Nearly 3 years after surviving sword attack, Quebec City musician heads to New York | 24CA News
Even as he packs his baggage, Quebec’s Rémy Bélanger , often called Rémy Bélanger de Beauport on stage, can hardly imagine he’ll be residing in New York City lower than per week from now.
“It’s funny. I’m almost shy to say this, but this is going to be my first time in New York City,” he mentioned. “I’m going to the place where the music I’m into is happening.”
Bélanger, who describes himself as a free improv cellist, was chosen for the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec’s five-month residency in SoHo. The program is open to artists from all disciplines, from visible arts to music and literature, however solely these with greater than 10 years of expertise are eligible to use.
“I had never applied before, but last year I thought ‘Here’s a promise to myself: I’m applying for the first time for the studio in New York and I’ll be applying for the next 10 years if I have to, but I’m going to go there eventually,’” he mentioned. “And I got it on the first try.”
The grant is price greater than $19,000 and offers a choose artist with a furnished condominium in New York, with the objective of totally immersing them within the metropolis’s artwork scene. It first got here to be in 1981 and dozens of native artists have taken half within the residency since.
“It’s an honour. I was selected on the basis of my work, by my peers, by the CALQ,” Bélanger mentioned. “But also it’s great to go to New York and have an apartment to myself and to just think about my art, but in a new place, in a new way.”
It’s fairly the turnaround since not way back, Bélanger was pressured to place his music profession on maintain. He was one among seven individuals stabbed throughout a random sword assault in Quebec City’s historic district on Halloween evening 2020. Two individuals died of their accidents.
“I like that when we talk about my music now, the focus is really on the music and not on (the attack),” he mentioned. “But of course, it’s a part of me, and it’s a part of my experience, and a lot of people probably know me just because of that.”
He went via almost two years of intensive physiotherapy and ergotherapy after the assault.
“Anything I was gaining, was a true gain. … In November 2020, I couldn’t stand up, so the moment I could stand up was such a gain for my musical life because now I could play standing up … I couldn’t use my fingers for a while, then I could use them,” he defined. “I’m not thinking about what I could do before and I can’t do now. I try not to go in that direction.”
Bélanger has needed to make some minor modifications to the best way he performs, however he says he doesn’t see a lot of a distinction in his music.
“My music has always been about the body and breathing and exploring the limits of the body, and so in that way, my trajectory as an artist has not changed,” he mentioned. “It’s just the limits of my body are different. The fingers don’t feel the same … the shoulders are kind of different.”
The cellist hopes to make use of his upcoming residency as a chance to forge new connections, but additionally to proceed his many ongoing tasks, together with a vinyl album and 4 compositions.
“I want to see the best players, I want to hear the best music and hopefully, of course, I’ll be influenced by the music I hear there,” Bélanger mentioned. “And also it’s such a mystery to me how people get to live there, cause it’s getting super expensive.”
Bélanger will reside and work in New York till the top of December, after which he hopes to proceed his work with the Ensemble de musique improvisée de Québec.
