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Guitarist Claude Sirois is an artist from Laval who has been living in Duvernay since 1959. He studied and started his career in the different schools of the region. In the course of his studies, Claude was extensively involved in numerous musical activities.
He recorded his first solo in 1967 with “L’Équipe 79”, seventy-nine being the sum of the age of the 5 members of the group. It is at this time that he decides to become a musician. The band is often on tour, and radio and TV shows are plentiful. Claude leaves school to become fully involved in guitar playing. He takes private lessons in classical music at Ste Croix Music School. In 1973, he can be listened at numerous places in Old Montreal.
He then adapts his technique of classical guitar to Quebec music. In 1977, his first L.P. “Guitare seule” is an unexpected success. His arrangements of “La Complainte du phoque en Alaska de Michel Rivard”, of “L’hymne au printemps de Félix Leclerc” and of “Saute mouton de François Dompierre” in his second album “Une guitare” in 1978 can be heard on all radio stations. He can be seen on TV at different variety shows. His compositions serve as musical themes of various TV shows. He records the theme of radio station CIEL FM and publishes the first guitar book in Quebec.
In 1979, Mr. Sirois records an L.P. dedicated to the repertoire of classical guitar “Pour ceux qui aiment”. This production is qualified as a model album in the well-known magazines Frets Magazine and Guitar Player. “Récuerdos de La Alhambra” and “Rosita polka” are once again radio successes.
In 1981, his first orchestral works are engraved on the L.P. “Au rythme du vent et des cordes”. “Romance, Bagatelle and Route 132” are the songs from the album that are regularly heard on radio. 1982 will be the year of the edition of a second book for guitar by Mr. Sirois.
In 1985, he releases the album “Verseau” which will award him the “Félix” for the L.P. of the year in the instrumental category.
In 1989, a collection of the different pieces of his first records are gathered on a tape named “Romance” and will result in a nomination at the ADISQ gala.
Mr. Sirois will have to wait to 1990 to release again “Verseau” on tape on the “Happy Hours” label, in addition to two new productions “Beatles and Rolling-Stones for guitars”.
In 1991, he compiled many of the compositions of his first records on a 68-minutes tape named “Ambiance Paisible”. On December 20 of the same year, he receives the first copies of his CD “Beatles and Rolling Stones for guitars”.
In 1992, he records in the Inter-session studios of Laval 17 new compositions which will be released in the CD “Rayons” at the end of 1993. This album is distributed in 1994 by Fusions III and is available in “Québec Loisirs”, Colombia House and all large record-dealers.
In 1994, the Publisher “Chant de mon pays” released his third book for guitar, and in early 1995, Claude released “Au rythme du Verseau”, a CD containing 25 compositions.
In 1996 M. Sirois released “Solos Classiques” a mixte of classical repertoire and of is compositions for solo guitar..
Since 1999 Sirois published 16 books and 5 CDs. He is the first guitarist to have commercialized classical guitar in Québec. Today, 6 CD’s available on the market; also 16 collections of his compositions are available in music stores and libraries.
He has been teaching in his private studio in Laval for since1972 where he receives an average of 40 students a week.
Mr. Sirois holds guitar workshops in schools of Quebec and the Maritimes. He makes the students sensitive to the various types of guitars by explaining to them the difference between the classical guitar, the acoustic guitar with metal strings, the bass guitar, the synthesizer guitar and the modules that can produce various effects.
He works solo and in duo, trio, quartet and quintet.
The profession of instrumental musician is very ungrateful. The public mixes the different instrumental pieces, as well as their authors. In listening to a voice, we can easily imagine a face. In listening to a guitar, we can hardly place a name. For this reason, we know much more Claude Sirois,s music than the guitarist himself.
Les Éditions Claude Sirois