FFTO_Connect with French from July 10-24! - Franco

 PRESS RELEASE For immediate release FRANCO-­‐FÊTE DE TORONTO ANNOUNCES OUTSTANDING LINE-­‐UP OF 33RD ANNUAL FESTIVAL. CONNECT WITH FRENCH CULTURE THIS SUMMER! Toronto, May 20, 2015 -­‐ At a press conference held at the Hard Rock Café, Franco-­‐Fête announced that the 33rd edition of Toronto's International Francophone Festival will be an extended and enhanced edition, taking place over a period of two weeks, from July 10 to 24 at Yonge-­‐Dundas Square. Thanks to the contribution of all its partners, including its official presenter, the Canadian Foundation for Cross-­‐Cultural Dialogue, Toronto's Franco-­‐Fête will once again showcase a variety of concerts and activities, all for free! In partnership with the Ignite/Animer program, the 2015 edition of Franco-­‐Fête de Toronto will be increasing from its traditional 3 days to 14 days representing the most important cultural Francophone event taking place during the Pan American Games. Franco-­‐Fête will be the platform of choice to highlight the dynamism of the Francophonie of yesterday and today in Canada and America. Franco-­‐Fête will bring together on stage, in the space of two weeks, dozens of French-­‐speaking Ontarian, Canadian and Pan American artists. As well as announcing the change of dates, Franco-­‐Fête also revealed the first group of artists who will be part of this year’s outstanding line-­‐up: The great and incomparable Louisiana native singer-­‐songwriter Zachary Richard; the mother of all pop and multi-­‐Félix Award winner, the popular Quebec singer Ariane Moffatt; the critically acclaimed soprano Marie-­‐
Josée Lord; the infectious Brasilian sounds and rythms of Pirate Del Sol; Franco-­‐Ontarian singer-­‐songwriter Stef Paquette; Canadian-­‐Peruvian artist Patricia Cano with her jazz, soul and blues infused South American folk forms; multi-­‐award winning Quebec singer Kevin Parent, whose albums have achieved multi-­‐platinum status and earned him numerous Juno Award nominations; the powerful and seductive voice of marijosée; the Colombian vibe of Brussels based La Chiva Gantiva; Shawn Jobin, one of the hottest artists on the Canadian urban music scene; Vancouver's Isabelle Longnus; New Brunswick’s platinum-­‐selling recording artist Lisa Leblanc; hailing from New Brunswick, the all-­‐female indie-­‐folk-­‐country music trio Hay Babies; the rowdy hip-­‐
hop and techno infused folk-­‐music of SWING; and, the multi-­‐award winning, electro-­‐hip-­‐hop group Radio Radio, who was short-­‐listed for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize. These artists amongst others will gather on the main Air Canada stage or a secondary stage erected in a tent called La Cabane à Champlain or Champlain’s Shack. In addition, as Toronto’s Franco-­‐Fête is a platform for emerging Franco-­‐Ontarian artists, this year’s festival will feature the winners of Rond Point 2014 and writers of the song for the 400th, Big Balade. There will also be the FFT winner from Contact Ontarois and latest musical outfit of Jean-­‐Marc Lalonde, Hey Wow, plus Franco-­‐ Manitoban FFT winner of Festival international de la Chanson de Granby, Winnipeger Kelly Bado. Nor can we forget a spontaneous “coup de cœur” for pan Canadian, pan American and even European artists of Les rencontres qui chantent, a project that reflects our francophone diversity and our need to share it. With its varied and eclectic programming, Franco-­‐Fête will not only appeal to the many faces of the Franco-­‐
Ontarian community in Toronto, but will also allow passersby and visitors to discover the existence and dynamism of the Pan American Francophonie. Franco-­‐Fête’s complete program for will be unveiled in mid-­‐June. For more information, please visit: www.franco-­‐fete.ca La Franco-­‐Fête de Toronto July 10 to 24, 2015 Yonge-­‐Dundas Square FREE EVENT www.franco-­‐fête.ca -­‐ 30 -­‐ MEDIA CONTACT: Josée Duranleau | 416 652 7672 | [email protected]
Toronto's Franco-­‐Fête would like to thank the Canadian Foundation for Cross-­‐Cultural Dialogue, the Government of Ontario, the Office of Francophone Affairs and Canadian Heritage, for their generous support of this 33rd edition. For the full list of partners, please see attached.