Obituary: Conductor & Composer Gilbert Patenaude Passes at 75

By Nicolas Quiroga

Canadian conductor, composer, and musician Gilbert Patenaude passed away on Nov. 13, 2022. He was 75.

Born on April 30, 1947, Patenaude was involved with music from a very young age he, studying piano and organ at the École Vincent-d’Indy, before taking on singing and conducting with Rémus Tzincoca at CMM.

From there, he continued his studies at the Académie Internacional d’été in Nice, France, before working with the Hilversum Orchestra in the Netherlands.

He would become a member and music director of the vocal quartet Les Troubadours de Terre des hommes before taking over as the music director of the Choeur Vaudreuil-Soulanges. In 1978, he was appointed to the position of director of the Petits chanteurs de Mont-Royal; he led the organization for over nearly four decades; the ensemble famously premiered his cantata “Pâques” in 1986. He also founded Les Chantes musiciens in 1992.

He conducted such ensembles as the Laval Symphony Orchestra, the Symphonie des Mille-Iles, and L’Art qui chante au féminin, among many others.

In 2019, he received the Opus Tribute Award from the Conseil québécois de la musique in recognition of his career achievements.

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