The vocal ensemble
Menu
The photo album of the Grand 50th concert of the vocal ensemble Les Voix d’Acadie is available on our website.
We are a four-part mixed adult choir from the Halifax Metro area. Our mission is to promote francophone songs of all styles from Acadian, Quebec and French sources. We present an annual concert and often other small concerts either at Christmas or in response to requests from the community.
Choir members are invited to participate in the staging of concerts which may involve lighting, decor, costumes and choreography. We often organize a weekend workshop with a guest choral director. New members, francophones and francophiles, are always welcome to join us and embrace our joie de vivre.
Les Voix d’Acadie was started by Carmen Comeau-Anderson in the fall of 1973. Six individuals have directed the choir over its lifetime: Ida Gaudet Romero, Irène Comeau, Pierre Perron, Danielle Tardy, André Mallet and Daniel Leblanc. All of them shared a common goal of promoting French music.
The repertoire covers a variety of musical styles including contemporary, pop rock, traditional, jazz and classical. The choir has also staged several rock-opera classics such as Starmania, Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris. For the 2004 Congrès Mondial Acadien, we commissioned Calixte Duguay, a well-known Acadian artist to write a musical entitled ‘La Grande Traversée’, which included both text and songs describing the odyssey of the Acadian people.
Over the years, the choir has performed in various Acadian regions of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and with a variety of groups, including Symphony Nova Scotia, the children’s choirs of Bois-Joli, Beaubassin, and Beaux-Marais schools, le Chœur des Aboiteaux from Moncton, le Chœur de ma rivière from Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier and le Groupe Vocal Mouv’Anse from La Pocatière. Les Voix d’Acadie also participated in the Royal Canadian Legion video ‘Unsung Heroes’.
Daniel Leblanc grew up in the Acadian village of West Pubnico, Nova Scotia. Some of his early musical influences were his mother who sang in the church choir and played piano at home and his grandfather who played the violin. His passion for music was further ignited when he joined the music club SARMU located in Yarmouth county where he developed his vocal skills as a solo performer. He also learned to play guitar and piano and decided to study music further.
He earned a music degree with a major in voice in 1989 from St. Francis Xavier University. That same year, he began teaching voice and piano at the Canadian Conservatory of Music (1989-1999) in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also studied voice with Elvira Gonnella (1991-1992) at Dalhousie University. During that time, he performed with a wide variety of musical ensembles from church choirs and opera companies to quartets and pop bands.
In 1993, he began teaching music at Armbrae Academy (1993-present) in Halifax which involves conducting choirs and ensembles of various ages. He also composes, arranges and directs music for high school music productions.
In 2017, he became the musical director of Les Voix d’Acadie. For Daniel, this has been a very positive experience as it is the first time since his youth that he has been part of musical group dedicated to promoting francophone music.
Discover the magic of our choir through this promotional video. You will have the opportunity to listen to the inspiring testimonies from our choristers, who share their experience about the joy and emotion they feel being part of our group.
We are sure that the touching and moving stories of our choristers will arouse your interest and give you want to join our choir.
Whether you are passionate about music, stage performance or simply curious to discover behind the scenes, these images will transport you to the heart of our musical adventure.
We have transformed our songs into images to share with you the energy and passion that drives every rehearsal and every performance.
Gaston Renault, president
Marie-France Breton, vice-president
Jacinthe Cormier, secretary
André Mallet, treasurer
Joan Haché, administrator
Maïa Bujold, administrator
Sonja Williams, administrator
Member
Daniel Leblanc, Musical Director
$100/new member, 1st year
Payable at the beginning of the season.
If you wish to purchase these CDs, please contact choristeenacadie@gmail.com
This CD is a celebration of 40 years of the vocal ensemble les Voix d’Acadie. It is dedicated to past directors who have kept our Acadian voices alive all these years. Take a musical trip through the choir’s history as told through a variety of musical styles, from folklore to jazz, from all corners of the Francosphere.
This first album offers a selection of songs from the traditional to the recent Gloria in Excelcis by the Acadian artist, Paul Gallant. You will hear classics, such as the "Cantique de Jean Racine" by Gabriel Fauré and a few "Noëls anciens" from France, as well as jazz versions of more recent favourites such as "Petit Papa Noël" and "Vive le vent". We hope that this album will provide you with many hours of enjoyment.
Gaston Renault
1109 – 201C avenue du Portage,
Dartmouth, N.-E., B2X 3T4
(902) 499-6489
choristeenacadie@gmail.com