Taken at the grand finale at the Un Retour au Chansons Traditionnelles concert in Chéticamp. Very special to see the younger generation singing old Acadian songs among the more mature performers. Photo: Daniel Aucoin
April 12, 2023
-by Rosie Aucoin-Grace
There is no better way of remembering and honouring our ancestors than to continue to share some of their teachings to us and to keep traditions going from generation to generation. On Friday, March 31st, the Nos Chansons Traditionnelles concert at La Place des arts Père Anselme Chiasson in Chéticamp was certainly an attestation that our Acadian folklore is still very much alive and thriving in the Francophone region of our county. Music and song have always been an important part of Acadian culture. Music education has existed in Acadia since the 1860s. School and college choirs have enjoyed great success, and classically-trained Acadian musicians have distinguished themselves on the world stage.
The concept of reviving old Acadian traditional songs and getting our youth involved started with musician/singer Robert Deveaux. La Société Saint-Pierre and Société Mi-Carême with the financial assistance from Canadian Heritage sponsored the project, along with the collaboration from Le Conseil des arts de Chéticamp and the end result was nothing but spectacular, a tribute that will not soon be forgotten.
From the very beginning of the show, one could tell that this was going to be a very special concert – one for the books so to speak. There was a house band featuring great performers: Bertrand Déraspe (Magdalen Islands), Philippe LeBlanc (Prince Edward Island), Adrien Aucoin (Saint-Joseph-du-Moine), along with co-project coordinator, Robert Deveaux (Saint-Joseph-du-Moine). The décor although simple sent out a solid message. It depicted an old kitchen party atmosphere and the backdrop, a clothesline with old photos integrated in the bed sheets, featuring some of our ancestors who were known for their fine talents as a singer or musician, contributors to our ancestral folklore.
Performers for the evening were a mixture of young and the young at heart. They were Chester Delaney, Bruno Bourgeois, Sylvia LeLièvre, Ashley Aucoin, Adèle Deveaux, and Yvonne LeFort. There was also a new group of traditional singers, Hirondelles who decided to do their début at this concert consisting of Nicole Deveau (director of École de Raveston Music School), Elyse Delaney (executive director – Le Conseil des arts de Chéticamp), and Michelle Deveau (music teacher at École NDA). There were École NDA students: Adèle Deveaux, Isabella Butler, Caleb Camus, Isla Camus, Marlee Gibson-Grant, Danielle LeBlanc, and Devin Walker. Technical Director Carter Chiasson, Hannah Harris (Lighting), Jaron Félix, and Kiegan Leslie (décor) did a wonderful job, ensuring that everything was just right on stage. With this lineup and such a diversity of entertainers, there was boundless talent and what an amazing show of song, dance, and great music.
Old photos would appear in the background and the performers would sing material that pertained to these ancestors. It was quite moving to see the faces of so many that have departed from our world but whose memory is being kept alive through song, music, and dance.
I had the privilege of doing a bit of research for this project. Passionate about preserving old photographs and information, I was more than willing to share some of my findings with Robert Deveaux, who shares this same enthusiasm. I was quite impressed with the concept of the project and the manner in which he blended the photos and traditional songs.
Robert Deveaux started singing by age 12. He is an Acadian fiddler, pianist, and singer who grew up in Saint-Joseph-du-Moine, now dividing his time between home and Montréal, Québec. He has revived the unique style of playing fiddle and singing of Joseph Athanase Larade and is a respected researcher and collector of Acadian songs. He has recently completed an album which is currently in the mixing stages called Art Populaire with Le Duo Boulerice Demers, consisting of Nicolas Boulerice and Olivier Demers, who also belong to the internationally popular French Folk group Le Vent du Nord. It is not surprising that with his passion for traditional songs and his vast musical background, he was able to come up with the vision for this show. It is wonderful to see how his very talented daughter Adèle, who although has her own unique style as a singer/musician, seems to be following in her father’s footsteps when it comes to keeping old Acadian material as part of her repertoire.
Deveaux spoke about the project, “I really enjoyed working with everyone involved. I wanted to highlight some of the repertoire of beautiful Acadian traditional songs that are anchored in our region but have gone to the wayside over time. A way to introduce or for some, bring back this material to once again be integrated in our community.” He continued, “By sometimes playing audio excerpts, taken mainly but not limited to the archives of Père Anselme Chiasson, to remind people that these songs have already been sung here, it was a prelude to the current interpretation of the piece by our artists and bearers of traditions of today, while paying homage to those of yesterday. Each number also had a background projection of informants and other people or places related to the song in question depending on which version one had chosen to perform. This background was an art design and edited by Jaron Félix.”
“Part of the show was also a nod to Father Charles-Émile Gadbois, of La Bonne Chanson, with a medley of songs that used to be sung at school throughout Canadian Francophone communities, and also to our teachers of the past who for so long taught this in all their classrooms in just about every little school around here,” says Deveaux. He added, “We also decided to do an interpretation of the Ronde des Moutons, an old dance for children, which we also used to do in the past. For this number, we relied on the manual of traditional Acadian dances by Dr. Barbara LeBlanc. We thought it appropriate for these numbers to recruit among the students of the École NDA to evoke the nostalgia of re-hearing these old songs sung by young voices.”
“I am very happy with the success of this project and hope this is just the beginning of many more similar shows. I am grateful that this concert was filmed for archival purposes by Francis LeBlanc and Garrett McGibbon. I want to thank everyone who was involved in this project and those who came out and supported us by coming to the concert in such a large crowd. It is so important that our Acadian folklore does not disappear, that we keep it alive and pass it on to our younger generation. Vive les chansons d’Acadie!” concluded Deveaux.
Executive director of Les Trois Pignons, Lisette Bourgeois, spoke of this venture, “Another great project that we are very proud to have been able to support. Special thanks to Canadian Heritage, Le Conseil des arts de Chéticamp, Robert Deveaux, the technical team and the beautiful array of musicians/singers. Very impressive job by all. It was quite special to find ourselves in our state of the art theatre and able to be a part of this genre of concert, live performances that for many brought us back in time. Bravo.”
“We have worked so hard to preserve our Acadian heritage through music over the years, that when people think of Chéticamp, they associate us as ‘the place to be for Acadian music.’ We were so pleased to see that the community chose to come and celebrate our roots with us. We showed some old recordings, some old photos, and in some cases, the singers who sang in the concert were descendants of those who were singing in the old recordings! It was a very touching evening, and I am so proud of what we were able to prepare,” says executive director, Le Conseil des arts de Chéticamp, Elyse Delaney.
As I watched the show, there were many touching moments, quite a nostalgic experience as the photos and songs brought me back to my childhood. I found it so encouraging to hear the younger generation performing such material. I know this sentiment was felt by many as the close-to-a-sold-out crowd, sang, tapped their feet, clapped and there were lots of awes when familiar photos of so many of our ancestors were on display, accompanied by songs/music that touched our very souls. The participation and standing ovations from the audience said it all. Père Anselme Chiasson was no doubt looking down, so very proud. We can only hope that this project has revived some of the old Acadian repertoire, a beginning of assuring that generations to come will keep this tradition alive.
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