Émilie Fortin is a passionate musician and teacher who explores all possible facets of the trumpet. A versatile performer, she is a freelance writer for several groups and orchestras. Seeking to enrich the repertoire of her instrument, she has participated in the creation of more than fifteen works internationally with various composers, besides being the artistic director of the collective of soloists Bakarlari. She was part of the Funky Bastards for 3 years, and has been playing in the Griffon Brass Band for 5 years. Very active on the Montreal scene, she frequently performs in recital with pianist Olivier Hébert-Bouchard and in free improvisation with clarinetist Charlotte Layec, while perfecting herself on the baroque trumpet with Alexis Basque.
Originally from Abitibi-Témiscamingue, she studied at the Conservatoire de musique de Val-d’Or in the class of Frédéric Demers. She then moved on to a bachelor’s degree in classical performance with Lise Bouchard at the University of Montreal. In 2017, she completed her master’s degree at McGill University under the tutelage of Russell DeVuyst.
Perfecting herself with great masters such as James Watson, Karen Donnely, Thierry Champs and Peter Evans, Émilie always seeks to surpass herself in her personal practice. It is with this in mind that we have notably participated in soundSCAPE Festival (Italy), the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance and Practice (Boston) and the Toronto Creative Music Lab. She has worked, among others, with members of the International Contemporary Ensemble (Banff Center for the Arts), Fifth House Ensemble (Fresh Inc. Festival) and Vinko Globokar (Laboratorium).
Firmly believing that pedagogy is an inseparable element of interpretation, Émilie is a teacher in various high schools in the region as a specialist. For 3 years, she has also had the chance to teach trombone, trumpet and music theory in Croix-des-Bouquets and Jacmel (Haiti) with the Ambassadors. During the 2017-2018 season, she had the chance to improve herself in community teaching with the team of The Global Leaders, having been one of the 35 people selected from around the world to be part of this adventure. This allowed her to be a guest professor in Bolivia (Conservatorio Plurinacional de Mùsica), Chile (Viva la Mùsica Panguipulli), Panama (Orquestra Veragüense de Vientos) and Washington (DC Youth Orchestra Program).