2013 Ambassador

Gaële: A Frenchwoman  with accents of Quebec!

Daughter of the French Alps, Quebecoise by adoption, with a degree in classical music from Grenoble and a Bachelor's in jazz and pop singing from UQAM, Gaële has distinguished herself through her participation in various contests (including the Festival en chanson de Petite Vallée and the Festival international de la chanson de Granby), allowing her to give strength to her singing voice: a mix of theatricality, intensity and gentle mischief. An independent woman of the world, a loquacious yet careful weigher of words, a dreamer who has sworn to cherish imperfection, a hyperactive contemplative, and an artist fueled by paradoxes: traits of her personality that help strengthen her songs.

Gaële has produced two albums, Cockpit (2007), and Diamant de papier (2010) that deal with her sense of Quebecoise identity (L'accent d'icitte) while at the same time stirring up and exploring strong feelings of displacement (Ville intérieure).

Her gift for capturing the complexity of human experience within the medium of song has garnered her numerous awards, including the Guy Bel Award for Best Female Singer-Songwriter at the Festival Pully-Lavaux à l’Heure du Québec, the Cirque de Soleil Award of the Bourse Rideau 2008.

As a lyricist, composer, and versatile musician, Gaële has been acknowledged as an invaluable collaborator by a positive crowd of distinguished figures in the Quebec music community. She wrote and cowrote the lyrics for Marie-Pierre Arthur’s first two albums and lent her penning talent to Monica Freire, Jipé Dalpé, Line Renaud, David Usher, Damien Robitaille, Cusson/Mervil/Montcalm and Alexandre Désilets.

Our 2013 Candidates

Aude Ray

Hailing from the Montreal area, Aude started composing and writing when she was 15 years old. With her experience in liberal arts school, fine arts and jewellery, Aude is a well-rounded artist. She also branched out into acting with a comedic musical theatre piece (Chenal du Moine Theatre, Québec), going on to perform in Franceand England with “Vive le monde de la francophonie” (children’s theatre, “Léo à vélo”).

At the age of 20 she decided to head west, head full of dreams and wide open spaces. She produced herself as a singer-songwriter inCalgary (Healer’s Conference Festival), Powell River (Sunshine Music Festival), Vancouver (Nouvelles Scènes), Victoria (Victoria Events Centre).

For the last three years she has resided in beautiful Whistler where she teaches “creative” music, in her words, to the children at her studio. Her studio “Émeraude” which serves as the headquarters of her varied artistic projects, music, visual art, jewellery, such as the musical production “Aude Ray et le baggage de rêves” that she created in 2011, a show that included music, improvisation, poetry, visual effects and dance.

Despite her extensive experience in both the performing and fine arts, Aude is sure that Pacifique en chanson will be “one more step towards her professional interests”. It is the opportunity to “work with professional musicians and musical directors that match my career goals as a singer-songwriter.” Be sure that the public will be thrilled to (re)discover her folk universe with a touch of indie-pop.

Camille Garvey

Camille is a young singer who represents the next generation of francophone musicians in British Columbia. If we had to sum up her music in one word, it would be “jazz” –  jazz of the unbridled passion that Camille devotes to her discipline, jazz like the studies that the artist undertook at Capilano University, jazz like the sound of her piano that she already commands excellently for her young age.

Music has always been a part of her existence; she even taught herself how to sing and play piano. She grew up between two cultures, Anglophone and Francophone, which allowed her to try out all sorts of music. But jazz quickly came to the forefront; a revelation. In 2012 she won the award of Best Senior Band Vocalist at the Envision Jazz Festival. She also participated in the Young People’s Concert Series in Delta. She is currently a member of the Capilano University Festival Chorus.

Camille is thrilled to participate in Pacifique En Chanson; she has been waiting two years to be old enough to apply. For her it is a huge asset, and she plans to benefit from every moment in order to perfect her professional level of music training, but also to “express her passion in the French language.”

Éléa Saunier

Éléa is a young girl unlike any other. Her path has been truly singular. Originally from the magnificent island of La Réunion, she left forFrance before settling down in Vancouver. Before all else, Éléa Saugnier is a young, passionate artist. After graduating from École Jules-Verne, she perfected her song writing and singing talents thanks to the support of her father, a musician himself. Her musical and creative universe she owes to her mother, who was open to the world.

Starting to write her own songs at the age of 14, she performed in many concerts during her childhood and adolescence, including her own headliner last year. On April 28th, 2011 at the Cabaret Theatre in Vieux St-Jean (Quebec), Éléa performed as the main attraction. With the help of several musician friends including Pascal Chaumont from Star Académie 2009, the night was a huge success. In November she participated in the 18th Coup de Coeur Francophone de Vancouver and opened for Acadian musician Lisa Leblanc.

Mathieu Lavigne

Mathieu Lavigne is a singer-songwriter from the Vancouver area. Over the last fifteen years he has fine-tuned his musical expertise thanks to two mentors: Dee Daniels for singing and Russel Rogers for guitar. His musical career started in 2010 with his first effort Little Wars, which had just one French song at the end of an otherwise entirely English album.

Already we find ourselves in his realm of naked, raw sentimentality. The album took him five years to make, proof of the perfectionism that spurs this artist onwards. In 2011 and 2012, Mathieu launched himself on stage with several concerts in Vancouver (at the Main and Libra Room) and elsewhere in the province such as Kelowna(Streaming Café). He also participates in Radio-Canada shows (L’été dans les voiles, Bien au show).

Mathieu is currently working on his new album which will be entirely in French and will be recorded this spring. While the public is waiting, they can hear his new album performed at Studio 16 on February 15th as part of their Concerts Nouvelles Scènes series.

For Mathieu, Pacifique en Chanson is a fantastic opportunity to polish his skills and, in his words, “to meet the francophone public of the West.” It is also an opportunity to meet other francophone artists and “other musicians and professionals from the musical world.”

Pacifique en chanson

Pacifique en chanson is both a contest and a concert that serves as a unique stepping stone for francophone artists from BC and the Yukon who wish to gain access to the world of popular music. In addition to providing an enriching on-stage experience, this platform offers candidates individualized training under the supervision of a professional team. One of our participants will get to take part in Chant’Ouest, a music contest between the provinces of Alberta, BC,Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The winners of Chant’Ouest will then travel to the prestigious Festival International de Chanson de Granby.

Over the years, many artists from Western and Northern Canada have participated in these provincial events. Whether it took them great distances or not, they all came out winners, enriched by their experiences of friendship, big dreams, and the stage.

Mission

• To support and encourage emerging artists
• To provide a platform for francophone artists from BC and the Yukon to express themselves