Lorraine Desmarais C.M. (born August 15, 1956) is a

French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...

jazz pianist and composer.

Early life and education

Born in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, she earned a Bachelor of Music (1977) and Master of Music (1979) in classical piano at

Université de Sherbrooke The University of Sherbrooke ( French: Université de Sherbrooke) (UdS) is a large public French-language university in Quebec, Canada with campuses located in Sherbrooke and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It ...

. She studied with Armas Maiste 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 1978 and 1979, and later took lessons from

Kenny Barron Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist, who has appeared on hundreds of recordings as leader and sideman and is considered one of the most influential mainstream jazz pianists since the bebop era. Biography Born in Philadel ...

in New York. She has also been influenced by

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

and

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

Career

Desmarais has recorded ten albums as a solo performer and

musical director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

, including several with well-known artists such as

Michel Cusson UZEB is a Canadian jazz fusion band from Montreal, Quebec who were active from 1976 to 1992, and reunited in November 2016. The members are Alain Caron (bass guitar), Michel Cusson (guitar), and Paul Brochu ( drums). The band won a number of Can ...

and Michel Donato (''Vision''),

Tiger Okoshi Toru "Tiger" Okoshi (born March 21, 1950) is an American jazz fusion trumpeter born in Ashiya, Japan. After studying at Kwansei Gakuin University, Okoshi moved to the U.S. in 1972. In 1975 he completed studies at the Berklee College of Music. ...

(''Lorraine Desmarais''),

Don Alias Charles "Don" Alias (December 25, 1939 in New York City – March 28, 2006 in New York City) was an American jazz percussionist. Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums. He was, however, a capable drum kit performer: for e ...

(''Andiamo''), André Moisan, Jean Gaudreault and Ted Baskin from 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 ...

and Michel Bettez from the Orchestre Métropolitain (''Bleu Silence''), in addition to her long-standing team of Frédéric Alarie (double bass) and Camil Bélisle (drums). She has composed a number of pieces for herself and for other performers, including Oliver Jones and

Angèle Dubeau Angèle Dubeau, (born 24 March 1962) is a Canadian classical violinist. She has devoted a large part of her career to making classical music accessible to a wide audience, but also frequently plays works by contemporary composers. Early life a ...

. She has been teaching in colleges and universities since 1985, and is a jazz piano professor at the

Cégep Saint-Laurent A CEGEP ( or ; ), also written cégep, CÉGEP and cegep, is a publicly funded college providing technical, academic, vocational or a mix of programs; they are exclusive to the province of Quebec's education system. A loanword from French, i ...

in Montreal. Desmarais was appointed a member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

in 2012.

Discography

*''Trio Lorraine Desmarais'' (Radio Canada, 1985) *''Andiamo'' (Radio Canada, 1986) *''Pianissimo'' (Radio Canada, 1987) *''Vision'' (Les Disques Scherzo, 1991) * ''Lorraine Desmarais'' (Select, 1991) *''Bleu silence'' (Les Disques Scherzo, 1999) *''Love'' (Les Disques Scherzo, 2002) *''Jazz pour Noel / Jazz for Christmas'' with Jean-Pierre Zanella (Analekta, 2005) *''Live Club Soda'' with Tiger Okoshi and Michel Cusson (Analekta, 2007) *''Lorraine Desmarais Big Band'' (Analekta, 2009) *''Couleurs de lune'' (Analekta, 2012) *''Danses danzas dances'' (Analekta, 2016) With Five Play * ''On the brink'' (Arbors Records, 1999)

References

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Desmarais, Lorraine 1956 births Living people Canadian jazz pianists Canadian women pianists Canadian jazz composers Members of the Order of Canada Musicians from Montreal 21st-century Canadian pianists 21st-century Canadian women musicians Jazz educators Canadian women composers 21st-century women pianists