Bluesmen and blueswomen of all stripes are welcome!
In tune with the Festival international de Jazz de Montréal's mission of promoting music making, the Blues Camp presented by TD offers some 50 young people a unique lifetime opportunity to live their musical passion for seven straight days and learn the ropes, all with the help of professionals from the world of music who will accompany them at the final show on the TD stage before a live audience, at the wind-up to the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal.
Results of the auditions:
All of the audition results will be forwarded to you by May 2, 2013. You'll also receive a subsequent letter containing all of the comments the judge has noted in your file.
Details on the Blues Camp:
Date: Sunday June 30, to Saturday, July 6, 2013
Time: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the possibility of one or two evening outings.
Location: Cégep du Vieux Montréal
Groups lessons, clinics and private concerts are an integral part of the program, which the team responsible for the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal has designed especially for you.
Important new information regarding intruments:
Unlike previous editions, during this year's Blues Camp, you will be required to bring your own instruments (including drums, keyboards and amps) and leave them on-site.
See you soon!
The Blues Camp team
What's being said...
In the news
"The Blues Camp was probably the best experience of my life (at least, to this point... and probably for the rest of my life).
Along with allowing us to deepen our musical knowledge and play on the biggest stage at the Festival de Jazz, the Camp allowed us to experience extraordinary encounters with other musicians! We had a blast playing at the highest level with high-calibre artists, but also with other young people who share the same passion we do... to make new friends and lose one's shyness."
Ariel, saxophonist, Ste-Agathe
"The Blues Camp isn't simply a ‘camp' like others. It's probably one of the shortest, but also one of the most educational. A few days before joining the Camp, I experienced some difficult moments. I didn't think I was capable of learning anything in so short a time period, but I was wrong. The Blues Camp team quickly became a second family that surrounded you in a ‘magical' way. We met pros-firstly, our teachers, and secondly, personalities like Bob Harrisson, Paul Deslauriers, Jim Zeller and many others. Before the Camp, I didn't think I was capable of improvising a solo in a blues song and doing it like a professional. Now, I can confirm that I learned more in 7 days than in 3 years! In short, the Blues Camp changed my life for the better!"
Kevin, guitarist, Montréal
"This Camp was fabulous, a wonderful voyage through the world of blues music. Seeing so many motivated, skilled musicians empowered me to pursue my own musical interests. I left the Camp ready to continue the mission at home with my guitar. Furthermore, the open-spirited atmosphere, created as much by the instructors and organizers as by the "bluesmen" and "blueswomen," was always warm and friendly! In short, it's a beautiful experience that I recommend to all music lovers, even if they don't really know the blues that well, because that makes it even more magical."
Aristide, singer, Montréal
"For me, the best moment in the Camp, not including the finale performance, was the opportunity to have open-hearted discussions with other adolescents about many musical genres that we all love."
John, drummer, Laval
"The day when we joined the clinics, and all those artists came in to share their experiences with us... Frankly, the entire Camp was a magical experience."
Francis, bassist, La Baie
"Writing a brilliant piece (Langosta !) as a group, but also having been able to meet so many people with the same passion and, above all, having had the opportunity to play with other excellent musicians that I still hang around with today!"
Vincent, bassist, Mascouche
"The first day I met the members of my group, the chemistry was there right from the very beginning, and we played as an ensemble really quickly. It was truly special. Another beautiful moment came when we heard the Blues Camp pros for the first time, and we understood who we were dealing with, and what we could expect for the week ahead."
Benjamin, trumpeter, Longueuil
"I had been so stressed out during our performance in the final show, that when I walked offstage, the after-shock was enormous! It was absolutely amazing to play for so many people!"
Laurianne, trumpeter, Longueuil
"The strongest moments I experienced came during our group practice sessions! I had a group I could speak with about music, and from that moment, I felt at home. As the days passed, the links between us grew tighter and tighter. That's a large part of the reason I wanted to be chosen for the Camp, to share my passions with such wonderful people."
John Henry, bassist, Anse-Pleureuse
"DEFINITELY, the moment when we closed out the show for an ecstatic crowd!"
Nicolae, pianist, Montréal
"The practices and jam sessions with my group. The dynamics of playing in a blues group with so many members were entertaining and different, because I often just play with a drummer."
Adrian, guitarist, Kirkland
"I wish to thank you all for giving me this extraordinary opportunity to work with, learn from and perform with such dedicated, energetic and talented people. Every one of you took the time to encourage me, inspire me and help me improve my musical skills. I felt your genuine interest in me as an individual and as a musician (I am sure everyone felt that way, hopefully). The Blues Camp experience was more than I could have imagined. I met wonderful musicians (Stephen Barry, Paul Deslaurier and Jim Zeller were amazing), made new friends and discovered there are lots of people out there, young and not-so-young, who are keeping the Blues alive and love it as much as me. Since the camp I believe my playing has already improved!
Thank you again for making this an unforgettable week."
Graham, guitarist
« Un des moments les plus forts que j'ai vécu dans le cadre du camp de blues (...) était le jour ou j'ai appris que j'avais été sélectionné. Ce-jour là, j'étais à l'école et, durant une pause, j'ai appelé la coordonnatrice, et c'est à ce moment que j'ai appris la merveilleuse nouvelle. Je ne saurais décrire comment je me suis sentit à ce moment précis, je pense que je n'ai plus porté attention à mes cours de la journée! Chose certaine, j'étais immensément heureux. Par la suite j'ai fait parti des rares chanceux qui ont pu vivre l'expérience extraordinaire et enrichissante qu'est le camp de blues. J'aimerais remercier tous les organisateurs, le prof, les invités et tout le monde qui ont fait en sorte que j'ai pu passer une des plus belle et plus constructive semaine de ma vie!
Un gros merci a tous »
Raphaël, drum
« Bien que le spectacle fut un moment fort pour tous, mon moment fort du camp Blues est le spectacle de Bob Harrison, un batteur et chanteur qui me faisait beaucoup penser à BB King à travers sa musique surtout par sa façon de la livrer avec une grande franchise. Il ne faisait pas que jouer ses chansons, il les "feelait" et donnait tout un spectacle. C'est donc sans surprise que tout le monde s'est unanimement levé pour applaudir sa prestation. »
Philippe, guitar
« L'ambiance qu'il y avait en arrière de la scène, que cela soit avant ou après notre prestation, c'était un moment inoubliable! »
Mathieu, guitar
« Le premier jour, en clinique. Christian Mallette m'a donné tellement de nouveaux outils que mon style de jeu c'est amélioré énormément depuis. Étant autodidacte, je n'avais jamais eu de cours ou de professeur. Tous ces outils vont me suivre pour le reste de mes jours! »
Marc-Antoine, guitar
« Je suis un élève du camp qui tient à remercier toute l'équipe du camp de blues qui ont fait en sorte que je vive cette magnifique expérience. Merci aux professeurs et à tous les autres acteurs qui ont agit pour faire de ce camp une expérience inoubliable.
Merci beaucoup ! »
Musicalement, Ziko, bass
Vive le blues
« Le moment que j'ai le plus apprécié est lorsque nous avons retrouvé pour la première fois notre combo et que nous avons appris à nous connaitre. »
Théo, trombone
« Le camp de blues 2011 a été une expérience inouïe dont je me rappellerai toute ma vie. Mon rêve est de devenir musicien professionnel et j'ai eu l'impression d'y goûter un peu. Tout est mis en place pour qu'on se sente comme chez nous mais en mieux...dans un endroit où règne la musique. »
Étienne, guitar