Daniel: Manitoba is a province in the very heart of Canada: that is three thousand kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean and three thousand kilometers from the Pacific Ocean. It is a centre, a place of vast plains and a country where the scenery is in the sky, but not on the land. That is why we used to look only up in the sky. I was born there, in that place. I grew up in a happy family, I mean, none of us knew about quarrels and other things like that. We just lived in a very small village with a population of two hundred of people. My father owned a general store, so we sell many things, for example, eggs, milk, dishes, boots, shoes, wood. I attended a small school there, and, generally, I was always surrounded by my cousins, aunts; my grandmother and grandfather also lived there in the village. So, I had a blissful childhood, because there were people by my side who really loved me and helped me to feel that I’m welcome in the world. And, you know, I felt that for about fifteen years, until I left the village and became a boarding student in the college. There I suddenly realized that life couldn’t always be so easy and pleasant, as it seemed to me before.

I came to know art thanks to my mother and my family in general. They are really keen on music; they are in love with great music. My grandfather wasn’t rich; he was just a simple farmer. But it was he who managed to get audiocassettes with music (there weren’t any music CDs at that time). And I know that my mother listened to these recordings, listened to the most well-known operas. In fact, she got me used to listen to operas since I was three. So, I listened to the operas by Bizet and, again, all in all, I met this side of life thanks to my mother and to the whole my family. They were not so interested in literature or painting, for example. But music was the only thing that really exited them, and exited me almost from the very beginning of my life.

Denis Lavoie, Daniel’s brother: Daniel grew up in the village. Well, we all grew up there! And life there was like a one great adventure for us. We travelled a lot with my parents by car, so Daniel really liked the village and plains.

Therese Lavoie, Daniel’s mother: He liked spending most of his time on the farm, with my parents. There he could run away into the fields, but we never were in trouble about that; we always knew where he was.

Denis Lavoie: Well, he was a smart older brother, I guess; he was quit and he never got into fights, as far as I remember. It seems to me, that he was the smartest in the family.

Gilles Boulet, Daniel’s childhood friend: He was quite a big and, by the way, strong fellow. He always played wisely and always definitely knew what to do.

 Quebec, the history of the family

 Сhildhood memories

Manitoba

Quebec’s historical sitesrical sites

Family tree