They only play music!?

Our cadets are very busy touring this summer. The first week was dedicated to the Mondial Choral Loto Québec de Laval. Our young musicians performed in a music competition, “Les jeux de la scène”, over four consecutive days. We had the opportunity to be judged by none other than Geneviève Dorion Coupale, a teacher and choreographer on Star Académie; Émily Bégin, a former Star Académie participant; and Grégory Charles, a well known a singer, composer and performer. We did not win any awards in our first year of participating in the competition, but we were able to share our passion for music and for the cadet program. We ended the week in style by holding a benefit concert and raising almost $200 for St Vincent de Paul in St Jean sur Richelieu. The first week marked the start of a memorable tour.

The second week of touring was the calm before the storm. We played at the Bagotville Air Cadet Camp and at the Regional Cadet Music School (Eastern), our home base for the summer. On Friday, we left the RCMSE for Montreal’s Just for Laughs Festival to perform our concert for locals and tourists at the Festival’s opening. With no time to rest, we then gave a parade over at La Ronde. The cadets had the rest of the day to test their stomachs on all the rides. We also had a special opportunity to meet Andréanne Leclerc, a Star Académie 2012 cast member. Our musicians have no reason to envy Star Académie participants. We will have the chance to play with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal on August 9. After two days of fun, the cadets were just as, if not more, enthusiastic about the idea of spending a day at Moisson Montréal preparing boxed lunches for those most in need in our society. Within four hours, we had prepared lunches for almost 3,500 people. 

The end of the first three weeks was equally unforgettable. To reward our cadets for their exceptional work, we spent a day sampling Quebec City as tourists. On the menu: a visit to the Aquarium du Québec and a Cirque du Soleil show. The outing was well deserved before the two days of rehearsal for the Changing of the Guard at the Citadel. On Saturday, July 21, at 10:00 a.m., we played for the 22e Régiment as part of their daily changing of the guard ceremony. The cadets rose to the occasion and gave a parade worthy of the greatest military bands. Daniel Desroches, the drum major for the 22e Régiment, was very proud of the performance. After the ceremony, we left for Montreal to participate in the Twins Parade, a gathering of all twins in the province. The festive parade through the streets of Montreal is among the best work of Gilbert Rozon, the director of the Just for Laughs Festival. That ended our first three weeks of touring. There are many more good things to come, including the Granby Zoo, the OSM and the FIMMQ. You can follow us on Facebook and Twitter to find out the details of our tour.