In the room, voices rise softly. At first hesitant. Then, little by little, more confident. Breathing comes together. Eyes meet. Something begins to ease.
Here, it is not about performance. It is about reconnecting with oneself.
Even after cancer remission, many people continue to live with very real aftereffects. Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, the unsettling feeling of no longer quite recognizing themselves.
At Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne, home to the Centre intégré de cancérologie de la Montérégie, the oncology team believes that beyond treatments, it is possible to support patients in other ways. How? By focusing on connection, expression, and the human power of music and community.
This is what Professor Dominique Tremblay, researcher at the Centre de recherche Charles-Le Moyne (CRCLM), and her team are working to demonstrate through a research project made possible thanks to your donations.
What if choral singing could offer well-being where no medication exists?
Each week, a small group of patients gathers around a piano, accompanied by a vocal professional. In a caring environment, they explore their voice, at their own pace.
This “musical prescription,” developed in collaboration with the Opéra de Montréal, brings together science and art to support life after cancer. A period marked by physical, cognitive, and emotional rebuilding.
Within the group, participants gradually begin to relax. For some, it is the first time in a long while that they reconnect with themselves.
Expressing what one feels
This drawing was created by a participant in the research project.
Participants were asked to represent their state. This patient illustrates what she describes as “brain fog”: a feeling of confusion, of losing one’s bearings. When thoughts become blurred, difficult to grasp.
Thanks to you, and through choral singing, she gradually regained clarity.
Here's what patients are saying!
This side effect — the mental fog — is quite difficult to live with. Choral singing makes me feel good.
I came for the enjoyment, but it’s very different. I feel joy. It’s much deeper.
I truly notice a short-term effect. When I leave, I feel really well. I feel calm and happy. I often arrive tired… and leave energized.
Vous faites une vraie différence dans leur quotidien…
« Cet effet secondaire, de la brume dans les idées, est quand même assez dur à vivre. Le chant choral me fait sentir bien. »
« J’y allais pour le plaisir, mais c’est très différent. Je vis de la joie. C’est beaucoup plus profond. »
« Je vois vraiment un effet à court terme. Quand je sors de là, je suis vraiment bien. Je me sens apaisée et heureuse. J’arrive souvent fatiguée… et je repars énergisée. »
You have opened the way to a new approach to supporting patients after cancer.
Thanks to you, these patients have reconnected with their voice.
Thanks to you, they have rediscovered a space to breathe, to reconnect, and to move forward at their own pace.
You have offered than a project.
You offer a moment of calm. A space to refocus. A path toward well-being.
Feel the emotion of a session
Listen to a moment captured at the heart of a choral singing workshop. An authentic moment, shared with care, without a camera, to preserve this essential space of respite.
In this collective space, without pressure to perform, a community is created. Participants share, understand one another, and move forward together.
An inspiring approach
This musical experience is at the origin of a research project at the intersection of medicine and the arts. It is fully aligned with the academic role of Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne, which is affiliated with the Université de Sherbrooke.
The initiative is already generating a great deal of interest… and could expand even further in the coming years, thanks to you.
