Gabriel Dubreuil credits Festival du Bois for launching his band.
During the pandemic, the festival’s artistic director Joanne Dumas reached out to the Coquitlam resident to create a music outreach for virtual audiences.
Dubreuil gathered a few string musicians to play Celtic and folk tunes representing the hodgepodge of francophone music styles and influences across Canada.
This weekend, Collage Trad — a bilingual name — will return to Festival du Bois for its third round, kicking off the 36th annual party on Friday night at Mackin Park in Coquitlam at 7 p.m. Entry is free.
Collage Trad also plays at Mackin House at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 8.
Its performance at Festival du Bois is the start of a busy year for the band, Dubreuil told the Tri-City News on March 3.
Now made up of Dubreuil and fellow fiddlers Annika Wilson and Mark Sullivan, as well as Andy Hillhouse (guitar), Allan Dionne (drums/accordion) and Wynston Minckler (bass), Collage Trad will be out with its debut EP in April, of which three-quarters of the songs are original compositions.
It also has gigs lined up at the B.C. Legislature (for Journée internationale de la francophone) and Rogers Arena (for a Canucks game), in Campbell River and at Coquitlam’s ScotFestBC in June.
“This year feels like a new beginning,” Dubreuil said. “We are doing a lot of promotion and catching up on that front because we did things in reverse, with creating a band first before the brand.”
A Berklee College of Music graduate, Dubreuil said he’s returning to his roots when he plays at Festival du Bois: It was the first place he performed at as a teen under the North Shore Celtic Ensemble; he’s now its executive director.
His introduction to Festival du Bois “really inspired me to do more with the francophone community,” he said, adding, “They have been very, very supportive of my projects and have allowed me to work in the industry […] It’s cool to come back and celebrate all that is francophone.”
Gate tickets to Festival du Bois at Mackin Park (1046 Brunette Ave., Coquitlam) are now on sale for March 8 and 9, 2025. Visit the festival website for more details. There is no cost for children ages 12 and under. The Tri-City News is a media sponsor of the annual event.
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