Denis Gougeon (born November 16, 1951) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

. His more than 80 compositions encompass a wide variety of genres, including

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l works,

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

, and pieces for solo instruments and voice. Notable ensembles to have included his compositions in their performance repertoire include the

Bavarian State Ballet The Bavarian State Ballet (german: Bayerisches Staatsballett) is a professional ballet company in Munich, Germany. It was founded in 1988 by Konstanze Vernon as an independent company. The ballet had previously been part of the ''Bayerische Staa ...

, the Canadian Opera Company, the

I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra I Musici de Montréal is a Canadian chamber orchestra, founded in 1984 by cellist and conductor Yuli Turovsky. About I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra has been sharing its passion for classical music for over 35 years. The 15 exceptional m ...

Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM), based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is one of the world's premier chamber orchestras specializing in contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1989 by Lorraine Vaillancourt Lorraine Vaillancourt, (born September ...

New Music America New Music America was a nomadic American festival (held in Montreal during its last year) showcasing at its origins New York City's Downtown Music, but growing into one of the largest new music festivals ever held in North America, all in an attem ...

, the

Norwegian National Opera and Ballet The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet ( no, Den Norske Opera & Ballett, links=no) is a Norwegian opera company and ballet company. The first fully professional company each for opera and ballet in Norway and the only such professional organisati ...

, the

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, includin ...

, and the Vancouver New Music Society.

Early life and education

Born in

Granby, Quebec Granby is a town in southwestern Quebec, located east of Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2021 Census was 69,025. Granby is the seat of La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality. It is the second most populated city in Estrie after ...

, Gougeon began his career as a primarily self-taught composer. He later entered the

Université de Montréal The Université de Montréal (UdeM; ; translates to University of Montreal) is a French-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university's main campus is located in the Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood of Côte-de ...

(UdeM) where he studied

music composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called c ...

with

Serge Garant Albert Antonio Serge Garant, (September 22, 1929 – November 1, 1986) was a Canadian composer, conductor, music critic, professor of music at the University of Montreal and radio host of ''Musique de notre siècle'' on Radio-Canada.

and André Prévost.

Career

From 1984 to 1988 Gougeon taught music composition at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...

. In 1989 he became the first composer-in-residence of the

Montreal Symphony Orchestra The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (french: Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, or OSM) is a Canadian symphony orchestra based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The orchestra’s home is the Montreal Symphony House at Place des Arts. It is the only orche ...

, holding that post until 1992.Canada Council.
Annual Report
'. The Council; 1990. In 2000 he won the Opus Prize for Composer of the Year from the Conseil québécois de la musique. In 2001 Gougeon joined the music faculty at the Université de Montréal.
''La Scena Musicale'', by Réjean Beaucage / September 1, 2013 Among his notable pupils is composer Analia Llugdar. He won the

Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada The Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) is a Canadian performance rights organization that represents the performing rights of more than 135,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers. The organization collects ...

's Jan V. Matejcek Concert Music Award for three consecutive years (2001, 2002, 2003). In 2007 he won the Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year for his ''Clere Vénus''. In 2010 he composed an orchestral work, ''Phénix''; that year ''Toy no 1 (Music Box)'' by Gougeon was awarded the first prize of a three-year-long composition competition organized by Radio France, the Shanghai Media Group and the International Spring Music Festival. The piece is written for

traditional Chinese instruments Chinese musical instruments are traditionally grouped into eight categories known as (). The eight categories are silk, bamboo, wood, stone, metal, clay, gourd and skin; other instruments considered traditional exist that may not fit these group ...

and a symphonic orchestra. In 2013 the Société Musique Contemporaine de Québec featured a number of Gougeon's works in its performances. His composition "Tutti" was commissioned by Montreal's Esprit Orchestra."Concert Review: Esprit has virtuosity to Burn"
Arthur Kaptainis, ''Montreal Gazette'', March 30, 2013

Notes

Sources

Denis Gougeon
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gougeon, Denis 1951 births 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Canadian classical composers Canadian music academics Juno Award for Classical Composition of the Year winners Living people McGill University faculty Canadian opera composers Musicians from Quebec People from Granby, Quebec Université de Montréal alumni Université de Montréal faculty Canadian male classical composers 20th-century Canadian composers 20th-century Canadian male musicians 21st-century Canadian male musicians