Constance V. Pathy

Constance V. Pathy studied law at Leiden University in the Netherlands, her native country, where she specialized in international law. With a United Nations fellowship, she spent a year in New York studying the status of women before settling in Canada in 1960. In Montréal, Mrs. Pathy quickly became involved in cultural life, serving on the boards of several organizations, including the Orchestre des jeunes du Québec, the McGill Chamber Orchestra, the Studio de musique ancienne de Montréal (vice-president and interim president), the Concours de musique du Canada (president), and Early Music America, among others. She was also a member of the executive committee of the Canadian Arts Summit from its founding in 1998 until 2002, and served as its president in 2000–2001. She is currently involved with the following cultural organizations: Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, where she has been president since 1989; the Ladies’ Morning Musical Club; the Canadian Guild of Crafts; Brome Beaux-arts; and the Montreal International String Quartet Academy.

Mrs. Pathy holds two diplomas from McGill University, in cello (1971) and viola da gamba (1986). She served as a juror for the Juno Awards (classical music) in 1995 and 2000. In 2004, she received the Governor General’s Award; in 2006, the Ordre national du Québec; and in 2014, the Order of Canada.