Palais Montcalm

Palais Montcalm

Palais Montcalm. A municipal building erected 1931-2 in Québec City, based on the design of Ludger Robitaille, Gabriel Desmeule, and a certain Pinsonneault, with a $150,000 grant from the Canadian government. It is situated at Place d'Youville, on the site of the former Montcalm Market. The building, called Monument national at its inauguration, encloses offices, a pool (discontinued in 1986) and a 1500-seat hall, which has replaced the Auditorium de Québec and which was named Salle Raoul-Jobin in 1989.

Inaugurated 21 Oct 1932 with a special concert by the Société symphonique de Québec (Quebec Symphony Orchestra), the Palais Montcalm (former QSO violinist and impressario J. A. Gauvin was among its early directors), has housed the activities of the Institut canadien 1932-44, the Quebec SO 1932-59 and 1962-70, and, beginning in 1988, the Arquemuse music school. In 1940 the CBC installed its offices in the building and in 1990 still used the Salle Raoul-Jobin and its recording studio for live music broadcasts and radio programs. Endowed with excellent acoustics, the hall was renovated in 1961 and the orchestra pit was enlarged, permitting the hall's use by the Théâtre lyrique de Nouvelle France and the Société lyrique d'Aubigny for the presentation of operas. The 1970 construction of the Grand Théâtre de Québec may have overshadowed the Palais Montcalm in the realm of serious music and large-scale productions, but the municipal government planned in 1991 to renovate the building once more and ensure its continued use as a theatre.

In 1996, the Société du Palais Montcalm was constituted to administer the halls of the Palais Montcalm. Extensive renovations were begun in 2004 to modernize and upgrade the facility and make it into a multifunctional arts complex. In 2007, to celebrate its history, the Société in collaboration with the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec published the souvenir book Le Palais Montcalm : 75 ans d'émotions.

The 979 seat Salle Raoul-Jobin became the permanent home to Les Violons du Roy with an inaugural concert in March 2007. The Salle d'Youville is a multi-purpose hall available for concerts, receptions or conferences. The Galerie Banque Nationale Groupe financier, intended for exhibitions by professional visual artists was inaugurated in May 2010.