French Programming: Guillaume Arsenault Brings Instrumental Folk and Thoughtful Storytelling to the Art Gallery

With his feet mainly rooted in the folk genre, Guillaume Arsenault concocts his songs with a keen craftsmanship. He is at once sensitive and resolved, funny and placid. In his backpack, he carries his successes (numerous awards, six original albums) and collaborations with a herd of acclaimed artists, such as Eric Dion, Charles Imbeau, and Erik West-Milette.

Presented in collaboration with RadArts, and as a key part of the Sobeys LIVE @ the Centre season, Guillaume Arsenault will be up close and intimate, October 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the sleek surroundings of the Confederation Centre Art Gallery. Arsenault is presenting this concert in promotion of his new album La partie de moi qui tremble, being released October 11.

The singer-songwriter was born in Gaspésie, a distinct and rugged region of Quebec, and his voice is consistent with the scale of his landscape, calling on the power of the elements. On his sixth album—alternately instrumental and sung in French—his music seeks a balance between being crisp and melodic and keeping the listener guessing. Folk songs are dressed with keyboards and hypnotic rhythms from the world of electronica music, keeping the sweet melodies charged and intense, at times. The songs here blend the simplicity of folk and storytelling with flavours of the contemporary and more experimental. The result is a dynamic set of songs that are at once hopeful and nostalgic but also contemplative and apprehensive.

Confederation Centre invites Islanders and visitors to explore something new this fall, discover Guillaume Arsenault in the spacious and rich surroundings of the Gallery. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. in the Confederation Centre Art Gallery. Tickets for all performances are now on sale and can be purchased at the Confederation Centre Box Office or online. Confederation Centre wishes to acknowledge the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Government of P.E.I., and the City of Charlottetown for their continued support.

PEI Professional Theatre Network