Wednesday, March 15, 2023 – We are finally unvealing ALL the details on each concerts and film programs of the 39th FIMAV 2023! Check the full schedule. All individual tickets and all passports are now available : go to our tickets page! The Festival team gathered yesterday in front of the Centre des Congrès of the Hotel Le Victorin to take their traditional photo. This year you will discover this new venue and we assure you that its layout will bring back the spirit of the Colisée.
Thursday, March 9, 2023 – The Board of Directors of Productions Plateforme Inc., the non-profit organization that oversees the organization of the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville (FIMAV), is announcing today, with a heavy heart and loads of gratitude, that the 39th FIMAV will be the last edition for Michel Levasseur and Joanne Vézina.
Michel Levasseur has been the general manager and artistic director of FIMAV since the very first edition in 1983, and he was a founding member of Productions Plateforme Inc. in 1982. Joanne Vézina started at the festival as a lighting designer and stage manager, before taking on an administrative role in 1991. Both will be leaving their positions at the general, artistic, and administrative departments after closing the books on the 39th FIMAV 2023. These two pillars of our organization, one often publicly compared to a “mighty oak tree” for his resistance and vigour, the other nicknamed the “quiet force” by the staff for her rigour and calm, have marked the history of Productions Plateforme Inc. and FIMAV, but also the history of Musique Actuelle and avant-garde arts. Both have contributed enormously to Quebec’s cultural dynamism and have left a mark on hundreds of event workers, in addition to having helped propel countless careers in the arts.
Producing an event of international scope outside large urban centres requires unparalleled expertise. Thanks to unfailing professionalism, a constantly renewed sense of resourcefulness and boundless creativity, the duo at the head of Productions Plateforme Inc. and FIMAV, Michel Levasseur and Joanne Vézina, are leaving an organization in excellent financial health. The President of the organization’s board of directors, Annie St-Jean, would like to sincerely thank Michel Levasseur and Joanne Vézina “for having carried the mandate of this unique festival all these years, without any artistic compromise! The duo they form together deserves all our admiration. The values conveyed by FIMAV are forever imprinted in the hearts of everyone who have experienced the festival. Michel and Joanne have passed on their passion and their openness to diversity through their power of attraction and their rigour since 1983, with well-calculated risk management. We thank them for their authenticity and for the spark that animates them, the spark that makes us all want to attend the party. The 39th edition will certainly be a good vintage!” On this note, the members of the board are inviting artists, staff, volunteers and festival-goers to join them in warmly thanking Michel Levasseur and Joanne Vézina for their dedication over the past four decades!
Turning a new leaf, starting a new chapter
The board of Productions Plateforme Inc. is actively looking for two or three individuals to take the reins of FIMAV’s general, artistic, and administrative departments. “FIMAV is of immeasurable importance and relevance to the cultural landscape that forges our identity. The Board of Directors is therefore open-minded and actively looking for a succession to keep the noble mission of our organization alive,” said Annie St-Jean. Those interested in taking over are asked to contact the board’s transition committee by email.
Thursday, February 9, 2023 - The concert lineup for the 39th FIMAV 2023, which will take place from May 15 to 21, is finally revealed! Artists from nearly twenty different countries (France, Japan, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, United States, Belgium, Quebec, Canada, Germany, Portugal, Colombia, Argentina, Bhutan, Greece, Italy, Spain, England) will gather in Victoriaville to offer the public exclusive performances; all the concerts are Premieres! There are 2 World Premieres, 7 North American Premieres, 9 Canadian Premieres and 1 Quebec Premiere. |
Monday, January 30, 2023 — The team behind the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville (FIMAV) has faced multiple challenges since the very first edition of the event, be it uncertain funding, a lack of human resources, a destabilized international socio-political environment, or a global public health crisis. The most recent event is the announcement by the City of Victoriaville, on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, that the Colisée Desjardins would not be available for the 39th FIMAV 2023.
FIMAV must consequently abandon the Colisée, which we had been using to its full potential for 28 years, and which, for the team, the artists and the public, embodies the soul of FIMAV. We were shocked by the news, and after trying everything to get this decision reversed, we found ourselves up against the wall. We had to find solutions in a short time to relocate two performance halls whose reputation is second to none, less than five months from the festival, and considering that such changes entail significant collateral damage, require additional expenses, and add to our workload.
Le Carré 150 and Hôtel Le Victorin to the rescue
Such a turnaround involved revising previously negotiated agreements with numerous suppliers and partners. However, the team mobilized to quickly find alternatives that would meet the expectations of the public and the artists and allow us to present FIMAV’s four components in the best possible conditions.
The people at Le Carré 150, a major cultural partner of FIMAV, and Hôtel Le Victorin, a hotel partner since the beginnings of the festival, showed great flexibility to make it possible to hold the 39th edition in their halls. And so we are announcing today that the
concerts of the 39th FIMAV 2023 will take place at Le Carré 150’s Frères-Lemaire Hall and Cabaret Guy-Aubert, for a total of 13 concerts and 2 film screenings from Thursday the 18th to Sunday the 21st of May, and at Hotel Le Victorin’s Convention Centre for 6 concerts from Friday the 19th following an overnight set-up, since a convention is being held on the premises until Thursday evening.
The exhibition of large-format visual art works will take place on the walls of Le Carré 150’s Cabaret Guy-Aubert. The circuit of sound installations in public spaces will be taking place in various locations in downtown Victoriaville as usual.
The concert line-up for the 39th FIMAV 2023 will be unveiled on the 9th of February, and the Passeport Festival presale will begin at the same time. The 39th edition of FIMAV will be happening, against all odds, and it will be exceptional!
Wednesday, December 14, 2022 - We are thrilled to unveil the new image graphic designer Isabelle Beaumier came up with for FIMAV's upcoming 39th edition, May 15-21, 2023!
Productions Plateforme Inc. offices will be closed from December 16 to beginning of January. We wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2023! More infos on the next FIMAV to come in January.