Les Amis de l'art

Les Amis de l'art

Les Amis de l'art. A non-profit society founded in Montreal in 1942 by Mesdames Aline Hector Perrier and J.-E. Perrault with the dual aim of facilitating students' access to the arts and encouraging young talent. The society was organized following a large exhibition of masterworks of classical painters at the Museum of Fine Arts. It was registered in 1942 and incorporated in 1950. By 1953 it had 22,000 supporters. Until it became a foundation in 1953, its principal musical activity was to offer concert tickets to members at reduced prices. After that time subscription campaigns were organized, and the proceeds enabled the society to organize educational concerts and to grant numerous scholarships.

Shortly after its founding, the society became a member of the International Federation of JM and sent a representative to the 1949 congress at Rotterdam, but this affiliation ended in 1950 when the JMC joined the international federation. In 1956 Les Amis de l'art instituted special scholarships of $2500 and also began to award substantial prizes, bearing the names of their donors, at various important competitions such as the MSO Concours and the Canadian Music Competitions. Among the scholarship winners were Denis Brott, Monique Gendron, Nicole Lorange, Louis-Philippe Pelletier, and André Prévost. The organization was discontinued in 1980. Records relating to its administrative history are held at the University of Montreal.