Montreal, cultural metropolis …
…and the Festival
International de Jazz de Montréal
plays a crucial role
by Alain Simard
President and founder
past November 12 and 13, Rendez-vous
2007 — Montréal, métropole culturelle gathered over 1,300 people from the artistic
and cultural communities, the different levels of government, and the business and tourism sectors.
An extraordinary concentration of the living strength of the city, this group offered
eloquent demonstration of the capacity for consensus among these “actor-factors of change” in the
metropolis.
A non-profit corporation with a rigorous code of ethics.
The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal is
a non-profit corporation whose project management
is undertaken by L’Équipe Spectra, the first
cultural enterprise to figure among the Financial
Post’s list of the 50 best-managed companies in Canada.
The repartition of income
The repartition of expenses
The data used within these graphs has been compiled by the Festival
International de Jazz de Montréal from its budget as of April 9, 2008.
Of course, the Festival International de Jazz de
Montréal, the world’s largest jazz festival, was
among those attending this summit. Montreal’s
major festival events are invaluable ambassadors for
our city, stirring it to life, attracting large numbers of
Canadian and international tourists, enlivening the
downtown core in a unique and distinctive manner,
offering free, high-quality cultural activities to the
citizenry, and demonstrating that Montreal is an
exceptional city in which to live and work, or to visit
for pleasure or business. Other major cities have
taken note, including Toronto, which is redoubling
its efforts and expenditures to grow this industry,
one that generates so much more than it consumes in investment.
And so, on the occasion of Rendez-vous 2007 —
Montréal, métropole culturelle, a very strong consensus
emerged regarding major festivals, which
were clearly recognized as powerful engines at the
cultural, touristic and economic levels, helping make
Montreal a metropolis of international stature. As a
result, the 2007-2017 plan of action that emerged
from the Rendez-vous established the importance
of “furthering and encouraging the long-term development
of festivals and cultural events.”
As stakeholders in Rendez-vous 2007, the three
levels of government gave concrete indication of
their intention to move from words into action. In
fact, we are very happy to confirm that the 29th edition
of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
can count on increased public financing of some
1.5 million dollars; an improvement which would
normally be renewed for subsequent editions. All
the more reason for this to be the case in 2009,
when the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
will celebrate 30 years of existence!
This substantial supplementary contribution from
its public partners gives the Festival International de
Jazz de Montréal the necessary room to manoeuvre
in its efforts to offer Festival fans from all over the
world (last year’s Festival registered no fewer than
2.5 million visits, 34% of which were tourists) a
program of international market stature. In fact, the
quality and audacity of the Festival’s programming
are what define its “product,” allowing it to distinguish
itself and compete with the world’s largest
artistic gatherings; competition which continually
refines and differentiates itself with each succeeding year.
To meet the challenge, the Festival must therefore
enlist major international music stars for its program,
and offer original creations conceived especially for
the event. These two programming elements make
for a product with deep and powerful appeal for the
public, both local and international, also generating
prestigious and widespread international press
coverage, an optimal gauge of the international
influence of both the event and its host city.
Let there be no doubt: anyone who examines this
year’s Festival International de Jazz de Montréal
program will be struck by the immediate impact
of the new investment. One need only think of
Montreal legend Leonard Cohen, Queen of Soul
Aretha Franklin or famed American actor, director,
writer and musician Woody Allen for an indication
of the star power that will illuminate the stages of
Montreal’s venues during the Festival. Likewise
as regards our major free outdoor events, the distinctive
symbols of both the Festival and Montreal
itself, drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators
from all over to celebrate in perfect urban
harmony. This year’s program offers a rare vintage,
presenting a tribute to Leonard Cohen, the eagerlyawaited
return of Quebec group Bran Van 3000
and an African evening with Guinean kora virtuoso
Mory Kanté.
With the improvement of its program and the
new additions to the site, including the incredible
Pavillon Heineken, the Festival International de
Jazz de Montréal paves the way for its 2008-2012
quinquennial development plan. It is a plan made
possible thanks to the increased and recurrent support
of its partners, public and private, and which
aims to position the Festival as THE global leader
in the music industry. This leading role will allow us,
in conjunction with the other leading entities of the
metropolis, to reaffirm together, with force and conviction,
Montreal’s status as a cultural metropolis.
As I already mentioned in my address during
Rendez-vous 2007 — Montréal, métropole culturelle,
everyone knows how deeply I care about
Montreal. Thus, I restate today my personal commitment
and the commitment of all 300 members
of my team to put together all of our expertise into
further promoting our city and its creative people at
the international level.