February 15, 2017
Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario (CSCNO) high school musicians had the experience of a lifetime at the 14th annual “Quand ça nous chante” music festival. Some 270 up-and-coming musicians from more than 30 Ontario Catholic and public francophone secondary schools took part in this gathering, which took place from February 9 to 12 in Rockland.
Maxine Lemieux, a grade 11 student at Collège Notre-Dame (Sudbury), took home one of four solo artist awards (“Coup de cœur du meilleur artiste solo”) due to her outstanding performance of “Pas tout cuit dans l’bec,” a song composed by Franco-Manitoban artist Marijosée. This prize recognizes outstanding individual performances that display professionalism and originality. For Maxine, the award also means that she will be travel to Granby (Québec) this September and take part in the “Jamais trop tôt” (young artists) project during the Festival international de la chanson de Granby, where she will also benefit from a 5-day training program with professionals.
Matt Tarantini, a grade 12 student at École secondaire catholique Jeunesse-Nord (Blind River) who is highly appreciated for his guitar prowess, is one of 12 students to be awarded the “Coup de cœur de la marraine” prize (All-Star Award). As a prize-winner, Matt was invited to take part in the musical portion of the Franco-Ontarian Games, set for Woodstock this coming May.
Finally, based on the enviable reputation of its music program, École secondaire catholique l’Horizon (Val Caron) was selected as host venue for the 15th edition of the “Quand ça nous chante” festival.
“Students taking part in the festival were able to live out their passion for music, share their talents and receive feedback from professional artists,” explained CSCNO Director of Education, Mrs. Lyse-Anne Papineau. “By being exposed to a variety of styles of francophone music and through their contacts with other musicians from across the province, students could see and hear for themselves that the French-language music industry is alive and well in Ontario and that a musical career in French remains a real possibility.”
The “Quand ça nous chante” festival is an educational activity offered by the Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique (APCM).
The Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario offers a French Catholic Educational Program that is widely recognized for its excellence. The CSCNO provides a quality learning environment and an academic program that runs from early childhood to adult education, with some 7,000 students enrolled in 27 elementary and 10 secondary schools.
INFO:
Paul de la Riva
Director of Communications and External Relations
Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario
(705) 673-5626, ext. 294
(705) 677-8195 – cell phone