Serge Fiori spent part of Monday advising and supporting indigenous artists who will be performing the harmonium classic One musician among many othersWednesday evening, at the Place d’Youville.
“I can’t be happier than I am right now,” he told the artists between two fixes that needed to be made. “You have my full support.”
To mark National First Peoples Day, A Musician Among Many Others has been translated into the province’s 11 Aboriginal languages.
Yesterday, at the Le Pantoum creation space in Quebec City, Serge Fiori met for the first time the artists of the First Peoples, who will sing it during a show as part of the Festival Kwe!
praised
Serge Fiori was celebrated as soon as he entered the rehearsal room. He was quick to show his new colleagues why he is part of provincial folklore.
During the rehearsal, the mythical singer-songwriter didn’t hesitate to offer advice to the members of the 11 First Peoples, always with a grin.
Serge Fiori with Aboriginal artists, Monday, at the Pantoum in Quebec. Photo Alexandre Caputo
“Mr. Fiori is an extremely strict person,” says Mélanie Vincent, general director of the Kwe! Festival, which organizes the celebrations on June 21st.
Even if he had put all his professionalism into it, one would guess from his laughter and dance moves that Mr Fiori had the greatest pleasure in the world working with Aboriginal artists.
Two months with Fiori
Mathieu McKenzie, member of the Innu group Maten, who will be on stage with Mr Fiori on Wednesday, fully understands the rigor he is putting into this project.
“It’s one of his babies, that song,” he insists. “Serge is someone who takes a lot of things seriously [dans la musique]; he thinks and dreams according to the music,” notes the one who spent the last two months with the prime prospect preparing the song.
If 13 singers and five drummers have the chance to perform with Serge Fiori at Place D’Youville, it is thanks to Ms. Vincent who wanted to give a voice to the First Peoples.
“I got up one morning and I was thinking about this song,” she says. “The lyrics to the chorus, We gave birth to someone, we should maybe listen to that mean a lot to me,” explains the Wendat woman, who admits to taking some inspiration from the Innu-translated version . from We Are The World.