Gaston Brisson

Son of Ernest Brisson, a popular fiddler in the Rimouski region, he studied piano in Bathurst, NB, and with Yvonne Hubert at the École Vincent-d'Indy in Montreal. In 1964 he won first prize at the Quebec Music Festivals (Canadian Music Competitions). In 1967, he turned to popular music however, and worked in the years following as accompanist to Jacqueline Barrette, Clémence Desrochers, Georges Dor, Pauline Julien, and others. While accompanist 1974-5 to Yvon Deschamps, he collaborated on the music for some of the monologist's songs.

Brisson played Tony Panneton in the premiere (1974) of Les Hauts et les bas d'la vie d'une diva: Sarah Ménard par eux-mêmes, with music by Jacques Perron, and appeared in all performances of that musical through 1978. He was composer of Heureux celui qui meurt de rire(1976), a show starring Jacqueline Barrette, and he opened his own one-man show at Le Patriote (Montreal). He played his Concertino for piano and orchestra 1 Apr 1978 with the MSO. His recordings include the LPs Corridor (1975, Cap ST-70.040), Gaston Brisson (1976, Kébec-Disc KD-915), and Filigranes (1977, Kébec-Disc KD-936), each a collection largely of his compositions and arrangements (folk songs and dances) for instrumental ensemble.

After accompanying the singers Éviola (1983) and Emmanuelle (1984-5), Brisson retired in his native region as organist of the Pointe-aux-Pères parish. He has taught in Rimouski and has performed occasionally at conferences. In 1990, he composed the music for Victor-Lévy Beaulieu's drama'Le Veau a trois pattes''presented on CBC TV. The following year, he prepared the sound track, from Sylvain Lelièvre's music, for the play Les Héros de mon enfance by Michel Tremblay, performed in Rimouski.