Paul Picard
Percussionist
A seasoned jazz tombonist and savvy businesswoman, Hélène Lemay performs regularly on the Quebec scene with many artists from the jazz, pop and classical backgrounds. Also a producer of cultural events, it has acquired a solid reputation by offering shows with the greatest artists on the national and international scene. She holds a bachelor's degree in music from the University of Sherbrooke, and has received a grant from the Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Québec on several occasions.
If you find yourself in urgent need of a percussionist for your pop-jazz-rock-classical band, Paul Picard is your man. Picard trained under Louis Charbonneau at the Quebec Music Conservatory and won the Conservatory's Premier Prix in Percussion in 1974.
In the decades that followed, Picard explored virtually every ethnic, traditional and popular form of percussion, performing alongside everyone from classical virtuosi such as Itzhak Perlman to jazz greats Henry Mancini and Ella Fitzgerald. He has performed with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Canadian bands with styles ranging from pop to Latin. For over 20 years, Picard has also performed with house bands on TV broadcasts; he has done a tremendous amount of studio work, recording with many of Quebec's top artists, playing film music and providing percussion on hundreds of jingles.
In 1981, Picard won a grant from the National Art Council of Canada to continue his exploration of ethnic and Latin percussion, and his studies eventually earned him a college teaching post he still holds at CEGEP Saint-Laurent in Quebec. From 1984 to 1986, Picard was a member of legendary jazz percussionist Don Alias' band. After touring with Canadian star Roch Voisine in the early 1990s, Picard joined Celine's band in 1995. Picard also writes music, and has composed 10 theater scores and one film score.
