Album Notes

Michele Choiniere was born into a musical Franco-American family in northern Vermont, and from an early age performed traditional Franco-American music with her father Fabio, an accomplished harmonica player. In 1995, she began writing and composing her own songs and has performed to audiences throughout New England, Quebec and France. Her lyrics and music focus on nature, romance and social issues connected to being Franco-American. She has been featured on TV5 International's "Visions d'Amerique," which was broadcast to francophone nations worldwide, as well as on Vermont Public Television's "Rural Delivery" and has recorded an archival family collection of Franco-American music with her father. She is featured on the Smithsonian Folkways CD "Mademoiselle Voulez-Vous Danser: Franco-American music from the New England Borderlands" released in 1999. In 2003, Michele self-released her debut solo album, Coeur Fragile, which was recognized as one of the top ten Vermont albums of the year for 2003 by Seven Days newspaper. Michele regularly plays with Montreal-based musicians Sabin Jacques (accordion) and Rachel Aucoin (piano)(formerly of Domino) and among other performance accolades, appeared at the 2006 American Folk Festival in Bangor, Maine. Michele's performances blend traditional Franco-American and Quebec folk songs, original compositions, jazz standards, and covers of well-known artists (e.g. Edith Piaf).

Dr. Ted Levin, Ethnomusicologist and Professor of Music at Dartmouth College says: "Michele Choiniere is a singer-songwriter of great talent and promise. Writing and singing in both English and French, she powerfully expresses her cultural identity as a bilingual Franco-American from the New England borderlands. Her repertory and vocal style are as eclectic as they are evocative: jaunty French cabaret songs rub elbows with contemplative ballads and pop-tinged lyrical folk melodies. The overarching emotion of this music is a dark gaiety, sophisticated and brooding. Ms. Choiniere represents contemporary New England "roots" music at its best."