Continuing his Fulbright-Harriet Hale Woolley concert cycle, Jared Michaud invites Canadian-American singer Melanie Saucier and pianist Christina Koti, resident at the Fondation Hellénique, to join him for a special concert at the Maison des étudiants canadiens in partnership with FEU. This program of Acadian songs and folklore includes the French premiere of an arrangement by Canadian composer C.P. Gionet.
Many have heard of the Cajuns in Louisiana—their food, their music, and even their Mardi Gras celebrations—but few realize that ‘Cajun’ was ‘Acadian’ and that these Francophones in the southern US ended up there after being made refugees by the British in Le Grand Dérangement (The Great Deportation). Acadia, the former French colony of the 17th and 18th centuries, was primarily in what is now the Canadian Maritime provinces, but Acadians today exist in a diasporic community spread out across Canada, the United States, France, and beyond. Aiming to highlight this somewhat forgotten history, this recital puts Acadian culture and traditions at the forefront through a brand-new arrangement of 12 Acadian Folksongs by Canadian composer and pianist C.P. Gionet. Aspects of the old and the new intertwine in these arrangements, with some folksongs dating back to 17th century France and others having developed much more recently in Canada. At the same time, Gionet’s re-imaginings are set in the aesthetic of 19th century Lieder or French mélodie, ultimately creating a melange of sounds and styles that is emblematic of the Acadians diasporic identity.
The full program of the Printempo 2024 series is available here.
Practical Information
Date Thursday, June 13 at the Maison des étudiants canadiens | Time 7:30 PM | Facebook Event
Program
Carl Phillipe Gionet (1979 – )
12 Chansons Folkloriques Acadiennes
L’escaouette
Le rosier blanc
Le jardinier du couvent
Wing tra la
Au chant de l’alouette
La belle Françoise
Le pommier doux
L’étoile du nord
Écrivez-moi
Tout passe
La prince Eugène
Partons, la mer est belle
FEU Resident Musicians
Franco-American baritone Jared Andrew Michaud is a 2023-2024 Fulbright-Harriet Hale Woolley Scholar in Paris, where he serves as a musician-in-residence at the Fondation des États-Unis, receives coaching and mentorship from Susan Manoff, and studies with François Le Roux and Pascal Rogé on a song duo course at the École Normale de Musique de Paris. With his duo partner pianist Christina Koti, Jared has won first prize in the 2022 Federation of Art Song Fellowship Competition (NYC), the 4th International SGSM Singing Competition (Slovenia), and the 2022 Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Duo Competition (London). Previously a SongEasel Young Artist, the duo recently studied and performed in lied duo courses with Anna-Lucia Richter and Ammiel Bushakevitz in Nürnberg with Heidelberger Frühling Liedzentrum and with Wolfram Rieger in Barcelona with Schubertiada, and they are currently representing France as one of the few lied duo emerging artists in the Young Europe Sings programme, co-funded by the EU. The duo has appeared in recitals in the UK, US, France, and Greece, performing in venues such as St. James Piccadilly in London, DiMenna Center for Classical Music in Manhattan, Petit Palais in Paris, Salle Cortot in Paris, Yale University, the Rhodes International Music Festival, and the Theocharakis Foundation in Athens. The duo has a particular interest in exploring various musical styles and cultures and its relation with art song, currently touring programs about Greek art song, French-Candian folk song, and French cabaret music. Beyond song and recital, Jared has performed as a soloist in numerous operas and concerts, most notably in the Nostos Festival at the Stavros Niarchos Center in Athens. In 2022, he made his premiere at the Welsh National Opera as Barabashkin in their Young Company production of Cheryomushki, and in 2023, Jared sang in the chorus at the renowned Grange Park Opera festival. Jared also has a passion for incorporating activism into his music, currently finding artistic ways to encourage voting as a Changemaker representing France with Culture Action Europe and previously serving as an assistant conductor and dialogue facilitator of the Israeli- Palestinian Jerusalem Youth Chorus. Jared received his MA from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance, graduating with Distinction as a Kathleen Roberts Vocal Scholar, and his BA from Yale University, graduating with Distinction and cum laude.
Guest Musicians
Greek pianist Christina Maria Koti is a 2023-2024 musician-in-residence at the Fondation Hellénique in Paris, where she studies privately with Susan Manoff as well as pursuing an artist diploma on the voice/piano duo course at École Normale de Musique de Paris with Pascal Rogé and François Le Roux. She holds an MMus in Piano Performance under Professor Deniz Gelenbe-Arman from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance with the Trinity College of Music scholarship and has previously graduated from the University of Glasgow with a first class honors Bachelor of Music degree. Together with her duo partner, baritone Jared Andrew Michaud, she has won first prize in the 2022 Federation of Art Song Fellowship Competition (New York City), the 2022 Elisabeth Schumann Lieder Duo Competition (London), and the 4th International SGSM Singing Competition, Lieder Duo category (Slovenia). The duo has also been selected as one of the few duos to represent France in the 2023-2024 Young Europe Sings Academy (YES). Recently, Christina Maria has participated in the following masterclasses and festivals with Jared: the Heidelberger Frühling Liedzentrum masterclass with Anna-Lucia Richter and Ammiel Bushakevitz, the Schubertiada International Lied Duo with Wolfram Rieger, the Colla Voce Workshop/Horto Festival, and the London Song Festival. Christina Maria has also taken part in festivals and competitions for solo piano such as the Gnessin Academy Summer Festival, the Concorso Internazionale Pianistico citta Villafranca di Verona, the Glasgow Music Festival, and the Dinu Lipatti International Piano Competition. She won the Founders Prize in Piano Accompaniment (London 2022) and has been selected as one of the Young Artists of the Toronto Music Festival (summer 2023) in the Art of Song Programme.
Melanie Saucier is a multifaceted Canadian-American soprano whose passion for music from the early Baroque to the modern era, combined with her breathtaking musicality, truly set her apart. She has most recently appeared as Damigella in Opera McGill’s production of Francesca Caccini’s La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina, Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni, and Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia with the New England Conservatory Undergraduate Opera Scenes Program. Additional appearances include in the chorus of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Opera Mcgill, Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at the New England Conservatory. Ms. Saucier has been featured in programs on various international radio and television stations including Radio Canada Télé, Radio Canada’s Tout un samedi, as well as the Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN), and France’s TV5 Monde. She has performed on multiple occasions as the invited guest of the Government of Canada, le Gouvernement du Québec, and the State of Maine in celebration of Franco-American heritage. She has received no less than three Legislative Sentiments from the State of Maine in recognition of her work as a Franco-American artist. She performed at the centennial celebration of the Great Lakes Naval Base in Chicago, Illinois, as well as the National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Orlando, Florida. Ms. Saucier has participated in concerts with the Ochestre du Haut-Saint-Jean in celebration of the World Acadian Congress, with the Montreal-based Stewart Hall Singers as a soloist in Handel’s Messiah and Haydn’s Mass in D Minor, as well as in conjunction with the Amis de l’Orgue de la Cathédrale as a soloist in Bach’s Magnificat. Equally passionate about works from the early Baroque era to modern day, she has collaborated in recitals at McGill University with the Early Music Ensemble, and the Vocal Chamber Ensemble. She was also a featured performer in the Liederabend Concert Series at the New England Conservatory. She has performed recitals internationally in the United States, Canada and Cyprus including the world premiere of Three Bashu Haiku by Boston-based composer Angel Joshi Carmen. She has appeared in masterclasses with Andrew Garland, Randall Scarlata, Tracy Dahl, and Amanda Forsythe. Originally from Fort Kent, Maine and currently based in Montréal, Québec, Ms. Saucier obtained her bachelor’s degree at the New England Conservatory under the tutelage of Lisa Saffer and MaryAnn McCormick. She obtained two Master’s degrees in Vocal Performance and Early Music Performance at McGill University studying with Annamaria Popescu.
Featured Composer
Carl Philippe Gionet is a pianist and multidisciplinary artist. Whether as a soloist, collaborative pianist, or pedagogue, Carl is in high demand, mainly in Europe and Canada. He completed his doctorate in piano performance at the Université de Montréal under the direction of Paul Stewart. He has received specialized training in collaborative piano in Austria and England, and participated in numerous prestigious international summer programs. In 2013, he founded Musique sur mer en Acadie, an organization dedicated to the education and diffusion of classical music in francophone minority communities, and since 2014 he has been the collaborative piano professor and vocal coach at Breno Italy International Music Academy (BIIMA). He is also a visual artist, primarily painting and video installations, working almost exclusively in black and white. He is represented by Galerie ART-ARTISTE. Inspired by the contrasts observed in nature, his work is both introspective and contemplative, allowing the work to express itself, therefore offering countless avenues of interpretation. Carl is also a writer, published by Éditions Prise de parole since 2021. With his first book, Icare, he was finalist for the Prix Antonine-Maillet-Acadie Vie. Leaf Music has released his latest album, Tu me voyais, featuring his Douze chansons folkloriques acadiennes with soprano Christina Raphaëlle Haldane in 2022. The score for his arrangements are published and distributed by Éditions Doberman-Yppan.