The mission of the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal (SMAM) is to convey the vitality, sensuality and conviction of all the dimensions of Renaissance and Baroque music. To this end, and since its founding, the Studio’s artistic approach has remained the same: to interpret early music by recreating, to the best of our knowledge, their numbers, their tempos, and their vocal and instrumental colors. Since 50 years, SMAM has been guided by a concern for excellence and has carved out a place of choice in the world of early vocal music in Canada.

Founded in 1974 by Christopher Jackson, Réjean Poirier and Hélène Dugal, SMAM’s mission is to perform sacred and secular vocal music composed primarily before 1750, in order to share its vitality, sensuality and emotional depth. Under the musical direction of Andrew McAnerney since 2015, the SMAM consists of 12-18 professional singers chosen for the purity and clarity of their voices. Since its foundation, it has sung more than a thousand compositions from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, including both proven masterpieces and little-known or forgotten works, and has occasionally tackled a more contemporary repertoire. It regularly collaborates with renowned singers, instrumentalists and ensembles from North America and Europe.

The SMAM has produced a remarkable discography over the past half-century. His most recent recording with Andrew McAnerney, featuring a musical journey through the 15th century Court of Burgundy, entitled L’Homme armé, was nominated for a 2022 Juno Award.