Paul Picard
Percussion
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.
Percussionist who moved from drums to percussion at a very young age, Paul Picard regularly flirts between pop, jazz, rock, classical and Latin music. His unique playing testifies to the experience he has acquired through the ages by rubbing shoulders with various renowned collaborators and trainers. His deepening of the handling of styles and rhythms of different percussion instruments allows him to enjoy recognition in the artistic world for forty years of career.
Paul Picard has collaborated with many formations and artists on the local scene as well as on the international scene, such as the Hamilton Philharmonic Institute, the Maneige group, Michel Rivard and his trio: the Flybin Band, Zachary Richard, Don Alias' band Les composers; François Cousineau, Yves Lapierre, Daniel Mercure, Jean-Marie Benoit, Richard Grégoire, Guy St-Onge, Alain Leblanc, Marc Pérusse, Michel Cusson, FM Lesieur. The artists; Mireille Mathieu, Diane Dufresne, Fabienne Thibault, Luc de La Rochellière, Roch Voisine, Gregory Charles, Ima, Isabelle Boulay. He has collaborated with Celine Dion since 1995.
He participated in many studio recordings for the albums of these same artists as well as those of jingles and film music. He was also present in several television show house bands.
Trained at the Conservatoire de musique de Québec under the direction of Louis Charbonneau, Paul Picard obtained a First Prize in percussion in 1974.
He was the recipient of a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts in 1982, which enabled him to discover, in New York, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music with Frank Malabe and North African music with Glen Velez, master of Frame drums as well as with David Charles for his instructions for using small percussion instruments in the studio.
He then relayed his many learnings by occupying the position of lecturer at Cégep Saint-Laurent, UQAM and the University of Montreal.
In addition to having composed the plot for ten plays and a film, he did his own show in 2009: his song project “PAUL CHOIX”.
