Daniel Bélanger plays songs from his 2017 album Paloma, as well as some of his francophone hits at this year’s Festival d’ete.
This year’s winner of the Juno Award for Francophone Album of the Year headlines the annual Festival d’été (June 14-23). Now in its 29th year, the Vancouver festival is an inclusive event that welcomes anglos, francophones and anyone else who wants to experience the cultural diversity of la belle province, and French talent from across the nation.
This year’s Summer Festival features not only Juno winner Daniel Bélanger but also a fellow nominee for Francophone Album of the Year, Patrice Michaud, and several other local and national artists. See below for a rundown of this year’s guests. All shows are at Studio 16 (1551 W. 7th Ave.) unless otherwise noted.
Loig Morin—In 2012, Loïg self-produced and released his first solo album, entitled Lonsdale, inspired by the North Vancouver neighbourhood of the same name. As the years went by, the singer became increasingly interested in music production and decided to launch his own recording studio, Loig’s Music Lab. Since then, he has produced albums for a number of local artists, including pop singer Alisa Blanc. Like Étienne Fletcher, he has just received a nomination for ”Francophone artist of the year” at the Western Canadian Music Awards 2018. The British Columbian singer-songwriter-composer released La rivière, a pop album marked by themes of melancholy and nostalgia. He shares a bill with Saskatchewan-born Étienne Fletcher, whose shows run the gamut from rock to blues and from folk to pop music.
Sophie Villeneuve—A Quebec-born folk singer based in Whitehorse, Villeneuve mixes storytelling with music. From dog sledding to skiing on avalanche terrain, to talking about her northern romances and living in a prospector tent in the winter, Villeneuve shares her experiences. She has won the music competitions Pacifique en Chanson and Chant’Ouest. In 2017, Sophie performed in the prestigious Festival International de la Chanson de Granby music competition. Earlier this year, she released her first full-length album, Le Chant du Hibou. Villeneuve is nominated this year for Francophone artist of the year at the Western Canadian Music Awards 2018. Alisa Blanc, a young singer-songwriter-composer from Vancouver, opens the show. (Friday June 15 at 8 p.m.)
Daniel Bélanger—Bélanger, who has been at it for 25 years, holds a special place in the hearts of francophone audiences. In 2017, he released Paloma, a traveling album, and one of the most celebrated recordings of the year. The new opus has since garnered awards, including the 2018 JUNO award for francophone album of the year, as well as prizes for show of the year and pop album of the year at the most recent Quebec Music Industry Awards. Accompanied by a team of seasoned musicians, the singer-songwriter-composer plays songs from Paloma along with his francophone hits. Patrice Michaud opens the show with songs from his third album, 2017’s Almanach. (Saturday, June 16 at 7 p.m. at the outdoor stage, West 7th Ave.)
Patrice Michaud.
In addition, the Festival d’ete is hosting a kids’ show the afternoon of June 16 at Studio 16 with performer Will Stroet. Additional free concerts featuring Ayrad and Francois Houle will be held June 20 at 4 p.m. (Scène Radio-Canada, 700 Hamilton St.), June 21 at 7 p.m. (Alliance Française, 6161 Cambie St.) and June 23 at 1 p.m. (Civic Plaza, 141 W 14th St., North Vancouver).
For tickets and more info, visit lecentreculturel.com.
