Historical

Guitar ensemble Forestare, composed of 12 guitars and double bass, has already existed for 16 years. Since its inception, the ensemble has participated in the creation of close to 50 original works and has adapted nearly another 100 for its unique make-up. In doing this, the ensemble has created the largest repertoire of music for guitar orchestra in the world.

The group has released three albums to date. The first two were released with the label, ATMA Classics. Both albums were welcomed to much acclaim from critics and audiences alike. The first self-titled release garnered a Félix in the category “Instrumental Album of the Year” in 2007.  It also led them to being awarded the Bourse RIDEAU two times which permitted them to present their concert “De l’arbre à la guitare” in more than 50 concert halls throughout Québec, in several music festivals in France, Chili and in many reputable concert halls throughout Canada. Their second album Araucoreceived nominations for both a Félix and a Prix Opus and was highly praised by critics. The show based on the album has been performed in several concert halls in Québec.

The ensemble’s third recording, Forestare Baroque, released by 2xHD recordings, also received praise from critics and music lovers from around the world.  The idea for the album was conceived while Forestare was “artists in residence” at the contemporary art museum, l’Arsenal de Montréal.  The album, Forestare Baroque was produced by the renown André Perry and recorded by sound engineer, René Laflamme.  The album was number one for over a month on sales charts across several high-definition recording websites in countries such as Germany, Japan, England, and the United States.  Forestare has presented their baroque program more than 20 times throughout Quebec and Toronto.

Feeding off of this experience, Forestare is again pushing its boundaries with the adaptation of several grand works from composers Debussy, Ravel along with Germaine Taillefer.  These impressionistic works will share the program with current French guitar composers Roland Dyens and Arnaud Dumond.  The ensemble is currently working on their new opus along with a multimedia show based upon this new project.