Our final folk ball of the year promises to be very special. ‘La Veillée’ brings together musicians from Canada, France and Brussels for a traditional Québecois ball. ‘La Cuivraille’ is the fantastic group formed around the violinist Gabriel Lenoir (Shillelagh, Chaï…), a native of northern France, to which brass instruments bring a highly original colour. Between these two bands, the Galician bagpipe group A Contrabanda, the old faithful of the Queimada will, as usual, accompany the ritual preparation of the Queimada.

Our evening will begin with an initiation into dancing by Frisse Folk. Passionate about the folk music of Quebec, the quartet La Veillée will summon us to a French-Canadian ball, under the expert direction of the ‘câlleuse’, alias Mélina Mauger-Lavigne, who, from the very first notes onwards, will guide the public through some typical dances, accompanied by three highly experienced companions. Therefore, La Veillée puts on a fiendish ball to the rhythm of foot-tapping percussion, maintaining a festive and accessible spirit.

La Cuivraille has recently built a solid reputation in the specialist world of folk balls, not least thanks to its wonderful ability to combine the best of traditional music with borrowings from groove. To the sound of a brass section, of a dancing violin, of a bass that fits perfectly and of refined percussion, we will leave the musicians and singers to fill us with fantasy.

• LA VEILLÉE:
  Mélina Mauger-Lavigne : câll, gigue
  Corentin Boizot-Blaise : fiddle, podorythmie
  Simon Degrave : banjo, podorythmie
  Darius Lecharlier : bouzouki, podorythmie

• LA CUIVRAILLE:
  Gabriel Lenoir : fiddle, vocal
  Matthieu Billet : trombone, vocal
  Mickaël Knockaert : trumpet, bugle, vocal
  Florian Laihem : sax, vocal
  Simon Froment : bass
  Amar Belaouache : percussion, vocal