Tales from Abitibi

Thursday, June 1, 2023 7:30PM ET | Claude Garneau with Tales from Abitibi (Blackbox Studio, Arts Court and On Demand)

Travel back to the days of World War II, to the Abitibi region of Northern Québec. Get a sense of the area’s history in stories of the people who farmed the land, worked in the forests and went underground to the mines. Laugh as a young boy concocts endless impossible schemes, hoping to lift his family out of the poverty they struggle with. To the foot tapping rhythms of a traditional fiddle, explore this very particular time and place.

Claude Garneau, Le Pére Garneau, a proud Franco-Ontarian, is one of the Ottawa area’s most sought-after storytellers. Having an almost-endless repertoire, his stories come from his (imaginary?) ancestor Théophile Garneau, from his family’s history – early settlers in the Abitibi region of Québec, or simply from his own vivid imagination, concocted for the amusement of his grand-children. Le Pére Garneau has performed in numerous schools, museums and cultural centers in the National Capital Region, at the Shenkman Arts Centre, the National Arts Center, the Ottawa Storytellers’ Children’s Festival as well as in Montréal.

Mélissa Bourgault completed a Bachelor’s degree in Music with honours and a Master’s degree in Musicology at the University of Ottawa. Prior to her university studies, she went to the Conservatory of Music of Gatineau to study with Mrs. Joan Milkson. Her passion of music led her to explore various backgrounds and styles, thus her love for folk music. Mélissa was a member of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, the Strauss Symphony Orchestra and the Gatineau Symphony Orchestra. Her passion for teaching the violin led her to work full-time as a teacher at the École de Musique de l’Outaouais in Gatineau, and she has a private studio as well. She is also the director of the Camp Musical de l’Outaouais.