Press Kit - Band bios | Photos | Audio samples | Stage diagram PDF
CONTACT - Donna Hébert: info at dhebert dot com OR Josée Vachon: josee at mapinternet dot com
2008 Press release
Chanterelle brings the audience into the heart of New England's warm, lively French culture. Distinctively
beautiful voices from soprano to bass, virtuoso French fiddling and trio harmonies are hallmarks of
Chanterelle performances, taking the listener on an unforgettable journey from Québec to Cajun Country.
Invoking their culture in music, story and song, they make the audience part of the soirée. Laughter and
music ring together as hands and feet keep time with the music, for it's time to have a good time, "C'est le
temps de s'amuser, amusons nous ensemble!"
In June, 2008, Chanterelle fiddler Donna Hébert was named a 2008 Masssachusetts Artsist' Fellow in the Folk Arts by Massachusetts Cultural Council, the state's art's organization. The Council earlier this year appointed Donna to their Creative Teaching Partner Roster, allowing Donna to bring her innovative fiddling program into Massachusetts schools.
An icon for Franco-American audiences, Josée Vachon represents a vital part of Franco culture that will
never be extinguished. Josée's 12-year stint as host of French-language cable TV show Bonjour made her
name a household word to Francos in the northeast. Her mix of traditional ballads, chansons ‡ rÈpondre and
humorous originals, plus her warm, engaging stage presence make an immediate connnection with any
audience. Guaranteed to get them dancing in their seats, Josée's syncopated foot rhythms drive
Chanterelle's uptempo songs and fiddle tune sets.
Chanterelle also performs and teaches in schools and residency programs, teaching in foreign language,
music, social studies and history classes and performing for young audiences.
Josée has released several new CDs, the latest a followup to her wildly popular "Devotion” CD of French
language hymns. The new "Inspiratioin" release promises to be a hit as well. Josée has many other
recordings available, including her Christmas CD, Rève de Noel and Déracinée, or "uprooted," with its
theme of French-Canadian immigration to the U.S., featuring her original, "Je viens tout juste de
débarquer" co-authored with poet Carole Auger
A veteran of thousands of contradances with recording industry awards for her fiddling, Donna Hébert is an
important figure in the contradance renaissance, as well as a national leader in teaching fiddling to string
players. Donna's humorous stories, songs of Franco life, and unstoppable fiddling groove are all sure crowd-
pleasers at Chanterelle concerts. At a recent concert, an elderly man leapt right out of his front-row seat
and began energetically step-dancing, high praise indeed for a fiddler!
Josée and Donna both have original songs included on the 1999 Smithsonian/Folkways anthology of Franco
music, “Mademoiselle, voulez-vous danser?” chosen by National Public Radio as one of it's Top Ten Folk
CDs.
Liza Constable's supple contralto voice has caught the attention of people from festival-goers to NPR "All
Things Considered" host Noah Adams. A consummate vocal stylist, Liza's phrasing goes to the heart of the
lyric. Her Cajun two- steps, waltzes and bluesy laments turn Chanterelle's music south to Louisiana. A
guitarist since age ten and fluent in many styles of accompaniment, Liza can drive dance tunes to the wall
or elegantly underpin a jazz standard or a ballad with equal skill and grace. Her latest songs with
Chanterelle are in French, taken from singers like Josephine Baker and Edith Piaf, where Liza’s voice takes
on their insouciance and loneliness while Donna's fiddling turns to sassy French jazz.
Liza and Donna also perform with The Beaudoin Legacy with members of Vermont's Beaudoin family and
friends, singing and playing fiddle with the 11-member group at venues in the Northeast.
When schedules permit, Chanterelle is joined by Cajun accordionist and bassist Alan Bradbury. Alan is also a
member of the Rhode Island Cajun band Magnolia.
Young Franco-American fiddling tunesmith Daniel Boucher from Bristol CT is also joining Chanterelle
onstage whenever he can. The heritage is safe in his hands.
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