Julie Lamontagne
Winner of an OPUS Prize and ADISQ 2010 nominee for her jazz album 'Now What’, pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and musical director Julie Lamontagne has followed a fascinating career path and gained an exceptional amount of experience along the way.
Possessing a solid classical background, and winner of numerous awards, (including a First Prize at the prestigious Canadian Music Competition at the age of thirteen), she decided early on to explore other musical styles. After studying with Lorraine Desmarais, André White and Jan Jarcyk in Montréal, she pursued her studies in New York City during several years with the outstanding educator Garry Dial and the excellent jazz pianist Fred Hersch. Recently, she decided to return to school, enrolling at Boston’s prestigious Berklee School of Music to broaden her knowledge of drum programming and film scoring.
Proud leader of a jazz trio, she has built on the success of both her 2005 debut album 'Facing the Truth' and her second album 'Now What' (released in 2009 and recorded in quartet formation with New York City sax man Donny McCaslin). Now Julie is back with a vengeance with a third album entitled 'Opus Jazz,' which will be released in Canada on January 31st, 2012. Here, alone with her piano, she revisits a selection of pieces from the classical music repertoire.
Regularly taking on a wide variety of projects, she is well-known for her work as bandleader and keyboardist for numerous artists such as Isabelle Boulay, Bruno Pelletier, Nicole Martin, Marie-Élaine Thibert, Natasha St-Pier, Dan Bigras, Térez Montcalm, Nanette Workman, and Gildor Roy, among others. She was the official pianist for Monique Giroux’s daily radio program on Espace Musique (Radio-Canada), as well as bandleader for the annual St-Jean Baptiste Day concert on Québec City’s Plains of Abraham ( 2009 and 2010 editions ).
Julie has definitely achieved lasting recognition on the Québec arts scene. With her unconditional love of jazz and her extraordinary drive, pianist Julie Lamontagne invites us to discover the unique world she has created.
