Mistral

Émilou Johnson is a classically trained double bassist with a master's degree in performance from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. Active on the professional scene for eight years as a performer, she has distinguished herself with orchestras as well as jazz and popular groups on the Montreal scene. Her versatility has led her to participate in numerous tours in Quebec and Europe with groups specializing in song, acoustic instrumental music, and electronic music, playing double bass, electric bass, vocals, and other instruments

Also a composer, she specializes in multidisciplinary projects as a sound designer in film, dance, theater, and circus. She has worked with the dance company Tangente, Cirque Éloize, Carmagnole, and the Phénoména festival. She is currently performing with Banitsa, Soleil Launière, Murmurosi, Marcus Lowry, Martin Lizotte, Laura Cadabon, Stompin Tree's, and Jean-Christophe Lessard. She is currently performing with Banitsa, Soleil Launière, Murmurosi, Marcus Lowry, Martin Lizotte, Laura Cadabon, Stompin Tree's, and Jean-Christophe Lessard.

Benjamin Deschamps is a versatile musician who became passionate about jazz as soon as he discovered it. Benjamin holds a Master's degree in Jazz Performance from McGill University, and has developed a wide range of skills, including flute, clarinet and musical arranging. He has distinguished himself as a saxophonist and composer, receiving numerous awards and accolades in the process. Benjamin was named "Révélation Jazz Radio-Canada" in 2017-2018, in addition to winning the TD Grand Prize at the Festival international de jazz de Montréal in 2019. As leader and producer, Benjamin has released four albums. The most recent, Augmented Reality, won the Opus award for Jazz Album of the Year 2023. He has also presented his music across Canada, the United States and Europe. As an accompanist, Benjamin has collaborated with ensembles such as the Rachel Therrien Quintet, Odd Lot (Jacques Kuba Séguin), the Joe Sullivan Big Band, the Orchestre national de jazz de Montréal and the JazzLab Orchestra (Effendi). He has also played saxophone, clarinet and flute with pop artists such as Jean-Michel Blais, Garou, Rock Voisine, Corneille, Mario Pelchat, Damien Robitaille and others.

Nadia Monczak is a Canadian violinist and violist of Polish origin. She has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician in nearly 30 countries worldwide, in such renowned venues as Carnegie Hall's Weill Hall and Het Concertgebouw. As a soloist with orchestras, she has played with the Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Franfkurt Oder and the Polish Radio Chamber Orchestra "Amadeus". Over the years, she has been a member of numerous chamber music groups, ranging from classical to tango, French chanson, minimalist music and klezmer. On the orchestral scene, she has performed with ensembles in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany, the United States and Canada.

A member of the 2021 Global Leaders Program, Nadia has led numerous social and humanitarian initiatives, including coaching El Sistema orchestras in South America, teaching violin in refugee camps in Greece and at Encore!Sistema in Quebec, and organizing numerous benefit concerts. Two short documentaries on his work have been produced by CBC Arts.

Nadia Monczak is a graduate of the Université de Montréal and the Maastricht Conservatorium. Her teachers were Vladimir Landsman, Boris Belkin and Zakhar Bron. She currently plays on a Francesco Gobetti ca. 1772 violin and a Charles Nicolas ca. 1890 bow, generously loaned by the Canimex company of Drummondville, Quebec.

Born in Montreal of Chilean parents, Hugo Larenas is a performer, arranger-composer and guitar teacher at Cégep de Lanaudière and Collège Stanislas. He began studying guitar at the age of 8. He holds a Master's degree in interpretation from the Université de Montréal under the tutelage of Peter McCutcheon.

He also had the opportunity to perfect his skills with great guitar masters such as Roland Dyens, Alvaro Pierri, Ricardo Cobo, Fabio Zanon, Pepe Romero and Sergio Assad during intensive seminars at the Académie Musicale du Domaine Forget.

His musical career has led him to explore many musical styles, from the folklore of his homeland to rock, flamenco and classical music. He has distinguished himself on the local and international music scene both as a solo performer and through his many contributions to a multitude of musical projects.

His great versatility has enabled him to share the stage with Les Frères Diouf, Alejandra Ribera and Jorane, among others. He is a member of the Intakto group, Color Violeta, guitar duo Con Fuoco, Willy Rios Ensemble, Impulso Flamenco, Centre de Danse Flamenco Julia Cristina and is working on the "work in progress" Los niños son inocentes #1 with Alexandra Templier. More recently, he has collaborated with Nadia Monczak, Benjamin Deschamps and Jean-Felix Mailloux, Katarzyna Muzial, Judy Diez-d'Aux and Opéra de Montréal. In 2006, he won the first edition of the Montreal Guitar Grand Prix.