CLASSIQU’ARTS SD&G’s exceptional character stimulates the conversation towards the arts and instills within the community a new sense of pride for the hometown artists originating from SD&G (Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry counties) and Eastern Ontario. We encourage artists to collaborate outside of their normal artistic communities. It makes the arts accessible to a broad public, while presenting the finest local and internationally renowned performers.

In SD&G, the predominant disciplines are the visual arts, music and dance. Although there are many different genres and individual events involving these disciplines, our summer concerts are typically the only classical music events scheduled in SD&G during the summer period. In order to reflect the artistic grandeur of these events, they are presented at the divine historic St. Raphael’s Ruins located in the rural landscape of Glengarry County and at the Cocathédrale de La Nativité in Cornwall, which powerfully engage the minds of all who see them. These architecturally captivating sites evoke the history of the church while stimulating audiences with stunning performances.

Classiqu’Arts spotlights young up-and-coming future musical stars and dancers. Our concerts will be gratifying experiences for the audience because classical music is not normally accessible in SD&G during the summer months. They will constitute a remarkable opportunity for new performers to demonstrate their talents in front of the public eye. For the young musicians of the area, it will be a dream come true to be participating in events led by such prestigious musicians. Our exquisite presentations will encourage and inspire future generations to contribute their unique abilities to the cultural thread of SD&G and Eastern Ontario, as well as celebrate the evolution of our arts and culture. Our events will stimulate the economy of the area while boosting the visibility of the arts. As a result of our past successes, Classiqu’Arts’ future presentations will be the most sought out classical music events in Eastern Ontario.

Production Team

As a classically trained mezzo-soprano, recognized for her rich a velvety timbre, Danielle completed her studies at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal. She is one of the most sought-after young artists in the province of Québec, the rest of Canada and soon to be emerging onto the European stage.  Although her heart leans towards singing, Danielle ispassionate about cultivating and building special events. She returned to business school to complete a graduate diploma in art administration at the HEC « Hautes Études Commerciales » in Montreal.  Danielle has gained knowledge of the cultural industry while working at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra’s finance department as a fundraising agent for the youth and education programs while also working in the customer service and box office departments and in the sponsorship department responsible with the planning and organization of their Classical Music Spree Festival.  After being told that Eastern Ontario is labeled as an untouched peninsula of the arts, Danielle has been heavily involved in the arts and culture scene in Cornwall.  Since 2015, she has been sitting as a board director and currently chairperson of YAC -Your Arts Council for Cornwall & the Counties, as well as sitting on the fundraising committee for the future cultural centre for Cornwall.  It is through these experiences that Danielle’s dream of creating a summer concert series became clear.  Classiqu’Arts Productions SD&G looks to enable the Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry to share in the appreciation of the tremendous Canadian talent and beautiful venues located in Eastern Ontario and in the rest of Canada.

Jean-Roland brings proven organizational skill, as a result of nearly 40 years as a teacher, school administrator and university professor. He has always demonstrated tenacious support of the Arts in all its forms, as well striving for fair treatment and recognition for all individuals practicing their art. Jean-Roland was a founding member of the Rosemonde Laberge Music Foundation. He has chaired and sat on numerous boards. He is presently a director of Your Arts Council, the CEO of Swan Records Ltd., Chief Administrator of the Riverdale School of Music and Executive Director of Classiqu’Arts Productions SD&G.

Bernadette was born in Montreal, where her father and mother, sister and brother, as well as her nieces and nephews still live. She is very proud of the fact that her mother grew up in Manitoba as a francophone and her father in Trinidad, and as a result she reflects both Canada’s diversity as well as its English and French linguistic duality.

She was educated at le CollègeStanislasin Montréal, and thereafter attended law school at the University of Ottawa. She has been a lawyer with the Legal Clinic in Cornwall for the last 28 years and now serves as the Executive Director of what is now the CliniquejuridiqueRoy McMurtry Legal Clinic, renamed in honourof one of Ontario’s and Canada’s greatest jurists. In this role, she has been an ardent advocate for those less privileged in society.

She is currently a Board Member of the Kinsmen Community Residence, and she has been involved with a number of other community agencies.
She was elected to City Council in November of 2006, re-elected in 2010, and again in 2014, as the first choice of voters on all three occasions. She decided to offer herself as candidate for Mayor in 2018, and received a strong mandate, becoming the first woman to hold this position in the 235 year history of Cornwall, a medium-size community on the shores of the Saint-Lawrence River. She is also the first black woman to ever hold the position of Mayor of any municipality in Ontario.