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Monique Leyrac

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Monique Leyrac
Born
Monique Tremblay

(1928-02-26)26 February 1928
Montreal, Quebec
Died15 December 2019(2019-12-15) (aged 91)
Cowansville, Quebec
NationalityCanadian
Occupation(s)Singer, actress
Known for"Mon Pays"
AwardsOrder of Canada
National Order of Quebec
Governor General's Performing Arts Award

Monique Leyrac, OC CQ (26 February 1928 – 15 December 2019) was a Canadian singer and actress [1] who popularized many songs by French-Canadian composers.[2]

Early life

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Leyrac was born Monique Tremblay in Montreal, Quebec.[3] She helped raise her siblings while her mother worked as a milliner, while educating herself by reading poetry and fiction. She studied drama with Madame Maubourg.[4]

Career

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Leyrac began her acting career on the radio in 1943, using her knowledge of music and drama.[3] In 1965 she won the grand prize at the Sopot International Song Festival in Poland for her rendition of Gilles Vigneault's "Mon Pays".[5] That year she also won first prize at the Festival de la Chanson at Ostende, Belgium. In 1967 she sang at Expo 67.[6]

Leyrac was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1967 and was the subject of an hour-long documentary on CBC television in 1972.[3] She received the 1979 Prix de musique Calixa-Lavallée. She recorded ten albums of music,[6] and in the 1980s she began to write and stage one-woman shows in which she sang and acted.[7]

In 1997, Leyrac received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award, Canada's highest honour in the performing arts.[8] In 1998, she was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec.[9]

In 2007 a boxed set, Leyrac/La diva des années 60, was released, containing three albums of her performed songs, many by Quebec composers, as well as a DVD with a short documentary of her life and career.[10] In 2013 Leyrac was presented with the Prix Denise-Pelletier for her outstanding career in the performing arts.[11][12]

In 2019 a biography of Leyrac's life, written by François Dompierre, was released.[13]

Leyrac had been married for twenty-five years to actor-director Jean Dalmain, from 1952 to 1977.[14] Leyrac died on 15 December 2019 in Cowansville, Quebec at the age of 91.[15]

References

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  1. ^ Catherine Pépin, "Exclusif : une rencontre intime avec Monique Leyrac, à écouter dès maintenant". Ici Radio-Canada, 26 February 2019.
  2. ^ "If Piaf Was France, Leyrac is Quebec". Victoria Daily Colonist, via Newspaper Archives. 27 October 1973 - Page 115.
  3. ^ a b c Alexis Luko, Rachelle Taylor and Hélène Plouffe, "Monique Leyrac". The Canadian Encyclopedia, 12 March 2007.
  4. ^ Jacques Lanctôt, "Magnifique Monique Leyrac". Le Journal de Montreal, 23 June 2019
  5. ^ Carlotta Hacker. The Book of Canadians. Hurtig; 1 October 1983. ISBN 978-0-88830-243-4. p. 130.
  6. ^ a b Bill Marshall. France and the Americas. ABC-CLIO; 2005. ISBN 978-1-85109-411-0. p. 720.
  7. ^ "Leyrac's one-woman performance managed only sporadic rapport". Winnipeg Free Press, Newspaper Archives. 27 November 1988 - Page 22
  8. ^ "Monique Leyrac biography". Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  9. ^ "La chanteuse Monique Leyrac est décédée". TVA Nouvelles, 15 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Monique Leyrac: la diva des années 60". Ici Radio-Canada, 8 May 2007.
  11. ^ Luc Boulanger, "Prix du Québec: divine Monique Leyrac". La Presse, 29 October 2013.
  12. ^ Martin Ouellet, "Monique Leyrac et Paul Gérin-Lajoie honorés lors de la remise des Prix du Québec". L'Actualité, 12 November 2013
  13. ^ Mario Girard, "Leyrac vue par Dompierre". La Presse, 8 April 2019.
  14. ^ Vigneault, Alexandre (1 April 2010). "Décès de Jean Dalmain (1915-2010)".
  15. ^ Mayssa Ferah, "La chanteuse Monique Leyrac s’éteint à 91 ans". La Presse, 15 December 2019.
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