels, white flakes suddenly appeared. The sadness to see that this snow did not come from Quebec immediately invaded me. I felt this current in me and I wrote the text in just three minutes. As an artist, at that moment, I understood that I had been given the grace of this song. It is the snow that inspired me to write this ode to Quebec.
Your life is full of synchronicities. Moreover, just before obtaining the mandate of director at the Academy, you made a choice of life, that of moving with your family to the countryside, a few minutes from the Academy. Have you always been aware of this intuition which guides you in your decisions?
LF: I would tell you that I have finally begun to be in phase with my intuition. Over the past 10 years, I have become more aware of it as a woman and mother. Listening to my intuition comes much more from the woman in me than from the artist. And now, it is the woman that I am who tries to bring the intuition to the artist in me. I realize that it is in peace of mind that I connect to my intuition.
Is it for this reason that the desire to install yourself in the county arrived?
LF: Without any doubt. A part of me wants to tell you that it was the right time in my life, another part would tell you that it is to protect my child and a last one would tell you that the times we are going through made me want to return to the fundamental and to the essential. I no longer wanted to have this feeling of being in the heart of a beehive that resonates around me, but rather to inhabit a space where silence takes on its full dimension. Living in an environment where the gaze of others no longer concerns me at all allows me to reconnect with myself. But this historical stage that humanity is going through at this moment requires a major anchoring. I felt this need for silence that we find in the countryside to allow me a benevolent reflection.
On a daily basis, what does your new life far from the big centers bring you?
LF: My daughter Lou participates a lot more in the life of the family, and that makes me rejoice enormously. When we were in Montreal, I had more and more difficulty having Lou at home, when she returned from school, for example. Now she is always at home. We go fetch wood together, we light a fireplace, we empty the dishwasher, we cut the onions, we cook the meals, we eat, we clear the table and above all, we talk a lot. We spend a lot more time together.
After all these years of career, do you sometimes have the impression of having walked around the garden as a singer?
LF: There is something that has happened without my knowledge in what we are going through and which is very difficult to express. Part of me first felt gratitude for this stop, because I was on a world tour and I was tired. But the other part of me, which has been hiding for nine months now, feels like I've been in an accident. I can't wait to tell the singer in me that I still need her. But for the moment, since I can't exist from that point of view, I put her to sleep, because that's the only way I can live with all this upheaval.
It is a very moved Lara that I left. She promised to speak to the singer again, who has dozed off inside her for the past few months. I suggested to her not to leave her behind for too long, because having such a great gift also comes with great responsibility. I also took the liberty of reminding her that it was we who were the first to recognize that this singer with the exceptional voice that lies dormant within her also healed souls. We said goodbye to each other and the snow this time was not a sign of sadness, but of comfort. I feel blessed, Lara, that you crossed my path 30 years ago. I remember the two of us, as all those who love you remember you, across the world and here at home.
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Clearly Joel Legendre, whom we have known for many years, is afraid that Lara will never ‘reawaken’ the singer in her. That having the job of helping others, in concert with staying at home with her family (with Lou, trapped in the house since there’s no place else to go!) will be just too easy and appealing. It may well be a real problem; we’ll see if/when Lara resumes her 50 World Tour.
It is very interesting that Lara had already moved to the country, not far from where the Star Academie ultimately set up shop. Thus all our worries about the situation in Montreal – the ‘stay-at-home’ curfew that is currently in place – none of this actually affects her, except for the virus still being around in the province.
In other news, on Valentine’s Day, Lara noted on her FB page, “Check out my special Valentine's Day playlist, created by Apple Music" 💕 ❣️
musicor.lnk.to/LaraFabian-AppleMusic-LoveSongs
Whoever put it together did a very good job. Of course, despite listing 19 songs, they couldn’t possibly cover all of Lara’s songs about love, but they did choose ones that approach the subject from different sides.
In a complimentary fashion, there is a listing from qub music (i.e., TVA) indicating what Lara listens to at the gym. It can be found at (thanks to "lara fabian italia la voce")
musique.qub.ca/liste-de-lecture/ce-que-lara-fabian-ecoute-au-gym-94400?fbclid=IwAR1b4YlP76V9jvpmcrOd4sMYFdN_Fzs7HFPWvXJ9QlJvUYVRGeYvTM2Gpes
As you might expect, a lot of upbeat tempos.
Now on to the Star Academie program from last Sunday: here are some targeted notes (focusing on the events involving Lara in one way or another) on what was quite an enjoyable program. NOTE: ALL THE PERFORMANCES MENTIONED HERE ARE AVAILABLE TO VIEW IN THE JOURNAL OF MONTREAL ARTICLE THAT IS DISCUSSED BELOW.
** This is the first of 12 weeks on Sunday nights.
** There are 21 candidates for 15 places
** All the candidates underwent a quarantine and live in the same isolated bubble
** It was noted that the fact that the show was even being held is already an enormous victory There were three judges on stage:
Araine Moffatt, professor of musical creation
Gregory Charles Professor of Voice and Music
And Lara, the director
**5500 people participated in the auditions throughout Quebec and New Brunswick
**21 are competing, 15 who will board the bus to go live in Waterloo
**12 obtained a direct passport for the Academy (introduced on the earlier shows), delivered by the teachers.
**All the candidates prepared songs in case they would be among the 9 put in danger this evening.
**2 groups will sing against one another to win their place.
**The public will choose two candidates and the three teachers on stage (Araine, Gregory and Lara) will chose one.
**Votes cost $1/vote. Money goes to groups helping youth.
**As one can see in the video at the beginning of this update, Lara started the opening medley with “Quand on n’a que l’amour”; later she also did a portion of “I Will Love Again”
** There was also a medley with Laurence Jalbert, Louis-Jean Cormier, FouKi, Les Sœurs Boulay, Corneille, Alaclair Ensemble and Laurence Nerbonne who joined to sing “Quand on est en amour”, “Tout le monde en même temps”, “Ciel”, “Je rêve”, “Si ton cœur bat”, “Le bonheur”, “La famille” and “Ça fait du bien”, of Fiori-Séguin, in a hopeful tone (despite the pandemic).
**This evening 9 candidates sang.
*The first 4 who went against each other were (along with my comments):
(1) Frederique Beaulieu sang “I Say a Little Prayer for You”. It was pretty; her voice was tremulous.
(2) Vincent Julien sang “Quand on arrive en ville”. A very strong performance; the emcee Patrice Michaud noted that he dominated the stage.
(3) Guillaume Lafond sang “Tennessee Whiskey”. Playing guitar, he had a nice country voice.
(4) Allyson Petrin sang “Entre l’ombre et la Lumiere”. She did OK [Ironically the song Lara sang last week on her other TV show appearance].
The next 5 went against each other in the second portion:
(5) Sofia Duhaime (18years old) sang “J’ai demande a la lune”. Sort of pretty – not great vocally.
(6) Joey Michael Tremblay-Doyle (from Germany) sang “Comme ils dissent”. It too was not great.
(7) Meghan Oak sang “Titanium”. She has a good voice [she said she wanted to prove she could do it, and was told she had).
(8) Jacob Roberge sang “I Wanna to Know What Love Is”. He has a good, resonant voice. He was Lara’s favorite from the earlier rounds, and she got a chance to note that again.
(9) Jullian Thomasz sang “Il est ou le bonheur”. He did a nice rhythmic soft-shoe style performance.
**When called upon for comments, the judges were always complimentary, although sometimes with more enthusiasm.
**Before the final voting was announced, I chose my favorites: At the top, #s (2) and (8) followed next by #s (3) and (7).
**The audience voted first for #3, Guillaume Lafond, from the first grouping. The second choice by the audience, from the second grouping, was #8, Jacob Roberge.
**Lara reported the final choice, chosen by her and the two other judges. It was #7, Meghan Oak.
** As you can see, I thought they made the right choices. Let’s hope that remains the case for the rest of the competition
.Here’s a (translated) article about the show from the Journal de Montreal (https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2021/02/14/star-academie--un-depart-haut-en-emotions-1):
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Star Académie: an emotional start!
Touching and exciting. Star Académie's debut variety on Sunday at TVA brought tears to new academics (and ours), showcased local music, and set the bar high for the 11 other Sunday varieties to come. . All that was missing was a frenzied audience ...
The evening began on a solemn note, as the 21 finalists at the gates of the adventure sang, in canon, excerpts from the old Star Académie theme songs , before naturally continuing “Now and everywhere” their new hymn, which will quickly be remembered. You will have to wait until Wednesday, February 17, to download the dapper melody of Jérôme 50, Hubert Lenoir and Julyan and listen to it repeatedly.
Followed a medley on the theme of love, Valentine's evening obliges. Gregory Charles (singing teacher) and Yannick Nézet-Séguin (artistic identity teacher) on pianos, on which were projected a thousand patterns, the candidates distributed in space, we revisited:
"When you only have love", "Unchained Melody", "Aimer d'amore", "You Can't Hurry Love", "I Will Love Again" and other Higher Love".
Everywhere, they sang, they danced, they had fun with the camera, and at home, we wanted to jiggle with this jubilant youth. And the artistic director Mika, present virtually, had the honor of closing the “medley”, on the immortal “The hymn to love”.
Later, the guests Laurence Jalbert, Louis-Jean Cormier, FouKi, Les Sœurs Boulay, Corneille, Alaclair Ensemble and Laurence Nerbonne joined the rising stars to feast with them to the sound of “Quand on est en amour”, “Tout le monde en même temps”, “Ciel”, “Je rêve”, “Si ton cœur bat”, “Le bonheur”, “La famille and even “Ça fait du bien”, de Fiori-Séguin,in a tone of union and hope.
And, always, in a hyper polished scenography, worthy of the greatest productions which hardly let anything outside shine, the COVID floats in the air. At the end, Patrice Michaud created an intimate atmosphere by unveiling his new single "Origami" and "Lean on Me", while the young people ensured the choirs around him.
Solidarity
Quickly, in the festive opening number, we had a twinge of heart. Because we can hardly imagine the fireworks that would have set the MELS studio ablaze if there had been an audience in the studio. It obviously lacked that energy, that je ne sais quoi that only a crowd and their cries can instill. But, on the flames side, the smiles of the future Academicians and their shining eyes made up for it.
They were also beautiful to see, our new darlings, to encourage each other, to play the choristers for their colleagues and to sincerely rejoice in their happiness, when one of them was assigned an Academician's chair and that he was promised a seat on the Star Académie bus, which left for the now famous Waterloo school at the end of the gala. Eyes full of tears, explosions of joy: there were many moments of pure emotion.
One of the selected participants, Maëva Grelet, strongly announced that she will give affectionate nicknames to her comrades, while Olivier Faubert, as one of the elders of the "family" (at 28), is already self-proclaimed big brother of the troop.
This beautiful motley band of talented, dynamic young people, of different looks and origins, that we will follow all winter, already had beautiful inspiring messages to convey. Like Rosalie Ayotte, who said she was happy to be celebrated as she is, with a bit coated and shaved head, and who hopes to motivate other girls with atypical physique to follow their dreams.
Endearing Patrice Michaud
At the entertainment, we discovered a natural, relaxed and perfectly authentic Patrice Michaud with his new friends from the Academy, moreover in excellent control of his (huge) set. A little nervous, but oh so endearing, our man let slip a slip or two, which only made him more human. "I have a blank ... But it just came back!" It's the joy of live!”, he said without stress after a blackout, at the end of his discussion with the “Star Académie Squad” (Mélissa Bédard, Mathieu Dufour and Pierre-Yves Roy Desmarais, already hilariously funny, and certainly one to watch in the coming weeks).
We especially fell in love with Michaud's reassuring and enveloping way of supporting the candidates as they were announced on their entry to the Academy, he who multiplied the "my man", "my handsome", "my great" and "ma belle” with regard to his proteges.
It was finally the professors of artistic identity Marc Séguin, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Anne Dorval who had the privilege of revealing to Guillaume Lafond, Jacob Roberge and Meghan Oak that they are continuing the Star Académie journey this year. [NB: actually Lara notified Meghan]
The daily Star Académie will be broadcast from this Monday, February 15, at 7:30 p.m., on TVA.
And some more on this evenings winners:
Guillaume Lafond - 25 years old - Richelieu
Now proud representative of country music at the Academy, Guillaume Lafond has bet on “Tennesse Whiskey” to defend his place and seduce the public and teachers, and repeated “Amen!” and "Thank you!" upon learning that viewers had chosen him. The photos of his grandfathers stuck in his hat apparently brought him luck. “I think it smells like whiskey in the studio, congratulated Ariane Moffatt after his performance. This style is your essence (...) it's contagious!" Until now, Guillaume worked as a technical director for a college performance hall, and he offered shows on a cruise ship.
Jacob Roberge - 22 years old – Lévis
The shy Jacob's reaction was oddly touching, when he learned that the people at home had voted him the second winner in the popular vote. He burst into sincere tears and collapsed on the ground thanking Quebec and its loved ones. Jacob had opted for a piece much older than him, “I Want To Know What Love Is,” by Foreigner, to show the extent of his talent. “I love you!” declared a Lara Fabian won over to the young multi-instrumentalist, after the latter's interpretation.
Meghan Oak - 23 years old - Coteau-du-Lac
Already a semi-professional singer, Meghan Oak lost her words when it was announced that she was getting her Academy pass. “I promise you won't regret it! I promise you infinitely!” repeated the one who had propelled her version of “Titanium”, of Sia, earlier in the show, to show what wood she was heating herself with, swearing that she was going to work well, according to the advice from her teachers during her stay in Waterloo. Earlier at 'Selection Camp', the faculty had touted Meghan's perfect technique, pointing out her emotional weaknesses.
Here are the other 12 candidates:
Rosalie Ayotte - 20 years old - Saint-Tite
William Cloutier - 25 years old - Victoriaville
Annabel Oreste - 20 years old - Laval
Dashny Jules - 20 years old - Montreal
Olivier Faubert - 28 years old - Montreal
Queenie Clément - 29 years old - Montreal
Charles Kamoun - 27 years old - Quebec
Lunou Zucchini - 25 years old - Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu
Zara Sargsyan - 16 years old - Montreal
Matt Moln - 21 years old – Lévis
Shayan Heidari - 20 years old - Montreal
Maëva Grelet - 19 years old - Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu
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We’ll see how the program appears in subsequent weeks, but as the article said, it did get off to a good, emotional start. And the performers are by and large quite attractive, with decent vocal ability. So far it looks like it will be worth covering it each week.
Interesting photo(s) of the week: from the 'Lara Fabian est ton autre' scans of the article on Lara in “7 Jours”:
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=257363405758468&set=pb.100044544309321.-2207520000
and
www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=257512622410213&set=pb.100044544309321.-2207520000..
Lara from the Star Academy show, thanks to TVA and then the ‘Lara Fabian the Netherlands’ sites,
www.facebook.com/staracademietva/photos/pcb.514464759956489/514463843289914/
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianTheNetherlands/photos/pcb.288523772693026/288522499359820/
Finally, that same site with a gorgeous picture of Lara
www.facebook.com/LaraFabianTheNetherlands/photos/a.213355013543236/289243052621098/
As suggested above, we’ll keep following the Star Academie Show, at least the Sunday night version (not necessarily the daily, more personally oriented programs). We now know that Lara doesn’t have to worry about confined spaces harboring coronavirus in Montreal anymore, so for the time being we’ll drop our coverage of that. However, for everyone else – stay safe.
David
