Desmarais, Lorraine

The Jazz pianist and composer Lorraine Desmarais is known in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa for her solo, trio and big band performances. She has also appeared with many symphony orchestras, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestre métropolitain du Grand-Montréal, the Orchestre symphonique de Laval, and the Orquestra Sinfonica de Galicia (Spain).

It was in 1984 that her jazz career took off in this country, when the Montreal International Jazz Festival awarded her a first prize. She now has nine albums of original compositions to her name, including some jazz standards. Two of these albums (Trio Lorraine Desmarais and Jazz pour Noël) have received Félix awards at the ADISQ gala.

She is also the recipient of numerous prizes, among them the First Prize at the Great Jazz...

The Jazz pianist and composer Lorraine Desmarais is known in the US, Europe, Asia and Africa for her solo, trio and big band performances. She has also appeared with many symphony orchestras, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Orchestre métropolitain du Grand-Montréal, the Orchestre symphonique de Laval, and the Orquestra Sinfonica de Galicia (Spain).

It was in 1984 that her jazz career took off in this country, when the Montreal International Jazz Festival awarded her a first prize. She now has nine albums of original compositions to her name, including some jazz standards. Two of these albums (Trio Lorraine Desmarais and Jazz pour Noël) have received Félix awards at the ADISQ gala.

She is also the recipient of numerous prizes, among them the First Prize at the Great Jazz Piano American Competition, the Oscar Peterson Award of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, the SOCAN and SPACQ André Gagnon Prize (instrumental music), the Artistic Creation Award of the Conseil des Arts et des lettres du Québec prize and the Ontario Arts Foundation Prize for Keyboard Artistry.
Lorraine Desmarais has appeared in concert with artists of worldwide renown such as Oliver Jones, Chick Corea, Joanne Brackeen, Marian McPartland, Tiger Okoshi, Paquito D'Rivera, Guido Basso, Jane Bunnett, Alain Caron, François Bourassa, Michel Cusson and the Big Band Diva of New York. Her great versatility has enabled her to work with artists in the classical music scene such as Angèle Dubeau and La Pietà, as well as with artists in the popular music scene of Quebec such as Ariane Moffat, Martin Deschamps, Jim Corcoran, Michel Rivard and Bruno Pelletier and Sylvain Cossette.