Open Letter to the Prime Minister of Québec

Monsieur Prime Minister & Madame Minister of Culture,

It is while being in rehearsal of Carmen that I am presently conducting in Vancouver that I learned of the rumors concerning the possible closure of the Québec Regional Music Conservatories.  To be honest with you, I almost dropped my baton.

Having graduated from the Conservatory as a conductor, the education that I received allows me to pursue a fulfilling career on some of the most important stages in the world, as well as become the first Québecois named to the head of an American orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, while keeping my roots in my hometown as artistic director of the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières.  As such, I join my voice to the recent chorus of protest and I fully support the preservation of this unique institution that is the pride and cultural richness of our distinct society.

Thanks to the Conservatories, young musical talents of the various regions benefit from an exceptional relationship with their professors through a continuous curriculum from early childhood to the university level, going well beyond learning their instrument—something that neither the private or public sector can provide.  The Conservatories constitute a true human heritage of inestimable value.  If an individual had the idea to destroy a heritage building, it would be severely judged by society.  Why then should it be otherwise in the case of human heritage?  It makes me shudder to think that, in an instant, an administrative decision could destroy such an institution of knowledge that has taken decades to build.

I understand that the government faces numerous challenges.  However, I think that the European leaders after WWII were confronted with far more dramatic challenges.  Vienna, which was severely damaged by the horrors of war, saw its National Opera reconstructed even before its Parliament and City Hall.  The leaders at the time understood that a nation is defined first and foremost by its culture and that it is precisely during those times of difficulty that art and culture is most needed.

If the financial situation of Québec is so difficult, this lesson from history should serve as inspiration.  The decision to close an institution because of a budgetary deficit can easily be made by simple accounting software.  In contrast, the decision to give an institution as important as the Conservatory the means to flourish can only come from a great state leader.  Do you and your government want to be remembered in history as the gravediggers of the culture of our distinct society and its institutions, or rather as true leaders and inspired and visionary builders?  Your decisions to come will no doubt respond to this question…

Monsieur Prime Minister Couillard, if you have ever dreamed of being a great conductor, today you have a unique occasion to rise to the heights of your responsibilities.

Jacques Lacombe, C.M., C.Q.