Denis Gougeon

Who is Denis Gougeon?

Denis Gougeon is a Canadian composer and music educator. His more than 80 compositions encompass a wide variety of genres, including orchestral works, chamber music, opera, ballet, and pieces for solo instruments and voice. Notable ensembles to have included his compositions in their performance repertoire include the Bavarian State Ballet, the Canadian Opera Company, the I Musici de Montréal Chamber Orchestra, Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, New Music America, the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, the Quebec Contemporary Music Society, and the Vancouver New Music Society among others. In 1989 he became the first composer-in-residence of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, holding that post until 1992.

Born in Granby, Quebec, Gougeon began his career as a primarily self-taught composer. He later entered the Université de Montréal where he studied music composition with Serge Garant and André Prévost. From 1984-1988 he taught music composition at McGill University. Since 2001 he has been a member of the music faculty at the UM. Among his notable pupils is composer Analia Llugdar.