Folk Steps Music Conference

Musical Traditions of

Acadie, Louisiana and Quebec

August 8, 2013

The Folksteps Music Conference presented on August 8^th by the Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society is an annual celebration (our 4th) of traditional music.  This year’s Franco-diaspora theme starts close to home but follows the spread of this unique, lively musical tradition across the continent.

The 2013 conference is being organized and hosted by two members of the group Unisson from Clare, Nova Scotia (Digby County) — Sebastien Dol and Carmen D’Entremont.   The keynote speaker will be Dr. Ronald Labelle from Cape Breton University.  Dr. Barbara LeBlanc, Universite Ste. Anne, will demonstrate the importance of dance to Acadian culture over time.  Musical traditions of Acadie, Louisiana and Québec will feature visits from a number of musical favourites coming especially early to the 2013 Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival so that they might take part.  These include: Balfa Toujours (Louisiana), Lennie Gallant (PEI), Connie Kaldor and Paul Campagne (Québec), Genticorum (Québec) and Unisson (NS).

Folksteps has quickly become a keenly anticipated part of the annual Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival.  Originally incorporated as a traditional music conference for the Festival’s 25^th  anniversary in 2010, the conference was very well-received and the Society’s Board of Directors opted to add the conference as the opening event on the first day of the Festival ever since.  The 2013 Folksteps conference will be totally integrated within the Festival, and therefore is included in the Full Festival Pass.  Folksteps takes place from 9:30am to 4pm on the first day of the Festival, August 8^th.   The format provides fun and learning and includes expert presentation as well as audience participation, including questions and answers, performance and dance.  Delegates are on their own for lunch with time to explore beautiful, historic Lunenburg.

The conference will offer a tremendous opportunity for audiences to explore a vibrant facet of traditional folk music of this area, and to further understand its relevance to the music of today.

Folksteps is generously sponsored by FACTOR, The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings and the SOCAN Foundation.

This year the full day conference is included in your Festival Weekend Pass; or you can purchase a day-pass for the Conference and Evening Concert.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage (Canada Music Fund) and of Canada’s Private Radio Broadcasters.

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