JOTA RAMOS: A Victory for Freedom and Justice
- about 1 month ago
- article
A lifetime of service to music
- over 5 years ago
JM International mourns the loss of Joseph Rouleau, a world-renowned opera singer, colleague and friend from the Jeunesses Musicales family in Canada.
A life dedicated to music: as opera singer from Metropolitan and Covent Garden to Kazan along with other musical legends like Maria Callas, Joan Sutherland. Montserrat Caballé, Kiri Te Kanawa and Luciano Pavarotti; the foundation of Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal and Opéra de Montréal; Voice professor at the Université du Québec à Montréal, founder of Atelier of the Opéra de Montréal...
His work was honoured with many honorary titles, the Commander’s Medal, the highest rank of the Order of Montreal, Officer of Arts and Letters of France, member of the Canadian Hall of Fame, Officer of the National Order of Quebec and Companion of the Order of Canada. In his hometown of Matane, the Complexe Culturel Joseph-Rouleau was named in his honour. In 2014 the Chamber Music Hall at the JMC House in Montreal was renamed “Joseph-Rouleau Hall”.
Joseph was fully dedicated to creating opportunities for youth and music as President and Honorary President of Jeunesses Musicales Canada and co-founder of the International Music Competition of Montreal. He was true musical ambassador of Canada to the JMI annual meetings, an ambassador with powerful bass, delivering strong messages of good practices in education, promotion and exchange of young musicians… and few songs in between sessions…
In honour of his exceptional service to the JMI network, the 2009 General Assembly in Slovenia appointed Joseph Rouleau Emeritus Member of JMI. He hosted, for a second time after Chicoutimi in 1999, together with his team, colleagues and volunteers in JM Canada, the JMI General Assembly and Congress in 2013 in Montreal.
We offer our sincere condolences to his wife Renée and his children, his family, his colleagues and friends. We join the world in remembering and honouring a person who truly lived the mission of Jeunesses Musicales, to enable young people to develop through music across all boundaries. We stand resolute as Joseph, in continuing his work.