I’m thinking of moving there for a masters degree in music someday. I might go visit in the summer but I was wondering what other dopers think about Montreal. Any and all details welcome.
Ask matt_mcl about the Metro. 
Wonderful city! Lots and lots of life to it - you never lack for things to do. Summer is a whole bunch of great festivals. Some people go out at 11 PM to start their evening out!
It has a lot of natural beauty plus the French-style wide boulevards and stonework (downtown at least). Great public transportation.
My aunts lived there and I spent a lot of time there when I was a kid. A friend from Toronto moved there and wouldn’t live anywhere else. I haven’t been for a few years but am going this summer and can’t wait.
It’s very safe. Has great restaurants.
If you’re going in summer, check out the official tourist guide for festivals and try to catch one when you’re there.
In what area of music exactly are you thinking of enrolling, Quasimodal?
I’m from Montreal, but I’ll wait and see what some of the younger folks have to say before adding my 2 cents’.
Lived there all my life, till last week.
Big city but with less crime than lots of other places. Excellent public transit system to get you where you need to go. Restaurants and cafes to suit any taste and budget, and nightclubs and bars open till 3am.
Rent is cheaper in Montreal than anywhere I’ve seen, but it’s also easy to find a roommate if you need one.
French, but almost everyone speaks English. It’s a university town, so there’s a very big student population to go with it. Events and festivals are happening all the time and there are more cultural events going on every weekend (live music, art shows, plays) than you can shake a stick at,
When you’re sick of the city core, there’s always Mount Royal to explore, or the Botanical Gardens, or the old Port. Or take the Metro to Ile-Ste-Helene where you can walk around in parks or go to LaRonde, our little Six Flags amusement park.
It’s really just a wonderful city. I miss it.
Actually, Montreal might have the LEAST crime of any large city in the Western Hemisphere. It is even safe by the admirable standards of Canadian cities.
It’s a lovely city, but of course, you must like big cities. Montreal is a very big city.
Looking to get my masters in jazz performance, with guitar as my major instrument. I also play some double bass.
Right now I live in Lloydminster Ab…not my ideal location for life. But I’m getting valuable teaching experience and saving some $$$ for the eventually pursuit of more education. I grew up in Saskatoon, a funky little city in it’s own right.
Yeah, I’ve heard that Saskatoon has a pretty active jazz community.
Are you planning to go to McGill? Concordia has fine teachers, but I don’t think they offer a Masters. The faculty at both universities is pretty amazing, as is that at the U de Montreal.
I know pretty much all the teachers and professors of jazz in Montreal, and quite a few of the musicians about town. That comes from being a jazz lover, and being old. Anyhow, you’ll find that they’re a friendly, laid-back sort of bunch.
If and when you come to Montreal, I look forward to hearing you play.
They are fairly few who live in Montreal any length of time and don’t find themselves captivated soon enough. It’s difficult to describe, but even the things we don’t like - whether it’s winter weather, potholes, endlessly delayed megaprojects - fade when we get caught up in how much we love it here.
Nine years in Winnipeg and we had still “moved there recently,” but after a year in Montreal, I was a Montrealer.
Beware. If you come for university, regardless of what you may have thought your plans were, you may find yourself immigrating. It happened to my mom.
I think you’ll have a great time.
On a more practical note, I know someone in music at Concordia; let me know if you’d like me to make the connection for you.
Matt, do you know if Concordia has a masters programme in music (jazz) though?
I know quite a few people there too, and I guess I could ask them.
I moved to Montreal from Peterborough, Ontario, more than three years ago. I love it with all the zeal and passion of the recently converted. All of the good things people have said so far are true: and I will add that the shopping is great. Restaurant eating is cheap (esp. if you know where to go). Another bonus is that if you enjoy live shows, this place is chock full of them, probably matched only by Toronto in variety and frequency.
Almost every inch of the city is beautiful in some way. If you can “plug in” to the zeitgeist, it’s exhilarating. I can never walk down Peel from St. Catherine without feeling like a part of the city, a part of some cohesive whole that is bigger than myself.
Whenever I am heading home by car, the sight of the dome of “Miracle Mart”, shining against the dark green of the Mountain, make my heart leap up. Pulling into the city by train, usually at night, surrounded by the lights on the bridges and skyscrapers and overpasses, it feels like floating in a sea of stars. It feels more like coming home than anything ever has.
I am so lucky to live here.
Was that sarcasm? Believe it or not Saskatoon has a pretty funky little music scene, theres a reason it’s getting the junos this year! I know it’s no big time Montreal, but there are alot of good musicians in Saskatoon. In fact when and if I move to Montreal, I will be wearing it as a badge of honor!
Not sarcasm. I HAVE heard of it, and of its jazz festival.
Okay, that’s it. I am officially sick of Toronto.
Would it be possible for a 43-year-old techie with almost no French to get a job in Montreal? Heck, I’d move to Montreal just to learn French…
Then I’m guessing you might want to go to Mtl for the Jazz Fest . Tons of free music if you can’t afford the paid concerts.
Here’s McGill’s Schulich School of Music. Here’s Concordia
Have you applied yet?
My plan is to work for another year and prepare an audition for the 2008-09 school year. I am fairly competent at Jazz guitar by Saskatchewan standards, though I recieved all my formal training in classical. I am totally honest with myself in that I will have to practice my ass off to be competent in Montreal…
McGill is my goal.
Time to get back to practicing.
We’ll keep in touch, Q. Jon Ballantyne isn’t in Montreal anymore, but he was one fine musician from Saskatoon. He’s now moved on to bigger things, Manhattan no less.
At McGill:
Jan Jarczyk is this very creative, bright, fun guy, wonderful pianist who also plays trombone. He’s on faculty at McGill and one of the best people with whom to spend a sleepless night during the jazz festival.
Kevin Dean is a brilliant trumpet player, very intelligent musician too. He’s nice, easy to get along with, close to the students. Incidentally, his wife just won an Academy Award for the animated short, The Danish Poet.
On guitar, you have Michael Gauthier, Greg Clayton, Greg Amirault and Roddy Ellias. All wonderful musicians. No, Greg Clayton is an extraordinary jazz guitarist and composer, a musician’s musician, and Michael Gauthier is the best at blues/rock -infused jazz.
On double bass, Alec Walkington is perfect, and bass players are my favourite. When this guy is playing in town, I just have to go and savour each moment. He’s a supernice guy too, and a good communicator.
Daniel Lessard is one of my favourites among bass players in town also. A fine poetic sensitivity flows through his musical interpretations. . He actually plays more piano these days because he’s had trouble with his back, but he’s a great guy, and a good teacher.
Damn, I would have to rave about everyone in that programme at McGill.
Like Matt, I can probably put you in touch with someone in the jazz programme there.
Hey, if you come to Montreal this summer, be sure to check out the off-festival events too, and newspapers usually keep us abreast of all the jam sessions around.
Yes Mood we will have to keep in touch! Did you go through the program? I’ve been looking at the audition requirements. 25-30 songs it says to prepare from the standard rep. That should be okay, though I really want to know the calibre of playing I will need to get in. I have a CD recording under my belt that I did with a sextet from Saskatoon and while it’s not yet professional, it shows potential and creativity. When I was doing my undergrad I did 3 hours of practice a day, and finished at the level of being able to play ARCT guitar compositions at a decent level, though I would say I’m more comfortable at a grade 10 level. I set my guitar down for 6 months just because I was burnt out from it, but have recently got back in to it. I can’t play my way through Giant Steps (yet) but am competent at basic ii V I songs in various styles.
Sorry this post is going off my subject line, but I didn’t expect to find McGill musicians here. General comments on Montreal still welcome.
It’s got a lot of brothels with lovely names, such as Le Chateux du Sex.
Strip clubs, not brothels. Just so you know.