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Come Skinny Dipping
Saturday, August 23, 2008 / 9:30 / Suggested Donation: $4-$8
Headlining: Va-Et-Vient
Genre: Traditional Quebecois music
Va et Vient combines vocal harmonies with guitars, accordions, flute, and minor percussion to present the music of Quebec, France, and Louisiana, dating from the Middle Ages to modern times. The primary objective of the group is to keep Franco-American musical traditions alive and integrated with our region's culture.
The group was formed in May of 2003. It includes Suzanne Germain (vocals, minor percussion), Carol Reed (vocals, guitar), George Dunne (accordian, flute) & Michael Corn (guitars, mandolin). They have performed at the Champlain Valley Folk Festival, New World Festival in Randolph, Ripton Coffee House, Burlington First Night, Middlebury Festival on the Green, in Quebec and at various other venues.
Suzanne, a Franco-American who grew up in Vermont in a French-speaking household, also performs in the a cappella group "Womensing." Carol performs regularly in musical theater and cabarets, and as a French teacher, music figures prominently in her curriculum, linking culture to language. George has recorded on Philo and Green Linnet record labels with Jon Gailmor and has toured with Martha Pellerin's "La Danse des Enfants" troupe. Michael is an established fixture on the Vermont folk music scene with over 15 years performing in various musical ensembles. He also teaches guitar in his Middlebury, VT studio.
The group's repertoire features lively tunes, made for dancing, and reflective ballads telling stories of heartache and woe from early times to the present. Their high-energy bilingual performance is a celebration of the French-Canadian heritage shared by over 30% of Vermonters.