For more than five decades, Gilles Garand has been a musician, organizer, advocate and tireless champion of Quebec’s traditional music, dance and living heritage. Beginning as a musician and cultural activist in the 1970s, his work has centred on ensuring that traditional arts are not only preserved, but practised, shared and passed from one generation to the next.
As a musician, Gilles performed with Les Ruine Babines, taught harmonica, collected traditional music in Quebec and Louisiana, composed for theatre and film, and helped bring Quebec traditional music to audiences throughout Quebec, Acadia and Louisiana. His advocacy also extended to musicians themselves: following the creation of the Syndicat de la Musique du Québec, he served as its national vice-president and worked to improve conditions for music workers.
Gilles became a leading force in Quebec’s living heritage community through the Société pour la promotion de la danse traditionnelle québécoise, serving as its president from 1995 to 2020, and as founder and artistic director of La Grande Rencontre from 1992 to 2020. He also helped establish the Conseil québécois du patrimoine vivant and served on its board for 28 years in numerous leadership roles.
His commitment to transmission can be seen throughout his work: the École des Arts de la Veillée, workshops and traditional music sessions, camps and training programs, the Veillées du Plateau, international showcases, and countless opportunities created for artists and tradition bearers. Through Folquébec, which he has chaired since 2005, he has also helped bring nearly 200 Quebec artists to international presenters and audiences.
Whether playing harmonica or accordion, organizing a festival, creating opportunities for artists, or bringing people together around music and dance, Gilles Garand has spent more than 50 years ensuring that living traditions remain exactly that: living, shared and carried forward.