Roger-Luc Chayer (Image: Certificate Accompanying the Medal)
Twelve years ago, to my great surprise, I was contacted by the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Quebec, the representative of Queen Elizabeth II in the province, informing me that a three-month investigation into my life and activities had been conducted and that the Lieutenant Governor had decided to award me a medal.
The Lieutenant Governor of Quebec is the representative of the Queen of Canada (currently the Queen or King of the United Kingdom) at the provincial level. The role is primarily ceremonial and constitutional, but the Lieutenant Governor also holds certain constitutional prerogatives, such as giving royal assent to laws passed by Quebec’s National Assembly and convening the assembly.
A few weeks later, I found myself, along with several other recipients — including military personnel, individuals recognized for outstanding acts, and others — in a crowded room. I was surrounded by many family members and friends, and, by a stroke of luck, my journalist colleague Robert Franck was by my side as the Sergeant-at-Arms, remaining with me throughout the ceremony. But my life didn’t always start off on such a glorious path!
Under the Protection of Youth Protection Services (DPJ) at 16
In 1980, in Terrebonne (Quebec), I decided to leave home, unable to endure the atmosphere of constant violence that plagued my life. I was on the verge of repeating a grade, living only to block out the screaming and recurring incidents from a mother grappling with heavy issues, which I no longer wanted to share or accept.
I left through the small window in my basement room, with a meager bundle holding just a few belongings. I got on my bike and set off on an adventure whose outcome was unknown to me. I didn’t look back, and I never looked back.
I received help and support from several family members during those difficult years: my cousin Mireille and her husband Jacques, my Aunt Lucille, my Aunt Fleurette, my cousins Ginette, Gaétan, Sylvie, Sophie and her family, Lucie… I hope I haven’t forgotten anyone!
In 1982, thanks to the invaluable help of my social worker and several teachers who supported me, including my music teacher Antonio Bernabei, who allowed me to complete my senior year in his music class at Polyvalente Henri-Bourassa, I eventually graduated high school successfully.
Music Studies in Montreal
For years, music was my companion in the darkness, allowing me to escape the reality at home. Playing a notoriously challenging instrument — the horn, which is no easy feat — I decided to dedicate my first year of college to CEGEP Marguerite-Bourgeois and CEGEP Vincent-d’Indy. These were private institutions I attended without money, but through the kindness of the nuns who ran them, I was allowed to study without paying full tuition, sometimes even for free.
But that wasn’t fast enough. I was eager to play my instrument as much as possible, to master it better and better. One horn lesson per week wouldn’t have allowed me to build a career before the age of 75… So, I went to the Montreal Conservatory of Music in hopes of advancing my musical education.
Although I knew other students from my high school who had entered the Conservatory, I lacked the financial means to take enough private lessons to be as technically competent as others. Mr. Aimé Lainesse, horn teacher at the Conservatory, listened to me and refused my admission, declaring that I would never become a horn player… Thanks for the encouragement!
One evening, talking with a staff member from the French Consulate in Montreal at a neighbor’s gathering, she suggested that there was an excellent horn program at the Nice Conservatory and that I should consider moving abroad. Why not?
In 1983, with financial aid from Quebec’s loans and bursaries program, I traveled to Brussels for a wedding, taking the opportunity to audition with the horn teacher at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, before heading south to Nice, where I had an audition scheduled with the horn professor at the Nice National Conservatory.
I was accepted to both conservatories!
Departure for Europe
Faced with a choice between two wonderful institutions, each with a unique approach, I was captivated by the opportunities, the palm trees, and the beautiful Nice Conservatory housed in the stunning Villa Paradiso. I was offered a world-class education, entirely free until graduation.
- Horn Diploma of Completion – June 1984
- Second Mention – Brass Sight-Reading – June 1984
- Second Honorable Mention – Chamber Music – June 1984
- Nice International Summer Academy – 1984
- First Prize – Chamber Music – June 1985
- Second Prize Unanimously – Horn – June 1985
- First Prize – Horn – June 1991 – Third Cycle
- Nice International Music Training Center – 1991
During this time, I worked all over the French Riviera: with the Cannes Orchestra, the Nice Opera, in Monte Carlo, with the National Capitol Orchestra of Toulouse. I took on every opportunity that came my way. In 1991, I became the musical director of the Mediterranean Soloists Orchestra of Nice.
After hundreds of concerts, workshops, teaching hours, and travel with the Cannes Orchestra and the National Capitol Orchestra of Toulouse, as well as financial support from a Conservatory grant and government funding from Quebec, among others… I began to turn my thoughts to my homeland.
Before leaving Nice, I established an annual scholarship at the Conservatory in my name, funded out of my own pocket, for the best student in the horn class who would succeed me, in gratitude to an institution and country that gave me a career as a horn player and conductor, which I am very proud of. The generosity of France toward me was that of a mother I had never had.
Return to Canada
In 1992, I returned permanently to Montreal. I began producing CDs of numerous recordings made throughout my career under the label I founded, Disques A Tempo.
In parallel, in 1993, I began writing articles for RG Magazine in Montreal, and over time, I contributed to Le Journal de Montréal, TQS, and TVA, eventually acquiring Le Point magazine in 2002 and transforming it into what is today the Gay Globe Media Group.
A Royal Award
In 2012, by order of the Queen, I received an award honoring my entire career in both France and Canada. It was also a first for an LGBT+ media publisher.
As a classic saying goes, life has not been a smooth river for me. When I sometimes share my adventures with those willing to listen, people often remark that I have done unusual things in my life. I brought respect and beauty to an instrument not often heard singing: the horn, which, in my view, is an auditory work of art to be savored with tenderness.
I have published over 11,000 articles, and it’s not over. This royal recognition made me realize how fortunate I have been to do what I love and to write as I do. The recipe was good, and in the end, the man I was — and still am — isn’t so bad. I proved that to myself the day I left home in 1980!