2010 Atlantic Fiddlers' Jamboree
A 3-day music celebration in Abram-Village, PEI

Ivan Hicks, Wendy MacIsaac and Pineland Fiddlers among featured performers at 2010 Atlantic Fiddlers Jamboree

Special tribute to Kim Vincent to be staged

ABRAM-VILLAGE, PEI – June 9, 2010 – New Brunswick’s legendary fiddler Ivan Hicks, Cape Breton’s pride and joy Wendy MacIsaac and up-and-coming Mike Hall, PEI’s ever-energetic Melissa Gallant, Quebec’s amazing dancer Pierre Chartrand and Maine’s talented troupe of fiddling youth The Pineland Fiddlers will top the list of performers at this year’s Atlantic Fiddlers Jamboree, slated for July 30 to Aug. 1 in Abram’s Village.

Held on the grounds of the Centre Expo-Festival, the popular weekend event will also feature the talents of an incredible line-up of Island fiddlers and dancers. The Jamboree will consist of three days of concerts, jam sessions and several interesting workshops on step dancing and fiddling.

“We will also be paying a well-deserved tribute to the late great, Kim Vincent of PEI, who served as a teacher, mentor and inspiration to many fiddlers across the Island for many years,” says Colette Aucoin, chair of the Jamboree’s organizing committee. “We’re in the process of finalizing the line-up for the tribute which will be part of Sunday’s concert.”

She explains the Jamboree plans to place a special emphasis on musical families and male step dancers this year. Those themes will be evident throughout the weekend with performances from the legendary Eddie Arsenault and his son Peter, Ivan Hicks and his wife Vivian, and members of the Chaisson Family (J.J., Peter and Kevin). Renowned Quebec step dancer Pierre Chartrand and son Alexis will provide performances and workshops as well.

Other performers will include Anastasia DesRoches, Keelin Wedge, Samantha Gallant, Brandon Arsenault, Pascal Miousse, Chris Gauthier, Karine Gallant, Rémi Arsenault and Roger Arsenault. Individual step dancers and dance troupes will also take to the stage during the weekend.

Festivities begin Friday night at 7:30 p.m. with an official opening and reception followed by a music jam at 8:30 p.m. Saturday’s fun kicks off with an all-day concert from 2 to 10 p.m., where local food and delicacies will be available. Sunday begins with a Musical Brunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by a concert from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

Five workshops will also be held during the weekend:
· Advanced step dancing, with Pierre Chartrand, Sunday from 11a.m. to 12 noon;
· Group dancing, with Pierre Chartrand, throughout the day on Saturday;
· Fiddling, with Wendy MacIsaac, Sunday from 10:30-11:30 a.m.;
· Piano accompaniment, with Kevin Chaisson, Sunday from 10:30-11:30 a.m.;
· Wild From The Heart Step Dancing, with Colette Aucoin, Sunday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

2010 Atlantic Fiddlers’ Jamboree to Focus
on Musical Families and Male Step-dancers

ABRAM’S VILLAGE, PEI – Dec. 7, 2009 – Next year’s edition of the Atlantic Fiddlers’ Jamboree, which has been slated for July 30 to Aug. 1 in Abram’s Village, will focus on the themes “musical families” and “male step-dancers,” organizers have announced.

“We are currently in the process of booking talent from all over Atlantic Canada to perform during the 2010 version of our popular Jamboree,” says Colette Aucoin, chair of the Jamboree organizing committee. “We’ll be announcing the line-up early next spring once everything is finalized.”

The chair reports that the 2009 Jamboree was extremely successful; in fact, the event attracted twice as many fiddle-music enthusiasts as it had the previous year. “We can attribute that success to several reasons, including our second-to-none line-up of talent as well as a lot of hard work by our dedicated volunteers. I can’t say enough about the incredible amount of effort and energy that was invested into this event by our committee. We certainly appreciate their commitment and their work.”