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Manon Lafrance is a renowned performer who leads a varied career as an orchestra musician, teacher, and soloist.

Manon is principal trumpet of  l’Orchestre Symphonique de Laval, l’Orchestre Symphonique de Longueuil and of  l’Orchestre des Grands Ballets Canadiens in Montreal. She is also a member of Capital BrassWorks in Ottawa. She is regularly invited to perform with many ensembles, including the National Arts Center Orchestra in Ottawa and Les Violons du Roy in Quebec.

Between 2007 and 2009, Manon has been a member of the “Trumpet Dream Team” of the world-renowned Canadian Brass.  She is the first woman and the first musician from the province of Quebec to be part of the quintet. With them she has played many concerts in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Manon has also recorded three CDs with the quintet: “Christmas Tradition”, “Manhattan Music” (Canadian Brass and the Eastman Wind Ensemble),  and “Echo, Glory of Gabrieli” which are available on the www.canbrass.com and www.arkivmusic.com websites.

Manon was invited to be first trumpet of the National Ballet Orchestra of Canada (Toronto) in 1999-2001, and was a member of the trumpet section of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra during the 1994-1995 season. 

Manon has also taken part in many tours in the United States, Europe and Japan with the Canadian Brass, the National Arts Center Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Les Violons du Roy, and with various other orchestras and ensembles.  

As a soloist, Manon recorded the Concerto for trumpet and string orchestra from the American composer James Cohn with the Latvian National Orchestra in Riga, Latvia, for XLNT Records, New York (CD-180010), in October 2001.

Manon has recorded many CDs (50 at last count), and has done numerous radio and television broadcasts and movie soundtracks.

Since 1997, she has been trumpet teacher and conductor of the brass choir and the trumpet ensemble at the Conservatoire de musique de Montreal. She has also taught trumpet at the Université du Québec à Montréal since 1989. Every summer since 2001, Manon joins the brass teaching staff at the Académie de musique du Domaine Forget musical summer camp in Charlevoix, Canada.

Manon graduated from the Conservatoire de musique de Montreal in Jean-Louis Chatel’s class where she obtained a First Prize in trumpet in 1986 and a First Prize in chamber music in 1985. Thereafter, she continued her studies in New-York with Philip Smith and later perfected her playing with renowned teachers including Vincent Cichowicz and Arnold Jacobs.

Manon Lafrance also has a website: www.manonlafrance.ca and is a Yamaha Performing Artist.