Ensemble EN-LE-VENT et compagnie

Our recording groups three members of Ensemble En-le-vent, that is to say flautist and piccoloist player Patrick Healey, cellist Guillaume Saucier and clarinettist Élaine Pelletier, with our second soloist, oboist and English horn player Hélène Déry, and harpist Manon Le Comte, violinist Daniel Godin, violist François Vallières, classical guitarist Inger Woest and percussionist Frédérique Asselin. These nine instrumentalists share a wish to explore a different repertoire and approach than generally offered by traditional classical orchestras. The adaptation and interpretation of the film music presented here offered them an opportunity to play a more important part in the creative process, since they were responsible for the transcriptions and arrangements of all the selections.

PATRICK HEALEY

Flautist Patrick Healey has been playing with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa since 2002. He was interim 2nd flute and piccolo at the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec and plays regularly with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Metropolitan Orchestra of Greater Montreal. As a result of his post-secondary studies, which span a thirteen year period, he has been awarded a Premier prix à l’unanimité from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, followed by, at the University of Montreal, a Master’s Degree, a Diplôme d’études supérieures spécialisées in orchestral training and a Doctorate in piccolo. He has also studied with Geoffrey Gilbert and Trevor Wye. Patrick was a laureate of several music competitions including the 48th International Prague Springs Music Competition, the Brass and Woodwind Competition of l’Orchestre symphonique de Québec and The National Music Festival of Canada, where he won the First Prize in the woodwind category. Patrick has appeared as a soloist and as a member of different chamber groups in Canada, the United States, Europe and even Africa. He has already played on many recordings, notably for the DCM Classique label, and will release an album devoted to the piccolo in 2008.

HÉLÈNE DÉRY

Since 2005 Hélène Déry has been principal English horn and second oboe with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec. She has also held the same position with the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières for the past five years. She performs regularly with many other symphonic and chamber music ensembles in Quebec. Her extensive experience as a player was earned in Quebec and Europe, where she lived for almost ten years. After her musical training at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal with Bernard Jean, she went to Zurich from 1992 to 1996 for advanced studies with master Thomas Indermühle. She also took additional intensive training courses in Quebec, in France and in Spain, notably with professor Maurice Bourgue. Winner of many grants and awards, including grants from the Swiss government and the Canada Council of the Arts, she received honours twice as oboist with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Hélène has been principal oboe with the Sinfonieorchester St Gallen and a member of the octet Swiss Wind Soloists, with which she recorded three albums. She has played with the prestigious Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, the Opernhaus Zürich and performed extensively as soloist, chamber music player and for radio, both in Switzerland and in Quebec. In addition to her activities as a performer, Hélène Déry has given private lessons, workshops and master classes since 1987 and has taught the oboe at Sherbrooke College since 2002.