Claude Lapalme

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Claude Lapalme is a Canadian conductor, arranger, orchestrator and composer. He presently holds the position of Music Director of the Red Deer Symphony [1] and is also the Artistic Director of the Calgary-based baroque orchestra Rosa Barocca. [2] His continued tenure with the Red Deer Symphony, which started in 1990, is one of the longest in Canadian history as leader of a Canadian professional orchestra.

Contents

Biography

Early life and career as a conductor

Claude Lapalme was born in Montreal on May 29, 1962, to André Lapalme, a chemical engineer, and Louise Beauchamp, who was to become director of several non-profit organizations in both Toronto and Montreal. He is the grandson of former leader of the Parti Libéral du Québec and founder of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Georges-Émile Lapalme.

Lapalme studied piano privately in Montreal and then Toronto, where his family moved in 1977. He studied conducting at the University of Toronto from 1980 to 1985, [3] and then at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague from 1985 to 1987. [4] His mentors were Victor Feldbrill and Lucas Vis.

He started his career as Assistant Conductor for the Orchestral Training Program at the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (now the Glenn Gould School) starting in 1987 and was appointed Music Director of the Red Deer Symphony in 1990. Shortly thereafter, he won the 2nd prize at the 1991 International Besançon Competition for Young Conductors. [1] Lapalme was also Music Director of the Lethbridge Symphony from 1995 to 2004. [5] He has guest conducted a variety of orchestras and ensembles in Canada, Cuba, Hungary, the United States, Switzerland, Macedonia, France and the United Kingdom, with orchestras including Moscow's Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Edmonton Symphony and the Winnipeg Symphony. [1] In 2024, he was invited to perform the New Year's gala concert at the National Opera and Ballet Orchestra in Skopje. [6] Among the soloists with whom he has collaborated are pianists Anton Kuerti and Mark Zeltser; tenor Benjamin Butterfield, soprano Karina Gauvin, violinists Andrew Dawes, Oleh Krysa and Scott St. John; and cellists Denis Brott and Elinor Frey. [1] He has conducted works of Sir Michael Tippett in his presence [7] and conducted the Cuban premiere of a work by Leo Brouwer in collaboration with the composer. [1]

Lapalme developed an enduring interest in Baroque and earlier music during his University days. In 2016, he founded the Calgary-based period instrument baroque orchestra Rosa Barocca. In 2023, cellist Elinor Frey and Rosa Barocca, under Lapalme's direction, won the Juno Award for Best Classical Album (small ensemble) for their album "Early Italian Cello Concertos." [8] The orchestra has toured extensively in Alberta.

As arranger and orchestrator

Lapalme is a noted arranger and orchestrator, having worked in that capacity for Ian Tyson and Marvin Hamlisch, and for a large number of Canadian orchestras. [1] [9] In the early 2000's he was commissioned by the Edmonton Symphony to write several creative arrangements of songs from the Great Canadian Songbook. His arrangements and orchestrations have been performed in Carnegie Hall and as far away as Sydney, Australia. [1] In 2025, his adaptations of French folk songs for soprano Karina Gauvin's album "Marie Hubert: fille du Roy" resulted in a second Juno Award nomination. [10]

As a composer

Lapalme's compositions have been recorded both on CD and video. In addition to commissions, such as the 2022 premiere of his chamber orchestra work "Dancing Phoenix" by the Edmonton Chamber Orchestra, [11] Lapalme instigated a COVID-19 lockdown project where 63 performers received a short solo piece, on request and for no fee. [12] Many of those short works were put to videos by orchestras such as the Edmonton Symphony and the Calgary Philharmonic, [12] [13] and two of them – one for trumpeter Adam Zinatelli [14] and the other for saxophonist Jeremy Brown [15] – have been recorded on their respective albums.

Press quotes

Awards and distinctions

Discography

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Musicians | Red Deer Symphony Orchestra". reddeersymphony. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  2. "About". Rosa Barocca. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  3. Spreadbury, Daniel (2018-01-29). "Dorico Showcase: Conductor, composer and arranger Claude Lapalme". Dorico. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  4. Lajeunesse, Joannie. "Claude Lapalme | ATMA Classique". atmaclassique.com (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  5. "Lethbridge Symphony Orchestra". collections.galtmuseum.com. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
  6. "TRADITIONAL GALA CONCERT ON THE HOLIDAY "VASILICA" (12.1.2024)". National opera and ballet. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  7. "An evening with Sir Michael Tippett - Discover Archives". discoverarchives.library.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  8. 1 2 "Claude Lapalme". The JUNO Awards. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  9. "Musical Moment: The Charms of Cowboy Celtic". Winspear Centre. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  10. 1 2 "RDSO director Claude Lapalme nominated for second Juno". Red Deer Advocate. 2025-02-12. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  11. "Across the World and Back". Chamber Orchestra of Edmonton. 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
  12. 1 2 "Zap! A Tribute to Edmonton". Winspear Centre. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  13. Beaudoin, Megan (2021-05-27). "Program Notes for City Spaces: Heritage Park". Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  14. "Repertoire". Adam Zinatelli. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  15. "Jeremy Brown – emergence". Redshift Records. 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  16. D., J. (September 13, 1991). "Besancon : un seul Grand Prix". Le Figaro. p. 11. Archived from the original on June 7, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. "CD Review: Cellist Elinor Frey Explores Early Italian Concertos » Early Music America". Early Music America. 2025-06-06. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  18. "Karina Gauvin – Marie Hubert : Fille du Roy – PAN M 360" . Retrieved 2025-06-09.
  19. Ontario Arts Council (March 17, 2022). "Heinz Unger Award Laureates". Ontario Arts Council. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  20. "AFA awards 15 Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee Medals | Alberta Foundation for the Arts". www.affta.ab.ca. Retrieved 2025-06-07.
  21. "2023 Winners". YYC Music Awards. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
  22. "2023 AMPIA Rosie Awards - Gallery". AMPIA. Retrieved 2025-06-08.