{"id":117054,"date":"2025-08-26T14:17:28","date_gmt":"2025-08-26T18:17:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=117054"},"modified":"2025-08-27T08:00:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T12:00:02","slug":"interview-neoclassical-improvisation-pianist-composer-huguette-lavigne-talks-let-go-fly-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/08\/26\/interview-neoclassical-improvisation-pianist-composer-huguette-lavigne-talks-let-go-fly-far\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Neoclassical Improvisation: Pianist &amp; Composer Huguette Lavigne Talks About Let Go, Fly Far"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_117056\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-117056\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-117056\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy_of_Copy_of_INTERVIEW_8-1.jpg\" alt=\"Ottawa-based composer Huguette Lavigne (Photo courtesy of the artist)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy_of_Copy_of_INTERVIEW_8-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy_of_Copy_of_INTERVIEW_8-1-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy_of_Copy_of_INTERVIEW_8-1-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy_of_Copy_of_INTERVIEW_8-1-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-117056\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ottawa-based composer Huguette Lavigne (Photo courtesy of the artist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Classical music practice can take many forms. For some, it\u2019s a career as an orchestral musician. For others, it\u2019s the pursuit of original music.<\/p>\n<p>Based today in Ottawa, Huguette Lavigne grew up with three Canadian cultures \u2014 Franco Ontarian, Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, and English. She studied music at McGill University and l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, and since graduation, has composed more than 60 original piano works.<\/p>\n<p>Her latest album, Let Go, Fly Far, was recently released, and includes 11 tracks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI sat at my piano in Ottawa \u2014 a hot smoky summer followed by fall, then a cold long winter, and let my hands wander&#8230;\u201d says the composer in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>We spoke to her about her music, which blends elements of contemporary classical, new age, modern jazz, and Indian classical into the mix, and incorporates improvisation.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9zzF6va88DY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h2>Huguette Lavigne: The Interview<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI grew up in a French Canadian musical family, in the sense we all played music. We couldn\u2019t get together without playing music,\u201d she says. For her, it sparked a desire to pursue it in study.<\/p>\n<p>She credits early instructors for their influence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI had a fabulous first teacher,\u201d she says. Her approach was unique, in that she didn\u2019t have her young student practising scales. \u201cI\u2019m teaching you Mozart, you\u2019ll have plenty of scales,\u201d she would tell Huguette.<\/p>\n<p>Lavigne lived in Cornwall, where studying classical music meant largely preparing for the Kiwanis competitions. She moved to Montr\u00e9al at age 12, where her music instruction changed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen I had to go to the Grey Nuns and learn theory,\u201d she recalls. Even as a young child, she loved the greats of the classical canon, like Mozart and Bach. \u201cI loved them,\u201d she adds. Along with her music-friendly family, it\u2019s where the passion for music first began. \u201cI think I started playing at age three.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her family\u2019s stories include that time they bought a piano from a widower in the neighbourhood, and, at age five or six, Huguette immediately sat down and began to play. With the piano at home, she began to write music not long after.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not to say her determination to pursue music never wavered during her childhood years. \u201cThere were moments when I wanted to quit,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<h3>Improvisation In Classical Music<\/h3>\n<p>Huguette says the first time she improvised classical music was at a Kiwanis competition back in Cornwall, Ontario, as a child. She\u2019d won the gold medal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was a huge gala. Of course I had to play, and keep it fresh,\u201d she said. However, there was a problem. \u201cI wasn\u2019t ready for the gala.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She hadn\u2019t thoroughly practiced the piece she was to play, a contemporary piece by a Canadian composer, and got through about the first half of it more or less on point. That\u2019s as far as her memory went, however.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI simply made up the rest,\u201d she says. She reports that the performance got a big round of applause. \u201cI thought they probably didn\u2019t know it either,\u201d she laughs. \u201cI thought gee, that was fun.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her studies leaned into the repertoire found in Canadian conservatory piano books of the time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey had a variety of styles in there,\u201d she says. \u201cI loved Bach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Bach was also adept at improvisation. It\u2019s an idea that is picking up more and more momentum across the realm of Western classical music.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think I\u2019m not the only one,\u201d Huguette says.<\/p>\n<p>At McGill, she naturally studied harmony and theory. Improvisation wasn\u2019t in the curriculum for classical music studies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI would come up with full pieces.\u201d At first, they only existed in her imagination. She began to write her ideas down. \u201cI decided to notate a few notes.\u201d At the same tie, she resisted the idea of incorporating all the notation typical of a classical piece.<\/p>\n<p>As such, she\u2019s come up with her own style of notation. \u201cThe last ten years, all I do is jot down enough notes that I will remember it. It\u2019s easy to go back to the variety of choices that I have for each piece.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It keeps her approach fresh, and invites improvisation. \u201cThe improvisation never quits.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On the album, she\u2019s recorded 10 pieces that were practiced and presented as is. Improvisation takes risks, as she points out, that may not work out in the studio on second listen. But, staying true to her musical beliefs, the album includes two versions of her piece Last Waltz, one practiced, and one improvised.<\/p>\n<p>She acknowledges that it\u2019s an approach that works in context.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI love what I do,\u201d she says. Taking that love and creating something intended for others to read and play, though, requires a more meticulous approach, as does performance. \u201cBut I\u2019d rather just compose and play the piano.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Along with six releases, Lavigne\u2019s body of work includes 11 videos.<\/p>\n<h3>Indian Classical Music<\/h3>\n<p>She was first introduced to Indian classical music by her husband and his traditions. Trips there to visit his family strengthened her interest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI just love the raga, the music,\u201d she says. She is often inspired by Indian and Hindu mythology in her compositions, and connected with the large role that improvisation plays in classical Indian performance. In some of her own pieces, she uses an ostenato that she likens to Indian ragas.<\/p>\n<p>Improvisation is an aspect that also crosses over into contemporary jazz. \u201c[There\u2019s] a lot of overlap,\u201d Huguette says. \u201cJazz is living and breathing. For me, I need to move ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jazz may be another direction for future work. She\u2019s a fan of Laila Biali, who also blends both jazz and classical elements in her music in a way that sounds contemporary and fresh.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, Lavigne calls her style adult contemporary, although it could also easily fall under neoclassical.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can write in every style.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You can stream Huguette Lavigne\u2019s album Let Go, Fly Far <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/5g1FPDsi5MEkaolVlOndb8?si=f5f65f14a87143ec&amp;nd=1&amp;dlsi=85d8a810237f4089#login\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Are you looking to promote an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/advertising\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0e101a\"><u>event<\/u><\/span><\/a>? 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For some, it\u2019s a career as an orchestral musician. For others, it\u2019s the pursuit of original music. Based today in Ottawa, Huguette Lavigne grew up with three Canadian cultures \u2014 Franco Ontarian, Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois, and English. She studied music at McGill University and l\u2019Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al, and since graduation, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":117056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,18,42196,29,9567,41373,9570,51],"tags":[42220,40515,42221],"yst_prominent_words":[7140,6767,6715,9434,15880,22573,10607,6616,7141,11181],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/08\/Copy_of_Copy_of_INTERVIEW_8-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-urY","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117054"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117054"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117054\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117065,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117054\/revisions\/117065"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/117056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117054"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=117054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}