Jaffrey Historical Society
Rainflow, Inc. Seamless Gutters
Cournoyer Funeral Home & Cremation Center
Presents
Josee Vachon & Patrick Ross: A French Canadian Christmas Concert
A Fête du Noël!
Holiday concert of French-Canadian songs & fiddle tunes, recreating a “réveillon” soirée with recording artist Josée Vachon and Vermont fiddler Patrick Ross!
JOSEÉ VACHON
Born in Québec and raised in Maine, Josée Vachon shares her Franco-American upbringing through traditional and contemporary folksongs from Québec and Acadia and through her own compositions.
Though she often entertained at family gatherings, she began singing publicly with the support of the Franco-American Center at the University of Maine, where she discovered others who shared her rich heritage. After receiving her BA in Romance Languages in 1984, she continued to perform, quickly gaining recognition as a new Franco-American voice through early performances at state festivals in Maine and at schools and parish soirées.
In July 1993, she co-founded the folk group Chanterelle with award-winning fiddler Donna Hébert and singer/guitarist Liza Constable, often joined by bass and cajun accordion player Alan Bradbury. The group released the CDs French in America (1994) and Soirée Chez Nous (1996).
Ms Vachon has 12 solo recordings to her credit and continues to perform and record the music that best represents her love of Franco-American culture.
PATRICK ROSS: 5th Generation Fiddle Player
A fiddler since age 5, Patrick Ross knows what it means to be a music-loving kid. As one of Vermont’s busiest acoustic roots musicians, he has brought traditional music to audiences of all ages, always giving it a fresh, captivating feel.
A DJ, composer, singer and producer as well as superb multi-instrumentalist, Ross is the very model of the modern traditional musician! He grew up near the Canadian border, and his grandparents came from Quebec, where there’s a strong tradition of fiddling. At age 12 he caught the attention of a Smithsonian Folkway Records team documenting regional folk music, who ended up recording him on the front porch of his family’s home. He won the Vermont-State Fiddle Championship at age 14 and has been performing professionally since age 19, when he joined Smokin’ Grass, a Vermont bluegrass band that blended elements of folk and roots rock.
Now in his mid 30s, Ross has toured with a variety of music ensembles, worked in Nashville with a Celtic band, performed at the Grand Ole Opry and the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C., and shared stages with Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Paul McCartney. He’s established himself as one of Vermont’s top session musicians. He tours the state regularly, has started an annual music festival and opened his own recording label, Rock Farmer Records, dedicated to “roots” music. Always busy, Ross performs with The Fellers with Rusty DeWees and guitarist Doug Perkins, the bluegrass band Mountain Money, and bands Hot Flannel and Atlas Key. His solo concerts include a worldwide range of fiddle styles as well as songs he has written for guitar, banjo, mandolin and cello.
Said Robert Resnik, host of Vermont Public Radio’s All the Traditions, “It’s not just the technical expertise or the mastery of an amazing variety of styles that puts Vermont fiddler Patrick Ross several steps above and beyond practically all other players; Ross’s eclectic taste and raw energy make sparks and create musical magic every time his bow hits the strings.” Remarked his performance partner DeWees: “Equal to or perhaps beyond Patrick Ross’ virtuosic command of the fiddle is the easy and entertaining style in which he commands a performance. I’m blessed to have shared his stage.”