François has always been an impassioned proponent of live performance.  In 2001 he graduated from the University of Laval with a baccalaureate in Theatre, which he immediately followed with an intensive 3-year professional programme in Musical Theatre from the École supérieure de théâtre musical de Montréal, completed in 2004.

During his studies he participated in a number of television and film appearances, including Célébration 2003, an homage to musical theatre’s greatest moments.  Upon his graduation, François portrayed the role of Herman in Sweet Charity at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal, the city’s oldest and most distinguished English-language theatre.

Following his success there, he played Zach in l’Audition (a French adaptation of the musical A Chorus Line) which he also directed, as it toured throughout the province of Quebec for the remainder of that year. A member of the Artist’s Union of Quebec, François also participated in various cabaret shows, such as Moulin Rouge and Duos de Noël.

2005 found him embarking on a variety of theatrical and musical projects, including writing the screenplay for the short film, Rodéo, appearing in June in Avant de s’assagir, a show of comedic songs, finishing as a semi-finalist in Performance at the Granby International Festival of Song in September, and adapting the musical comedy Code 99, for public reading, which was performed in October of that year.

In June 2006 he portrayed the role of Éric in the musical comedy, Une histoire à raconter, and most recently he performed Tsé l’monde qui s’donne des airs, a collection of comedic vignettes created in collaboration with the co-founders of his theatre troupe La Troupe de dos.

With his rich baritone and flair for the dramatic, François is a consummate performer with an electrifying stage presence who never fails to leave his audiences dazzled.

Philippe began studying piano at the age of 9. Throughout his early years he dedicated himself to his classical studies and in 1999 completed his conservatory education in Classical Piano Performance at the Chicoutimi Conservatory of Music. During this time he also pursued a collegiate degree in Music which he obtained from the CÉGEP de Chicoutimi, also in 1999. In addition to the numerous recitals he participated in as part of his academic requirements, both as a soloist and with a variety of ensembles, he also performed with his trio, Al Dente Jazz Trio, at regular performances as house band at La Bougresse, in Chicoutimi.

In 1999 he moved to Montreal, diplomas in hand, in order to deepen and enlarge his musical knowledge through a baccalaureate in composition at Université de Montréal, which he completed in 2002. Throughout his university years, he also taught extensively, both at the École des arts et musique de Rosemère and at Espace 7000 (CÉGEP Marie-Victorin, Montreal).

Having completed more than 10 years of formal education, Philippe began performing with his jazz-rock project, Frootfly, with whom he toured Canada in 2003, the culmination of which was the recording of their album, The Frootfly, launched in October 2003. As well, he Philippe lent his talent as keyboardist, pianist and composer to a variety of projects, ranging from studio recordings to television to theatre.

He joined Peaches n’ Cream in 2003 as keyboard player and backing vocalist and, with the group, toured Asia and the Middle East performing such engagements as:

• F4 Club – Guangzhou, China (September – December 2003)
• Limelite – Macao, Macao (February – July 2004)
• Safari, Grand Hyatt Hotel – Muscat, Oman (July – October 2004)
• DD Disco – Macao, Macao (October 2004 – March 2005)
• 87 Plus, Conrad Hotel – Bangkok, Thailand (March – June 2005)
• Al-Ghazal Pub, Intercontinental Hotel – Muscat, Oman (February – June 2006).

Martin began drumming at the age of 13 and was soon winning accolades at both provincial and national levels of MusicFest from 1992 – 1995. He also appeared at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in June 1997 and 1998 accompanying celebrated local musicians Normand Lachapelle and Ceril Beaulieu.

Martin pursued his passion for drumming with a collegiate degree in Popular Music from CÉGEP de Lionel Groulx and throughout his studies, participated in a number of jazz and classical recordings with stage bands Le Triolet and Harmonie, as well as placing second with his own band, La Groovathèque, at the provincial collegiate competition, CÉGEP en spectacles, in 2001. Outside of his academic environment, he performed jazz and funk at a wide variety of restaurants throughout Montreal, and with various rock and R’n’B groups at bars and nightclubs around Quebec.

Immediately after graduation in 2003, Martin accepted a contract with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line aboard the Explorer of the Seas, originally as a drummer with their Latin and Cuban bands, but eventually also singing both lead and back vocals, in addition to drumming, for one of their Top 40 bands (July 2003 – March 2004).

Martin then returned home to Montreal to record and produce an album of his own compositions, an intensive labour of love that occupied most of his energy for the following year. However, during that time he also founded a 7-piece Top 40 band, Groove-City, dedicated to playing rock and R’n’B, and in early 2006 Martin took them on the road to Thailand, where they performed to great acclaim at 87 Plus at the Conrad Hotel in Bangkok (February – May 2006).

Following their success in Asia, Groove-City moved on to the Middle East where they thrilled audiences at Jimmy Dix at the Mövenpick Hotel in Dubai, UAE from June – September 2006.  Prolonging his Middle Eastern success, Martin joined Jetstar, with whom he performed at Rockwell Café in Abu Dhabi, UAE from November 2006 – April 2007.

Not only a talented drummer, Martin is also a gifted singer and multi-instrumentalist, playing various types of percussion, as well as bass, guitar, and keyboard. But it is his dynamic and incredibly alert performance as drummer that inevitably keeps audiences riveted.