A concert of traditional Québecois music and dance featuring Réveillons! opens the Susquehanna Folk Music Society's rich and varied 2008-2009 concert season. The concert will be held at 7:30 PM on Saturday, September 20, 2008 at Whitaker Center's Stage 2 in Harrisburg, PA. It is co-sponsored by the Québec Government House, New York, and the Canadian Consulate. Preceding the concert will be a Québecois dance workshop to be held at 2 PM at Christ the Saviour Orthodox Church in Harrisburg. The intent of these events is to help celebrate the 400th anniversary of Québec City.
Réveillons! was founded in 1996 by brothers David and Jean-Francois Berthiaume, keepers of a long family music tradition from Quebec's Richelieu Valley. Jean-Francois Berthiaume is renowned for his percussive abilities on both the bodhran (Irish war drum) and that most distinctive of Québecois rhythmic instruments -- the feet. He also is an expert dance caller who has perfected the technique of turning dance-step instructions into song. David Berthiaume is a master singer who draws on his family's vast repertoire of traditional songs. He also plays the jaw harp and step dances. Since the 1970s, fiddler Richard Forest has played a major role in the revival of Québecois music, and has composed a number of the genre's most popular contemporary tunes. The ensemble's signature sound is completed by the guitar playing of the multi-talented Marc Maziade.
The music is alive and, while retaining the spirit of tradition, never ceases to change and grow as the band explores creation, archives, and interpretations. Réveillons! fits with the current universal trend toward a collective longing to "return to our roots," in that it works to revive and stimulate tradition and cultural heritage. Visit the band online at http://reveillons.qc.ca
Plus! A Québecois Dance Workshop
The Québecois dance workshop will feature Marc Maziade calling, with live music by Réveillons. The workshop will teach jigs, reels and step dances from Québec. It is not necessary to bring a partner. A separate admission of $10 General Admission, $8 SFMS Members & Students will be charged.
This event is the first in a series of concerts presented by the Susquehanna Folk Music Society. Next on the schedule is a concert with the Irish traditional band Beoga, to be held at 4 PM on September 28 in the ballroom of the Yorktowne Hotel, 48 E. Market Street, York, PA.
Ticket Information
Concert tickets are $18 General Admission, $14 for SFMS members and $10 for students. Advance tickets are available through The Box at 717-214-ARTS or The Box Online (go to www.sfmsfolk.org/tickets).
This event is made possible with grants from the Canadian Consulate and from Québec Government House, New York. Additional funding is provided by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Cultural Enrichment Fund. For more information, visit the Susquehanna Folk Music Society web site at www.sfmsfolk.org
Concert Series
