Artists

Main Stage Jou Tou BardeFou Zal Sissokho and Buntalo De Temps Antan Delhi 2 Dublin Les Échos du Pacifique North Shore & Coquitlam Celtic Ensemble A Big Night Out North Shore & Coquitlam Celtic Ensemble La Bottine Souriante

Children's Tent Nova, Isa and Chou Sand Northrup Ted Longbottom Famille Léger Chorale des Pionniers / École des Pionniers de Maillardville French Bistro at Place Des Arts Mimosa

Workshop Tent Zal Idrissa Sissokho BardeFou Jou Tou De Temps Antan Delhi 2 Dublin Famille Léger

Main Stage

Jou Tou Saturday, March 7, 12:00 pm Main Stage Sunday, March 8, 12:00 pm Children's Tent The remarkable Jou Tou is proof positive that, if it were up to musicians, this old world would be a harmonic and tuneful place indeed. The four artists who make up this eclectic musical marriage come from different cultures, yet led by Québec-born multi-instrumentalist André Thibault and Chinese pipa virtuoso Qiu Xia He, they make beautiful music together. At the Festival, this duo is joined by special guests Jun Rong, a classically trained erhu (Chinese fiddle) player and Brazilian and Middle Eastern frame drum specialist Liam MacDonald on percussion. Jou Tou (joue-tout) means "play anything" - and as they go from Latin guitar and Middle Eastern oud music to Irish reels played on the erhu to Chinese and Québécois folk tunes with a global touch, the world is their inspiration. As musical borders fall - this melting pot of open-hearted musical travelers will take you on a journey where every place is home. www.silkroadmusic.ca BACK TO TOP

BardeFou Saturday, March 7, 3:45 pm What happens when seven accom-plished musicians from various backgrounds come together to create a joyful concoction of traditional Qué-bécois, Celtic and World tunes and original compositions? That would be BardeFou - something different, fun and fabulous! BardeFou owes its musical charisma both to the talents and versatility of its members, and a certain alchemy that occurs when they play together. Some performed with traditional groups like Carcajou, and La Volée d'Castors. Other mem-bers come out of the rock, jazz and classical milieus. The result is an inspired convergence of tradition and creation, musical diversity and varied instru-mentation. From Irish jigs to saucy French chanson, podorythmie to Finnish/French-Canadian ditties and things that come up in rehearsal - it's a happy, festive music made simply for your pleasure. BardeFou is: Pierre Drainville (guitar, mandolin), Nicolas Froment (mandolin, guitar), Robert Jourdain (guitar), Sarah Lesage (violins), Alain Magnan (bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, didgeridoo), Stéphane Arseneau (bass) and Joël Ménard (percus-sion), with vocals provided by various members. www.bardefou.ca BACK TO TOP

Zal Sissokho and Buntalo * Saturday, March 7, 2:30 pm Sunday, March 8, 11:45 am A master of the kora, the 21-string African harp, Zal Idrissa Sissokho brings the captivating rhythms and songs of Senegal to the Festival stage. A Montréal resident since 1999, Sissokho hails from one of the great Griot families of West Africa. The Sissokho line has passed down the musical and oral heritage and history of the Mandinka people since the dawn of time. Griots are storytellers and Zal was tutored in these traditions by his father and continued his studies under the great kora master Toumany Kouyaté. With Buntalo, the Afro-Mandingo group he formed in 2004, Zal performs both songs he has composed as well as traditional Mandingo classics sung in Malinké and Wolof, renewed with a contemporary feel that preserves the integrity of the centuries-old songs. Buntalo includes Aboulay Koné (guitar), Manu Pelé (bass), David Mobio (keyboards), Thomas Niamke Ehui (percussion) and Tapa Diarra (vocals, dance). Zal plays kora and thioug, a Senagalese bass drum. http://zalsissokho.free.fr/ BACK TO TOP

De Temps Antan * Saturday, March 7, 1:15 pm Sunday, March 8, 1:00 pm An age-old reel from Québec's Mauricie region, a ballad passed down through a family in St-Côme - music from the stomping grounds of Québec's musical past, with the occasional spice of something new and an injection of boundless talent, laughter and energy thrown in - this is De Temps Antan. Since 2003, Éric Beaudry, André Brunet and Pierre-Luc Dupuis have been collecting old melodies from Québec, singing and playing tunes learned through an oral heritage that is still alive and thriving. With fiddle, accordion, harmonica, guitar, bouzouki, the driving beat of podorythmie (foot percussion) and other instruments, they treat the sounds of yesteryear to a rigorous outing. Each young virtuoso is a music veteran, having performed with various groups, including stints with La Bottine Souriante. Each has a string of credits - André is the current "Grand Master of Canada" fiddle champion. Together, tradition is renewed, the past is energized and we all have a heck of a lot of fun! www.detempsantan.qc.ca BACK TO TOP

Delhi 2 Dublin Sunday, March 8, 2:15 pm Canada's cultural mosaic policies never seemed more like a great idea than when Vancouver-based Delhi 2 Dublin hits the stage. Fusing traditional North Indian and Irish folk melodies with scorching electronic beats and assorted other musical flavours has garnered them wildly enthusiastic responses that started with the very first note they played back in the Spring of 2006. Their Bhangra-Celtic-Dub based music takes listeners on a wild ride through global sounds and rhythms. The five members cover a lot of cultural ground as well, with two Punjabi musicians, a classically trained Japanese-Filipina violinist, a Korean-Canadian guitarist with an expertise in Indian music and sitar, and a tabla player with Indian and Irish ancestry. What they've managed to do is craft a unique hybrid music that sounds like it was just sitting out there, waiting to be played. The group's members are: Tarun Nayar (tabla, laptop), Kytami (fiddle), Ravi Binning (dhol), Andrew Kim (guitar, sitar) and Sanjay Seran (vocals). www.delhi2dublin.com BACK TO TOP

Les Échos du Pacifique Sunday, March 8, 10:15 am Now celebrating its 35th season, Maillardville's francophone choir "Les Échos du Pacifique" proudly presents a variety of French-Canadian folk songs, as well as the theme song for Maillardville's 100th anniversary, "Le rêve d'un village." www.lesechosdupacifique.com BACK TO TOP

North Shore & Coquitlam Celtic Ensemble Saturday Night Show, March 7, 8:00 pm Sunday, March 8, 10:45 am A jewel in this region's musical scene, the North Shore & Coquitlam Celtic Ensemble are a culturally diverse collection of 20+ young musicians from the Greater Vancouver area who are not only making waves locally, but have a developing national and international reputation as well. It's not hard to understand why: with strings, percussion and wind instruments the Ensemble performs lively original compositions and orchestral arrangements of Celtic-based music that seems to sparkle with youthful vigor and talent. They are directed in their music-making by professional musicians Claude Giguère and J. Knutson. Over the last years the Ensemble has recorded and released five CD's. In the summer of 2008 they were invited to take part in the 400th anniversary celebrations of Québec City. Through the rest of the 2008 they remained busy with performances and concerts in addition to an ongoing commitment to contribute and enhance cultural life in their own community. www.nscelticensemble.com BACK TO TOP

A Big Night Out

North Shore & Coquitlam Celtic Ensemble Saturday Night Show, March 7, 8:00 pm A jewel in this region's musical scene, the North Shore & Coquitlam Celtic Ensemble are a culturally diverse collection of 20+ young musicians from the Greater Vancouver area who are not only making waves locally, but have a developing national and international reputation as well. It's not hard to understand why: with strings, percussion and wind instruments the Ensemble performs lively original compositions and orchestral arrangements of Celtic-based music that seems to sparkle with youthful vigor and talent. They are directed in their music-making by professional musicians Claude Giguère and J. Knutson. Over the last years the Ensemble has recorded and released five CD's. In the summer of 2008 they were invited to take part in the 400th anniversary celebrations of Québec City. Through the rest of the 2008 they remained busy with performances and concerts in addition to an ongoing commitment to contribute and enhance cultural life in their own community. www.nscelticensemble.com BACK TO TOP

La Bottine Souriante Saturday Night Show, March 7, 9:30 pm Saturday night at Festival du Bois is a celebration! Our 20th year festivities continue with a special night of great, no-holds-barred good-time music headlined by La Bottine Souriante ("The Smiling Boot")! The group has been at the forefront of Québec traditional music internationally for over 30 years. What began in the Lanaudière region in 1976 has grown to become one of the most popular tradition-based groups on the world's festival and concert touring scene today - so put on your own smiling boots and get ready to dance! With a solid rooting in Québécois music, La Bottine Souriante has gone on to meld the French, Irish and Scottish sounds at their core with big band jazz and world beat influences that stretch from the Caribbean to the Far East - a veritable global dancehall of sounds. Along with their jigs, reels and ballads you'll hear some salsa, ska, funk, Cajun, Latino and African as they embrace a world of melodic and rhythmic influences. The group has created a folk-orchestral sound that is uniquely their own, and on stage they are a tight, unified ensemble with a live show this is simply electrifying. Over the course of the last three-plus decades, the band has had members come and go (some of these also playing at the Festival this year) while maintaining the highest performance standards, with numerous awards including Junos, several FÉLIX Awards and the BBC Folk Award for Best Live Act to their credit. They have released twelve records (gold and platinum) and toured the world over performing at premiere festivals and venues - a truly global phenomenon. Come celebrate, come dance, come experience the energy of the best traditional Québécois big bands in the world today! La Bottine Souriante is: Benoit Bourque (vocals/accordion/foot percussion), Éric Beaudry (vocals/foot percussion/ guitar/mandolin/bouzouki), François Marion (acoustic and electric bass/vocals), Jean Fréchette (saxophone/flutes/percussion/vocals), Pierre Bélisle (piano/piano-accordion/percussion/trumpet), David Boulanger (vocals/violin/guitar/percussion/foot percussion), Jocelyn Lapointe (trumpet), André Verreault (trombone), Robert Ellis (bass trombone/percussion) and Sandy Silva (percussive dance). www.bottinesouriante.com BACK TO TOP

Children's Tent

Nova, Isa and Chou Saturday, March 7, 12:00 pm A delight to see and hear, come visit with this talented family! Nova is a 5 year old little girl who loves to sing and dance with her mom and dad. Both her parents are major talents, well known on the chanson music scene in France and in Canada among having many other talents - so this works out very well for us all! Her mom "Isa" is singer/songwriter Isabelle Longnus, one of the most influential francophone artists in Western Canada. Dad "Chou" is musical director and pianist Jonathan Benny. Together, this family wrote "Chansons de Grenouilles - Frog Songs", an album and show of original and traditional French Canadian and French children's songs. www.novaisachou.com BACK TO TOP

Sand Northrup Saturday, March 7, 1:00 pm Sunday, March 8, 1:00 pm While fully bilingual, laughter is clown, juggler, unicyclist and stilt-walker Sand Northrup's true first language - and children of all ages require no translation to enjoy this bubbling and energetic performer. Sand introduces the joys of the circus to the young and the young at heart, often with some very special and amazing characters - and always with a flair for the fabulous. This One Woman Circus has brought her traveling show to children's festivals and countless other events across the country since 1984, delighting, inspiring and even slipping a little learning into the mix wherever she goes. www.sandnorthrup.com BACK TO TOP

Ted Longbottom Saturday, March 7, 2:00 pm Sunday, March 8, 2:00 pm For Ted Longbotton, singing and storytelling is in his blood, passed down to him from his Métis ancestors and a focal part of his life growing up in Manitoba. Through sharing the powerful songs and stories that dramatize 200 years of Métis history, stories of courage and adventurous spirits, of Métis traders, buffalo hunters and veterans, Ted brings a vital part of our shared heritage home to all Canadians. He's been called "Manitoba's unofficial bard" and "a future Canadian legend" - his deep, resonant voice, his passion for history and his pride in the legacy of both our immigrant and Aboriginal cultures make Ted's performances compelling, entertaining and inspiring. He is accompanied on stage by Daniel Koulack. www.mts.net/~tlongbot/Ted.html BACK TO TOP

Famille Léger Saturday, March 7, 3:00 pm Born of a time when family and friends would gather in the warmth of the kitchens of Québec and New Brunswick to play and dance time-honoured tunes together, La Famille Léger keeps that rich tradition vitally alive. The Légers play the dancing music of French Canada - the music handed down through generations in the New World, the music of back porches and kitchen parties. Patriarch Louis Léger leads the band on the one-row melodeon (a type of button accordion), son Devon plays fiddle, Devon's mom Barbara plays guitar and his wife, Dejah is on piano. This proudly "old school" family band will have your own family dancing and joining in on the fun. BACK TO TOP

Chorale des Pionniers / École des Pionniers de Maillardville Sunday, March 8, 3:00 pm A festival favourite! Sixty talented young choristers from Grades 2 to 6 from École des Pionniers de Maillardville, under the direction of music teacher and conductor Jean-Charles Côté, perform a mixed programme of French Canadian songs. Come hear the voices of youth raised in harmonious song. BACK TO TOP

Workshop Tent

Famille Léger Sponsored by Sunday, March 8, 2:30 pm The Légers present a workshop on the songs and dance tunes of Acadia, and the stories behind them. The Acadian settlers in the Maritimes were prolific story-tellers, fiddlers and singers with a rich tradition shared at kitchen parties. The family gives us a glimpse into this abundant tradition with lively sing-alongs, tall tales and foot-tapping dance tunes.

French Bistro at Place Des Arts

Mimosa Saturday, march 7th 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm Performing a lush musical blend of French Lounge chanson, New York Swing, Brazilian Bossa Nova and original material, Vancouver-based Mimosa is like both the fragrant flower and the bubbly cocktail that share their name - heady, elegant and captivating. Formed in the late 1990's, the quartet has played the city's hippest hotspots and toured to festivals and venues across the continent, releasing two CDs with a third expected this year. They've also been featured in an hour-long documentary aired on TV5 and produced by Pierre Rivard from French CBC, and were the subject of English CBC's first podcast. Mimosa is also four of this city's best talents. On both keyboards and left-hand bass, Anna Lumiere is the group's driving force, writing much of their music with lyrics in French, English and Spanish. On vocals, Rebecca Shoichet is a veteran of musical theatre, has performed with some of Vancouver's most established bands and toured with the likes of swing-master Johnny Ferreira and Amanda Marshall. Karen Graves is well known as a virtuoso sax and flute player (Joelle Rabu, the Temptations, Marylin Lerner, Maynard Ferguson, Mother of Pearl) and brings passion and incredible improvisational chops to the combo. Drummer John Raham, one of most in-demand percussionists around, delivers Mimosa's signature groove with energy and style. Join Mimosa on a sentimental journey of vintage sounds from the 1960s to today, delivered with a contemporary, sophisticated spirit and consummate musicianship. Feel free to give in to the temptation to dance along! BACK TO TOP