In addition to performing the standard classical repertoire‚ Carmen Picard and Josée Caron distinguished themselves by interpreting its own transcriptions of orchestral works. These masterful and demanding pieces‚ arranged for various piano ensembles‚ have gained the admiration of the musical milieu.

MANDATE
The duo aims to make its unique arrangements of classical and favourite pieces available to a wide audience. Thanks to the high quality of writing by the greatest composers‚ the meticulously chosen works offer an extraordinary opportunity to appreciate another dimension of the piano.

Concert programs offer listeners a repertoire of different styles and diverse influences‚ all with high quality interpretations. Requests for these piano arrangements pour in from all over the world.

Furthermore‚ these new transcriptions enrich the piano repertoire for at least two pianists … and several hands !

HISTORY
Born in Rimouski‚ in the eastern part of Quebec‚ brother and sister Martin and Josée Caron began their piano training with Pauline Charron. They established themselves in Montreal in 1980‚ founding in 1990 the Duo Caron as a general partnership.

In 1994‚ the duo was selected by the Quebec Wallonie Bruxelles agency for youth (Agence Québec Wallonie Bruxelles pour la jeunesse) to undertake a promotional tour in the francophone region of Belgium. They were chosen for the Rideau Bursary 1996 ¹. and also premiered Alan Belkin's Suite for Two Pianos‚ in four movements ²‚ in Montréal's Claude-Champagne concert hall.

The keen interest generated by the uniqueness of their repertoire led to many other performances in national and international events such as the Jeunesses Musicales du Canada‚ the Montreal International Piano Festival or the Québec International Festival of Piano Duos 1998 ³‚ (winner of the Prix Opus for the Producer of the Year).

Aided by federal Musication grants‚ among others‚ the Duo Caron produced several CD recordings on the SNE‚ ATMA‚ XXI-21 Productions and La Société Métropolitaine du Disque labels‚ each of which premiered at least one new transcription or arrangement‚ all critically acclaimed (American Record Guide‚ Classical Music Magazine‚ etc.). The album British Music for Piano Four Hands includes original arrangements of pieces by Paul McCartney. Duo Caron recordings are regularly broadcast on major radio networks‚ including CBC‚ Radio-Canada and Belgium's RTBF.

With mutual consent‚ Martin Caron withdraw from the duo a few years after recording Mendelssohn's works. He devoted himself primarily to musical composition. Building on a long musical complicity‚ the duo has officially brought together pianists Carmen Picard and Josée Caron since 2020. They continue to be motivated by the challenges‚ collaborations and achievements resulting from the interpretation of new and carefully selected transcriptions.


CARMEN PICARD  ^{top ↑} 
Well known on the Montreal music scene and across Canada as a specialist in chamber music repertoire‚ Carmen Picard plays regularly with renowned instrumentalists. Her great talent has led to collaborations with a wide range of ensembles including the Société de musique contemporaine du Québec‚ the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal and the Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal‚ as well as the Sherbrooke and Drummondville symphonies. She has also performed in numerous summer festivals in Quebec‚ such as the Centre d'Arts Orford‚ the Camp musical des Laurentides and the Domaine Forget.

Photo credits: © Simon Rancourt

Her numerous collaborations have led to performances in several European countries and in the United States. Frequently broadcast on Radio-Canada and CBC‚ she has participated in more than a dozen CD recordings‚ including chamber music on the SNE‚ NAXOS‚ ATMA and CBC labels and film music on the ANALEKTA label.

After obtaining a master's degree in performance from McGill University under the direction of Dorothy Morton‚ Carmen Picard studied with Marc Durand and Jacinthe Couture. With the help of several bursaries‚ she continued to perfect her skills with distinguished teachers in the United States such as John Perry‚ Leon Fleisher‚ Janina Fialkoska‚ in Europe with Tamás Vásáry and in Canada with pianist André Laplante‚ thanks to funding from the Canada Council.

Carmen Picard taught piano and chamber music as well as the art of accompanying from 1983 to 2016 at the Drummondville Cegep. Since 2014‚ she has taught piano and chamber music at the Université de Sherbrooke where she also works with the choral and opera programs.

She is currently president of the Concours de musique du Québec as well as of the Sherbrooke division of the Canadian Music Competition. Also national vice-president of the CANIMEX Canadian Music Competition and founder of the Cégeps en Concert competition‚ she has long devoted herself to the development of new talent and emerging musicians in Quebec and Canada.


JOSÉE CARON  ^{top ↑} 
Josée Caron has been heard in Canada and in Europe (Austria‚ Belgium‚ Italy) in concert and well as on broadcasts. She is often invited for studio or live recordings of recitals (TV5‚ Radio-Canada's radio and television networks‚ etc.). She regularly plays for national and international events‚ hosted by Jeunesses Musicales Canada and the Canadian Jewish Congress among others‚ as a soloist‚ in duo and as a chamber player with renowned musicians.

Photo credits: © Simon Rancourt

Multiple prize winner‚ including a first prize of the Canadian Music Competition‚ her eclectic interests for modern music as well as for the quality of her interpretations has led to many invitations over the years. She has premiered several Canadian works including the solo piece Motivations for piano (1984) ⁴  which the composer and teacher Nicole Carignan dedicated to her‚ as well as the Sonata for Cello and Piano by Alan Belkin. She has given conference-recitals in Canada on Debussy‚ Bartók and on the War sonatas by Sergeï Prokofiev.

Josée Caron perfected her skills at the Internationale Sommerakademie der Hochschule Mozarteum in Salzbourg‚ Austria with Claude Helffer and Helena Sá e Costa as well as at the l'Internationale Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Sienna‚ Italy (Diploma D'Onore)‚ studying with Martha Del Vecchio. She also worked with pianists Lazar Berman‚ Ferenc Rados‚ Anthony Di Bonaventura and Monique Deschaussées as well as under the direction of François Dompierre. Thanks to numerous bursaries for excellence and graduate funding from the Université de Montréal and the Fondation Les Amis de l'Art‚ she obtained a doctorate in piano performance from the Université de Montréal under the tutelage of Natalie Pepin.

For the past 15 years‚ Josée Caron has taught piano and keyboard harmony at the Université de Montréal‚ also teaching piano and theory at the Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM). Since 2019‚ her professional activities have also included producing transcriptions of orchestral works for various piano ensembles.


MARTIN CARON  ^{top ↑} 

Photo credits: © Michel Raymond

Founding member and member of Duo Caron up until 2020‚ Martin Caron has since devoted mostly to teaching and composing for piano as well as didactic works for dance classes.

Finalist of the Ykaa International Piano Competition 1989‚ Winter Park‚ Florida and concurrently studying with Karl Engel‚ Claude Helffer and Tatiana Nikolaeva‚ the virtuoso pianist has distinguished himself in many competitions‚ including the CIBC National Music Festival (First Prize‚ 1987) and the Début series (First Prize‚ 1990). He has played with several renowned musicians including famous soprano Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez.

Thanks to his aptitudes and immense talent for creation and transcription‚ he has greatly enriched the repertoire for the training and development of many pianists since the founding of Duo Caron in 1990.

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