The Orchestre symphonique de Gatineau (OSG) is a non-profit organization comprised of 57 professional musicians, many of whom come from the greater Gatineau area. The Orchestra’s Musical and Artistic Director is Mr. Yves Léveillé. The Orchestra contributes greatly to the cultural and artistic development of the City of Gatineau and the Greater Outaouais Region.

• Aim for artistic excellence, offer the community a high-quality, original and highly entertaining repertoire;
• Have an educational mission, and promote the development of programming that gives the highest priority to artistic education for young people, in partnership with school boards and a major private sponsor;
• Be accessible to the whole community, and promote partnerships with other artistic and cultural organizations in the region;
• Serve as a stepping stone for up-and-coming musicians who have graduated from various music institutions in the region;
• Be a proud ambassador of its community and city, and contribute to the emergence of the region’s artistic and tourism industries, as well as enhance residents’ quality of life;
• Work together with various organizations in the region on co-productions, and work with Gatineau cultural organizations like the Maison de la culture, music schools and the Conservatoire de musique du Québec in Gatineau;
• Represent a major opportunity for visibility for companies and businesses in the region through its broad public profile and the appeal of its promotional campaigns.

Thanks to the energy and devotion of so many people, the Orchestre symphonique de Gatineau will earn a place of honour in the artistic community of the fourth largest city in Québec. Here is a brief profile of the people behind the Orchestra:

Yves Léveillé

Artistic Director and Conductor

Yves Léveillé is a graduate and prize recipient from the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Gatineau in clarinet and chamber music. In October 2006, he was appointed Interim Director of the Conservatoire de musique de Gatineau, a position he held until June 2007. Since 1985, he has taught clarinet, chamber music, and introductory conducting at the Conservatoire. He also directs the Orchestra and Chorus of the Conservatoire de musique du Québec à Gatineau.
 
An 11-time recipient of Quebec government scholarships, he attended clarinet workshops in Chicago with Robert Marcellus, as well as workshops in contemporary music, choir conducting, singing, and the rudiments of violin. 

Mr. Léveillé then studied orchestral conducting at Sienna, Italy, thanks to financial support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Quebec. Yves Léveillé was nominated artist of the year and received the Culturiades Prize from the City of Gatineau in the “Creation” category in 1998.

Mr. Léveillé played bass clarinet with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra from 1983 to 2003, first clarinet with the Orchestre des Concerts symphoniques de Gatineau for almost 20 years, and first clarinet with the Savoy Society of Ottawa. He is a founding member of the Ensemble du Jeu Présent and the Avignon wind quintet, and he also served as Director of the École de musique d’Orléans (MIFO) from 1992 to 1995. 

As a conductor, Mr. Léveillé has directed the Orchestre régional de l’Outaouais on numerous school tours for more than one hundred performances. With support from the Canada Council for the New Millennium, he presented the Deuxième symphonie du royaume by Marius Tremblay, and the Concerto 2000 for Flute and Orchestra, by composer Jan Järvlepp. In March 2009, he also presented the Double Concerto for Flute, English Horn and Symphony Orchestra by Jan Järvlepp.

From 1999 to 2003, he directed Les Productions lyriques de Gatineau. As a clarinetist and conductor, Yves Léveillé has been involved in numerous recordings, such as: Contretemps/Go, Sax Lib, Passions symphoniques, Keep close to God, Classic Gypsy, Hommage à la chanson française with Noël Samyn, Les Deux Rives, and L’artiste de Noël, with orchestra and the singing group Top Passion. 

Behind-The-Scenes

Members of the Board of Directors of the Orchestre symphonique de Gatineau

The Board of Directors of the Orchestre symphonique de Gatineau is made up of individuals whose expertise is as varied as it is unique, but who are also totally and utterly dedicated to the artistic development of our city and our region. Beyond that, they are all great music lovers.

• Peter Barnes, President of Censiomax Inc.; Chairman of the Board
• Célyne Malette, Senior Consultant, Writer and Translator–Editor; Vice Chair of the Board
• Benoît Hubert, Vice President, PGF Consultants Inc.; Director
• Marc St-Denis, Chiropractor / Functional Medicine; Director
• Étienne Boulrice, General Manager, Gestion MLJ; Director
• Jean-François Béland, Vice President, Business Development,
  AREVA Canada Inc.; Director

Chairman of the Board – Peter Barnes

Peter Barnes served as Vice Chairman of the OSG Board of Directors from its incorporation in January 2007, before being appointed to the position of Chairman in April 2009.

A graduate of the University of Ottawa, the University of Montreal and the École nationale d’administration publique, Peter Barnes is currently President of Censiomax Inc., a business consultancy specializing in the information technology, communications and international trade sectors.

He was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association from 1999 until 2008, and was previously Vice President, Public Affairs with AT&T Canada Enterprises and served as a member of the Board of Directors of AT&T Canada Long Distance Services. Previously, he was Vice President, Government and Regulatory Affairs with Mobility Canada. In that capacity, he also served as a member and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association.

Mr. Barnes also serves in a number of volunteer organizations including his roles as a member of the Prime Minister’s three-person Business Advisory Council on Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the University of Ottawa Foundation.

Executive Director – Yves Marchand

After working with a local communications and marketing agency for 13 years, Yves Marchand founded “Les Productions Yves Marchand” in October 2005, an artistic production and marketing/communications firm.

More recently, Productions Yves Marchand have been handling programming for Place de la Cité in Gatineau, and the company is in charge of artistic direction and cultural programming for the Finale des Jeux du Québec, which will be held in Gatineau in the summer of 2010. The company also regularly organizes symposia and forums in the region.