Mont Carmel bilingual concert series kicks off this weekend

Singer-songwriters, step dancers, fiddlers and emerging artists in both English and French are all part of the entertainment lineup in each show in the Mont Carmel Summer Concert Series.

The concerts kick off on Sunday at the parish centre.

The bilingual concert series began nine years ago after the closure of le Village de l'Acadie resort and historical exhibit in Wellington which had been a hub for Acadian performing arts. It began with six summer shows and has now expanded to every Sunday in July and August.

"It's grown simply because there's a lot of TLC that goes into that show. Lots of tender love and care, committee members that believe in it," said artistic director Christian Gallant.

Capacity is 200 people and last year each show brought in 195 guests, Gallant told Mainstreet P.E.I. host Angela Walker.

A formula that works

"We've got ourfaithfulsthat come to every show, right. And they're there whenever the doors open at 6:15, they're there lined up ready to get their seats!"

Each show includes a Celtic artist and step-dancers as well as francophone and anglophone singer-songwriters,with the last slot of the evening being saved for an emerging artist.

"You might not understand the words that the francophone singer-songwriter's singing, but you're still going to enjoy it," said Gallant.

"I was initially a little intimidated because I don't speak French," said anglophone singer-songwriter Jill Chandler of Stratford, P.E.I., who performed last year and is slated to return this summer July 17.

'Genuine connections'

"Music is a very universal language, and people were very welcoming and I made some genuine connections," she noted, while joking that at 41, she may be a little old to be called an "emerging artist."

Caroline Bernard, Remi Arsenault, MaxKeenlyside, the Ross Family, Kendra MacGillivray and many other P.E.I. acts will join artists from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Ontario and Paris, France.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for members, $4 for students and free for preschoolers.

The lineup for each Sunday's show can be found here.

Listen to Mainstreet P.E.I. on CBC Radio weekdays from 4 to 6 p.m.

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