Guillaume Arsenault

Accompanied by Jean-Guy Leblanc on double bass and Éric Dion on resonator guitar, Guillaume offers us an intimate version of his new songs* and an overview of his vast repertoire of six albums. You will be enveloped by the poetry and music of “folk” songs in the acoustics of a chapel illuminated by candles.

*In 2024, Guillaume releases a new song every month. 

Biography

Guillaume Arsenault, singer-songwriter, was born in Gaspésie and has run a song shop there for over 20 years. He belongs to this country and his voice matches the scale of its landscapes, relies on the power of the elements. Guillaume draws his breath and his rhythm from the universe he inhabits. He never tires of roaming the territory and diving into the sea. His breathing, sometimes jerky, sometimes held, reveals what constitutes both his strength and his sensitivity, the part of him that trembles. The father, the lover, the cabinetmaker, the trainer, the artist share the same quiet strength, the same gift for contemplation, the same poetic look at things, the same desire to reinvent oneself with each project. Far from confusing him, this flow defines him. Several times awarded (CALQ Prize - Artist of the Year in Gaspésie 2022, Révélation Radio-Canada, Petite-Vallée Song Festival, etc.) and nominated (Canadian Folk Music Prize 2021, ADISQ, etc.), and with his experience in song, Guillaume Arsenault now shares his know-how with emerging artists. He devotes himself in turn to sound design (Poussières d'étoiles, La nuit du Caribou, Irène sur mars, Réal de Montréal's marvelous journey, etc.), to production (Dans l'shed, Joey Robin-Hachey, Éric-John Keyser…) and training (Chansons unites/Nikamu Mamuitun). He becomes a mature artist, a man who has the poise of a sage, both feet in the truth and a spirit of adventure. He is moving forward.