Juno Awards Gala good to Quebec artists

Director Xavier Dolan, singer Jean Leloup and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra were among the Quebec acts who won Juno Awards at a gala ahead of Sunday's showcase event in Calgary.

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The Juno Gala Dinner andAwards, which was held onSaturday,arewhere the bulk of the 41 Junosare handed out. The remaining awards were announced in a televised ceremony on Sunday night.

Dolan won for his direction of the musicvideo for Adele'shit songHello,which he shot in Montreal.

Leloup snagged francophone album of the year forParadisCity, beating out entries byArianeMoffatt,Galaxie andMarie-PierreArthur. He was also nominated in the album of the year category, but lost toThe Weeknd'sBeauty Behind the Madness.

Deep in the Iris, bythe Montreal-based art-rock groupBraids, won for best alternative album of the year.

The Montreal Symphony Orchestra, with OlivierLatryandJean-WillyKunz, won classical album: large ensemble or soloist(s) with large ensemble accompaniment. The orchestra was also nominated in the same category for its work onFrench Trumpet Concertos.

Alt-rock superstarsArcade Fire weregiven theAllan Waters Humanitarian Award for their contributions to various charitable causes for Haiti.The Junos estimate the band has donated more than $4 million tocharities such asPartners In Health andKANPE.

Other winners with Quebec ties include Montreal-based Boogat, winners in the world music album of the year category forNeo-Reconquista.

The ensembleL'HarmoniedesSaisons, who work out of the Eastern Townships, picked up the award for classical album:vocal or choral performance, in recognition ofLasCiudadesdeOro.

Kataklysm, a Montreal band known for its "hyperblast"-style of death metal, came away with heavy metal album of the year.

And Montreal-based composersColin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld better known for their work with Arcade Fire claimed instrumental album of the year honours forNever Were The Way She Was.