Doctoral Colloquium (Music) | Bruno Coulombe

The Doctoral Colloquium is open to all.

Doctoral Colloquium: Bruno Coulombe, PhD candidate in Musicology, McGill University

Title: Boundaries and Identity in the Montreal Music Scene

This paper challenges some of the preconceived ideas about the Montreal music scene as they revolve around notions of identity, with a focus on the period following the success of Arcade Fire’s Funeral in 2005 and the media coverage that ensued. It argues that the received history of the Montreal scene has obscured examples of collaboration between Anglophone and Francophone musicians because of its focus on the linguistic divide. It also looks at issues of gender inequality in the scene, a particularly emotional topic in the aftermath of allegations of sexual misconduct against Arcade Fire’s Win Butler (Hogan 2022). Finally, it highlights the challenges faced by Black people and immigrants in an overwhelmingly white scene. Drawing from the work of Kruse (2003), Bannister (2006), and Leonard (2017) as well as interviews with participants, this paper contributes new material to the discussion of scenes by reflecting on their dual nature as both convivial and tightly bounded spaces.

Bruno Coulombe is a PhD student in Musicology at McGill University. His thesis, which explores the role of storytelling and media narratives in the received history of the Montreal music scene of the 2000s, is supervised by David Brackett. His work has been presented at MusCan (2012), Music and the Moving Image (2019), the Project Network for the Study of Progressive Rock (2021) and IASPM Canada (2021; 2022). He currently teaches at the École de musique Vincent-d’Indy in Montreal. Also a music critic, he sits on the jury for the Polaris Prize, awarded each year to the best Canadian album.