Eckhardt-Gramatté National Competition 2024 Winner’s Tour: Justin Saulnier, violin

Justin Saulnier is an 18-year-old Canadian violinist. He made his orchestral solo debut at age 12 with the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra and has since performed with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Canada’s National Arts Center Orchestra, The Pembroke Symphony Orchestra and the Ottawa Youth Orchestra. He has also been invited to play with the Orchestre Métropolitain under the baton of Yannick Nézet-Séguin this spring. Justin has received many awards, notably the first prize in the NACO Bursary Competition, second prize in the Concours OSM, the grand prize in the Orchestre Métropolitain OMNI Competition, and the OMFA’s provincial competition. Justin has also enjoyed being concertmaster in the Music Academy of the West Festival Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra, and the Ottawa Chamber Orchestra, among others. He is pursuing his undergraduate degree at McGill University with Andrew Wan. Justin plays on a 1680 Ruggeri violin from Cremona, generously loaned to him by Canimex.

Gaspard Tanguay-Labrosse is one of the most sought-after chamber pianists and collaborators on the Montreal music scene. As a professor at the Conservatoire de musique de Trois-Rivières, he has also accompanied numerous instrumentalists and singers from the Université de Montréal and McGill University during their musical training. He has collaborated with several recognized Quebec institutions, including I Musici de Montréal, the OSM Competition, Ballet-Opéra-Pantomime, and Orford Music. Additionally, he serves as the rehearsal pianist for the Choeur de la Montagne. Gaspard Tanguay-Labrosse holds a doctorate in interpretation from the Université de Montréal and a master’s degree from the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Among his teachers are Jean Saulnier, Roland Keller, Marc Durand, and Christiane Claude. His musical activities have taken him to various venues across Quebec and the rest of Canada. He has also received awards in several national and international competitions, including the Shean Competition in Edmonton, the competition of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, the Prix d’Europe, and the Julia Crane International Competition in the United States.