Ottawa, January 5, 2011 – Louis-Philippe Robillard celebrates the one-year anniversary of the launch of his debut CD, Le Café des oiseaux, Friday, January 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the National Arts Centre (NAC) Fourth Stage. The concert is part of the Vendredis de la chanson singer-songwriter series. Opening for Louis-Philippe is Sarah Bradley, winner of the Radio-Canada “La Première Chaîne” award at Ontario POP 2010. And Louis-Philippe has a few surprises in store...

The concert will be recorded by Radio-Canada “La Première Chaîne” (90.7 FM in Ottawa-Gatineau) for broadcast at a later date.

At Le Café des oiseaux, words describe wounds and humans are transformed into birds. Welcome to the fantastic universe of Louis-Philippe Robillard, a young singer-songwriter destined to make a lasting impression on the music scene.

Blending varied musical influences, poetic, mature and polished lyrics, and melodies that range from upbeat to melancholy, the album offers a collection of thought-provoking stories and a lucid reflection on modern society. Louis-Philippe’s contemporary folk/rock transports listeners into a vivid imaginary world. With his amazing stage presence and authentic delivery, Louis-Philippe Robillard is definitely one to watch.

A smooth takeoff

The January 2010 launch of Louis-Philippe’s debut album, Le Café des oiseaux, marked the beginning of a fruitful creative journey. He was a semi-finalist at the Francouvertes music competition in Montreal, and presented Le Café des oiseaux at several major events and venues, including the Vue sur la Relève performing arts festival (Montreal), the Festival franco-ontarien (Ottawa), Les Francofolies de Montréal, the Nuit Blanche sur Tableau Noir arts festival (Montreal), and the Mariposa Folk Festival. He also toured Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula as part of the 2010 Tournée Découverte showcase of up-and-coming music artists.

A little background

A native of Ottawa, Ontario, Louis-Philippe Robillard has been performing for about five years and has already garnered several awards and honours, including three awards in two years at the Quand ça nous chante school music festival and the Réseau Contact Ontarois award at Ontario POP 2005. After placing in the semi-finals of the Festival international de la chanson de Granby (the leading French-language song competition in the country), he enrolled at the École nationale de la chanson de Granby to perfect his craft. In 2006 he participated in Les rencontres qui chantent, a creative residency project for emerging Franco-Canadian singer-songwriters held at Petite-Vallée in the Gaspé Peninsula, where he subsequently attended professional training workshops. In January 2009 he won an Ontario Council of Folk Festivals award for his showcase performance, Festives inquiétudes, at Contact Ontarois. Afterwards, Louis-Philippe toured Europe with his band, giving street performances in Avignon, Aix, Arles, Montpellier and Toulouse in the south of France, and Istanbul in Turkey. His debut album, Le Café des oiseaux, released in January 2010, has received rave reviews from the media and audiences alike.

Les Vendredis de la chanson francophone concert series is copresented by the Association des professionnels de la chanson et de la musique (APCM) and the NAC Fourth Stage. The series of six original and entertaining concerts is designed to introduce Ottawa audiences to Francophone artists from Ontario and all across Canada. Other series partners are the National Arts Centre (NAC), the Ontario Arts Council (OAC), the Department of Canadian Heritage, Musicaction, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and Radio Canada “La Première Chaîne” 90.7 FM.

Coming next in the Vendredis de la chanson francophone concert series:
April 29: Nadia Gaudet and Daniel ROA
May 26: Patricia Cano (also seen in the English Theatre season’s plays Nativity and St Carmen of the Main)

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Interviews: 
Éric Auclair - APCM
613-745-5642, ext. 305
eauclair@apcm.ca

Information:
Marie-Chantale Labbé-Jacques
Associate Marketing Officer
National Arts Centre
613-947-7000, ext. 526
mclabbe@nac-cna.ca