At the age of four, after the Musical Awakening Camp, Marion Portlance looked her parents straight in the eye and told them that she would later be a cellist. Now, at 24, she will be the only Quebec musician to perform at the May 7 gala after the coronation of King Charles III. And you will play the cello for the king himself!
Broadcast by the BBC, the event will be watched by millions of people and will take place at Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, as well as King George VI and the Queen Mother, are buried.
The king’s attention will be especially on her. Because she will perform with his cello somewhere (West Side Story) in an instrumental version within a string quartet. It’s William Forster, he looks really good!
“It still all seems a little unreal to me!”, she says in an interview from London, where she studies at the Royal College of Music.
Marion Portelance is a pure product of the private programs of Quebec public schools—in music, in this case. She first attended Le Plateau primary school, then Joseph-François-Perrault’s school [lui] It made me realize how much [elle] He loves to play in the orchestra.
Photo provided by Marion Portlance family
From the age of four, Marion Portlance wanted to be a cellist.
“The training I received there gave me a good start for the rest of my career at the Conservatoire de Musique de Montréal.”
honor
A few months ago, her teachers in London asked her if she was available at the beginning of May, without saying more. “In March, I found out it was for the coronation.”
She is acutely aware that Quebecers are not royally inclined. Other artists around the world also declined invitations to attend the concert itself. On the poster, there is no British star.
PHOTO CLAUDE GRENIER, submitted by the artist
Marion Portrance
On the contrary, says Marion Portillance, she was absolutely honored to be part of the event, which will also feature Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Andrea Bocelli.
I have been studying at the Royal College of Music in London since September. In the week I arrived, the Queen had died. I lived with the English throughout the mourning that followed, and found myself at the center of history. And then, a few months later, I was asked to participate in the coronation … I can’t believe it.
Marion Portrance
Taking part in this ceremony is also a way of expressing her gratitude to the school she attended, to Charles III himself, who was already head of it when he was Prince of Wales—”and who was an ardent defender of the arts”—and to his patrons.
Living and studying in London is very expensive, and she points out getting a scholarship from the family of Christopher Hogwood, the English conductor and harpist. In Quebec, Roger Dubois, Sandra and Alain Bouchard are her sponsors.
“Living in London and studying at Imperial College is beyond my dreams.”
Marion Portulance, daughter of Mona Portulance, art agent and actor Roger Leger, says the trust they have shown her throughout her career has led her to work even harder to fulfill her.
She has previously performed with conductors Rafael Bayari, Yannick Nizet Seguin, Alexandre Şele and Vasily Petrenko. In 2022-2023, she was an apprentice with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, as well as regularly performing chamber music in Canada, the United States, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
What will happen next? Great international soloist?
She says she will go wherever she finds a job. “I love Montreal, and I would be happy to come back!”
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