Focus on fiddling

Atlantic Fiddlers’ Jamboree hits right note with high-energy tunes

There were fiddle performances and the presentation of the Golden Fiddle Award at the Atlantic Fiddlers’ Jamboree in Mont-Carmel Sunday.

Fiddlers poured emotion into their performances at the Atlantic Fiddlers’ Jamboree in Mont-Carmel Parish Hall, Sunday afternoon.

Hailee LeFort, from Margaree, N.S., tapped out a beat with her foot. Then touched the bow of her fiddle slowly at first, and then sometimes brisk while she played every single note in tune. “This song is dedicated to Marc Boudreau,” she announced to the audience that clapped along.

The folk dance was played from memory, expressing how she felt.

“I got my first fiddle for Christmas from my grandmother when I was four years old and I started learning the following summer from my cousin, so she taught me the basics. Then when I turned seven, I had a teacher for five years, but you have different influences from musicians around your area,” she said. She dedicates two of her songs to Boudreau.

“He was probably the biggest mentor that I had, especially when it came to style, technique, and drive. He was such a big influence on my music.” LeFort added, “Marc just loved helping the younger generation learn.”

The 30th edition of the Atlantic Fiddlers’ Jamboree kicked off Saturday, attracting the best fiddle players from around Atlantic Canada. Ghislaine Cormier, the general director of La Fédération Culturelle de l’ÎPÉ, says the event, “is like a meeting place for all of these great musicians to gather once a year in the Evangeline area.”

The Golden Fiddle was awarded during the Jamboree celebration on Sunday to an artist who shares their love for traditional music and keeping Acadian culture alive. The 2017 award was presented to musician Jacques Arsenault, from the Evangeline area, who was described as “passionate and generous with their music.

“We like to give it to a person who has made a substantial contribution to the community to make sure the tradition stays alive,” explained Cormier.

DESIREE ANSTEY/ JOURNAL PIONEER Hailee LeFort, from Margaree, N.S., poured emotion into her performance at the Atlantic Fiddler’s Jamboree in Mont-Carmel Parish Hall Sunday afternoon.

DESIREE ANSTEY/ JOURNAL PIONEER Carole Gallant, from left, and Caroline Arsenault, present the Golden Fiddle Award to Jacques Arsenault during the Atlantic Fiddlers’ Jamboree on Sunday afternoon.