René Dupéré (born 1946) is a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

composer from Mont-Joli, Québec,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Biography

Dupéré is best known as the

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 def ...

and arranger of music for

contemporary circus Contemporary circus (or ''cirque contemporain'' in French-speaking countries) is a contested term in circus studies. In this article, it is used in contrast to the term 'traditional circus', combining with the genre elsewhere disambiguated as ne ...

productions by the Canadian entertainment company

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

. Among the Cirque du Soleil stage shows he has scored are: ''Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil'' (1984), ''La Magie Continue'' (1986), '' Le Cirque Réinventé'' (1987), '' Nouvelle Expérience'' (1990), ''

Saltimbanco ''Saltimbanco'' was a touring show by Cirque du Soleil. ''Saltimbanco'' ran from 1992 to 2006 in its original form, performed under a large circus tent called the Grand Chapiteau; its last performance in that form was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ...

'' (1992), '' Mystère'' (1993), '' Alegría'' (1994), '' Kà'' (2004), and '' Zed'' (2009). According to press releases from Cirque du Soleil, "René Dupéré played a key role in shaping the artistic universe of Cirque du Soleil during its first ten years.""Cirque du Soleil - Press Room - Cirque Du Soleil - Biographies - René Dupéré"
Cirque du Soleil. Retrieved Dec 6, 2009. Dupéré's album of music from Cirque du Soleil's ''Alegría'' was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

in 1995 and spent 65 weeks on Billboard's World Music Chart. The albums ''Mystère'' and ''Kà'' also spent several weeks at the top of the Billboard charts. As of 2009, Dupéré has sold over 3 million CDs. His work outside of Cirque du Soleil has included writing music for various TV and film productions (see

Filmography A filmography is a list of films related by some criteria. For example, an actor's career filmography is the list of films they have appeared in; a director's comedy filmography is the list of comedy films directed by a particular Film director, ...

below). In 1997, he wrote part of the music for the ceremony marking the handover of Hong Kong to China. He also composed the soundtrack for ''Xotica: Journey to the Heart'', a Holiday on Ice show that toured in 1998. A modified version of a song entitled "Earth" from the ''Xotica'' soundtrack was used as the backing track for the 2003 short film ''Oïo'' by Simon Goulet."The Crew."
OÏO official website. Retrieved Dec 6, 2009. In June 2005, René Dupéré received an honorary doctorate in music from his alma mater, Université Laval de Québec."Awards & Distinctions."
Cirquedusoleil.com. Press release. Retrieved Dec 6, 2009.

Discography

* 1987 : ''Cirque du Soleil'' (1987 album) * 1990 : ''Cirque du Soleil'' (1990 album) * 1990 : ''Nouvelle Expérience'' * 1992 : ''Saltimbanco'' * 1994 : ''Alegría'' * 1994 : ''Mystère'' * 1996 : ''Mystère Live in Las Vegas'' * 1997 : '' Voyage'' * 1999 : '' Xotica: Journey to the Heart'' * 2005 : ''Kà'' * 2009 : ''Zed''

Filmography

* 1986 : '' La Magie continue'' (TV) * 1986 : '' Anne Trister'' * 1989 : '' La Toile blanche'' * 1989 : '' Ballade urbaine'' (short documentary) * 1991 : '' Nouvelle expérience'' (TV) * 1991: '' Primary Colors: The Story of Corita'' (TV documentary) * 1991 : '' The Irises'' (short animation) * 1992 : '' Cirque réinventé'' (TV) *

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

: '' Cirque du Soleil: A Baroque Odyssey'' (TV) * 1997 : ''

'' (TV) * 1998 : '' L'Ombre de l'épervier'' (TV series) * 2001 : '' Alegría: Live in Sydney'' (TV) * 2003 : '' Oïo'' (short film) *

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

: '' Ciertos vacíos'' (short documentary) *

: '' White Skin'' * 2007 : '' La luna en botella'' * 2008 : '' Journey to the Center of the Earth'' (TV film)

Awards

* Felix for best producer of the year for the soundtrack album of '' Alegría'' in 1995. * Golden Award for best original music for ''Ismya Vova'' from the New York Publicity Festival in 1998. * Two Hagood Hardy prizes given by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).

References

External links

Netza Creations
- René Dupéré's official website * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dupere, Rene 1946 births Living people Canadian composers Canadian film score composers Canadian male film score composers Canadian television composers Cirque du Soleil People from Bas-Saint-Laurent Université Laval alumni