As you read in my most recent blog post, I recently visited Montreal’s International Jazz Festival. Fifteen years later, Montreal came back into my view. Its streets hummed with vitality and its familiar corners echoed changes I had also carried within me.
When I last visited, I was in a long-term common-law marriage to a Montreal-born Irish Italian. Funny enough, in all our time together, I never got a handle on the French language, even after visiting Quebec many times throughout the relationship. Now, after years of being on my own, I decided to make a concerted effort.
Ch-Ch-Changes
Like myself, Montreal seemed to have rebuilt itself. It had a beautiful shiny new look. At the same time, parts of it were still undergoing massive change. For instance, the Musée d’Art Contemporain (MAC) was under construction and under wraps. The final unveiling would take place in 2028. As for the renewed parts, the Metro had been retrofitted with a new interior and exterior, new internal tech video screens, and additional lines. The Quartier des Spectacles, the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal location, had been more developed and organized. For instance, the children’s play area featured a large piano for children to play with their feet. Plus, there were various instrument and food stations. One change I didn’t quite embrace was the newer corporate sponsorship signage and banners littering buildings and thoroughfares. I understood “why,” but my art photographer’s eye rejected its presence on buildings featuring art-based imagery.
New buildings were aloft all around, and the thriving McGill business district was alive with a youthful verve of daytime techno music and corporate ladder climber meetups. Also, to my “faire de valise” surprise, the overall dress code had calmed from what I recall. I was prepped with all my Sunday best and soon realized I was overdressed. Could it have been my previous trip to Paris that impacted my decision-making? I cannot be sure, but I needed to rethink my current wardrobe choices.
Street Inter-views
Originally, I was going to take a break from “SeeChangemakers” while I was away. Over the last year and a half, I have been working away building the website up again. I hadn’t given myself any time to reflect or relax. However, I had a “eureka” moment before leaving. I decided to interview random spectators while I was visiting. It was a new approach for SeeChangemakers. At the same time, the stakes were lower, and I felt less pressure. So here are the interviews that were gathered.
Interview #3 Malika and Kaye
Malika and Kaye were a couple of “20 somethings” I ran across on Day 6 of the festival. They were there to see Willow, I believe. I really appreciated how honest and direct Malika was about her festival experience. When asked what stood out for her, she commented, “The people are ‘HOT’, both guys and girls.” After that, I was tasked with documenting well-dressed people at the festival.
Interview # 4 Julie
Julie was honestly one of my favorite interviews. I came across her at the Club Montreal Stage which was behind the TD Scene main stage. The musician playing was Samant and his style caught my attention due to his improvisational stage show approach. Looking amongst the audience members, I saw many people swaying and moving to the music. But as I looked out amongst the crowd, one woman stood out. She was around my age, and she wore a smile from ear to ear. As I glanced over, her eyes caught mine, and she mouthed some words to me. I said, “Pardon, tu peux repeter ca?” (Sorry, can you repeat that?) Knowing I wasn’t French, she repeated in English. “That’s my son!” she said, pointing towards the stage. I smiled more genuinely, knowing that feeling of being a proud mother. Then I asked her if she wanted to be interviewed. She blushed a bit but agreed.
The uniqueness to this interview wasn’t just her pride but all the family support too. I soon learned from our pre-interview conversation that her husband, his brother and wife, plus the grandparents were all there right at the front of the stage. Even though the music might fall into a rap/jazz/techno category, all of them were dancing and swaying to the music. It warmed my heart deeply.
Interview #2 Samuel
The second interview was the first one I did with random people in audiences and on site. Samuel was sitting next to me at the Upstairs Jazz Bar & Club as we watched ‘The Ostara Project’ performance. It was also my first venture into trying to use a French/English approach in Montreal. Of course, I was wobbly, but he definitely gave some great responses “en francais”. Samuel, a musician himself, plays upright bass, which he discusses in the interview. What I appreciated outside his discussion on musical direction was his length of time attending the festival. He had been going for over 30 years.
Interview #5 Jade
On July 1st, Ibrahim Maalouf was playing at the MTelus Venue for the Jazz Festival. I bought tickets back in April when I made the decision to go to Montreal. It was exciting to see this artist in person, finally. I first heard about Maalouf after returning from Paris, France. He had been one of the main acts for Paris’ 2025/2026 New Year’s Eve celebrations, which I had watched. When I arrived at the venue, I went directly to refill my water bottle. Going to the counter, I started to make the request in French once again. Based on the questioning eye of the vendor, I knew I had missed a verb or noun somewhere. Feeling flustered, I reworded it and repeated the query. Again, that look of confusion.
So, a gentleman behind me came to my rescue. Jade, a local Lebanese Montrealer, asked what I wanted in English. I responded, in a refusal to be defeated, in two words in broken French, holding my water bottle up, “remplie l’eau”. He understood. So, he asked the vendor in French: “Bonjour. Pouvez-vous remplir nos bouteilles d’eau, s’il vous plaît ?” I thanked him but started talking to him in English now. Obviously, on that day, my French speaking wasn’t ready for long, sensible conversations. He told me about how he was looking forward to being able to move to Ibrahim Maalouf’s concert. I wasn’t sure what he meant. However, after the concert experience, it all made perfect sense. Once the show ended, I ran into Jade again, and we did an impromptu interview.
Final Reflections
After 10 days of running from stage to stage and exploring the city of art that I remember, I was rejuvenated. I left Montreal with the echo of music and the shimmer of festival lights still flickering in my mind. Now, I sit in quiet reflection, realizing both the city and I are still learning how to rebuild ourselves all over again.
All videos and images courtesy of Theresa K. Howell; thanks go out to all the people who were willing to be photographed and interviewed.