Rio Tinto Alcan extends sponsorship of the Festival International de Jazz de
Montréal to 2015 and launches new music-themed educational program for
Montreal youth

MONTREAL, June 7 /CNW Telbec/ - Rio Tinto Alcan is proud to extend its sponsorship of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal to 2015. Rio Tinto Alcan and the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal have also teamed up to launch À mon école, on garde le beat, a music-themed educational program aimed at encouraging young people to stay in school.

"We are pleased to continue our support of Montreal's signature cultural event," said Jacynthe Côté, Rio Tinto Alcan's chief executive. "This sponsorship extension is a demonstration of our commitment to the social and economic vitality of Montreal, our home town. It demonstrates Rio Tinto Alcan's determination to ensure that the true cultural treasures of the city of Montreal and the province of Quebec continue to flourish."

We are particularly proud to join with our partners at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal to launch a new music-themed educational program for the youth of this wonderful city. I commend Alain Simard, Founding President of the Festival, for his creativity and determination to tackle one or our society's most pressing challenges: keeping our children in school. It is my hope that the example set by Mr. Simard and his team inspires others to make the education of the next generation a priority," concluded Côté.

À mon école, on garde le beat will aim to motivate young people to stay in school by introducing music in the class curriculum. Beginning in 2011, in collaboration with SAMAJAM, Canada's largest percussion school, this new program will organise free percussion classes for an entire elementary school. The school will then be invited to perform on the Rio Tinto Alcan stage during the Festival. Each year, for five years, the program will be implemented in a new school in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighbourhood in Montreal.

"The Festival is once again very proud to be able to count on its prestigious ally, Rio Tinto Alcan," said Alain Simard. "Twenty-three years after our first collaboration together, this global organization is still supporting our ambitious projects: including the Maison du Festival, named after Rio Tinto Alcan, and the carbon neutral project, which the Festival achieved in 2008. Thanks to the support from our partner, we will continue to be able to offer rich and diverse musical programs in the future. On behalf of all festival-goers, I thank Rio Tinto Alcan."

For the third-consecutive year, Rio Tinto Alcan will ensure that the Festival is carbon neutral by purchasing Gold Standard certified carbon offsets through Planetair to compensate for Festival emissions.

As in previous years, Rio Tinto Alcan also supports the Festival's recycling and waste reduction program that allows for the recuperation of approximately 30 tonnes of material per year.

The Rio Tinto Alcan stage, at the Saint-Catherine's Street entrance of the Complexe Desjardins, will be the site of numerous free concerts throughout the Festival. On July 6, Rio Tinto Alcan will once again host the grand closing event - a free outdoor concert featuring acclaimed musician Zachary Richard in la Grande soirée Mardi Gras.

Rio Tinto Alcan's sponsorship renewal will also ensure the return of festival favourites - the Parc musical Rio Tinto Alcan and the Petite école du Jazz. These venues provide free access to games, educational activities, face painting, and crafts to create musical instruments made of aluminium.

About Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.

Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa.

For further information: Rio Tinto Alcan Media Relations: Stefano Bertolli, [phone], [email protected]; Bryan Tucker, [phone], [email protected]; www.riotintoalcan.com