" The artistic demands of the show and the other aspects of the production inspire me to come up with the right mix. It’s a challenge I love. I also enjoy starting from scratch with every project, which means there are no presets. "

Matthieu Larivée has designed the lighting for a number of concerts, events, television and theatre productions, ranging from intimate performances to large-scale rock concerts.

Larivée was a music enthusiast, playing bass with musician friends and going to rock concerts on a regular basis. He discovered lighting purely by chance. After doing an internship in a recording studio, he found himself in a theatre—an experience that changed the course of his career.

Larivée’s first project as a designer was for Montreal-based comedy duo Les Grandes gueules in 1999-2000. For the next three years, he assisted his mentor Yves Aucoin, who would eventually become the lighting designer on Cirque du Soleil’s LOVE and co-lighting designer on Wintuk.

Since he began working as a lighting designer in 1998, Matthieu Larivée has earned a solid reputation for his multidimensional artistic approach and his global vision of a show. He does not hesitate to push the boundaries of his art by using video technology and scenery effects in his projects.

Larivée was involved in productions featuring artists such as R.E.M., Céline Dion, Charles Aznavour, Blur, Simple Plan, Diana Krall and Lenny Kravitz. He also worked with artists such as Natasha St-Pier, Roch Voisine, Richard Séguin and Jonas. In 2008, he designed the visuals for concerts by Quebec singer-songwriter Gregory Charles.

The same year Larivée won the prestigious Middle East Lighting Design Award (MELDA) for his lighting designs for Chantal Chamandy’s A Night at the Pyramids concert, recorded in Egypt for PBS.

Wintuk is Matthieu Larivée’s first experience on a Cirque du Soleil show. In 2008, he also designed the lighting for the equestrian show Saka, created by Cirque’s Senior Vice-president – Creative Content, Gilles Ste-Croix.

Matthieu Larivée was born in Montreal, in 1978.