27th Annual Socan Gala Montreal

Eric Lapointe. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus. Eric Lapointe. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Written by Victoria Dvorsky

Last Monday, Quebec singers, songwriters and publishers alike gathered to celebrate various creative works at the Gala De SOCAN 2016. Artists such as Ariane Moffat and rap group Loud Lary Ajust were among those that attended.

For those of you that don’t know, SOCAN is a not-for profit organization that exists to protect Canadian singers, songwriters, and publishers. They do this by making sure those who register with them see fair return on their creations and publishings as well as have them protected.

Once a year they hold a Gala to celebrate accomplishments of their members. This year several awards were given throughout various categories. The gala was hosted by songwriter Stephane Venne who received the Cultural Impact Award for Le debut d’un temps nouveau. The song was performed by Pierre Kwenders, rap group Loud Lary Ajust and Klo Pelgag who brought new elements to the experience by sporting a perplexing pomegranate costume and throwing vegetables around on stage. Ariane Moffat left with two awards, the SOCAN Songwriter of the Year award as well as the SOCAN Popular Song Award for “Debout”. For a full list of awards given you can visit the SOCAN site.

The Gala demonstrates the love those involved share with music, even the trophies given out were actual instruments. The moment I walked in, there was a clear sense of amicability. Despite the fact that these individuals are competing within the industry, they showed great support and acknowledgement of each other’s accomplishments and creation. It was clear that Quebec music is its own community and will continue to thrive and grow due to the nature and dynamic these artists share.

For the Gala De La SOCAN full list of winners see HERE:

Photo journal of the event taken by Cindy Voitus.

Luc Plamendon and Francois Cousineau. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Luc Plamendon and Francois Cousineau. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Jean Leloup. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Jean Leloup. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Fanny Bloom. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Fanny Bloom. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Eric Lapointe. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Eric Lapointe. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Elisapie Isaac. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Elisapie Isaac. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Alfa Rococo. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Alfa Rococo. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Alfa Rococo. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Alfa Rococo. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Karim Ouellet. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Karim Ouellet. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Jerome Couture. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Jerome Couture. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Luc Plamendon and Genevieve Cote. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Luc Plamendon and Genevieve Cote. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Richard Seguin. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Richard Seguin. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Soeurs Moffatt. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.

Soeurs Moffatt. SOCAN gala. Photo Cindy Voitus.