25th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville
2008 Edition

25th Edition A Resounding Success!

May 20, 2008 (Victoriaville) — The 25th edition of the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville (FIMAV) took place from Thursday the 15th to Monday the 19th of May 2008 and everyone agrees this was an edition to remember!

“Organizing a jubilee edition is always delicate. You need to do just enough to celebrate the event, create the right level of expectation, and hope the magic will work… and it did!” said Michel Levasseur, FIMAV Artistic Director & General Manager.

At 6,000 admissions, the 2008 edition ranks among the Festival’s best years, a result that matched the organizers expectations. Even more important for the management was the feeling of “plenitude” that emanated from the crowd after every concert. How often have we heard longtime FIMAV attendants say “this is the FIMAV’s best programming ever!”

Right from the first concert, a serene and emotional atmosphere settled in, creating a “euphoria bubble” in every participant. This mood crystallized as the concerts went by and never left!

Attendants got carried by a wave a satisfaction that led them from revelation to revelation. This overall rapture toward this year’s programming is emotionally welcomed by the FIMAV’s management, contract employees and volunteers!

The artists’ generosity was particularly tangible this year. Obviously, musicians were generously listening to each other, but more important, they managed to fulfil the attendants’ expectations by turning up high-quality performances. And they gladly and energetically answered the crowd’s requests for encores.

The 2008 edition featured grand and resolutely “actuel” programming. Our event’s uniqueness is well illustrated by a comment from Mark Keill (Ottawa), a FIMAV regular who was here for the 13th time.

Looking for a way to express what keeps bringing him back to Victoriaville, year after year, Keill spontaneously described “musique actuelle” as “now music.” What more could we say?

“Musique actuelle” happens through the power of action. Actualized, it impacts the now. This music exists through and for the synchronism of the music performance and the act of listening. This music is ever-acting!

Take, for instance, the “Art Bears Songbook” concert. Who could have said this music was 30 years old? The notes were as fresh and heartfelt as ever, hitting their targets at every moment, leaving everyone convinced they had just witnessed a larger-than-life closing event!

See you next year!