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Valspec's new General Manager, Émilie Fortier, raised her glass high as she celebrated the launch of her first program since taking office. The toast was part of a 5 à 7 held at Cabaret d'Albert to unveil the shows that will mark the presenter's 2023-2024 cultural season. 

Theater, cabaret evenings, song, dance, comedy, variety, music and film-conference. That's what's in store for audiences visiting Salaberry-de-Valleyfield's Salle Albert-Dumouchel in the coming months. 

Among the personalities taking to the stage are Jonathan Roy, Jeanick Fournier, Koriass, Guylaine Tremblay, Lendemain de veille, Philippe Brach, Daniel Bélanger, Bruno Pelletier, Alain Morisod and Sweet People, Daniel Lemire, Christine Morency, Lise Dion, Dominic Paquet, Fabien Cloutier and many others. 

This Thursday, September 14, during the 5 à 7, several guests gathered at the Albert cabaret in an intimate setting to discover some of the faces who will be performing on the regional venue's stage in the coming weeks or months.

Leafing through the brochure for the 23-24 season, one quickly notes the diversity of shows on offer until next June. "I'm very proud to be at the helm of this institution, a little girl from Valleyfield who saw her first professional shows on the Valspec stage, and who even treaded its boards more than twenty years ago. So it was with unfailing joy and dynamism that I immersed myself in the wonderful world of multidisciplinary presentation, and allowed myself to be seduced by all the artistic proposals that abound on the Quebec cultural scene," says Ms. Fortier in the Mot du diffuseur (A Word from the Presenter) that appears in the organization's annual brochure. 

The return of a great initiativeOn the strength of last year's success, the Caisse Desjardins de Salaberry-de-Valleyfield has decided to renew its agreement with Valspec, which means that spectators who visit in the coming months will continue to be spoiled. 

"Once a month, a seat will be chosen at random to become the Desjardins seat. The occupant of that seat will receive a $100 gift voucher from Valspec so they can come back and see something else. It's our way of encouraging culture," said Caroline Vallée of the financial institution during her speech. The cooperative will also donate $30,000 over three years to the presenter to support its mission. 

A performance-filled launch

Valspec's programming launch always follows the same formula. It's interspersed with performances by some of the artists who will be presenting a show there, sometimes in a few weeks, sometimes in a few months.This Thursday, it's general manager Émilie Fortier and her colleague Pascale Jodoin, coordinator of artistic development and programming.From the outset, performer Yvan Pedneault broke the ice with his first performance of the evening. Pedneault was discovered by many during La Voix in 2016. He will be making two appearances at Valspec in the coming months. 

His first appearance is scheduled in a few days' time, on September 28, for a Tribute to Queen show. "As well as going through the repertoire of this legendary band, I'll be explaining to people when my relationship with this musical group began and how I came to sing their hits." 

His second visit is scheduled for Friday, February 16, with the Britishshow, a production by Salaberry-de-Valleyfield resident Mike Gauthier. "In this show, we revisit rock classics from the 50s right up to the present day. Throughout the 112 songs of the show, we incorporate statistics. It's very interesting for the audience," he explained after his performance. 

Next up on stage was Sylvain Lafortune, choreographer and performer of the contemporary dance show L'un L'autre. On September 21, he and partner Esther Rousseau-Morin will dance on a pastille in the center of the Cabaret d'Albert for 55 minutes non-stop. 

"I've been interested in partner work for 40 years now. I have a master's degree and a doctorate based on it.The show shows two dancers supporting, leaning on and sustaining each other.We literally don't let go for an hour. There's no story or thread running through the show, just two people presenting a sensitive and highly technical dance.It's an ode to the beauty of us," confided the 61-year-old dancer.

The third guest of the evening was Jean-Sébastien Girard, discovered by the general public thanks to the TV show La soirée est encore jeune. At the dawn of his fifties, Girard decided to launch a career in comedy. He will present his first one-man show at Salle Albert-Dumouchel on October 13. 

In Un garçon pas comme les autres, he tackles a number of themes, including his relationship with his mother, who plays a major role in his life.What's the biggest challenge for him? "It's being alone on stage.When I was young, I had my colleagues to jump in if a gag didn't work so well.This time, I'm on my own. At first, I wondered why I was doing this to myself, but now I'm doing fine," admits the man who has dates in his diary for this project until 2025. 

The final performance of the evening was presented by two of the five members of Huu Bac Quintet, who will be in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield on October 12.Singer Huu Bac grew up in this municipality from the age of 2 to 16. He is delighted to be back. 

The group will perform new compositions from its recent second album.His musical dialogue between Vietnamese, Chinese and South American sounds and jazz continues, influenced by his recent travels in Asia, Africa and India.

To find out more about Valspec's programming, visit https://www.valspec.com/.