Carson Valley Arts Council Concert Series Featuring: Vishten

Description

VISHTEN  plays a mixture of Acadian, Irish, and Scottish  music styles, with fiery fiddling and powerful step dancing taking front and center. Formed in 2000 on their native Prince Edward Island, Vishten is a sextet of young traditional Acadian musicians/dancers founded by twin sisters Pastelle LeBlanc (accordion, piano, dance) and Emmanuelle LeBlanc (bodhran, tin whistle, piano, dance) and Pascal Miousse  (fiddle, mandolin, guitar).

Their stage show recalls the joy and energy of the Acadian “kitchen party,” informal community gatherings where all are welcome to sing, play and dance. The rhythms and melodies are inseparable, and reflect the joie de vivre of the Acadian culture of Eastern Canada, with flying fingers, tapping feet, and an unabashed sense of celebration.

All the members in the group contribute to the choreography and musical arrangements, and they all sing. On stage, they work with individual wooden “blocs” that they sit on, dance and play on top of, and use as percussion instruments with both their hands and feet. Their performances are characterized by their high energy and enthusiasm.

In 2001, Vishten was awarded the prize for the best musical showcase at the East Coast Music Awards, Eastern Canada’s version of the Grammys and in 2002, they were invited to participate in the ECMA’s opening performance. They recently toured with famed Québécois band La Bottine Souriante, and recorded on La Bottine Souriante’s Mille Pattes record label.