Fiddlefern is hosting a Quebec dance music workshop November 7.
One of Quebec’s most respected fiddlers and singers will be in Owen Sound with the rad-folk trio Mil on November 7. Claude Méthé, with guitarist Dana Whittle and flute and whistle player Denise Levac, will co-host an all-instruments Quebec dance repertoire workshop for area musicians.
• at the Harmony Centre
• runs from 1 to 4 p.m
• is open to all instruments
• cost is $25 to pre-register and $30 at the door that day
Deadline to pre-register is October 23. Pre-register for the workshop by e-mail to dancefranc@hotmail.com. A potluck dinner at St. George’s church hall will follow the workshop.
If the workshop isn’t for you but you still feel like dancing then join the Fiddlefern Country Dancers for the regular monthly dance on the evening of the 7th. Beginners welcome. No partner needed. Bring your family and friends to St. George’s Church Hall, 1049 4th Ave. E. in Owen Sound.
Doors open at 7:30, warm up and orientation at 7:45, dancing from 8:00 until 11:00. $12 adults, $8 students, $ children, $25 family.
Soft-soled shoes, comfortable clothing and no fragrances advised. Please bring a water bottle.
More details are available at www.fiddlefern.ca and at www.milmusique.com
About the Band:
Méthé, also a singer and prolific composer, is among the most influential Quebec fiddlers of his generation. His career began in the 1970s and 80s with Le Rêve du Diable, a group he co-founded and for which he received honours from the Québec National Assembly in 2012. Arguably Quebec’s first commercially successful trad band, Le Rêve du Diable was indirectly responsible for spawning and influencing many more to come.
Méthé’s solo album L’Amant confesseur was nominated for trad Canadian folk album of the year.
Guitarist, singer and songwriter Dana Whittle, originally from Vermont, has been a key contributor to the Quebec Trad music scene since the early 1990s. Flute and whistle player Denise Levac has been part of the bustling Lanaudière trad community for many years, both with her performances and her highly original compositions, often with a European or Celtic sensibility.
The three members of Mil are also part of the much-respected, five-piece Quebec grad-folk group Dentdelion.