Montreal Hospital Choir's Enthusiasm Unwavering as Final Performance Approaches
The sudden cancellation of Le groupe MusiArt's bilingual choir program is creating significant distress among members who already face mental health challenges. This music therapy group, operating for nearly three decades, has become a lifeline for participants, but now faces dissolution due to financial constraints.
A Therapeutic Community Faces Disbandment
Formed in 1998 to support psychiatry patients at the MUHC's Montreal General Hospital, the MusiArt choir has grown into a community of approximately 25 singers and musicians. While some members possess professional experience, most are enthusiastic amateurs who have found solace and connection through musical expression.
Music therapist Dany Bouchard, who co-directs the choir alongside Julie Migner-Laurin, emphasizes the program's importance: "This choir has proved to be so pivotal for members experiencing mental-health issues. It has provided such a connection. It was just so heartbreaking last week when they got the news. It was like a family breakup."
Funding Shortfalls Force Difficult Decisions
The choir requires approximately $40,000 annually to maintain operations, funding that had previously come from philanthropic donations to the Montreal General Hospital. Valentine Weber, director of the MUHC's multidisciplinary services and mental-health mission, explains the difficult reality: "In the mental-health area, many of our activities have also been funded by philanthropy and, sadly, those funds are not forever."
Weber continues: "We were fortunate to have the donor support of the foundation. But it's impossible to function long term with this funding. We have to make difficult choices and we chose to concentrate on our musical therapy for our inpatients. But we are hopeful we can find some alternative and options for the choir."
Personal Stories of Transformation
The choir's impact becomes clear through members' personal experiences. John Jordan, a respected figure in Montreal's indie music scene for over 30 years, joined MusiArt in 2019 after experiencing a manic episode related to his bipolar disorder.
"My live performances these days are with MusiArt," Jordan shares. "The choir is very important for me. I, like many people with mental-health issues, have a tendency to isolate. Since 2020, MusiArt has really been my main source of collaborative musical expression. It's been a blessing."
Andrea Brunet, who has participated for 22 years since age 18, describes the program as transformative: "The choir has been my life, my family. This news has been so devastating to all of us. It has been such a morale booster, helping me cope with depression, seasonal affective disorder and borderline personality disorder."
A Pattern of Mental Health Program Cuts
Some members see the choir's cancellation as part of a troubling trend. Chris, a lawyer on medical leave who prefers not to reveal his last name, notes: "At exactly this time last year, they cut mental-health activities at the MGH for the addictions program and the Recovery Transition Program. This is déjà vu all over again."
Bouchard echoes these concerns about broader systemic issues: "Yes, budget cuts from the foundation are responsible on one level, but these are not great times for so many similar activities, with Santé Québec making cuts all over the place. It wasn't long ago that the government was saying there would be more investment in mental health. It's so essential, but that's just not happening."
The Healing Power of Music
Members consistently describe the choir's therapeutic value. Linda Christie, a singing soloist who has battled depression since her mother's death in 2020, attributes her recent progress to the program: "What started out as a choir has evolved into a community of friendship and support. It's been a game-changer."
Chris offers a powerful testimonial: "MusiArt has helped me more than any pill a doctor has ever prescribed to me. Anti-depressants don't work for all people, but this does." Bess, a former clarinetist and arts publicist dealing with multiple mental health challenges, adds simply: "Music therapy is medicine."
Final Performance and Uncertain Future
The choir will present one final concert on March 19 at the Allan Memorial Institute, performing original compositions including Brunet's "Sometimes the World is a Scary Place" with what she describes as "a Metallica kind of Nothing Else Matters kind of vibe."
Despite the impending disbandment, members' enthusiasm remains palpable during rehearsals. As they prepare for their final performance, the MusiArt community continues to demonstrate the profound healing power of music while facing an uncertain future without the program that has sustained them for years.
