If the golden age of folk galas is a thing of the past, the love of this music is still very much alive in Charlevoix. Suzie Gagnon, accordionist who earned the title of tradition bearer in 2024, is stepping up initiatives to revive interest in this part of our Quebec culture.
“In recent years, I have started to organize small, intimate evenings in private homes, like the old-fashioned way, a bit like a Canadian evening. People sing, play the accordion, the piano, the harmonica… there’s podorythmy too, the little jig guy,” recalls Suzie Gagnon.
The accordionist from La Malbaie, who shone for 20 years on the international scene, reconnected with her origins and the musical community she had known from her beginnings, at the age of 12. His parents, aged 87 and 90, still sing.
“It’s always in a good way. We do that quite simply, in living rooms. “There’s no one who takes singing lessons and then tries to be perfect,” says Suzie Gagnon, who considers that folklore has always been accessible to a wide audience.
Thanks to new technologies, the diffusion of this tradition is no longer limited only to trade fairs. Suzie Gagnon teamed up with Gaétan Long, who founded the Facebook page Mémoires vivants de Charlevoix and publishes archives of old filmed galas as well as new events.
“In the spring, we played at my parents’ house. We filmed with Gaétan, I did a little very quick editing, then we got 160,000 clicks. That’s when I said: wow, there’s still some interest! », remembers the musician.
The Backcountry Jams, another event organized as part of the last Festif! from Baie-Saint-Paul, proved that folklore could touch all generations. “A lot of people were there. It was very surprising. There were even some who cried, who thought that they were not likely to see that in their life. »
Suzie Gagnon decides not to stop there. She co-organizes the Intergenerational Gala, held in Saint-Irénée on November 23. “We created the novelty precisely by involving young people. We highlighted the little jigsaws. Everyone has their own personality. The young people even gave them names. It brings us closer together, it reconnects in another way,” she believes.
Aware that more and more bearers of this tradition are no longer in this world, Suzie Gagnon has made it her mission to “rekindle a new flame of our folklore in Charlevoix. It’s a bit like the recipes for fava soups or pies from each village. Here we do it our way. It’s the same with music, with flourishes. Each village, each region has its own folkloric color in the way of playing. »
But the musician is not alone. She cites some young musicians from the region and the Isle-aux-Coudres dance school which attracts children year after year. Its founder, Hélène Bergeron, also earned the title of tradition bearer this year, awarded the MRC of Charlevoix and Charlevoix Est as part of the Heritage Awards.
Folk music is one of proximity. “It tells our stories, the emotions of the time, it tells about everyday life,” concludes Suzie Gagnon.
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