Portland Ovations Brings Quebec's De Temps Antan to Portland 5/7

Portland Ovations is excited to bring the Quebecois musical trio of Éric Beaudry, André Brunet and Pierre-Luc Dupuis, otherwise known as De Temps Antan, to the USM campus for a high-energy performance in Hannaford Hall on Saturday, May 7th at 8 p.m.

Since 2003, this high-energy trio has been exploring and performing time-honored melodies from the stomping grounds of Quebec's musical past. Using fiddle, accordion, harmonica, guitar, bouzouki and a number of other instruments, these three virtuosos blend boundless energy with the unmistakable joie de vivre found only in traditional Quebec music. De Temps Antan, a double-entendre name meaning both "from time to time" and "in olden days," keeps the traditional folk songs of the small Quebecois villages where their grandparents and relatives grew up alive and thriving by performing them the right way - with foot stomping and tongue-twisting energy of an old time Quebecois family party. "For us, it's not only the story of the music we need to tell, but we try to live the story on stage, to really get across what you'd hear and feel and do during a family party," explains accordionist Pierre-Luc Dupuis.

All three members previously performed with the celebrated ensemble La Bottine Souriante (Éric Beaudry remains a member of La Bottine). Beaudry's love of music spurred a passion to enlighten others and, following the completion of a Bachelor of Arts in pop guitar and jazz, Eric began teaching traditional music at Joliette's CEGEP régional de Lanaudiére. André Brunet, a "Canadian Grand Master" of fiddle was featured in the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Pierre-Luc Dupuis hails from a lineage where traditional music was always at the forefront of daily life but did not start playing the accordion until age 18. A true entertainer, Dupuis always brings his unique humor and a warmhearted charisma to every performance.

Ovations Offstage is offering a Pre-Performance Lecture/Demonstration: "French-Celtic Crossroads in Maine Music and Dance" with step dancers and educators Cindy Larock and Laura Scott on Saturday, May 7th at 6:30 p.m. in Hannaford Hall on the campus of USM. This pre-performance lecture and demonstration will explore the interrelated French, Scottish, and Irish roots of De Temps Antan's distinctive Quebecois music and the dance it inspires. Fiddler Ed Pearlman will provide the musical insight and accompaniment as Laura and Cindy expand our understanding of the role of traditional music and dance in Maine's Franco-American community and beyond.

Portland Ovations' presentation of De Temps Antan is graciously sponsored by L.L. Bean.

Tickets for De Temps Antan are available at $34 to the general public and $31 for Ovations' Members. A limited number of $10 student tickets are also available to any full-time student. To purchase tickets, contact PortTix at 207-842-0800 or visit the box office window at Merrill Auditorium. Tickets are also available online at www.portlandovations.org.

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