Lionel Daunais
Noël Ferdinand Lionel Daunais, (December 31, 1901 – July 18, 1982) was a French Canadian baritone and composer. Life. Born in Montreal, Quebec, Daunais studied singing with Céline Marier and harmony and composition with Oscar O'Brien. In 1923 he won first prize at the Montreal Musical Festival. He made his professional opera debut in January 1926 as Ourrias in Charles Gounod's "Mireille" at the Orpheum in Vancouver. The following March he gave his first recital at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Daunais was also awarded the Prix d'Europe in 1926 which provided him with the opportunity to pursue studies  in Paris with Émile Marcellin at the Opéra-Comique. In 1929 he joined the roster of principal artists at the Opera of Algiers. With that company he sang several leading roles, including Escamillo in "Carmen", Figaro in "The Barber of Seville", Giorgio Germont in "La traviata", Lescaut in "Manon", and Valentin in "Faust". Upon his return to Canada in 1930, Daunais performed with the Bytown Troubadours at the third annual CPR Festivals in Quebec City. At the festival he also portrayed Samuel de Champlain in Healey Willan's "The Order of Good Cheer". Later that year he made his debut  with the Société canadienne d'opérette in Montreal as Clément Marot in André Messager's "La Basoche". He performed frequently with that company through 1935. In 1932 Daunais founded the Trio lyrique (TL) whose original members also included contralto Anna Malenfant and tenor Ludovic Huot. Jules Jacob replaced Huot in the early 1940s. Daunais recruited pianist and composer Allan McIver to serve as the group's accompanist and arranger. All of the arrangements performed during the TL's performance history were by McIver, including arrangements of many of Daunais's compositions. In 1933 the TL was engaged by CRBC for its  network series "One Hour with You", on which the group performed for 87 weeks. In the 1934 the TL released the LP album "Chansons de Lionel Daunais" for Radio Canada International. In 1936 the group performed for the CBS radio network in New York where McIver was also engaged as a staff arranger. The TL continued to perform actively in public concerts and on CBC Radio programs like "The Play of the Week", "Light Up and Listen". and "Serenade for Strings" up until the mid-1960s when it disbanded. The group re-united briefly in the autumn of 1971 for CBC  broadcasts honoring Daunais and his work. In 1984 the album "Le Trio lyrique chante Lionel Daunais" was released; containing music from the ensemble's many radio broadcasts. Discography (as a composer). 12 Chansons The Canadian Encyclopedia Transcription: Lionel Daunais Discogs.com D’amour et de fantaisie Discogs.com Chansons de mon pays Discogs.com Anna Malenfant chante Lionel Daunais Discogs.com Lionel Daunais chante Lionel Daunais Discogs.com Le Trio Lyrique chante Lionel Daunais Discogs.com Le Bestiaire Discogs.com Lionel Daunais : L’hommage de ses interprètes Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec Airs Chantés – Fantaisie dans tous les tons Discogs.com Le petit chien de laine Allmusic.com Lionel Daunais  : Fantaisie dans tous les tons Allmusic.com Hommage à Lionel Daunais Allmusic.com 75 ans 75 chansons – Radio-Canada 1936-2011 Allmusic.com La tourtière CMCCanada.org Le voyage de noces CMCCanada.org Chanson des amours perdues CMCCanada.org LIONEL DAUNAIS mélodies . songs CMCCanada.org