Production partners

Renowned as the founder of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, the FrancoFolies de Montréal and the MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE, Alain Simard has been President and CEO of L’Équipe Spectra since its inception in 1977, when he teamed up with André Ménard and Denyse McCann. Before the 1980 launch of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, in 1979 he created the Spectra record label and Spectel Vidéo, one of Quebec’s very first private television companies, which has since produced hundreds of programs, including the famed RBO series. At that time, he also served as manager and agent for such artists as Paul Piché, Claude Dubois, Offenbach and Michel Rivard. After presenting numerous blues, jazz and chanson shows at the Cinéma Outremont, in 1978 he convinced France-Films to present concerts at the Théâtre St-Denis cinema (including the Beau Dommage farewell concert); the following year, the Théâtre was permanently converted into a live venue. He then staged concerts at El Casino before launching the Spectrum de Montréal in 1983 and co-founding Audiogram Records in 1985, remaining its president until 1992. He also presided over the acquisition of Studio Morin Heights, Métropolis and a number of television production companies, notably Sogestalt and Amérimage.

In summer 2005, he organized the 50th festival of his career and launched a project to revitalize the public spaces around Place des Arts in order to ensure the future of festivals in the downtown core. This would become the first phase of the Quartier des Spectacles’ Programme particulier d’urbanisme. In summer 2009, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, he would at last see his great dream become reality, with the transformation of the Blumenthal Building into the Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan, and the inauguration of the Place des Festivals, for which he organized a show starring Stevie Wonder.

A recognized leader in Quebec’s cultural and tourism industries, this “Grand Montréalais” first began producing shows in 1969 with La Clef, an underground café-showbar he opened in Old Montréal, which also presented pop festivals in various Montréal halls and arenas, featuring the greatest rock groups of the era. He then joined the “hippie commune” known as Les Productions Kosmos, presenting the first North American appearances of such groups as Pink Floyd, Genesis and Gentle Giant at the Université de Montréal where, in 1970, he had organized shows for the start of the academic year. At 21 years of age, he even spoke to Yoko Ono about bringing John Lennon to Montréal for a major concert for peace. At the time, he was also columnist and music critic for Pop-Cycle and Pop-Rock newspapers, and travelled to Europe, South America and Africa.

A passionate entrepreneur and an acclaimed visionary with a vast knowledge of culture, Simard has been awarded many prizes and distinctions, including the Félix Hommage from the Gala de l’ADISQ, the Grand Prix Ulysse from Tourisme Montréal and the Prix Hommage from the Société des Fêtes et Festivals du Québec, as well as being named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres de la République française and Chevalier de l’ordre de la Pléiade, and receiving the TOYP (Ten Outstanding Young Persons) Award from the Osaka Chamber of Commerce — in addition to which he was granted an audience with the Emperor of Japan. In 2005, he received the Prix de la réussite Entreprendre, the McGill Management Achievement Award and the Ernst & Young Grand Prix de l’Entrepreneur (Media and Entertainment Categories, Quebec). He was also named Man of the Month by Commerce magazine in 1986, Grand Entrepreneur de l’Année at the 2004 Gala des Grands Performants, and in 2006, Businessman of the Year by the Consumers’ Choice Awards.

Alain Simard has sat on a number of boards of directors, including the one that led to the founding of l’ADISQ in 1980, as well as those of Tourisme Montréal and the Partenariat du Quartier des spectacles. According to a 2007 poll on the Canoe.com website, he is considered by Quebecers to be one of the top 10 builders of society. That same year Montréal Centre-ville magazine listed him among Montréal’s top 50 leaders, before awarding him its Prix Reconnaissance for 2009. Also in 2009, the results of a CROP-Les Affaires-Knightsbridge poll placed Alain Simard among the top 10 leaders who most inspire Quebecers. He has been named La Presse Personality of the Week on four occasions, and in 2000, The Gazette included him among the top 100 Montrealers of the 20th century.

Distinctions:

• Alain Simard participated in the founding of l'ADISQ and was elected to represent concert producers on the first board of directors in 1979.
• Awarded the Félix for Producer of the Year at the gala de l'ADISQ (1981)
• Successor to Charles Dutoit as Grand Montréalais of the Future in the music sector at the 6th annual Grands Montréalais Gala in 1983.
• Named Personality of the Week by La Presse on four occasions (1985-1998-2001-2004)
• Named Man of the Month by Commerce (August 1986)
• Honoured by the Cercle des Bâtisseurs Molson (1986)
• Honorary diploma awarded by the Graduates Association of the HÉC (1986)
• Chosen to represent Canada in Japan to receive the TOYP (Ten Outstanding Young Persons) award. Awarded the keys to the city of Osaka and welcomed by the Minister of Culture and granted an audience with the Emperor in the Imperial Palace (1987).
• Winner of the Trophée Grand Ulysse at the Gala du Tourisme (1988)
• Awarded the Certificat du leadership québécois (1989)
• Winner of the Félix Imprésario of the Year at the gala de l'ADISQ (1990)
• Winner of the Canadian Tourism Silver Medal (1990-91)
• Named to the Chevalier des Arts et lettres in France (1993)
• Awarded the Félix Hommage at the gala de l'ADISQ (1996)
• Awarded the Prix Hommage by the Société des Fêtes et Festivals du Québec (1997)
• Ranked 34th in the annual standings of the most important and influential businesspeople in Quebec, published annually in Commerce (1999).
• Listed among the 100 Most Eminent Montrealers of the Millennium by readers of the Montreal Gazette (1999)
• Awarded the special Mérites du français dans le commerce 2000 by the Office de la langue française
• Named 5th most influential personality in the Quebec cultural sector by La Presse on January 26, 2002.
• Alain Simard receives the honorary title Ambassadeur du programme en gestion du tourisme et de l'hôtellerie from UQAM, awarded by the Association étudiante du baccalauréat en gestion du tourisme et de l'hôtellerie (GTH) (April 2002)
• Named a delegate to the Sommet de Montréal by the mayor in 2002.
• Awarded the Prix Gérald-Dame 2002 by the Regroupement des centres-villes et des artères commerciales (commercial development society) for his exceptional contribution to the development of downtown areas in Quebec.
• Chosen #1 among the 25 most influential personalities in January 2003 by La Presse.
• Honoured as a Grand Entrepreneur at the Gala Les Nouveaux Performants in February 2004.
• Awarded the grade of Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Pléiade in 2004
• Chosen 7th most influential personality in the Quebec cultural sector by La Presse on January 31, 2004.
• Awarded the title of Entrepreneur of the Year 2004 by the Groupe Perform, February 9, 2004.
• Alain Simard and Guy Laliberté are jointly named Personalities of the Week La Presse (underscoring the twin celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal and the 20th anniversary of the Cirque du Soleil).
• Awarded an honorary diploma, Honoris causa, by the ITHQ for his contribution to the promotion of gastronomy and his support for the cultural and tourism industries as founder of the MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS Festival – November 23, 2004
• Chosen #3 among the 25 most influential personalities in the arts sector by La Presse, January 29, 2005.
• Awarded the Ernst & Young Grand Prix de l'Entrepreneur 2005 (Media and Entertainment categories, Quebec) in October 2005.
• In the summer of 2005, Alain Simard celebrates his 50th festival!
• Male winner of the Prix de la réussite Entreprendre 2005, presented at the 9th annual dinner-gala held by the Cercle Entreprendre du Québec
• Alain Simard named a Grand Montréalais for the second time.
• L'Équipe Spectra receives special mention for Excellence in Marketing at the National Level at the national banquet held for the Ernst & Young Grand Prix de l'Entrepreneur 2005.
• Alain Simard is named a Grand Montréalais, entering the inner circle of the Académie des Grands Montréalais.
• Alain Simard, wins the Grand Prix de l'Entrepreneur 2005 (Media and Entertainment categories, Quebec) at the Ernst & Young Grand Prix de l'Entrepreneur 2005 Gala.
• Alain Simard is male winner of the Prix de la réussite Entreprendre 2005 at the 9th dinner-gala held by the Cercle Entreprendre du Québec.
• Alain Simard receives honourable mention for Excellence in Marketing at a National Level on behalf of L'Équipe Spectra, at the national banquet held for the Ernst & Young Grand Prix de l'Entrepreneur 2005 for Canada.
• Named Businessman of the Year 2006, a title presented during the 19th award ceremony gala for the COnsumers' Choice Awards, held in April in Montreal.
• Awarded the McGill Management Achievement Award from the McGill University Desautels Faculty of Management for his exceptional contribution to culture and the community.
• Alain Simard is considered by Quebecers as one of the 10 greatest builders, according to a 2007 survey conducted by the Canoë.com website.
• In summer 2007, Montréal Centre-ville lists Alain Simard among its 50 leaders of Montreal.
• In 2009, the results of a CROP-Les Affaires-Knightsbridge poll list Alain Simard among the Top 10 leaders who most inspire Quebecers
• Alain Simard receives the Reconnaissance 2009 award from Destination Centre-ville Montréal for his contribution to the development of downtown Montreal
• The Jazz Fest des jeunes du Québec awards its 2010 Prix-Hommage to Alain Simard.

André Ménard numbers among the most influential figures in the Quebec artistic community, having greatly contributed to the cultural life of Montreal. Working in the domain of live show and concert production since 1975, he has had a 30-year association with Alain Simard as cofounder and vice-president of L'Équipe Spectra. He is also the cofounder and artistic director of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.

He sat on the board of directors of ADISQ (Association québécoise de l'industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo) from 1980 to 1993 (including two years as president) and on the board of directors of the Chambre de Commerce du Montréal Métropolitain from 1992 to 1994. From June 2005 to December 2008, he sat on the board of directors of the Jazz Alliance International (JAI), a non-profit organization based in New York, a subsidiary of the International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) which gathers the major players connected to the jazz world; from 2001 to 2009, he also sat on the board of directors of Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois. He has been a member of the board of directors of the La La La Human Steps dance company since 1995. He has also been a member of the Conseil d'administration du partenariat du Quartier des spectacles since its inception in 2003. Ménard was also responsible for the original idea behind the “Quartier des theatres”, an idea first taken up and illustrated during a speech by Alain Simard at the Board of Trade in the late ’90s.

Awards/dedications

• Recipient of the first Hall of Fame Award, presented by National Jazz Awards Canada (2004)
• Winner of the Reconnaissance award presented by RIDEAU (2003)
• Winner of the prix Events producer of the year presented by the Jazz Journalist Association (2002)
• Personality of the Week, La Presse (2001)
• Chevalier des Arts et lettres of the French Republic (1993)
• Personality of the Week, La Presse (1988)

Jacques-André Dupont joined L'Équipe Spectra in 1988 and since 1992 has been Vice-President for Marketing and Business Development. Widely considered one of the leading experts in cultural marketing and sponsorship in Canada, he heads up a veteran management team that generates and administers over $20,000,000 in annual sponsorships.

He is responsible for market strategy as well as sales and marketing activities at L'Équipe Spectra, and works actively in developing products and projects in all sectors, especially for our three major events, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, Les FrancoFolies de Montréal and the MONTREAL HIGH LIGHTS Festival.

He is also the founder and managing director of the Montreal Guitar Show and supports the musical development of the next wave of Quebec talent through such intensive training programs as the Blues Camp and the Montreal Guitar Grand Prix.

In addition to his numerous responsibilities for L'Équipe Spectra, Jacques-André Dupont is also vice president and executive producer for X3 Productions corporation, a consortium assembling teams from gsmprjct°, Bleublancrouge and L'Équipe Spectra. X3 Productions is mandated to develop and present exhibitions of museum quality and international calibre.

Denyse McCann has been a member of L'Équipe Spectra since its inception. In the 1970s, alongside Alain Simard, she worked with Productions Kosmos to produce concerts by international rock acts (Pink Floyd, Genesis, Gentle Giant&hellip) in the centre sportif of l'Université de Montréal, as well as concerts by anglophone blues, jazz and rock artists in Théâtre Outremont, Café Campus and the Autostade.

In January 1977, she worked with Productions BeauBec, and with Spectra Scène in association with Alain Simard and André Ménard, producing shows in the Théâtre Outremont, as well as an arena tour by Harmonium and concerts by groups of that era from home and abroad: Plume, Octobre, Jim et Bertrand, Paul Piché, Beau Dommage, Offenbach, Claude Dubois, Michel Rivard; French artists including Jacques Higelin, Bernard Lavilliers, Catherine Lara, Téléphone; and American jazz/blues/roots artists including Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and George Thorogood.

She and her associates founded the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, launching it in 1980 at Man and His World, and a blues festival in the centre sportif in l'UdeM featuring B.B. King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, James Cotton, Koko Taylor and Blind John Davis.

That same year, L'Équipe Spectra launched the massive Québec Rock tour, visiting twenty Quebec arenas with Offenbach, Garolou and Zachary Richard, who also welcomed Joe Cocker. McCann handled booking as well as tour direction.

In 1988, McCann took over management of Articles promotionnels Azur where she worked on the development and market launch of all the Jazz Festival-related products. She established an art gallery showcasing works by such internationally-renowned artists as Miles Davis, Tony Bennett, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Alfred Pellan, Frederick Back, Armand Vaillancourt and Corno, to name a few.

Since the early 1990s, McCann has managed commercial operations of events and offered services to such prestigious events and clients as the Festival des Films du Monde, the Festival Juste pour rire, the Tour de l'île, the Fête Nationale, the Grand Prix de Montréal. She headed executive production of the Grande Fête du millénaire in the Palais des congrès, recreating the unique ambience of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. She collaborated on the very first edition of MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE and was also involved in the production of La Grande Mascarade in autumn 2003.

In 1995, McCann was named Vice-President Operations for L'Équipe Spectra and is involved in all strategic and executive decisions pertaining to the enterprise. She supervises festival layout, construction and logistics, as well as the human resources department.

In 2009, with the opening of the Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan, McCann took on supervision of operations for the Maison—Bistro Le Balmoral, the Galerie Lounge TD, the souvenir boutique, the Médiathèque Jazz/La Presse—and works in close collaboration with André Ménard on live performance venue L'Astral.