Contribution to Quebec Jazz
Yvon Bellemare holds a respected place in the Quebec jazz scene. His influence is evident in his collaborations, his performances, and above all, the legacy he leaves to the musicians he has trained and inspired. He embodies the figure of the musician-craftsman: committed, principled, and deeply attached to the human and artistic value of jazz.


Throughout his professional career, Yvon has shared the stage with many leading figures of the Quebec music scene, such as Nanette Workman, Richard Séguin, André Philippe Gagnon, Jean-Pierre Ferland, Ginette Reno, Kevin Parent, Bruno Pelletier, Lara Fabian, Grégory Charles, Elvis Lavoie, and others. Furthermore, he has served as artistic director for most of them.

Yvon Bellemare taught in the Music Department at Cégep de Trois-Rivières
from 1996 to 2020. He also taught several disciplines at the University of Sherbrooke's School of Music: piano, jazz ensembles, improvisation, accompaniment workshops, ear training, and jazz harmony.

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From 2003 to 2019, Yvon Bellemare was the artistic director of the Téléthon Noël du Pauvre (Christmas for the Poor Telethon), the oldest telethon in North America. This annual event raises funds for charity, with the money distributed to those in need. The event is broadcast on Radio-Canada and has been available online since 2017. Yvon joined the team at a pivotal moment when the telethon tragically lost its pillar, Father Rolland Leclerc, who died in a fatal car accident. At the Téléthon Noël du Pauvre, Yvon prepared the artists' performances, writing the scores and orchestrating them himself for the musicians on his team. Yvon surrounded himself with solid and versatile musicians, including Sébastien Dufour, Jacques Livernoche, Roger Hubert, Jean-François Martel, and choir members Élyse Béchard and Pascal Caron.

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In 2015, Yvon continued his collaboration with Nanette Workman on the album ''L'album Noël'' and accompanied her on the television program ''Belle et Bum''. In 2017, Yvon Bellemare formed a jazz-pop trio with musicians David Bellemare, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and teacher at Cégep de Saint-Laurent. David was among the musicians who collaborated with Nanette Workman, along with guitarist Denis Croteau. The trio engaged in a true three-way improvisation during their performance at the Casino de Montréal cabaret.

Recently, the Université de Sherbrooke organized numerous jazz trio concerts featuring Yvon Bellemare on piano, David Gelfand on double bass, and Marc Bonneau on drums. David Gelfand has been Vic Vogel's double bassist since 1981 and has accompanied many jazz and pop stars. Marc Bonneau, for his part, graced the stages of the Montreal International Jazz Festival in the 90s and he was the artistic director of the singer Gino Vanelli.

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For over four decades, Yvon Bellemare has played music with countless musicians, including guitarist Réjean Bouchard (notably on Luca Ghielmetti's album, Mamma Non Piangere), bassist Sylvain Martel, vibraphonist Luc Bernard, drummer Sylvain Jalbert, saxophonist André Chiasson, drummer Bernard Riche, bassist Jean-François Martel, and Pierre Messier. Yvon also accompanied poet and multi-talented artist Jean Laprise in many of his shows. He has performed countless concerts and shows, in addition to touring extensively in Quebec

and abroad (United States and France).