Céline Dion has spent the last week in Paris ahead of her residency at the AccorAréna which starts next week. Few details have been shared about the concerts, but we now know that Céline is staying loyal to her Canadian team.
As the singer prepares to perform beginning September 12, a significant portion of the team is made up of musicians and creative collaborators from Québec. According to the Journal de MontréalJournal de Montréal, musical director Scott Price will once again be at Dion’s side. The pianist has worked with the singer for over a decade and performed with her during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
Dion is also relying on longtime sound engineer Denis Savage, who has worked on several of her international tours and her Las Vegas residency. Meanwhile, Montréal-born creative director Willo Perron is responsible for the visual side of the production, having previously worked with some of pop’s biggest names, including Rihanna, Drake and Lady Gaga.
Band-wise, Philippe Dunnigan, Jeff Smallwood, Kaven Girouard, Guillaume Marchand and Yves Labonté are all returning. It hasn't yet been confirmed, but her familiar vocal collaborators Barnev Valsaint, Élise Duguay and Dawn Cumberbatch are expected to join the production.
This residency has been in the works for a long time, with Dion's official biographer saying the singer is ''in a state of total determintation'' to get back onstage. The Québec icon has been fighting stiff-person syndrome for the past few years, making it extremely hard for her to perform.
