DeKalb Library Presents…Virtual Concert: French Creole Music from the Illinois Country
Sycamore Library is happy to share with you this community collaboration from DeKalb Public Library. Information below. For all questions about this program please contact samanthah@dkpl.org or call (815) 756-9568 ext. 1701.
Fingers and bow flying, Dennis Stroughmatt et L’Esprit Creole take listeners on a musical odyssey not so different from his own musical and cultural education in Upper Louisiana Creole Culture. Taught to play fiddle by local Creole fiddlers Roy Boyer and Charlie Pashia in the tradition of their fathers, Dennis gradually became an adopted son of the French Midwest Creoles living along the Mississippi River south of St Louis, Missouri. A vibrant blend of Celtic, Canadian and Old Time sounds, this music bridges the gap between contemporary Canadian and Louisiana Cajun styles. Preserved by families in the Ozark foothills, the music remains largely intact and true to the traditions that have been passed down for over three centuries. Included in L’Esprit Creole is also Doug Hawf on guitar. A lifelong musician, Doug grew up just a few miles down the Wabash River from the old French Creole settlement of Vincennes, Indiana.
With the blessing of the Creole people of the Midwest, Dennis Stroughmatt et l’Esprit Creole are its passionate ambassadors, expanding interest and excitement in a region that has been, in many ways, ignored by the history books. What many have considered to be long lost is alive and kicking. A medley of music, language, stories, and culture secreted away in the Missouri Ozarks has a voice in the tapestry of this world. It’ll make your soul jump, your head spin, and your heart glad to know that it is still here. As they say in the hills, “On est toujours icitte: We are still here!”
Dennis Stroughmatt et L’Esprit Creole have performed across the United States and Canada at notable events and locations including The Library of Congress, The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and Festival Acadiens in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Click here to register.
This event will also be live streamed to the library’s Facebook page. Click here to watch it on Facebook.
This concert is funded in part by the Mary E. Stevens Concert and Lecture grant.
For additional information or help with registration, please contact Samantha at samanthah@dkpl.org or at (815) 756-9568 ext. 1701.
