NOTE: In light of the efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 (Corona Virus), we are postponing public events previously scheduled for this project and are transitioning to online events using Zoom and Facebook Live. You can also expect much more content will be available here, on our Facebook page, and our YouTube channel. We are still committed to celebrating, documenting, and sharing the sounds and stories of our musical culture throughout these difficult times and rest assured we will comply with all public health directives and precautions to protect the well-being of everyone involved in this project, and that includes you, our audience, most of all.
Unless noted otherwise, all events will take place on this project’s Facebook page.
December 12, 2020 – 7:00 to 8:30 pm – Square Dance Bands of the Chateauguay Valley – A Tribute to Rufus Fisher’s Orchestra and Wilson’s Westernaires (Co-sponsored by Hemmingford Archives and Brysonville Schoolhouse Revisited)
Join us as we revisit the heyday of Chateauguay Valley barndances and pay tribute to two pioneering local dance orchestras, the Rufus Fisher Orchestra (Barrington, QC) and Ellis Wilson’s Wilsons Westernaires (Brooklet, QC). Featuring live music from John Wilson & Connie McClintock; archival music from Ellis Wilson and Rufus Fisher; and oral history segments from friends and family of these orchestras.
December 6, 2020 – 7:30 to 9:00 pm – Klezmer Konnections Vol. 2 (Co-sponsored by KlezKanada)
KlezKanada and the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) present the second part of their series celebrating and exploring the role of klezmer music in building community and promoting the cultural vitality of Quebec’s Jewish community. The event will open with a performance by Montreal klezmorim Yoni Kaston (accordion, clarinet, piano) & Ariane Morin (saxophone); discussion with folklorist and Yiddish dance scholar Avia Morre; and a closing set with Zilien Biret (clarinet) and Dan Kunda Thagard (cimbalom).
http://www.facebook.com/klezkanada
November 28, 2020 – 7 to 9:30 pm – Black Music in Quebec (Co-sponsored by the Black Community Resource Centre)
The BCRC QAHN’s A Different Tune project are teaming up for a night of music celebrating the diverse and profound contributions of Black English-speaking Quebecers to the province’s musical heritage. Featuring gospel, Caribbean folk, hip-hop, and beyond. We hope you will tune in to catch this small sampling of Montreal’s Black musical heritage. The lineup is still being finalized but you can expect performances – live and pre-recorded – by artists such as the West-Can Folk Performing Company; Kim Sherwood (People’s Gospel Choir); Lasalle’s youth mentor and hip-hop artist Todd Smith; and youth mentor and songwriter Michael Farkas, among many others.
November 15, 2020 – 2 to 3:30 pm – Klezmer Konnections Vol. 1 (Co-sponsored by KlezKanada)
KlezKanada and the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) present a virtual concert and discussion celebrating and exploring the role of klezmer music in building community and promoting the cultural vitality of Quebec’s Jewish community.The event will open with a performance by Montreal klezmorim Jason Rosenblatt & Rachel Lemisch, followed by a talk and discussion with Yiddishist, playwright, and journalist Rokhl Kafrissen, and will conclude with a short set of music from master accordionist Sergiu Popa.
http://www.facebook.com/klezkanada
November 14, 2020: 2-4 pm – Beginner’s Fiddle Workshop for the Chateauguay Valley with Laura Risk (Co-sponsored by Brysonville Schoolhouse Revisited)
Have you ever wanted to play fiddle? If you have an internet connection, a fiddle, and a bit of spare time on your hands, then Brysonville Schoolhouse Revisited and the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network invite you to a free online beginner fiddle workshop with renowned fiddler Laura Risk on November, 2020.
Our goal is to help inspire the next generation of Chateauguay Valley fiddlers, an important part of our region’s cultural heritage. Laura Risk (www.laurarisk.com) is a professional fiddler and music scholar who has taught and performed music across the world for over two decades. This workshop will be aimed at beginners who have some experience with the instrument but who wish to hone their fiddle style. If you know how to hold the instrument and can play a few easy melodies, this workshop will be perfect for you. Laura will teach a few simple tunes used for local dances while focusing on bowing, timing, ornamentation, rhythm, and technique.
This event will take place online with Zoom. Please Note: Participants are expected to have a violin and bow in playable condition. Registration is limited to a maximum of eight students. To register, please Brysonville Revisited in a message on Facebook; or Glenn Patterson at info@adifferenttune.blog.
November 7 & 8: West Quebec Songwriting Workshop with Ian Tamblyn (Co-sponsored by Theatre Wakefield and the 100 Mile Arts Network)
Ian Tamblyn and his music need little introduction to the people of West Quebec and folk music aficionados across the country. He is a prolific songwriter, composer, and recording artist who since 1972, has released over 44 recordings of original music and written fourteen plays and over one hundred theatre soundtracks. His music is often inspired by the places he knows both near and far, whether the spring ritual of the maple harvest in the Gatineau Valley, the rocky landscapes of Lake Superior, or the still beauty of Canada’s far north and beyond.
This event will take place across two afternoons on Zoom and have a limited number of spaces available. Contact us for more details about registration.
October 25, 2020 – 1 to 3 pm – Facebook Live – Eastern Townships Annual Heritage Fair: Virtual Show-and-Tell
A Different Tune will be presenting two musical acts at this year’s Fair. In addition to a full roster of small museums from across the Townships who will be sharing a story about an interesting artefact in their collections, we’ll have an oral history interview and presentation with James Allan, a well-loved square dance caller, pianist, and all-around local culture guy from Kinnear’s Mills in Megantic County. As well, John Wilson and Connie McClintock will be joining us from their home in Brooklet, QC in Quebec’s unofficial “Western Townships” to play a set of music that recalls the golden age of Chateauguay Valley barndances. This event will be broadcast from the QAHN Facebook page as well. http://www.facebook.com/QAHNCanada/live
September 19, 2020 – 7 to 10 pm – Facebook Live – St. Patrick’s Day in September
Saint Patrick’s Day holds a special place in many of the rural English-speaking communities north and south of Quebec City. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, their Saint Patrick’s festivities were among the first to be cancelled when the lockdown began last March. Now almost six months later, QAHN’s “A Different Tune Project” has teamed up with VEQ, the Shannon Catholic Women’s League and the Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier Historical Committee to bring you an evening of honouring the rich Irish-influenced musical heritage of Shannon, Valcartier, and Kinnear’s Mills.
Join us on our Facebook Live page to catch performances by: Wesley McCoubrey (button accordion); James Allan (piano); Pierre-Antoine Landry (guitar and flute); Larry Hamilton (voice); Léonard Noel (fiddle); Donna King (voice); Melanie Chamberland (voice); Guy Bouchard (fiddle); Lisa Ornstein (fiddle); Bernadette Short (interview); The Shannon Irish Dancers (dance).
August 8, 2020 – Facebook Live – Gaspé Fiddle Project 10th Anniversary
Join an afternoon celebrating the work of a collective of fiddlers, collectors, and researchers who, collectively have been working to preserve the fiddle traditions of the Eastern Gaspé Peninsula. We’ll be playing music and talking about what we’ve been up to in getting this music back in circulation again. Featuring Laura Risk (Montreal); Lisa Ornstein (Washington State); Guy Bouchard (Douglastown); Matthieu Fournier (Gaspé); Paul Fackler (North Carolina); Norma McDonald (Douglastown); Pascal Gemme (Eastern Townships); France Dupuis (Quebec City); Robin Servant (Rimouski); Stéphanie Lepine (Lanaudière); Martin Aucoin (Beresford, NB/Lévis, QC); Pria Schwall-Kearney (Australia); André Brunet (Lacolle, QC); Brian Morris and Glenn Patterson (Montreal).
Co-sponsored by the Vision Gaspé-Percé Now and the Douglas Community Centre
August 6, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “Thirsty Thursdays Vol 10” – Originally from Belle-Anse and now living in Montreal, singer-songwriter Dale Boyle brings his brand of folk, blues, roots, and country music that is inspired by his connection to the Gaspé Coast. http://www.daleboyle.com/
July 30, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “Thirsty Thursdays Vol 9” – Women of the Coast. A showcase of six woman singers, songwriters, and musicians from the Coast’s English-speaking communities. Artists TBA soon.
July 25, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “The 100 Mile Artstream.” In collaboration with Theatre Wakefield’s 100 Mile Arts Network, we are bringing you an evening of artistic talent from across West Quebec. Musical performances from Stacey Desabrais (Shawville); Evelyn MacIver (Wakefield); James Stephens (Chelsea); Catherine Scullion (Campbell’s Bay); Pickachune (Wakefield); Tony McKenzie and Katelyn Zimmerling (Shawville); Devorah Sugarman (Wakefield)
July 23, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “Thirsty Thursdays Vol 8” – Steven “Wolfy” McGie. Montreal-born and raised on the Gaspe Coast, Wolfy began his music career when he moved to Edmonton. His love for music started at a very young age, listening to his mother playing guitar with her friends in the kitchen. She listened to a variety of music from Lionel Richie, Prince, Conway Twitty, Elvis, The Beatles and Janice Joplin, just to name a few. Steven grew up listening to Nirvana, Tupac, Usher, Michael Jackson, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Whitney Houston and whatever else he could get his hands on. His influences are similarly eclectic and his love for music has no boundaries.
July 16, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “Thirsty Thursdays Vol 7” – Listuguj’s Gypsy Donkeys will be bringing a set of classic rock.
July 9, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “Thirsty Thursdays Vol 6” – Norm Parent
July 2, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “Thirsty Thursdays Vol 5” – From Murdochville and now living in Montreal, songwriter, pianist and vocalist Melissa Furlotte will be treating us to a set of jazz-influenced original songs.
June 25, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “Thirsty Thursdays Vol 4” – Jordan Duguay, a young singer-songwriter from Sandy Beach, recently back from Montreal where we completed a course in sound engineering and continued working on and recording his original material.
June 18, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “Thirsty Thursdays Vol 3” – Live from Holy Name Hall. In collaboration with the Festival de musique du bout du monde featuring Kathy Kennedy, Karen Brian, and Debbie Sams singing Irish songs and Mathieu Fournier, Steve Boulay, and Marion Trudel playing traditional fiddle music.
June 11, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “Thirsty Thursdays Vol 2” – Rock and Blues with The Narrows (Shigawake and New Richmond, QC). Co-sponsored by The Gaspesian Way; Shigawake Agricultural Fair and Music Festival; CASA; SADC Baie-des-Chaleurs.
June 4, 2020 – 8 pm – Facebook Live – “Thirsty Thursdays Vol 1” – Old-Time Country and Cajun Music with Nadine Landry and Sammy Lind (Pointe-à-la-Croix, QC). Co-sponsored by The Gaspesian Way; Shigawake Agricultural Fair and Music Festival; CASA; SADC Baie-des-Chaleurs.
May 28, 2020 – Facebook Live – “Irish Heritage in Quebec: History, Music, and Dance”
A co-production with QAHN’s Heritage Talks series. An afternoon filled with some of Irish-Montreal’s finest in history, story-telling, music and dance. This event will be accessible by live stream from the QAHN and Different Tune Facebook pages. Fergus Keyes, will speak about the history of the Black Rock site and bring us up to date on the most recent developments in the building of a monument park; musical performances by Roy McLaren and David Gossage; an Irish-Montreal ghost-story by Donovan King; and an interview with Irish dance instructor Bernadette Short and researcher Rachel Hoffman about Irish dance in Quebec since the 1970s. Do not miss this one-of-a-kind event! Please see the detailed schedule at the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2893937450702922/
April 25, 2020 – Online using Zoom – “The Next Tune: Passing on the Valley’s Fiddle Traditions”
Free online beginner fiddle workshop (2 – 4 pm) workshops with Laura Risk. If you have a fiddle in playable condition, have a basic sense of how to hold the instrument, and can play a few simple tunes, then this workshop is for you! Musical intermission and snack break featuring local fiddler John Wilson and pianist Connie McClintock (3:00 – 3:15 pm).
May 9, 2020 – Hemmingford (Archives Hemmingford – 517 ave Champlain): Dance Bands of the Chateauguay Valley: Rufus Fisher’s Orchestra and Wilson’s Westernaires. POSTPONED
Presentation by project director and researcher Glenn Patterson featuring live music by John Wilson (fiddle), Connie McClintock (piano), and friends (1 – 3 pm); followed by an open jam for local musicians (3 – 4 pm).
May 30, 2020– Valcartier: A celebration of the musical heritage of Valcartier, Shannon, and Stoneham – Live music, set dancing, singing, and stories. POSTPONED
Many more events coming across the province …. check back soon.
A Different Tune 