Young Tradition Touring Group’s 2024 Quebec Tour
Three weeks ago, the 2024 Young Tradition Touring Group season concluded with a spectacular tour of Quebec! For the last week of June, we traveled all across the province playing gigs, exploring cultural sites and the natural landscape, taking workshops from expert dancers and musicians, and participating in some of the best jam sessions in Quebec. And yes...we ate lots of poutine!
This journey began back in October of 2023, when we first gathered with Pascal Gemme and Véronique Plasse to begin learning this year's repertoire. We spent the next nine months learning our concert material, playing gigs across Vermont, and playing for (as well as dancing at) contra dances in Putney and Montpelier.
“There were so many wonderful musical moments on tour. One moment that stands out to me is when we played at the Waterville Community Center at the beginning of our trip. The audience was so engaged and lovely but one member stood out to me in particular. While we were playing her set Brise-Glaces, I looked up and Veronique caught my eye. She was smiling and nodding to the rise and fall of the piece she wrote that we got to bring alive. I love playing that set and I know it always has a big impact on our audiences but it was extra special to see how much joy it brought Veronique to see us perform it.”
Our trip to Quebec began on Saturday, June 22, with a stop in Pascal’s hometown of Waterville, where we participated in a family dance, played our first gig of the tour, and then played and danced in the evening celebration of St. Jean de Baptiste Day.
On the following morning we were scheduled to perform outside in North Hatley, but bad weather resulted in a change of plans. Very kindly, the Mayor of Waterville instead invited us to perform at her family's restaurant, The Wood’s Snack Bar, in Ayer’s Cliff. After a delicious meal we set off for Thetford Mines, where the day’s events were once again moved inside due to weather. The Touring Group took part in an enlightening and joyful workshop with Dominic Desrochers of Bon Debarras in the local hockey arena, and then persevered through intense humidity and challenging arena sound to put on another great show. Though the day didn’t go as planned, part of being on tour is learning how to adapt when needed, and these rockstars met the challenge.
On Monday the 24th, which is the official St. Jean de Baptiste holiday in Quebec, we took a slower pace and explored Old Montreal, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and walked around the city. That evening we enjoyed a fantastic dinner at La Petite Marche before playing our fourth gig of the tour there. La Petite Marche is a well known location for Quebec Trad jams, and the evening did not disappoint. The community turned out and the jam was rocking, inspiring our group with tunes and step dancing.
Performance at La Petite Marche in Montreal.
The following two days we headed to Montreal’s EspaceTrad for workshops from some of Quebec’s most impressive musicians and dancers. A huge thank you to the artists that joined us and shared their skill, knowledge and passion for this music. We learned a song in French from François Félix-Roy, tunes from Richard Forest, Claude Méthe, and Carmen Guérard, rhythm accompaniment with Dana Whittle, a composition workshop from Marc Maziade, and dance from Elisabeth Moquin!
Workshop with Claude Méthe.
Dance workshop with Élisabeth Moquin.
After the workshops on each of these days the Touring Group loaded up to visit and perform for more communities, before returning to our home base at McGill University each night. On Tuesday the 25th we headed to the town of Hudson, where we played for an enthusiastic crowd and then joined in with the band playing for the dance that followed. Wednesday evening we stopped on the way to our gig at Parc des Chutes (Waterfall Park) for a short hike to view the raging waters of the falls. We then had an excellent performance at the CRAPO Cultural Center in Joliette, which was followed by yet another rousing jam session where Touring Group members had a chance to jam with several well known Quebec musicians.
“Over the trip, I got better at learning tunes by ear. The jam sessions that we went to were helpful for that. It was fun to catch on to the tunes more quickly than I usually do.”
“The jam at the CRAPO after our show was incredible! The spirit of quebecois traditional music was really present and everyone was very into it!”
The Touring Group at Parc des Chutes.
Community Dance in Hudson.
On Thursday we drove northeast to Quebec City, where we were able to explore the old parts of this beautiful city in between rain storms, viewing cultural sites, shops, and of course the Chateau de Frontenac. In the evening the Touring Group performed a gorgeous acoustic set at the Holy Trinity Church.
“It was so special seeing a large rainbow after hiking up the funicular at the Chateau Frontenac and seeing a city in European style without even having to go to Europe! I guess I never realized how much traditional music has an impact on the people in the places we visited. At the jams that we played after our concerts, I was almost taken aback when I realized that some of the tunes we played, everyone in the audience knew. I’m so happy to have been able to contribute to this year’s group! Merci!”
Sightseeing Quebec City’s Chateau de Frontenac.
Performing in Holy Trinity Cathedral.
On Friday we headed to our last day of activities at the esteemed Festival Chants de Vielles, where we took an excellent and intensive Breton and Central France dance workshop with Sarah and Laurent Mandrile. The group then led a musical parade procession to the main stage of the festival, where they had the honor of wowing festival goers with their final performance of the tour.
Performing on the Main Stage at Festival Chants de Vielles.
These experiences will make an impression for a lifetime. The perseverance through challenges, skills learned and shared, and joy exhibited leave us with hearts full of appreciation for all that made this season possible. Many thanks to the hard working Christina Kennedy, the Touring Group Manager, and to our artist leaders, Pascal and Véronique, who lifted us in our playing and spirits. And to all of the parent volunteers who went above and beyond this year in making the 2024 Quebec Tour possible, thank you. And thank you to all our partners, musicians, and food and music venues that made our tour so enjoyable. And of course, thank you to our sponsors, all the families, and community that came together to make this possible for these amazing young artists. Merci encore à tout le monde!
And we are not done! Auditions for next year are live and planning is well underway for another extraordinary Touring Group season.
July 30th is the deadline for submissions, and we look forward to reviewing your auditions. Find more information on the upcoming season with artist leaders Ethan Tischler and Elsie Gawler here!
