Josee Vachon's singing of French hymns popular with audience.
Quebec-born singer Josee Vachon, a former resident of the Pioneer Valley, was the guest artist at the 'St. Jean-Baptiste Celebrationâ' on June 22 in the hall of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Chicopee. Some 200 people in attendance at the “St. Jean-Baptiste Celebration,” held June 22 in the hall of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Chicopee, got transported to the streets of Paris, as well as to Canada’s French-speaking provinces, thanks to the delightful and skilled singing of the Quebec-born singer Josee Vachon.
The former resident of the Pioneer Valley, now a transplant to an area of Pennsylvania settled by the Dutch, entertained the hall, filled with many others of French-Canadian heritage, with songs in both French and English. She even did a bit of yodeling, as one of the organizers had promise.
Vachon, who holds a degree in Romance languages from the University of Maine, sang some of her own pieces from her new CD, “Parlez-moi d’Amour,” as well as from her other releases.
She also sang a few songs made famous by Edith Piaf, the beloved French singer known for her resistance to the Nazi occupation of Paris during World War II, as well as hymns during which a number of senior citizens in the audience sang along in French.
It was a fitting singer-audience duet for a celebration in honor of John the Baptist, the patron saint of Quebec, whose birth is celebrated around the Summer Solstice in a number of countries.
The event, a fund-raiser for the building fund of the French Heritage Center Committee, also featured a raffle as well as desserts like coffee cakes with berries, Fleur de lis chocolate pops and rich pastry bars made with chocolate, cream and coconut.
The committee is looking to establish a center in Chicopee, where many French immigrants settled to work in factories. Assumption, which merged with Holy Name of Jesus Parish in 2010, was originally a French-speaking parish.
Anyone interested in becoming involved with the committee or wishing to become an “ami” of the center, can contact Meder at frenchconnection104@gmail.com or Jeanne Hebert at (413) 594-9332.