2025 teachers
Fiddle training courses, three levels
BRUCE
MOLSKY
Master of old-time music from the southern Appalachians
Bruce Molsky
Grammy-nominated, described as “an absolute master” (No Depression), Bruce Molsky transports audiences to another time and place, with his authentic and personal interpretations of rarities from the Southern Appalachian songbook and other musical traditions from around the globe. Best known for his work on the fiddle, Bruce’s banjo, guitar and his distinctive, powerful vocals also resonate with listeners. His combination of technical virtuosity and relaxed conversational wit makes a concert hall feel like an intimate front porch gathering.
Bruce's take on tradition has landed him in collaborations with some of the world's most highly respected players from roots to rock. He is a special guest on legend rocker Mark Knopfler’s recent CD, “Tracker.” His 1865 Songs of Hope & Home with Anonymous 4, was on Billboard’s top 10 for weeks. Along with Andy Irvine & Donal Lunny, Bruce is a founding member of the supergroup Mozaik, with three recordings. You can see Bruce on the BBC TV “Transatlantic Sessions” with Aly Bain and Jerry Douglas, and on “David Holt’s State of Music” on PBS. He stays active touring and recording with longtime collaborators Darol Anger, Tony Trischka and Mountain Drifters’ Allison de Groot.
The July ’24 release of Lockdown Breakdown, Bruce & Darol Anger’s brand new duet fiddle record, is an important pit stop in their years-long trip of collaborating. They continue to love exploring and chasing a shared musical vision that changes and grows as they go, and has powered at least a couple of generations of listeners and players. The project features original compositions, significant vocal songs from America’s recent past, and traditional tunes from all over the world.
February 2022 marked the long-anticipated release of Bruce’s solo guitar CD: “Everywhere You Go,” a coming-together of new interpretations and arrangements of a wide swath of tunes and songs performed in his own quirky and personal finger style guitar.
Bruce holds the title of “Visiting Scholar in the American Roots Music Program” at Berklee College of Music, where he is the go-to guy for the next generation of roots musicians.
“Performing and teaching traditional music are the biggest things in my world. For me, being a musician isn’t a standalone thing; it informs everything I do in my life. It’s always been about being creative and being a part of something much bigger than myself, a link in the musical chain and part of the community of people who play it and love it.”
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PATRICK
OURCEAU
Bearer of traditional irish music
Patrick Ourceau
Violinist Patrick Ourceau discovered traditional Irish music in France in the early 1980s. He learned in France, Ireland, and the United States, discovering and studying the music of legendary musicians such as Paddy Canny and Peter O’Loughlin. Patrick emigrated to New York in the late 1980s, where he quickly found his place in the city's rich Irish music community. A full-time musician for over thirty years, Patrick has toured and played across Europe and North America in various groups, duos, and trios, notably with concertina player Gearoid O’hAllmhurain and the trio Chulrua. His discography includes Tracin’ with Gearoid O’hAllmhurain, Live at Mona's with guitarist Eamon O’Leary, and The Singing Kettle with Chulrua. He also appears on the albums Long Expectant Comes at Last by flutist Cathal McConnell, Celtic Roots by accordionist John Whelan, and on the CD and DVD release of TG4 Geantrai, a compilation celebrating the first ten years of the popular Irish traditional music television show.
Patrick is deeply committed to teaching traditional Irish music. For over twenty-five years, he has been a faculty member at the Catskills Irish Arts Week summer camp in East Durham, New York. He has also regularly taught at many other festivals, summer camps, and Irish music schools in the United States, Canada, as well as in France, Germany, and Ireland, notably at Fleadh Nua in Ennis, County Clare, Ireland.
Since settling in Toronto in 2005, Patrick has shared his knowledge and passion for Irish music with students from Toronto and around the world. He hosts a weekly session at Noonan’s Pub, which has become a cornerstone of the local Irish music community, attracting both local talent and renowned visitors, earning a reputation as one of the best Irish sessions in the country.
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VÉRONIQUE
PLASSE
Québec musical tradition passionate
Véronique Plasse
Véronique Plasse, a trained actress and a musician, has joined the world of traditional music since a score of years, working at enhancing Québec's cultural heritage. Her commitments and involvements are driven by goals which are at the heart of whatever she undertakes: creation, gathering, preservation and diffusion. Endowed with a very sensitive and positive energy, Véronique really enjoys bringing to the public her knowledge and a kind of cultural expertise she acquired through encounters and research. Spurred by her passion for Québec traditional music, this violinist and singer has been active on the international traditional folk scene for about 20 years. Recognized by her fellow trad musicians as a high-calibre performer, Véronique strongly believes that we must carry on the effort of creating moments and places where beauty, sharing and human interaction weave the threads of a sociocultural fabric we can all call our own. Véronique performs also in several other significant projects: Beaton-Plasse, Les Commandos Trad, Barbo and Hurlevent.
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2025 Artists Lineup
Full program coming later this spring!
Festival Activities
CONCERTS
As is our tradition, the Main Stage Concerts take place under the tent from Friday to Sunday, with happy hours to start the evening.
Main stage concerts
Our traditional main concerts take place under the big tent, both in the evening and in the afternoon, from Friday to Sunday. Each concert features two to three 50-minute performances by guest artists, coming from Canada and the United States.
Happy hours are concerts set in a relaxed athmoshphere, early in the evening!
FIDDLE
WORKSHOPS
2-day Fiddle Workshops offered by 3 renowned teachers for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.
Fiddle workshops
Workshops led by three renowned violin instructors: Bruce Molsky, Patrick Ourceau and Véronique Plasse.
Participants, upon registering for the workshops, choose their level (beginner, intermediate, advanced) based on their experience and comfort in a learning context.
Each workshop session (1.5 hours per session) divides the three groups into separate rooms, with each group assigned a specific instructor. From one workshop to the next, and from day to day, the instructors will take turns teaching all three groups. This approach allows participants, regardless of their level, to benefit twice from a wide variety of instruction, repertoires, approaches, and techniques, providing a comprehensive experience.
As a bonus, workshop participants can attend the teachers’ concert on Thursday evening, as well as a “special workshop” session. On Friday, a review of the pieces learned in the different groups will bring together all participants from the workshops.
An instrument deposit will be available for all registered workshop attendees.
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THEMATIC
WORKSHOPS
Festival artists meet on stage and take turns sharing a tune with their colleagues and audience members.
Thematic Workshops
At the Festival, artists come together on stage, taking turns to share a piece with their colleagues and the audience. These encounters, marked by a friendly atmosphere, provide wonderful opportunities to exchange and explore repertoire from both here and elsewhere, as well as compare different styles of traditional violin playing.
MASTER CLASSES
Advanced classes and talks with Festival artists, focused on sharing their unique experience and their approach to their practice.
Master classes
Des cours de perfectionnement offerts par des artistes du Festival, axés sur le partage de leur expérience et leur approche. Des rendez-vous uniques à ne pas manquer !
DANCES
Traditional dance evenings (Quebec traditional dance) with live music provided by Festival artists.
Dances
Des veillées de danse traditionnelle accompagnées par des artistes du Festival. Le Balfolk se déroule au son de pièces à danser tirées de différents répertoires et styles principalement européens, tandis que la danse trad québécoise est câllée et fait appel à des musiciens qui joueront des airs du Québec. Rafraîchissements en vente sur place.
JAM SESSIONS
Traditional music jam sessions take place during the day as well as at the end of the evening, in a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for all levels!
Jam sessions
Several sessions of traditional music take place during the day as well as in the evening. These are excellent opportunities to learn and share repertoire with other festival-goers and Festival artists in a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for all levels!
A free instrument deposit is available during the day from Thursday to Sunday.
MUSIQUE & TRADITIONS ILLIMITÉES PRIZE
In honor of a contribution to Quebec traditional music.
Musique & Traditions Illimitées Prize
2025 Contest
Musique & Traditions Illimitées prize
We will be awarding the Musique & Traditions Illimitées Prize during the festival to an artist, in recognition of their remarkable contribution to the preservation and promotion of traditional music in Quebec. For the inaugural 2024 edition, we reserved the prize for violin artists.
Submit a nomination by (date to be determined), and you could win a festival passport and training session for this summer’s event!
N.B. The nomination form and related selection process is in french.
CHILDREN'S
FESTIVAL
Free activities for children that help them develop their artisic and musical talents.
Children's festival
Year after year, our children’s festival allows children to learn the violin, participate in artistic activities, and make it “their” festival. Thanks to the recurring support of the Boulanger-Bédard Foundation, we offer them an opportunity to be introduced to the arts in an informal and playful context.
All festival activities (except for the training stage) are offered free of charge to young people under 15.
Also available on site
Bar and snacks
Instrument check
CD Shop
Lutherie service
Camping (with showers)
Proximity to all services in the village
Local and Cultural Partners
