The 2009 Vancouver Francophone Summer Festival announces its programming : from 18 to 24 June 2009 the French Cultural Center in Vancouver invites the audience to the 20th edition of the summer festival dedicated to Francophone music in the capital of British Columbia (Canada) to promote French culture.

And to make it, the Vancouver Francophone Summer Festival gets big names in Francophone music of Canada: Malajube, Karkwa and Pierre Lapointe.

The headliners for the 2009 Vancouver Francophone summer festival

Malajube
With their first album “Le Compte Complet” in 2004 that revealed their unique and original sound and a second very successful second album “Trompe-l’oeil” in 2006, Malajube (Julien Mineau, Thomas Augustin, Francis Mineau, Mathieu Cournoyer) has been touring ever since in Canada, Europe, the US and Japan. The group has taken part in major international music events like SXSW, the CMJ Music Marathon, Osheaga, Les Eurockéenes and the Montreal Francofolies, attracting a lot of attention from francophone and anglophone audiences alike. “Trompe-l’oeil” which won the Best New Artist in 2006 was reviewed as a great recording in many newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, NME, Pitchfork, Wired, The Fader, Filter, Spin, Penthouse, Men’s Health Journal and Vanity Fair, to name just a few. One of their songs was also chosen to represent the canadian culture, in the music album given to president Barak Obama. The release of their third recording “Labyrinthes” in 2009 has rung the starting bell for a tour that will take them to all four corners of the world (Germany, France, Belgium, England, Austria, Netherland and United States) including Vancouver in June 20th. This concert will be a unique opportunity to be part of the 20th anniversary of the Francophone summer festival of Vancouver and to find out why everybody is talking about this francophone group that has received so many nominations.

Karkwa
There are no language barriers in Montreal’s effervescent music scene. The group Karkwa was formed by Louis-Jean Cormier (vocals and guitar), Stéphane Bergeron (drums), François Lafontaine (keyboard), Martin Lamontagne (bass) and Julien Sagot (percussion and vocals). For the 20th anniversary of Vancouver’s upcoming Festival d’été, Karkwa’s concert promises to be every bit as exciting as “Le volume du vent”, their 3rd album, released in 2008. This group of five musicians has mastered their signature sound like never before and will take us on an unforgettable musical trip through the ever-changing context of the contemporary world. Ever since the release of their first album, “Le pensionnat des établis” released in 2003, critics have been won over as Karkwa presented some 75 concerts across Quebec with headline-making performances on major stages. With the 2005 release of “Les tremblements s’immobilisent”, Karkwa claimed a pre-eminent place in Quebec rock music. The record was inventive, with a bold mix of Brigitte Fontaine’s vocals on “Red Light” and it earned the band a groundswell of popular and critical praise. In 2006 they were honoured with the Félix-Leclerc Award, as well as a shared Félix for Best Lyricist or Composer alongside music titan Pierre Lapointe. In 2008 they won the Songwriter/ composer of the year in the Gala of the ADISQ (The equivalent of the Juno awards For the Quebec Music industry). This year they were invited to take part in the cultural Olympiads and the band continues making news. Over the 11 years since the band was formed, Karkwa’s trajectory has been stellar. Their vibrant and polished compositions create a musical atmosphere that is both serious and irresistibly uplifting. This show promises to be breathtaking...

Pierre Lapointe
Today Pierre Lapointe is one of Quebec’s most famous artists and he has also received international recognition for his talent. He won his first award when he signed up for the Tout nouveau tout show contest as a singer/songwriter/composer and since then he has gone from one success to another (Félix-Leclerc award in 2004; Académie du disque Charles Cros award in 2005; 3 Félix in 2006 Gala of l’ADISQ, as author/composer/songwirter of the year and album of the year too; 2 Félix in 2008 ADISQ Gala for the recording of his album with the Montreal metropolitan Orchestra). In 2003, he signed with Audiogram, which made it possible for him to release his first album. From there, he did a series of tours and now Pierre Lapointe fills the halls for sell-out concerts at the biggest festivals. His first album is a gold recording and the press continues to praise his work, with Alain Brunet in La Presse referring to him as a “bionic creator”. His second album, “La forêt des mal-aimés”, sold over 28,000 copies in the first week of its release in the stores. Very fast his first two albums are classified disk of Platinum. Sylvain Cormier from le Devoir newspaper writes: “This album is really something - nothing less than a masterpiece of pop music... It’s Sgt Pepper’s two years after Rubber Soul. Polnareff in the realm of Steve Reich. ABBA in orbit. A sound track from Ennio Morricone that has been high jacked by Beck. It’s a strange mixture of Thom Yorke and Barbara.” On March 20, 2009, at the Festival international du film sur l’art (FIFA), the documentary made by Éric Morin (Mange ta ville, ARTV) was screened to the public for the first time. Mutantès : Dans la tête de Pierre Lapointe. “...By setting up a camera in Lapointe’s home and filming him revealing his innermost obsessions and certain fears (like a paranoiac dream starring Luc Plamondon and an esoteric encounter with Robert Lepage), following the singer and his close collaborators on the job right up to the completion of the project with mobile, incisive camera work, Morin has produced a dynamic, modern, intelligent movie that faithfully reflects its subject...” (Marie-Louise Arsenault, Canoé diverstissement, March 19th 2009). His success has enabled him to take off for Europe, where audiences are very enthusiastic about discovering his songs. For the release of his third album, “Sentiments Humains”, Pierre Lapointe delivers a series of tender songs that, more than ever before, touch all kinds of listeners. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the festival, the gala concert on the Air Canada stage will provide Pierre Lapointe with the first opportunity ever to perform in Vancouver.

Ariane Mahrÿke Lemire A native of Edmonton, Ariane Mahrÿke Lemire grew up in a blended francophone and anglophone culture. In 1999, she won first prize in the Alberta Gala de la chanson and Chant’ouest for her first three compositions. The same year she also performed in the semi-finals of the Festival de la Chanson de Grandby in Quebec. It wasn’t until 2007, after winning the Rawlco/ Magic 99 10K20 grant, that her music took centre stage in her life. In the spring of 2008 Ariane Mahrÿke released her first full-length album “Double entendre” that won the Western Canadian Music Award for best French language album. This album brings us sensitive and imaginative ballads in French and in English. Come out to her upcoming concert to discover an artist who is too good to miss!

The program of 2009 Vancouver Francophone Summer Festival

Thursday 18 June 2009
Ariane Mahryke Lemire

Friday 19 June 2009
Mimosa

Saturday 20 June 2009
Chidren’s Fête
“La petite fille aux allumettes”
Malajube
Karkwa
Pierre Lapointe

Wednesday 24 June 2009
Saint Jean-Baptiste day

2009 Francophone Summer Festival of Vancouver: Children fête

For children, the Vancouver Francophone Summer Festival opens its doors on 7th Avenue, starting at 2pm. There will be free outdoor activities with clowns, magicians and visual arts as well as a show in Studio 16 for children under 12.

“La petite fille aux allumettes” : This show will be a musical tale according to Hans Christian Andersen’s work, staring , Ingrid Rondel, Michelle Richard, Samuel Sixto, Coraline Félix, Sophie Aubugeau, Anne Duranceau et Edgar Bridwell.
Saturday, June 20th | 1:30pm and 3pm | Studio 16 | 1551 7th Avenue West

Saint Jean-Baptiste Day at 2009 Francophone Summer Festival of Vancouver

A patriotic atmosphere will settle over Richard’s on Richards on June 24th as we celebrate Saint Jean-Baptiste day, Quebec’s provincial holiday. The show will start with renditions of the greatest hits from Quebec artists by the 7 musicians band Doctoroq followed by DJ Camaro’s turntables to keep the rest of the night young.

Music videos of artists scheduled at 2009 Francophone Summer Festival of Vancouver

  Ariane Mahryke Lemire “Comment oublier”

  Malajube “Porté disparu”

Karkwa “Echapper au Sort”

Pierre Lapointe “Je reviendrai”

The Francophone Summer Festival of Vancouver is the second major event of the year organized by the Francophone Cultural Center of Vancouver after the Coup de Coeur of Vancouver at the end of 2008.