Quebec City’s top Celtic ensemble Bonhomme Setter to appear at North Church

FARMINGTON – New England Celtic Arts will present award-winning the Quebec Celtic ensemble Bonhomme Setter at North Church on Saturday, Oct.25. Show time is 7 p.m., with a jam session and refreshments at 6:15 p.m.

Bonhomme Setter is a musical line-up which has been evolving in the Celtic music sphere since 1998. The flute player and founding member, Sylvain Laberge, is now joined by Marie-Noëlle Harvey (violin, viola), Marie-Pier Gagné (cello), Stéphane Desbiens (guitar), Mathieu Gosselin (bass, double bass) and Andrew Beaudoin (percussion).

Previously associated with Irish musical traditions, today the group blends Celtic music with the diverse rhythms of the world. Spain, Ireland, Brittany and the Middle-East flow together in warm compositions which have a hint of folk.

For their fourth opus “Obia” launch in June 2014, the musicians have opted for a juxtaposition of original melodies, folk songs and Irish, Asturian and Breton traditional music. Following in the wake of the third album “Turning Wind”, the tracks on the fourth opus present orchestral arrangements featuring the harmonic richness of the strings, the complementarity of the flutes and the various rhythmic layers of the percussion. Also included is the contribution of Patrick McSweeney, former member of the group, who provided vocals for one song and shared the melancholy of the uilleann pipes with the Irish reel, Man of the House.

Resolved to giving a unique and orchestral sound to traditional music, Bonhomme Setter offers an escape to a mixed musical universe.

For their inaugural tour in the USA, the band will present a show with a reduced formation of 4 musicians. The group will perform their music on wooden flute, fiddle, cello and acoustic guitar.

North Church is located at 118 High Street in Farmington, Me, for reservations call 207-778-2006. For more information call NECA at 207-562-4445 or http://www.necelticarts.com