JazzFizz 2nd edition
November 15th 2025, 7:00 pm
Le Studio PJE, Montréal, QC
ProFéSt presents
PIANISSIMO: Gentiane MG & Félix Stüssi
In-person Event
December 7th 2025
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm / Doors: 6:30 pm
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Gentiane MG (Michaud-Gagnon)
Gentiane Michaud-Gagnon was born in Jonquière, a small town in northern Quebec, Canada. This region was often referred to as the boundary between wilderness and civilization. On one hand, there was the raw beauty and vastness of nature surrounding the town — fjords, rivers, lakes, fields, and endless forests. On the other hand, it was a rough place to grow up during the 1990s.
Gentiane began piano lessons at the age of five. Music quickly became her way of relating to the world. At eleven years old, she entered the local music conservatory and began regularly performing pieces from the Romantic, Baroque, Classical, and Impressionist repertoires. Early on, her first teacher taught her important lessons about phrasing, sound production, and hearing harmony. It was during this period that Gentiane developed many of her core musical values — and most importantly, her love for music.
While still studying classical music, Gentiane developed an interest in composition, which led her to explore jazz and improvisation. At 16, she moved away from home to attend college and study at McGill University in Montreal, one of Canada’s major cities. It was there that she completed both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in jazz performance, deepening her knowledge of jazz music and its rich tradition.
She founded her trio in 2014, with which she began to perform at local jazz clubs. She released her first album in 2017, Eternal Cycle, which was named one of the 10 best Canadian releases of 2017 by CBC Music. The album also earned her the Révélation Radio-Canada Award, a prestigious award in the province of Quebec. This album marked the beginning of her international career as a bandleader, taking her across Canada and to Mexico. She then released Wonderland in 2019, which earned her the OPUS Award for Discovery of the Year and the François-Marcaurelle Award from the GMMQ.
Her latest release, Walls Made of Glass, brought her across Europe and Canada for over 50 concerts. The album won the OPUS Award for Best Jazz Album of the Year in Quebec and was nominated at the ADISQ Awards and at the prestigious JUNO Awards. In parallel to her solo career, Gentiane works as an accompanist. She has collaborated in Canada and China with saxophonist Yannick Rieu. In 2020, she co-produced a duo album, Convergence, with Montreal saxophonist Frank Lozano, and performed in Africa and South Korea.
fr.gentianemg.comFélix Stüssi
Be it on a bicycle or behind the keys, Félix Stüssi loves adventure and fresh air. Since his move from Switzerland to Canada, Stüssi has turned his back on journalism - jazz piano and composition are now his main focus. In 2007, his quintet won the prestigious Grand Prix of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. A year later, US-trombonist Ray Anderson joined the project and the band turned into a sextet. The four albums of the group were very well received on both sides of the Atlantic, they were nominated for several prizes (Juno Awards, ADISQ, Prix Opus).
The quartet SuperNova 4 with Jean Derome (saxes, flute), Normand Guilbeault (bass) and Pierre Tanguay (drums) has released a self-titled album in 2020 (Effendi FND159), followed by UNICUM in 2024 (FND171). During the pandemic, the duo Jean Derome & Félix Stüssi have produced PAPPERLAPAPP (FND168), recorded and filmed in the pianist’s living room. In 2025, Félix Stüssi and Ray Anderson are planning on recording a first duo-album, stay tuned.
Félix Stüssi returns regularly to Europe, where he has played among others with Bruno Spoerri, Nils Wogram, Jürg Wickihalder, Christoph Grab, Werner Fischer and Peter A. Schmid. Schmid and Stüssi have recorded a duo CD which has been released on Unit Records in January 2017 (Transatlantic Conversations, UTR 4738). In January 2017, the region Glarus Nord (Switzerland) has honoured Stüssi with a culture price. In 2015 and 2022, Ray Anderson and Félix Stüssi have toured in Europe as a duo. Just recently, Stüssi has formed a new trio with two rising stars: Alex Le Blanc on bass and Jules Payette on drums.
As a member of the Auguste Quartet and the Jazzlab Orchestra, Félix Stüssi has frequently toured in Canada, Europe and Asia. He was commissioned to compose and arrange an entirely new repertoire for the Jazzlab Orchestra, featured on the group’s album Quintessence (Effendi, FND 152).
felixstussi.com
