Since 1994, Chanterelle has presented the exuberant music of the French in America, featuring Franco-American singer Josee Vachon and fiddler Donna Hébert. Chanterelle returned to the stage with 2014 concerts at Blackstone River Theatre (RI), Branford Folk Society (CT) and Monadnock Folklore Society (NH). Josée and Donna are very happy to have Alan Bradbury back on bass, vocals and accordion, and to welcome the extraordinarily talented Max Cohen on guitar and vocals.
With guitars, fiddle and traditional foot-tapping accompaniment, Donna and Josée pull the audience into the soirée. French-language songs mix sly chansons à répondre about women and their husbands with stories and ballads about culture and immigration. Songs are punctuated by rhythmic reels and Josée's drumming feet. Donna and Max add lavish waltzes from the tradition. Two, three and four voices enrich the songs and provide cover for the audience, who are invited to sing back on the response lines!
Chanterelle carries the joyous French cultures of New England and Canada to every soirée. The audience are effectively guests in their home, the stage is their living room, and the party is ON! C’est le temps de s’amuser! It’s time to have FUN!
Fees (all plus travel): Low - Josee/Donna duo in schools for $800 plus travel. High - the quartet for a weekend festival or college residency - $4500. Venue provides sound unless otherwise contracted. (For Touring program venues: Josée, Donna and Max are MA residents; Alan lives in RI.)
BIOS
Donna Hébert and Josee Vachon have been performing together since 1994. Both are recognized for their unique contributions to Franco-American music and culture. Josée toured for seven years as a Franco-American singer with the NEA roster“Women in Song.” Donna is a Massachusetts state Artist’s Fellow in the Folk Arts for Franco-American fiddling.
JOSEE VACHON
Born in Québec and raised in Maine, Josée Vachon has been sharing her Franco-American culture for over 25 years with traditional, original and contemporary folksongs from Québec and Acadia. After singing at family gatherings, she began singing publicly with the support of the Franco-American Center at the University of Maine, where she discovered others who shared her rich heritage. After receiving her BA in Romance Languages in 1984, she continued to perform, quickly gaining recognition as a new Franco-American voice through early performances at state festivals in Maine and at schools and parish soirées. In 1999, she received the National Culture through the Arts Award from NYSAFLT, the New York State Association of Foreign Language Teachers, and was inducted into the French-Canadian Hall of Fame Class of 2007 for the American-French Genealogical Society.
“…thank you for a wonderful concert…we all enjoyed your music and learned a lot about Franco-American history and songs.. You have many new fans here in Boston.!” - WUMB-FM, Boston
“spirited, moving and just plain fun.” - Club Passim, Cambridge , MA
“…l’ambassadrice de la chanson franco-américaine…” - L’accent Acadien, Moncton, New Brunswick
"…Josée Vachon sait amuser et attendrir... " - Chansons d’aujourd’hui, Montréal, Québec
“Elle assume sa double culture avec tendresse et autodérision. " - France-Soir, Paris
" A true chanteuse whose flying feet will heat up the hall while her voice melts your heart. " - The Valley Advocate, Amherst , MA
Discography
>> Parlez-moi d’amour (2012)
>> Inspiration (2007)
>> Collection Vol I (2005)
>> Rêve de nöel (2004)
>> Chez nous . . . en casa (2003)
>> 25 Ans (2001)
>> Déracinée (2001)
>> Devotion (2001)
>> Mademoiselle, voulez-vous danser? (1999)
>> Soirée chez nous: Chanterelle (1996)
>> Ça fait rire les enfants (1996)
>> Nöel . . . mes souvenirs (1994)
>> La voix d’une mère (1992)
>> more about Josée
DONNA HEBERT
Recognized by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick for “outstanding artistic achievement” for fiddling, Donna Hébert is a bona-fide cultural treasure, with two original songs included on Smithsonian anthologies and eight appointments as a master-teacher in Franco-American fiddling through the National Endowment’s Master-Apprenticeship program. Donna has performed with Josée Vachon since their first meeting in 1993 on Josée’s “Bonjour!” radio show, which led to their forming heritage group Chanterelle. Already a strong Franco fiddler, Donna’s association with Josée has brought her much closer to that heritage. A member of four other bands, Donna is also a fiddle scholar. Her “Fiddling Demystified for Strings” is an“encyclopedia of fiddling” (Darol Anger, Berklee professor) and “should be required reading for all string teachers hoping to branch out into fiddling.” (Strings Magazine). She teaches fiddle and performance at Smith and Amherst Colleges in western Massachusetts.
"Outstanding artistic achievement" - citation from Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
“In Full Bloom is Donna’s best CD ever, un vrai délice!” - Québécois artist Benoit Bourque of La Bottine Souriante
“I LOVE Donna's 'In Full Bloom' CD. It is GREAT – wonderful music played with much feeling of style and tradition! And that ‘Raven’s Wing’ she and Max have written is gorgeous – really a winner!” - Seamus Connolly, Irish fiddler, National Heritage Fellow
“Donna, thank you so much for the excellent and inspiring workshop. I really appreciate your ability to break the style down to the elements. I love your approach to the tunes and your analysis. Thank you again for the hard work and passion for this music.” Jim Garber, Poughkeepsie Québecois fiddle jam
Discography:
>>This Distant Shore Mist Covered Mountains (2013)
>> Orange on blue / l’orange sur blue – duets with guitarist Max Cohen (2012)
>> In Full Bloom/ En pleine floraison (2009) Fiddle tunes with Pascal Gemme (producer), Max Cohen, André Brunet, Rachel Aucoin, Sabin Jacques. (2009)
>> Fiddling Demystified for Strings Vol I (2007)
>> Big Boned Beauty (1999)
>> Mademoiselle, voulez-vous danser? Smithsonian/Folkways (1999)
…..Josée Vachon: Entre Moi © J. Vachon
…..Donna Hébert: The Shuttle © 1993 D. Hébert
>> Soirée chez nous Chanterelle (1996)
>>more about Donna
ALAN BRADBURY, bassist and Cajun accordionist has performed with Chanterelle since 1994 and is the leader of Magnolia Cajun Band, based out of Rhode Island. >> more about Alan
MAX COHEN, lead and rhythm guitarist, performs in a duo with Donna and a trio with Donna and Molly Hebert-Wilson. He also accompanies singer Priscilla Herdman. >> more about Max
