A symphony evoking different flavoured chocolates, a piano concerto as a soundtrack for a chess match, a fishing story mimed by a costumed clarinetist, a cabaret opera based on a comic book, a crowd game for orchestra with a giant beach ball, an 8-bit concerto, symphonic aerobics… With his communicative musical language and the originality of his concepts, the Montreal based composer Maxime Goulet connects with audiences from all kinds of backgrounds and experiences, from youth audiences to savvy music aficionados. His music is written in a contemporary tonal style and has been described as “skillful, immediately pleasant and very cinematographic”, “melodic and narrative”, “a mix of simplicity, of modernity and of humour”, and “an immediate connection with the audience”. His album Symphonic Chocolates has been described as “an off-the-wall idea that makes classical music more festive”.

His works has been performed on five continents by leading ensembles such as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Opera, the Liege Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre Régional de Normandie, the National Art Center Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Québec, the Orchestre Métropolitain, the Pacific Opera Victoria, Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà,  the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the Victoria Symphony,  the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, the Endless Mountain Music Festival Orchestra, the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, the Oakville Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Laval, the Conway Symphony Orchestra, the Stratford Symphony Orchestra and the Toledo Symphony.

Some of his works are now part of orchestra’s regular repertoire. Symphonic Chocolates has been performed more than 75 times, Citius, altius, fortius! more than 35 times, and On Halloween Night is performed each year during the Halloween period by many orchestras. These works and others are included in the acclaimed David Daniels Orchestral Music Handbook, a sourcebook for planning orchestral programs.

His Olympic ouverture Citius, altius, fortius! is featured on the album Les plaisirs coupables of the Orchestre symphonique de Sherbrooke and on the album Jean-Willy Kunz Au grand orgue de Pierre-Béique. His orchestral suite Symphonic Chocolates was recorded by the Prague FILMharmonic Orchestra and is featured on the album Chocolats symphoniques.

Maxime Goulet was Composer-in-Residence for the National Academy Orchestra of Canada (2011-2012), as part of the Brott Music Festival, and for the McGill Chamber Orchestra (2013-2014).

He is currently composing the opera Flight of the Hummingbird, commissioned by the Vancouver Opera and the Pacific Opera Victoria.