Franco-American singer Josee Vachon will perform at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, at the Gendron Franco Center in Lewiston. Submitted photo
Franco-American singer Josee Vachon will perform at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18, at the Gendron Franco Center in Lewiston. Born in Québec and raised in Maine, Josée Vachon has been sharing her Franco-American upbringing for over 25 years through traditional and contemporary folksongs from Québec and Acadia and through her own compositions.
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 state festivals in Maine and at schools and parish soirées. She has 12 solo recordings to her credit and continues to perform and record the music that best represents her love of Franco-American culture.
Vachon has won special awards including a bronze medal from La Société Académique ARTS-SCIENCES-LETTRES of Paris, France, 2019 in recognition of her musical career and receiving the Franco-American of the Year 2018 award from the Franco-American Center of New Hampshire. She has served as the Franco-American Ambassadrice, presenting at Constitution Hall, Washington D.C.; Women’s Singing Traditions of New England Tour; and L’Institut Francais in Berlin, Germany. Her International television appearances included “Bonjour!” from March 1987 to April 1998, hosting over 500 tapings of the most widely seen French-language television show in the US and airing on cable and public television stations in Louisiana, the Northeastern US and Canada.
Reserved tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the Box Office, calling 689-2000 or online at francocenter.org. All ticket-buyers are welcome to a reception prior to the concert at 5 p.m. Light hors d’oeuvres will be served.
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