The official artistic program for the 5th edition of the Edmonton chante festival has been unveiled! A few months after the event was given a makeover, the organisers are very pleased with the result they had so far: “A large number of artists answered the call, venues widely opened their door to us, the promotional campaign is going well and it looks like we caught the interest of the public with the festival’s new concept and fresh image. Everything is in place for the event to be a success amongst French and English speakers.”, says Jonathan Guilbault, art director of the festival.

Indeed, the Edmonton chante program suggests nearly 50 events taking place within 8 days of celebrations (Edmonton - Canada) . During the course of the festival, each performer listed in the program will present between 3 and 5 shows. A wide range of musical genre is offered and will certainly please even the most difficult music lover.

The majority of performances are totally free of charge, but some of them, particularly the shows hosted by the Studio PCL of the TransAlta Arts Barns will charge an admission fee. The price will be $5. Sylvain Tardif, ACFA director general explains: “As a drawback from staging in public places, we can’t guarantee the artists will always be granted the full attention of the public. This is the reason why we wanted to include in the program a few paying shows. The price proposed is very affordable and serve a symbolic meaning, but will allow the member of the audience to fully enjoy their favourite artists and to get carried away by the atmosphere in a more intimate environment that the one generally found in bars, restaurants, bistros and cafés.”

Below is the list of the artists performing in the 2008 edition of the festival:

  Ariane Mahrÿke Lemire (Alberta)
  Ouanani (Quebec)
  Amélie Lefebvre (Ontario)
  Numéro# (Quebec and France)
  Thomas Jensen (Quebec)
  Saint-Pierre (British Columbia)
  Miss Guilbault duo (Quebec)
  Joël Lavoie (Alberta)
  Imposs (Quebec)
  Ben et Mimi (Manitoba and Alberta)
  Les Pères Marlous (Alberta)
  Conférence

A local artist as the spokesperson of the festival

For this 2008 edition of the festival, we chose the Franco-Albertan artist Ariane Mahrÿke Lemire to represent us. The art director says: “Ariane is a very talented singer and songwriter, and with the release of her new album she reaches a French and English speaking audience. Her travels across Canada made her the perfect advocate, because she’s aware of challenges the artistic community has to face in Alberta, as well as in other Canadian provinces.”

“It is a real pleasure for me to collaborate with Edmonton chante, not just as their spokesperson, but also as an artist. According to me, the program and the new look of the festival will attract a new kind of audience. The festival brilliantly showcases local artists and artists from the rest of Canada”, adds Ariane.

In addition to her role as a spokesperson, Ariane presents 4 shows during the festival.

Get-togethers and Jam sessions

Every night of the festival, all the artists (listed in the official program or not) are invited to join in with the public and the festival crew for jam sessions between 10 pm and 2 am. These sessions are the perfect occasion for artistic encounters between local artists and artists from across Canada. You can find where these special nights will take place in our promotional brochure available soon at Le Carrefour bookshop, ACFA offices and all the staging partners of the festival.

Spread the world !

The general director of the ACFA concludes by saying: “Even if the festival has not started yet, it is obvious to me that the changes we made are going to meet the expectations of our public. The event has a much more urban look and stands out from the other Francophone and Anglophone festivals. We wanted Edmonton chante to be at the cutting edge when it comes to the way we meet the interests of people from both official languages. The diversity of this year’s program with artists from all across Canada, the new concept and the eagerness of our partners to team up with us is a good gauge of our success. “