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Press release from Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum 09.17.2024 Partons, la mer est belle
Douze chansons folkloriques acadiennes
Christina Raphaëlle Haldane soprano
Carl Philippe Gionet piano
Concert in Sigurjón Ólafsson Museum October 6th 2024 at 8 pm
in connection to Carl Philippe’s exhibition of graphite works in the museum 
Acadian culture provides a rich tapestry of musical and storytelling traditions. This songbook of Twelve Acadian Folk Songs celebrates Acadian culture by showcasing its music and folklore. Aspects of the old and the new intertwine in these arrangements, and they are the result of a long and fulfilling collaboration between pianist and interdisciplinary artist Carl Philippe Gionet and soprano Christina Raphaëlle Haldane. These re-imaginings are set in the aesthetic of 19th century Lieder or French mélodie, where voice and piano play equal solo parts within the musical architecture, and were originally conceived for Christina’s voice.
Carl’s approach to the Acadian folk song arrangements is rooted in the oral tradition, where music and texts are passed orally from generation to generation, without the use of musical notation. He selected folk songs that were already committed to his memory, passed on to him orally from family members and childhood musical activities. In the arrangements, he has remained as faithful as possible to his musical memory. He has also taken liberties with the traditional texts, often re-working the order of the storytelling, making omissions, and creating repetitions to enhance the dramatic arc of the pieces. The song narratives contain universal themes that transcend time, gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic structures. These themes explore love and parting, loss and conflict, epic journey, and whimsical nonsense, and simply how to make sense of the world. Douze chancons folkloriques acadiennes were included in the album TU ME VOYAIS released by Leaf music and Naxos in 2022. The score for Carl’s arrangements is published and distributed by Éditions Doberman-Yppan. Carl Philippe Gionet is a pianist and multidisciplinary artist. Whether as a soloist, collaborative pianist, or pedagogue, Carl is in high demand, mainly in Europe and Canada. He completed his doctorate in piano performance at the Université de Montréal under the direction of Paul Stewart. He has also received specialized training in collaborative piano in Austria and England, and participated in numerous prestigious international summer programs. In 2013, he founded Musique sur mer en Acadie, an organization dedicated to education and diffusion of classical music in francophone minority communities, and since 2014 he has been collaborative piano professor and vocal coach at Breno Italy International Music Academy (BIIMA) and at the Centre for Opera Studies and Appreciation (COSA−Canada). Carl is also a visual artist, primarily painting and video installations, working almost exclusively in black and white. Inspired by the contrasts observed in nature, his work is both introspective and contemplative, allowing the work to express itself, therefore offering countless avenues of interpretation. He is represented by Galerie ART-ARTISTE, and his works have been in numerous solo exhibitions all across Eastern Canada. Carl had his first European exhibition last July at the Cantieri Culturali in Val Camonica, Italy, with his video installation Méditation sur saint Sébastien. Inspired by the contrasts observed in nature, his work is both introspective and contemplative, allowing the work to express itself, therefore offering countless avenues of interpretation. Carl is also a writer. Nominated for the Prix Antonine-Maillet − Acadie Vie with his book Icare (Icarus), published by Éditions Prise de parole in 2021, his latest book, a translation of Mary Jane Mosquito by cree author Tomson Highway, was released in March 2024. Christina Raphaëlle Haldane's career spans the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and North America where she has performed opera, orchestral concerts, chamber music, and recitals. She has interpreted many lead opera roles, having performed for opera houses such as The Finnish National Opera, The Royal Opera Covent Garden, Scottish Opera and Musica Viva Hong Kong. She specializes in Handel’s heroines, comedic bel canto roles, and contemporary opera and enjoys performing and curating recital and chamber music concerts. She is often invited to perform with leading orchestras and her exploration of contemporary music has led to many collaborations with composers, and she continues to bring their vocal works to live. As a recording artist, Christina released her critically acclaimed debut album in 2019, …let me explain, a collection of Canadian art songs which explores folk, jazz and avant-garde styles. In 2020 she was the lead artist for ICARE, an interdisciplinary digital performance product produced through the Canada Council for the Arts Digital Innovation initiative, in partnership with CBC/ Radio Canada and Carl Philippe Gionet. Christina has an international profile as a vocal educator, adjudicator, and clinician and continues to combine performing with her love of teaching. She was on the Voice Faculty at Dalhousie’s Fountain School of Performing Arts from 2019, and joined the team at Mount Allison’s Department of Music in July, 2022. Christina is bilingual, English and French, with Acadian heritage and her home is in Moncton NB, where she lives with her partner Patrice and their two diva dog Pomerians.
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