Sending Quebec culture out into the world
MONTREAL— Quebecers are making American films. They are playing on radios round the world. For many years they have been lighting the hearts of international audiences.
But as Canada’s most creative province charts a cultural path for the next generation, there is a distinct sense that the world needs more Quebec.
If that is a miscalculation, then Quebec may have to create the demand because the province certainly needs more of the world.
People here have a healthy appetite for local culture, art and entertainment, but with a population of just eight million, Quebec churns out more producers and performers than it can consume.
A number have risen naturally to the top of their fields. Yannick Nézet Séguin, the 41-year-old conductor, was named music director of the illustrious New York Metropolitan Opera this summer. Celebrated 27-year-old filmmaker Xavier Dolan is making his American debut next year with The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.
This is to say nothing of the established acts. The Céline Dions, the Cirque du Soleils, the Moment Factories — those companies and acts that are already global commodities.
But with Quebec now drafting a new cultural policy, replacing a 1992 version written in a pre-digital universe where people bought books and music and subscribed to cable television, there are consistent calls to focus on exporting the province’s artistic offerings outside of Canada.
“We think that our creative class should be encouraged to look beyond our borders, both to take inspiration as well as to reach new audiences,” Montreal’s Chamber of Commerce recommended in August. “The exportation of our cultur- al products needs to be a priority to assure that we shine internationally.”
One Montreal investment firm has taken this message to heart. XPND Capital, led by managing partner Alexandre Taillefer, launched a private initiative last month that it says will result in up to $20 million being invested in the exportation of Quebec culture. The money comes from both private and institutional investors, meaning “there is a mandate to generate profits,” said Eric Albert, vice-president of investments for the company.
The collective, called Mishmash, has for now brought together three companies, including francophone music producer La Tribu, music festival organizers Piknic Électronik and Productions Opéra Concept MP. In these cases, Quebec is serving as the talent pool and the testing ground for new concepts that will later be toured or sold or featured abroad.
Picnic Électronik already organizes outdoor music festivals in Montreal as well as Barcelona, Lisbon, Dubai, Melbourne, but will be using the financial support to accelerate the international development and test new concepts, Albert said.
Productions Opéra Concept MP is producing a rock opera for Montre- al’s 375th anniversary next March based on Pink Floyd’s 1979 album The Wall, which was conceived by vocalist Roger Waters during a stop in Montreal.
Pierre Dufour, president of the opera startup, said the plan with Mishmash is to take the rock opera on tour.
Speaking from an airport in San Diego this week, he said he had just completed a cross-Canada tour pitching the show, which debuts next March, and found that “there is interest.”
But he’s also hoping to find takers in the United States, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. And though in its early days, there is already talk about giving the rock opera treatment to other concept albums by the likes of Queen or David Bowie.
The end goal, Dufour said, is to put Quebec talent on the world map in a way that entertainment giants such as Cirque du soleil have done.
“The goal of Mishmash is not only to work with local groups but to encourage the expansion and development around the planet. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but it’s to ensure that Quebecois talent is seen as much as possible by people around the world.”
While the first three Mishmash partners are fairly sound business investments, Albert said additional companies to be unveiled in the coming weeks could also include artistic endeavours and talents that are in greater need of a sound business plan.
But the initiative is intended to buck the notion that culture is a bad financial investment or that it should be the domain of governments and corporate charity, Albert said.
“Based on the amount of interest we’ve had over the past couple of weeks there’s definitely a need for something like this in the Quebec market. Now the job’s on us to make sure these deals are successful and deliver.” En Scène is a monthly column on Quebec culture; awoods@thestar.ca.