The email that arrived at 8.04 in the morning
Global News reported the detail that gives the story its shape: Forestier researched the American Protege International Competition himself, online, and entered it. On 28 October, at 8.04 in the morning, he learned he had placed second in his age category.
Second place carried a performance slot at Carnegie Hall and a lesson at Juilliard. He rehearsed on the Friday and performed on the Saturday of the weekend following the report, which was published on 25 March 2015. The piece he played is not named in the coverage.
A violin at two, a musical household
He started at two. So did his mother, Marie Forestier, who is a music instructor at MacEwan University in Edmonton and began the violin at the same age. Global News describes the family as musical, which in this case is a documented fact about the household rather than a flourish.
No teacher outside the family is named in the report, and no conservatory or programme is identified. That is a real gap: the training behind a ten-year-old placing internationally is exactly the part the coverage does not describe.
The stage career that came first
Forestier's first public recognition was not in music competitions. He won the Calgary theatre critics award for best featured actor in a musical, for playing Michael Banks in a co-production of Mary Poppins staged by the Citadel Theatre and a Calgary company.
Before that, at seven, he had reached the semi-finals of Canada's Got Talent. By ten he had therefore compiled an unusual record for a child performer: a national television run, a professional theatre award and an international music placing, in that order.
In his own words
Asked how he felt about the Carnegie Hall result, Forestier gave Global News a child's answer and then a performer's one. "I'm just so happy. I can't describe it," he said. And then: "I just want to touch many people's hearts."
The second sentence is the one worth keeping. It states an ambition about audiences rather than about prizes, which is unusual phrasing from a ten-year-old in the middle of a competition win.
What is documented — and what is not
One Global News report, dated 25 March 2015, carries this record. It establishes his age, the competition and placing, the Carnegie Hall performance and the Juilliard lesson, the theatre award, the Canada's Got Talent appearance and his mother's position. It gives no date of birth, so the birth year here is inferred from his being ten in March 2015 and is approximate.
Nothing after 2015 appears in the sources used here: no later competitions, no conservatory, no confirmation of what he performed in New York. His name is also shared with other people, and nothing on this page should be read as describing anyone else. Where the record is silent, this entry stays silent.
Watch: Jack Forestier on camera
| Person | Country | Milestone | Age / Stat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Li-sa-X | Japan | Viral shred guitar covers from the age of eight | Age 0 |
| Olly Pearson | United Kingdom | Fourth place in the Britain's Got Talent 2025 final | Age 0 |
| Jack Forestier | Canada | Second in the American Protege International Competition; Carnegie Hall… | Age 10 |
| Calysta Bevier | United States | Winning Simon Cowell's Golden Buzzer on America's Got Talent at 16 (2016) | Age 16 |
| Ayla Tesler-Mabé | Canada | Viral guitar covers; Fender endorsee | — |
What is documented — and what is not
✓ Documented
- Second place in his age category at the American Protege International Competition, learned 28 October (Global News)
- Performed at Carnegie Hall at ten in March 2015; the prize included a lesson at Juilliard
- Calgary theatre critics award for Mary Poppins; Canada's Got Talent semi-finalist at seven
? Unverified, disputed or wrong
- No date of birth published; the birth year is approximate
- No violin teacher or training programme named in the source
- No reporting located after March 2015, and the piece he played in New York is not named
Questions people ask about Jack Forestier
How old is Jack Forestier?
He was ten in March 2015, which implies a birth year around 2005. No date of birth has been published, so the figure is approximate.
How did he get to Carnegie Hall?
He placed second in his age category at the American Protege International Competition, which carried a Carnegie Hall performance slot.
When did he start the violin?
At two years old. His mother, Marie Forestier, a music instructor at MacEwan University, also began at two.
Has Jack Forestier acted?
Yes. He won the Calgary theatre critics award for best featured actor in a musical as Michael Banks in Mary Poppins, and was a Canada's Got Talent semi-finalist at seven.
What did he play at Carnegie Hall?
The source does not name the piece.
Is Jack Forestier on Wikipedia?
No Wikipedia article on him was found. This entry rests on a single Global News report.
Where is Jack Forestier now?
No reporting after March 2015 was located for this entry. His later career is undocumented here.
Who are his parents?
His mother is Marie Forestier, who teaches music at MacEwan University. No other family details are published in the source used here.
Quick quiz: how well do you know Jack’s story?
How old was Jack Forestier when he picked up his first violin?
What competition placing took him to Carnegie Hall?
Which role won him a Calgary theatre critics award?
Sources
- 10-year-old Edmonton musical prodigy to play Carnegie Hall — Global News, 2015-03-25
Checked by the Geniuses.club editorial team. Ages are given as of September 2026.
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