Benoit Bourque
Bursting with energy and an infectious joie de vivre, musician-dancer Benoit Bourque has been conquering audiences for the past 23 years. Performing first as a member of the famed ensemble Eritage, with whom he toured all over the continent, he made five recordings (three for children), and appearanced with the group on TV and radio. Eritage had their own television program for three years in Quebec City. Benoit later became known as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher in numerous festivals and music camps at home and abroad. Among these are Augusta Heritage, the Pinewoods Fiddle and Dance camps, Champlain Valley Festival, Old Songs Festival, folk festivals in California and Alaska, Expo 1986 (Vancouver), Palma de Mallorca Festival (Spain), festivals in Denmark, the Moscow International Folk Dance Festival - where Benoit won the Public's Prize, and Kolobrzeg Folk Festival - where the Polish national Newspaper Gazetta, awarded Benoit a prize «for individuality, grace, smile and spontaneity».

As a member of Eritage, and then by himself, Benoit has presented many workshops for children, in elementary as well as high schools, and even in nursery schools. From two to teens, he bewitches them all.

Benoit recorded La Gigue, a cassette and book especially made for learning French Canadian step dancing. Since 1980, Benoit has been the artistic director of Les Éclusiers de Lachine, a folkdance group that has gained international acclaim. He is also one of the founders of Le Carrefour Mondial de l'Accordion, an international accordion festival where he acts as artistic conselor, master of ceremonies, and a performer. The festival received the «Touristic Award» for its first and second years, in 1989 and 1990, for its audience grows bigger and bigger every year.

From 1993 to 1994, Benoit was on the Board of Directors of Le Conseil Québécois du Patrimoine Vivant (The Live Heritage of Quebec Council). After a 2 year stint with french band «Ad Vielle Que Pourra» Benoit left the group to start his own project in 1996. Although Benoit specializes in dancing, «Calling» dances, and traditional percussion playing (bones and spoons), he plays other instruments, including guitar, recorder, mandolin and accordion. He is an unbeatable entertainer.

Benoit has been the recipient of numerous grants, from sources such as the Maine Arts Commission as a Master Artist in Traditional Arts, Catamount Arts for Touring in Vermont, the Maine Arts Commission for the Portland Performing Arts Center project Ragout d'Pattes de Cochon, in collaboration with the modern choreographer Ann Carlson and the Portland Performing Arts Center House Island Project.

Gaston Bernard
Montrealer, born of Acadian parents, grew up in large family where musical gatherings were commonplace. His earliest memories are of his grandmother playing reels on the harmonica while foot-tapping in time. His Acadian background accounts for his fluent English, which is unusual in the Quebec culture. This aspect has permitted him to work in a variety of musical projects, ranging from French music to Greek and African music, throughout America and Europe.

Gaston's first instrument is the mandolin but he is also an excellent performer on fiddle and guitar and often accompanies Benoit's dances with the traditional Quebecois style of tapping percussion while seated in a chair.

His stint with Greek Canadian George Sapounidis in 1987 went on to become the nucleus of the group Ouzo Power. The duo earned recognition in the Canadian folk scene and received various grants, including Cultures Canada, which enabled them to further explore the common Celtic roots between Quebec and Crete.

Gaston has performed with a number of well known Irish musicians such as uilleann piper Davy Spillane and the celtic rock group Hothouse Flowers. He spent a year and a half in Ireland working on various recording projects and music videos.

In Montreal, he was part of a music production with jazz singer Karen Young, that stretched his versatility to greater lengths, playing in her worldbeat show as well as her Celtic folk program.

Gaston met Benoit Bourque while performing with Ad Vielle Que Pourra. Their common «kitchen music» backgrounds could be felt as soon as the first notes were played. Benoit's stepping abilities add another dimension to this powerful mix of percussive dance together with Gaston's unique approach to the music of his heritage. For the past three years since working with Ad Vielle, Gaston and Benoit have been working as duo. Their common Quebecois heritage and mutual love of the traditional music of French speaking Canada unites them in a vibrant, culturally unique performance

Simon Lepage
With more than ten years of experience as a player of both acoustic and electric bass, Simon’s musical presence adds depth to the trio Bourque Bernard Lepage. He has had the opportunity to work in several diverse environments, some of which include jazz symphonic orchestras, and prestigious festivals such as Francofolies de Larochelle and Montreal, Festival International de Jazz de Montreal , and Festival de Jazz d’Ottawa. His extensive experiences as a studio session player include work on Jean-Louis Themis’ 1996 children’s recording project, and regular radio performances at Radio-Canada. Thanks to his versatility, adaptability, and his talents as composer and arranger, Simon is often called upon, by his peers, to participate in various projects.

Born in Quebec City, Simon started his music studies at L’Universite de Laval, where he studied classical stand-up bass for five years. When he came to Montreal to continue his studies in jazz, he had the opportunity to study with Michel Donato (stand-up bassist) and Lorraine Desmarrais (pianist).Montreal’s cosmopolitan abundance offered Simon the opportunity to work closely with music cultures whose melodies and rhythms came from countries ranging from Martinique, Jamaica, Haiti, Guadeloupe, Dominica, Brazil, to Cuba. Simon credits his broad perspective, personal style and knowledge of music to his experiences with so many nationalities.

Teaming up with Gaston and Benoit offered Simon the opportunity to link his knowledge of world music with music of his own culture, namely, traditional Quebecois folklore. Simon’s goal, as a musician, is to familiarize audiences with Quebec’s unique culture and, in the process, pave the way for other ambassadors of traditional Quebecois folklore. With each member of this super-dynamic trio sharing a common vision, it is no wonder why their performances are drawing positive reviews and more and more attention. Prepare yourself for a show that you will not easily forget!

Matapat
CD $18.00 ON SALE AGAIN SEPTEMEBER 8, 2003

1. La suite du casse reel
2. Matapat
3. La suite des rubans
4. La musette et le hautbois
5. La traverse du Saguenay/Le grand triomphe
6. La valse matique
7. Le damné
8. Beau rossignol sauvage
9. La turlutte à "Pit"
10. La pipe cornue/ Le capitaine
11. Valse clog/ La valse de Cesny
12. La suite du Bourque émissaire