About

Patrick Kearney, Executive Director and founder of REFRAIN, has served as the organization’s spokesperson since its founding. He held the position of President from 2020 to 2024. Holding a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in organizational management and development, he has more than 25 years of experience in the fields of sport, recreation, and culture. He led the Santa Teresa Festival for seven years, during which he developed an extensive network of contacts in both the cultural sector and across several government ministries and political offices. Very active in the sector, he serves on several boards of directors and notably chairs the Judo Federation of Quebec.

Director of operations, coordinator and project manager in the music and cultural industry for more than 20 years, Dominique Malo had a major role in the start-up of REFRAIN, through her work in obtaining funding from the Ministère de l'Économie. As Director of Operations at Grand Montréal Comique for the past 3 years, she is responsible for the complete management of all departments of the organization and supervises each of them. Dominique’s expertise in administration, accounting, grants, production, communications, logistics and programming have made her a real asset in a new organization.

With over fifteen years of experience in event management and several years combining her passion for travel with her work as a travel advisor, Geneviève—who has many strings to her bow—is returning to her first love by joining the REFRAIN team. Whether as Human Resources Manager at the École du Showbusiness, HR Director on tour with Cavalia, or Artist Contracts Manager for over 12 years at Spectra (Jazz Festival, Les Francofolies, Montréal en Lumière), Geneviève has developed numerous strengths that make her an invaluable asset to REFRAIN. Geneviève is thrilled to be back in the cultural sector and to support REFRAIN in its daily activities. She joined our team in July 2024 and is excited to help amplify REFRAIN’s mission and vision, which she fully embraces.

Mélodie is a versatile professional with a diverse background. Holding degrees in visual arts and advertising, she has successfully combined creativity and strategy in her various projects. For several years, she enriched her professional journey with artistic experiences, including leading theater and dance workshops as well as hosting events. She later turned to entrepreneurship in the agri-food sector, founding an innovative company to further explore her strategic and creative skills. In recent years, she returned to the events field as a project manager and events coordinator. Since August 2024, she has been bringing her versatility and experience to REFRAIN. As Project and Communications Coordinator, she joyfully shares her commitment and creativity to contribute to the success of REFRAIN’s initiatives.

Her background in the cultural sector—particularly within the underground and electronic music scene—is diverse: she has worked as an event co-organizer, accounting technician, treasurer, grant writer, administrative assistant, and head of security. These experiences have allowed her to develop strong adaptability, an open mind and heart, and the ability to collaborate with diverse teams. As co-founder of the Triskel Collective, an organization that promotes mutual support within the alternative cultural scene, she enjoys creating opportunities for underground projects that are often underrepresented. She is especially passionate about collaborative projects and partnerships between organizations.

Annie is a versatile professional with a rich and diverse background. She joined the REFRAIN team as a Business Development Consultant, where she is responsible for managing supplier relationships as well as the ACCÈS REFRAIN resource-sharing platform, which facilitates equipment sharing among festivals. With a strong background in event technology, Annie is also active in FEST, a platform connecting a community of festivals and festival-goers in Quebec and internationally. For many years, she has been active in the cultural and artistic sectors, building a broad and diverse network through collaborations with hundreds of festivals worldwide. Holding a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and having served on multiple nonprofit boards, she has developed multidisciplinary expertise in management, communication, training, administration, business development, and partnerships. Her unconventional career path allows her to combine technical rigor with artistic sensibility, distinguishing herself in the events industry. Driven by a deep passion for music, contagious enthusiasm, and a genuine desire to connect with stakeholders, Annie made the deliberate choice to leave the corporate world to fully engage with the festival and technology sectors. She joins the REFRAIN team with commitment and passion, ready to actively contribute to meaningful projects and help advance the mission of the organization, which she fully embraces.

With over 15 years of experience in the vacation and resort industry—particularly in Mont-Tremblant in the Laurentians, as well as Whistler and Revelstoke in British Columbia—Stéphane quickly established himself as a specialist in sales and customer service. This expertise has allowed him to develop a strong understanding of interpersonal dynamics, team management, and project coordination aimed at client satisfaction and loyalty. Building on this experience, Stéphane recently joined the REFRAIN team as Project Coordinator for Resource Sharing as part of the ACCÈS REFRAIN project. In this role, he is responsible for implementing, supporting, and optimizing collaborative initiatives between festivals to promote resource sharing, reduce costs, and foster collective innovation in the cultural sector. Passionate about culture and a firm believer in the importance of networking, Stéphane leverages his skills in organization, communication, and operational management to support REFRAIN members. His approach is guided not only by efficiency but also by a commitment to strengthening regional artistic vitality and contributing to the prominence of independent festivals in Quebec.

Camille has strong experience in the cultural sector and an insatiable curiosity. With an open mind and remarkable adaptability, she enjoys human interaction and discovering new environments. She easily integrates into diverse contexts and brings a positive, collaborative energy to the team.

For over 10 years, Louis-Philippe Lemay has been involved in numerous artistic projects in the Lanaudière region, but also across Quebec. He co-founded the CHAPO-Festival International d'amuseurs publics and the Festival Frissons. The one who really understands the reality of start-up festivals began his career in teaching, then switched to studies in television production in Jonquière, and flirted for a while with law studies. After a decade of working freelance in the event industry as a producer and executive producer, Louis-Philippe is now the general manager of several regional arts festivals, representing different realities and disciplines on REFRAIN’s board of directors.

Etienne Lavigne has been a dance professional for 25 years, with training at l’École supérieure de danse du Québec in Montréal, the San Francisco Ballet School, and the National Ballet of Cuba. During his career as a dancer with the National Ballet of Canada, he founded the company Anymotion Productions with a colleague, and has created a dozen large-scale independent performances, as well as seven dance films. General Director of the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur since 2016, Etienne is also involved as a member of the Créneau des Laurentides committee, the cultural committee of the MRC des Pays-d'en-Haut, the Dancer's Transition Center and the Canadian Actors' Equity Association.

Promoting cultural activities in non-traditional spaces is what drives Léa Philippe. This instigator of the FAR Festival des arts de ruelle has been presenting since 2017 an exciting range of short professional artistic performances of all disciplines, in an explosive and warm atmosphere. Trained as a comedian, Léa is always looking for the "real" contact with the public, the interaction, the gathering. Her keen interest in street arts led her to co-found Les Panachés and join the board of directors of the Regroupement des Arts de Rue du Québec. She also founded Diffusion FAR, an agency specializing in cultural events in public spaces and unusual locations. To date, Léa Philippe has collaborated on the artistic content of over 300 events on four continents.

Priscilla Guy is a dance artist and cultural worker based in Marsoui, in the Gespe’gewa’gi (Gaspésie). She has been the Artistic Director of Mandoline Hybride since 2007, under which she initiates numerous dissemination and artist residency projects (Regards Hybrides, Hautes Fréquences, Salon58). Priscilla is also the founder of FURIES – a contemporary dance festival – an internationally recognized event that has become essential both for the professional dance community and for the Haute-Gaspésie region. For the quality of her choreographic works and her commitment to making art accessible, she has received the LOJIQ Culture Award (2012), the Étincelle Prize from the Montréal Dance Awards (2022), and the CALQ Award – Artist of the Year in Gaspésie (2024). From 2025 to 2027, she will be a fellow of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA, NYC Congress, USA). Priscilla also serves on the boards of Studio 303 and REFRAIN. (C) Moïse Marcoux-Chabot

Founder and general and artistic director of MUTEK for the past 20 years, Alain Mongeau has extensive experience in the management and development of networks and has taken part in various local and international initiatives, in addition to his knowledge of government agencies. Very much involved in the cultural community, he has participated in several advisory committees that led to the creation of C2 Montréal, the Printemps numérique and the COMPOSITE series of networking events in digital creativity. Alain is also a member of the Comité culture de Tourisme Montréal and of the Commission numérique de Culture Montréal.

Since April 2023, she has served as the Executive Director of the Granby International Song Festival. She brings over ten years of experience in the cultural sector, particularly in event management, strategic communications, and philanthropy. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Communication and an MBA. This education and skill set have enabled her to navigate successfully in a constantly evolving environment, where challenges related to emerging models and access to culture are ever-present.

Amy Blackmore is the General and Artistic Director of Théâtre MainLine and the Montreal Fringe Festival. A former Quebec champion of air guitar, Amy is a theatre artist and a META-nominated choreographer (Montreal English Theatre Awards). Her cultural collaborations include designing the Fringe World Congress, which earned MainLine a nomination for the prestigious Grand Prix from the Conseil des arts de Montréal, chairing the Fédération dramatique du Québec’s congress titled “Shaping the Future of English Theatre in Quebec,” and most recently, collaborating with the Fringe festivals of Reykjavik and Gothenburg as part of the International Fringe Arts Exchange. Amy was a finalist for the Young Cultural Entrepreneur Award from the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montreal and a Leadership Fellow at the Canadian Arts & Business Summit. She serves as Vice President of the Caisse Desjardins de la Culture and is President of Parts+Labour_Danse.

Winner of the Traversée du Lac-St-Jean in a rowing skiff, the flagship event of Festirame, in the early 2000s, it was at that moment that she caught the true event-management bug. A graduate in Arts and Media Technologies from Cégep de Jonquière, Janie Maltais began her career as a journalist, researcher, and host in various radio media across the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region. From 2015 to 2022, she served as Executive Director of Festivalma, an organization overseeing multiple cultural, artistic, and sporting events in Alma, with more than 250 volunteers. From 2022 to 2024, she continued her professional journey as Arts and Culture Coordinator and Director of Ville d’Alma Spectacles. Since November 2024, she has returned to lead Festivalma. Her contagious energy, leadership, and passion make her a unifying force, whether for small-scale events or large-scale productions.

Dominique Arcand is the founder, executive director, and artistic director of Lumifest | Digital Arts and Street Food, Longueuil’s flagship festival, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year. He is also the founder and executive director of the non-profit organization Asphalte diffusion, the organization that oversees Lumifest. Asphalte diffusion creates large-scale gatherings that go beyond simple performances: its projects aim to strengthen a sense of belonging, create unifying moments, and celebrate collective identity. Through an approach that is both creative and strategic—highlighting the unique heritage of each territory—Dominique develops distinctive, meaningful events capable of mobilizing communities and helping them shine. Since 2020, Lumifest en cavale has been added to the organization’s activities. This traveling program showcases light-based creations and digital scenography across Quebec. Through engaging and innovative experiences, it transforms public spaces into true places of connection and wonder. In 2021, Asphalte diffusion was also entrusted with the mandate to organize the Fête nationale du Québec celebrations in Longueuil.