VIOLON INTERMÉDIAIRE, AVANCÉ, EXPERT
Pascal Gemme is one of Quebec’s national treasures as well as one of her most popular traditional musicians. With a degree from St-Laurent College (Montreal) in arranging and classical/jazz guitar, he has since been searching for seldom-heard songs and melodies, interpreting them in his unique and unmistakable style. Inspired by his fiddling grandfather, Pascal developed solid technique and has acquired a wide repertoire through the years.
He has played with (and learned from), most of today’s great Quebecois fiddlers and singers. Pascal teaches workshops wherever his touring schedule takes him – 20 countries in the last 10 years! Since 2003, he has taught intermediate and advanced fiddle classes at Montreal’s folk music school (École des Arts de la Veillée). His teaching highlights include the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance in Limerick (Ireland), the Goderich Celtic College (Ontario – Canada), The festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend (Washington – USA) as well as at the Alasdair Fraser’s Fiddle Train and Sierra Fiddle Camp (California – USA).
Pascal is also a great singer of Quebec’s folk songs, with a rich and interesting style and repertoire, again mostly learned from his elders. A musical director, he does most of the arrangements for his trio Genticorum, and was also the arranger, composer and musical director for the show Chantier by Zogma, a Quebecois-Celtic-World dance company. Pascal also works, when his touring schedule allows it, as a producer for different musical projects and as a studio musician for commercial radio and television.