USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College

The University of Southern Maine’s Franco-American Collection will be bringing its popular French-language sing-along to the d’Youville Pavilion at St Mary’s Regional Health Center, Monday, December 12. The hour-long session, from 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., will take place in the chapel on the third floor of the Pavilion and will focus on traditional holiday favorites, and French Noëls (Christmas Carols).  Members of the public are invited to join residents for the festive session, which will be led by local singers and instrumentalists.  No prior knowledge of French is necessary, since song sheets with lyrics will be provided. Participants of all ages and backgrounds are strongly encouraged.

“Taking the program to St. Mary’s is a great opportunity to reach those who might not normally be able to make it to our regular events” says Collection Coordinator James Myall. “We had a great time last year at d’Youville – it really captured the spirit of the holidays.”

In case of bad weather, the event will be postponed until Thursday, December 22 at the same time. For more information, please contact USM’s Franco-American Collection at 753-6545 or franco@usm.maine.edu.  The D’Youville Pavilion at St Mary’s Regional Health Center is located at 93 Campus Avenue in Lewiston.

The Franco-American Collection at the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College announces the return of French sing-alongs at the campus. The public and all ages are invited to join USM’s Franco-American Collection starting at 1:15 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28 for an hour of songs, jigs and reels. The event takes place in the large function room in the north lobby.

Traditional favorite French songs will be featured prominently in the session led by Jacynthe Jacques and accompanied by Jeanette Gregoire on piano. People who attend are encouraged to contribute their own songs and stories.

Lyrics will be provided, and no knowledge of French is required. For more information, call the Franco-American Collection’s Coordinator, James Myall, at 753-6545.

The University of Southern Maine’s Franco-American collection is one of the largest repositories of Franco-American archival material in the State of Maine. The Collection’s holdings cover local history, government, religion, language, education, industry, sports and the arts. The mission of the Collection is to develop and promote interest in and study of Franco-American culture and history on the part of the University community, academic community, and the community at large. The Collection focuses on Lewiston-Auburn and other areas of Maine, with additional regional materials providing a link to the wider contexts of French North America.

(Left to right) Aliette Couturier, Jacynthe Jacques, Jeanette Gregoire and Irene Coady lead USM LAC’s French sing-along last May.

USM’s Franco-American Collection has received a substantial and generous donation of materials relating to the ‘C’est Si Bon’ band from one of its former members.  Lionel Meservier has given the Collection items which span the group’s thirty-year history, including photographs, albums (including several unique recordings of live sets) and awards and souvenirs from the many festivals in Maine, New England and Quebec at which the band performed.

Lionel (Nel) Meservier, Eddie Bouchard, Ray Chouinard, Don LeBlanc, Gerry Meservier, Mickey Meservier and Therese Dube all played with C’est Si Bon at various times.  The members successfully produced several commercially-released albums and were also active members of the Franco-American community.  The donation to the Collection is therefore also of importance for the history it provides on past Franco festivals in Biddeford, Augusta, Lewiston and elsewhere.

The items will be housed permanently at the Collection, and will be available to view during the Collection’s regular hours.  Anyone with further C’est Si Bon or festival memorabilia is also invited to add them to the Collection.

The University of Southern Maine’s Franco-American Collection, located at 51 Westminster Street in Lewiston, is one of the largest repositories of Franco-American archival material in the State of Maine. The Collection is open to the public four days a week, Mondays-Thursdays, 9am – 4pm. The Collection’s holdings cover local history, government, religion, language, education, industry, sports and the arts. The Collection focuses on Lewiston-Auburn and other areas of Maine, with additional regional materials providing a link to the wider contexts of French North America.  More information is available online at www.usm.maine.edu/franco/ or by calling 753-6545.

C’est Si Bon in 1999.  The group recently donated many materials related to the history of the band to USM’s Franco-American College. Pictured left to Right are Don LeBlanc (Fiddle); Eddie Bouchard (Guitar); Gerry Meservier (Drums); Nel Meservier (Keyboard) and Ray Chouinard (Spoons).

Franco-American folk singer Josée Vachon will bring her lilting voice, engaging humor and upbeat rhythms to the University of Southern Maine’s Lewiston-Auburn College for a free public concert on Sunday, May 22. The event is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. in the college’s function room, Room 170.

A Québec native transplanted to central Maine as a child, Vachon has been charming audiences throughout the Northeast and beyond for over 25 years as she performs a varied repertoire of songs in French, accompanying herself on guitar, spoons and foot-tapping.

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 schools, parish soirées, and cultural celebrations such as Lewiston’s Franco-American Festival.

It was these experiences which inspired her to document her Québec roots by writing original compositions which she performs alongside a wealth of French Canadian songs, both traditional and contemporary. To date she has recorded 12 solo albums in French.

Her warm vocals, welcoming personality and increasing popularity among Francos led to an 11-year stint as host of Bonjour! (1987-1998), the most widely seen French-language cable TV show produced in the U.S., airing in markets from Maine to Louisiana as well as in Canada. She also has appeared on Radio-Canada and on television shows in Paris, France.

Vachon was recorded for a special on La Bolduc on Canada’s History Channel, made Yankee Magazine’s Top 40 Music picks (July 2001) and contributed an original song on Smithsonian Folkways’ compilation Mademoiselle voulez-vous danser: Franco-American Music from the New England Borderlands, a Top Ten Folk Music CD pick from NPR in 1999. That same year she was awarded the National Culture Through the Arts Award from the NY State Association of Foreign Language Teachers for her work in schools.

She performed with the 1994 touring show “Women’s Singing Traditions of New England” under the sponsorship of the National Endowment for the Arts, and was a founding member of the Franco-American group Chanterelle, with whom she recorded two albums. In 2007, she was inducted into the American-French Genealogical Society’s French-Canadian Hall of Fame.

Pointing out that her first-ever festival appearance was in Lewiston, Vachon says that she harbors “great memories of the very enthusiastic audiences who have attended my concerts in Lewiston over the years. Moving away from New England to follow my husband´s work was difficult, so I’m particularly excited to be back ‘home’ with fans during this upcoming visit.”

Vachon will conclude her concert at USM LAC with a sing-along session, where she will invite audience members to join her in singing a rousing selection of chansons à repondre (response songs) and other local Franco-American favorites.

The May 22 event is sponsored by the Franco-American Collection at USM LAC. More information is available by contacting the collection’s coordinator, James Myall, at 753-6545.

Community members are invited to participate in a French sing-along session from 1:15 to 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, at USM LAC.

Aliette Couturier will lead attendees in singing a selection of local Franco favorites such as “Je Reviens Chez Nous (I Return Home)” and “Le Bon Vin M’Endort (Good Wine Puts Me to Sleep).” Providing musical accompaniment will be accordionist Irene Coady and pianist Jeannette Gregoire.

This is the fourth installment in a monthly series of French song sessions launched in January by the Franco-American Collection at USM LAC. Attendance has been growing every month, with people returning with additional family members and friends. Song books are provided so that even those who are unfamiliar with the songs or less-than-fluent in the French language can easily follow along.

The event will take place in Room 170, which is located just down the hall from the Collection’s reading room. Admission is free to all. More information is available by calling the Franco-American Collection office at 753-6545.

Participants in the French sing-along planned for April 20 at USM LAC will include, pictured in front, left to right, pianist Jeannette Gregoire and accordionist Irene Coady, and in back, singers Jacynthe Jacques, Irene Mercier and Helene Sylvain.