Pictured: Emmanuelle Girard (left) and Alexandra Stréliski

As the founder of Comme C’est Beau, Emmanuelle Girard manages acclaimed pianist and composer Alexandra Stréliski. Stréliski has had a major rise, both in Quebec and worldwide, on a nearly unprecedented level for a neo-classical performer. Her album Neo-Romance was among the top selling CDs in Canada when it was released in 2023, and this year she became the first instrumental artist to headline FEQ (Festival d'été de Québec,) playing for 80,000 people on the gargantuan Plains of Abraham mainstage.

Girard is also the co-founder of Festival Transe Atlantique, a former national handball athlete and has a background in public relations – which brings the multifacted skill set an artist manager uses every day. For her, global strategy is vital, but so is being on the ground with her clients. “Travel with the artist. Feel the energy. Read the room,” she says. “That’s where you spot what works – and what doesn’t. Teamwork starts in the field. Alignment happens in motion.”

Once you have the audience at home, she says, you can start thinking bigger. “Take the local wins and turn them into global leverage. If it resonates at home, amplify it abroad. Build momentum city by city, crowd by crowd. Nothing replaces real connection.”